AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Coal upgrading program for Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic: Task 8.3. Topical report, October 1994--August 1995

Coal has been a major energy source in the Czech Republic given its large coal reserves, especially brown coal and lignite (almost 4000 million metric tons) and smaller reserves of hard, mainly bituminous, coal (over 800 million tons). Political changes since 1989 have led to the reassessment of the role of coal in the future economy as increasing environmental regulations affect the use of the high-sulfur and high-ash brown coal and lignite as well as the high-ash hard coal. Already, the production of brown coal has declined from 87 million metric tons per year in 1989 to 67 million metric tons in 1993 and is projected to decrease further to 50 million metric tons per year of brown coal by the year 2000. As a means of effectively utilizing its indigenous coal resources, the Czech Republic is upgrading various technologies, and these are available at different stages of development, demonstration, and commercialization. The purpose of this review is to provide a database of information on applicable technologies that reduce the impact of gaseous (SO{sub 2}, NO{sub x}, volatile organic compounds) and particulate emissions from the combustion of coal in district and residential heating systems.

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Investigation on durability and reactivity of promising metal oxide sorbents during sulfidation and regeneration. Quarterly report, October--December 1994

Hot-gas desulfurization for the integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) process has been investigated by many researchers to remove effectively hydrogen sulfide with various metal oxide sorbents at high pressures and high temperatures. Metal oxides such as zinc titanate oxides, zinc ferrite oxide, copper oxide, manganese oxide and calcium oxide, were found to be promising sorbents in comparison with other removal methods such as membrane separations and reactive membrane separations. Some metal oxide sorbents exhibited the quite favorable performance in terms of attrition resistance and sulfur capacity. Removal reaction of H{sub 2}S from coal gas mixtures with ZT-4 or other promising sorbents of fine solid particles, and regeneration reaction of sulfur-loaded sorbents will be carried on in a batch reactor or a continuous differential reactor. The objectives of this research project are to find intrinsic initial reaction kinetics for the metal oxide-hydrogen sulfide heterogeneous reaction system, to obtain effects of concentrations of coal gas components such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen and moisture on equilibrium reaction rate constants of the reaction system at various reaction temperatures and pressures, to identify regeneration kinetics of sulfur-loaded metal oxide sorbents, and to formulate promising metal oxide sorbent for the removal of sulfur from coal gas mixtures. Promising durable metal oxide sorbents of high-sulfur-absorbing capacity will be formulated by mixing active metal oxide powders with inert metal oxide powders and calcining these powder mixtures, or impregnating active metal oxide sorbents on supporting metal oxide matrixes.

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Selective methane oxidation over promoted oxide catalysts. Quarterly report, March--May 1995

The objective of this research is the selective oxidative coupling of methane to C{sub 2}H{sub 4} hydrocarbons and oxygenates, in particular formaldehyde and methanol. Air, oxygen or carbon dioxide, rather than nitrous oxide will be utilized as the oxidizing gas at high gas hourly space velocity, but mild reaction conditions (500-700 {degrees}C, 1 atm total pressure). All the investigated processes are catalytic, aiming at minimizing gas phase reactions that are difficult to control. The research is divided into the following three tasks: (1) maximizing selective methane oxidation to C{sub 2}H{sub 4} products over promoted Sr/La{sub 2}O{sub 3}; (2) selective methane oxidation to oxygenates; and (3) catalyst characterization and optimization. Task 1 dealt with the preparation, testing, and optimization of acidic promoted lanthana-based catalysts for the synthesis of C{sub 2}H{sub 4} hydrocarbons and is essentially completed. Task 2 aims at the formation and optimization of promoted catalysts for the synthesis of oxygenates, in particular formaldehyde and methanol. Task 3 involves characterization of the most promising catalysts so that optimization can be achieved under Task 2. Accomplishments for this period are presented.

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Particulate hot gas stream cleanup technical issues. Quarterly report, April--June 1995

This is the third in a series of quarterly reports. Analyses of HGCU ashes and descriptions of filter performance are designed to address aspects of filter operation apparently linked to properties of the collected ash. Task 1 is designed to generate a data base of the key characteristics of ashes collected from operating advanced particle filters and to relate these ash properties to the operation and performance of these filters and their components. Task 2 concerns testing and failure analysis of ceramic filters. Mechanical and thermal testing of Dupont/Lanxide PRD-66, Dupont composite, 3M composite, and IF and P Fibrosics is continuing. Thermal expansion values of the PRD-66, 3M composite, and IF and P Fibrosics were measured at 1500{degree}F. Testing of new Refractron and Schumacher candle filter materials is in progress. No creep was detected for the Refractron specimens after {approx}150 hr at 1550{degree}F and creep testing is proceeding at 1600{degree}F. Machined Schumacher creep specimens will be tested following completion of the Refractron tests.

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Fossil fuel and hydrocarbon conversion using hydrogen-rich plasmas. Topical report February 1994--February 1995

Experiments were made on use of H and CH plasmas for converting waste materials and heavy oils to H-rich transportation fuels. Batch and continuous experiments were conducted with an industrial microwave generator and a commercial microwave oven. A continuously circulating reactor was constructed for conducting experiments on flowing oils. Experiments on decomposition of scrap tires showed that microwave plasmas can be used to decompose scrap tires into potentially useful liquid products. In a batch experiment using a commercial microwave oven, about 20% of the tire was converted to liquid products in about 9 minutes. Methane was decomposed in a microwave plasma to yield a liquid products composed of various compound types; GC/MS analyses identified unsaturated compounds including benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, methyl and ethyl naphthalene, small amounts of larger aromatic rings, and olefinic compounds. Experiments on a crude oil in a continuously flowing reactor showed that distillate materials are produced using H and CH plasmas. Also, the recycle oils had an overall carbon aromaticity lower than that of starting feed material, indicating that some hydrogenation and methanation had taken place in the recycle oils.

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Energy and environmental research emphasizing low-rank coal: Task 3.9 catalytic tar cracking

Tar produced in the gasification of coal is deleterious to the operation of downstream equipment, including fuel cells, gas turbines, hot-gas stream cleanup filters, and pressure-swing absorption systems. Catalytic cracking of tars to smaller hydrocarbons can be an effective means of removing these tars from gas streams and, in the process, generating useful products, such as methane gas, which is crucial to operation of molten carbonate fuel cells. Aerosol tars are not readily removed from gas streams by conventional means and, as a consequence, often end up plugging filters or fouling fuel cells, turbines, or sorbents. Catalytic cracking of these tars to molecular moieties of C{sub 10} or smaller would prevent the problems commonly attributed to the tars. As an example, the moving Bourdon fixed-bed gasifier, by virtue of its efficient countercurrent heat exchange and widespread commercial use, may offer the lowest-cost integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) system if tar generation and wastewater contamination can be minimized. We evaluate the potential of selected catalysts to minimize tar accumulation and maximize char conversion to useful liquid and/or gaseous products. Owing to the potential for production of extremely toxic nickel carbonyl gas, care must be exercised in the use of a NISMM catalyst for cracking tars at high temperatures in reducing atmospheres such as those produced by coal gasification. We observed a fifty percent or more of tar produced during steam gasification of Beulah lignite at temperatures of 400{degrees}-800 {degrees}C when cracked by either dolomite or zeolite maintained at a temperature of 50{degrees}C-100{degrees}C below that of the reactor.

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Management of dry flue gas desulfurization by-products in underground mines. Quarterly technical progress report, April 1995--June 1995

On September 30, 1993, the U.S. Department of Energy-Morgantown Energy Technology Center and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC) entered into a cooperative research agreement entitled {open_quotes}Management of Dry Flue Gas Desulfurization By-Products in Underground Mines{close_quotes} (DE-FC21-93MC30252). Under the agreement Southern Illinois University at Carbondale will develop and demonstrate several technologies for the placement of coal combustion residues in abandoned coal mines, and will assess the environmental impact of such underground residues placement. Previous quarterly Technical Progress Reports have set forth the specific objectives of the program, and a discussion of these is not repeated here. Rather, this report discusses the technical progress made during the period April 1 - June 30, 1995. A final topical report on the SEEC, Inc. demonstration of its technology for the transporting of coal combustion residues was completed during the quarter, although final printing of the report was accomplished early in July, 1995. The SEEC technology involves the use of Collapsible Intermodal Containers (CIC`s) developed by SEEC, and the transportation of such containers - filled with fly ash or other coal combustion residues - on rail coal cars or other transportation means. Copies of the final topical report, entitled {open_quotes}The Development and Testing of Collapsible Intermodal Containers for the Handling and Transport of Coal Combustion Residues{close_quotes} were furnished to the Morgantown Energy Technology Center. The Rapid Aging Test colums were placed in operation during the quarter. This test is to determine the long-term reaction of both the pneumatic and hydraulic mixtures to brine as a leaching material, and simulates the conditions that will be encountered in the actual underground placement of the coal combustion residues mixtures. The tests will continue for about one year.

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Tidd hot gas clean up program. Final report

This Final Report on the Tidd Hot Gas Clean Up Program covers the period from initial Proof-of-Concept testing in August, 1990, through final equipment inspections in May, 1995. The Tidd Hot Gas Clean Up (HGCU) system was installed in the Tidd Pressurized Fluidized Bed Combustion (PFBC) Demonstration Plant, which is the first utility-scale PFBC plant in the United States. Detailed design work on the project began in July, 1990, and site construction began in December, 1991. Initial operation of the system occurred in May, 1992, and the hot gas filter was commissioned in October, 1992. The test program ended in March, 1995, when the Tidd Plant was shut down following its four-year test program. Section 1.0 of this report is an executive summary of the project covering the project background, system description, test results and conclusions. Section 2.0 is an introduction covering the program objectives and schedule. Section 3.0 provides detailed descriptions of the system and its major components. Section 4.0 provides detailed results of all testing including observations and posttest inspection results. Sections 5.0 and 6.0 list the program conclusions and recommendations, respectively. Appendix I is a report prepared by Southern Research Institute on the properties of Tidd PFBC ash sampled during the test program. Appendix II is a report prepared by Westinghouse STC on the performance of candle filter fail-safe regenerator devices.

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Energy and environmental research emphasizing low-rank coal: Task 1.7, Hot-water extraction of nonpolar organic pollutants from soils

Supercritical water extraction of organic pollutants from solids is extremely effective because supercritical water has a low dielectric constant and can, therefore, efficiently solvate organics. However, the decrease in the dielectric constant of water can be achieved at much milder conditions (pressures of a few bar and temperatures of ca. 200{degrees}{minus}250{degrees}C) than the conditions used for supercritical water (pressure > 221 bar and temperature > 374{degrees}C) extractions. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were extracted from a highly contaminated soil using using water at temperatures ranging from 50{degrees} to 400{degrees}C, and pressures from 5 to 600 bar. Most PAHs could not be extracted at 50{degrees}C but were completely removed at a temperature of 250{degrees}C. Additional increases to 300{degrees}C (still subcritical conditions) and 400{degrees}C (supercritical water) did not increase the recoveries significantly. The removal of PAHs had very little dependence on pressure when the temperature was 250{degrees}C, except that steam extraction (at 5 bar) yielded lower recoveries than the liquid water extractions (at 50, 350, and 600 bar). Therefore, the optimal conditions for extracting PAHs using water were 50 bar and 250{degrees}C (hot water). Based on the extraction rates obtained for several of the PAHs, the solubility of high molecular weight PAHs increased at least several thousandfold by increasing the water temperature to 200{degrees}{minus}300{degrees}C. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were extracted from an industry soil and a sediment using hot-water (subcritical) extraction at 50 bar and 250{degrees}C. The high removal efficiencies of PCBs from soil and sediment agree very well with those obtained for PAHs from highly contaminated soil at the same extraction conditions, demonstrating that water is a potentially useful extraction solvent for many organics.

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Development of an advanced, continuous mild gasification process for the production of co-products. Quarterly report, April--June 1995

The objective of this research and development effort was to develop an advanced, continuous ``mild gasification`` process. The relative quantities and properties of the products are appropriate for making the concept economically and environmentally viable. In ``mild gasification,`` coal is converted under relatively mild conditions of temperature and pressure in the absence of air into products which include a high heating value gas, high aromatic condensibles, char and coke all with physical and chemical properties suitable for the anticipated end uses. Two tons of CTC/DOE continuous coke of 6 in. {times} 5 in. {times} 4 in. size was produced in the Pilot Demonstration Unit. This coke was tested under actual foundry conditions in a 96 in. diameter commercial cupola. The test was run on the first shift on April 19, 1995. The coke sample was used as a direct replacement for 25 percent of the coke charge. A total of 51 scrap iron charges were run with the CTC/DOE continuous coke. Results of the test were excellent. The two main indicators improved., Tap temperature increased from an average of 2846{degrees}F to 2890{degrees}F. Carbon pickup improved from 3.49 percent C to 3.59 percent C when the CTC coke, hit the bed. These results are very meaningful because they cannot be measured in the lab. ChemChar Research, Inc. in Columbia, Missouri, is evaluating CTC chars as potential agents for removing pollutants from gas streams. Composite CTC char treated with the ChemChar activation process resulted in promising results. A 11.8 percent toluene adsorption and 13.4 percent monochlorobenzene adsorption were achieved with CTC char after activation.

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Investigation on durability and reactivity of promising metal oxide sorbents during sulfidation and regeneration. Quarterly report, January--March 1995

Hot-gas desulfurization for the integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) process has been investigated by many researchers to remove effectively hydrogen sulfide with various metal oxide sorbents at high pressures and high temperatures. Metal oxides such as zinc titanate oxides, zinc ferrite oxide, copper oxide, manganese oxide and calcium oxide, were found to be promising sorbents in comparison with other removal methods such as membrane separations and reactive membrane separations. Some metal oxide sorbents exhibited the quite favorable performance in terms of attrition resistance and sulfur capacity. Removal reaction of H{sub 2}S from coal gas mixtures with ZT-4 or other promising sorbents of fine solid particles, and regeneration reaction of sulfur-loaded sorbents will be carried on in a batch reactor or a continuous differential reactor. The objectives of this research project are to find intrinsic initial reaction kinetics for the metal oxide-hydrogen sulfide heterogeneous reaction system, to obtain effects of concentrations of coal gas components such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen and moisture on equilibrium reaction rate constants of the reaction system at various reaction temperatures and pressures, to identify regeneration kinetics of sulfur-loaded metal oxide sorbents, and to formulate promising metal oxide sorbents for the removal of sulfur from coal gas mixtures. Promising durable metal oxide sorbents of high-sulfur-absorbing capacity will be formulated by mixing active metal oxide powders with inert metal oxide powders and calcining these powder mixtures, or impregnating active metal oxide sorbents on supporting metal oxide matrixes.

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Energy and environmental research emphasizing low-rank coal--Task 4.4: Development of supercritical fluid extraction methods for the quantitation of sulfur forms in coal

Current analytical methods are inadequate for accurately measuring sulfur forms in coal. This task was concerned with developing methods to quantitate and identify major sulfur forms in coal based on direct measurement (as opposed to present techniques based on indirect measurement and difference values). The focus was on the forms that were least understood and for which the analytical methods have been the poorest, i.e., organic and elemental sulfur. Improved measurement techniques for sulfatic and pyritic sulfur also need to be developed. A secondary goal was to understand the interconversion of sulfur forms in coal during thermal processing. This task had as its focus the development of selective extraction methods that will allow the direct measurement of sulfur content in each form. Therefore, selective extraction methods were needed for the major sulfur forms in coal, including elemental, pyritic, sulfatic, and organic sulfur. This study was a continuation of that of previous analytical method development for sulfur forms in coal which resulted in the successful isolation and quantitation of elemental and sulfatic sulfur. Super- and subcritical extractions with methanol or water with and without additives were investigated in an attempt to develop methods for pyritic and organic sulfur forms analysis in coal. Based on these studies, a sequential extraction scheme that is capable of selectively determining elemental, sulfatic, pyritic and two forms of organic sulfur is presented here.

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Analyses of ashes from the Tidd PFBC advanced particulate filter

Early observations of the Advanced Particulate Filter (APF) at the Tidd PFBC Demonstration Plant led to the conclusion that tenacious ash deposits formed in the filter vessel and induced stresses that resulted in bent or broken ceramic candle filter elements. The proximity of these bent and broken candle filter elements to large, strong ash deposits emphasized the need to prevent or control the growth of these deposits, facilitate their on-line removal, and/or to develop filter design criteria to minimize their effects on individual filter elements. The chemical characteristics of the ashes collected in the Tidd APF combined with the environment within the filter vessel tend to cause ash deposits formed in the filter vessel to consolidate and strengthen. One theory that may explain the growth and strengthening of these deposits is based on the formation of eutectics such as various calcium aluminosilicate compounds. These eutectics form when primary coal ash particles come into physical contact with sorbent-derived ash particles which contain relatively large amounts of magnesium and/or calcium. Aluminosilicate compounds in the coal ash particles react with alkali metals in the sorbent ash particles to form eutectics that melt at relatively low temperatures. The surface tension of the near-liquid layer on the particles pulls adjacent ash particles closer together, thereby eventually consolidating the structure of the entire ash agglomerate. The optimum solution to the problems caused by the ash aggregates that have been consolidated and strengthened by pervasive eutectic formation is the removal of these aggregates from the APF before the eutectics have had enough time to develop. The approach that proved most successful in eliminating the deposits was the total bypassing of the cyclone upstream of the APF. This increased the size distribution of the particles forming the various ash deposits, thereby decreasing their inherent cohesivity.

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Energy and environmental research emphasizing low-rank coal -- Task 2.4, Air toxic fine particulate control

Emission from coal-fired boilers is an issue because of the current concern over atmospheric air toxics, which contain high concentrations of trace elements. The best method of minimizing the emission of these air toxic trace elements to the atmosphere is to install high-efficiency fine-particle control devices. After collection, the dust must be removed from the filter bags or electrostatic precipitator (ESP) plates and transferred to the hopper without significant redispersion. Since it is more difficult to collect fine particles, the extent to which the dust is redispersed into its original particle-size distribution will have a major impact on the overall fine-particle collection efficiency of the filter or ESP and, subsequently, the collection efficiency of air toxic metals. The goal of Task 2.4 was to evaluate redispersion of dust in particulate control devices so that the appropriate methods to minimize redispersion can be implemented. The primary objective was to determine the extent that fly ash is redispersed as individual particles upon cleaning of the filters or ESP plates. The current research was to determine if the level of redispersion of fly ash correlates with measurable cohesive dust properties. This will contribute to the long-term project goal of developing models to the point where they can be used to help design particulate control devices for the lowest level of fine-particle emissions at a reasonable cost.

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