AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Nitrogen removal from natural gas

According to a 1991 Energy Information Administration estimate, U.S. reserves of natural gas are about 165 trillion cubic feet (TCF). To meet the long-term demand for natural gas, new gas fields from these reserves will have to be developed. Gas Research Institute studies reveal that 14% (or about 19 TCF) of known reserves in the United States are subquality due to high nitrogen content. Nitrogen-contaminated natural gas has a low Btu value and must be upgraded by removing the nitrogen. In response to the problem, the Department of Energy is seeking innovative, efficient nitrogen-removal methods. Membrane processes have been considered for natural gas denitrogenation. The challenge, not yet overcome, is to develop membranes with the required nitrogen/methane separation characteristics. Our calculations show that a methane-permeable membrane with a methane/nitrogen selectivity of 4 to 6 would make denitrogenation by a membrane process viable. The objective of Phase I of this project was to show that membranes with this target selectivity can be developed, and that the economics of the process based on these membranes would be competitive. Gas permeation measurements with membranes prepared from two rubbery polymers and a superglassy polymer showed that two of these materials had the target selectivity of 4 to 6 when operated at temperatures below - 20{degrees}C. An economic analysis showed that a process based on these membranes is competitive with other technologies for small streams containing less than 10% nitrogen. Hybrid designs combining membranes with other technologies are suitable for high-flow, higher-nitrogen-content streams.

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[Advanced Turbine Systems Program: Conceptual design and product development]. Task 8.7, Recuperator materials

Soar's Primary Surface Recuperator (PSR) is a compact, high thermal effectiveness heat exchanger for reducing fuel consumption and increasing the thermal efficiency of gas turbine engines. (Recuperation extracts waste heat from the turbine exhaust stream to heat the compressor discharge air before entry into the combustion system.) Soar's PSR is comprised of thin, folded, corrugated sheets of a stainless steel (eg type 347) in modular units (air cells). Since sheet data are not applicable to thin foils, effort was focused on acquiring creep, tensile, and oxidation data for a variety of stainless and alloy materials. A new thin foil material was created from two separate materials welded together at gage; the advanced alloy would be used only in the hottest sections of the recuperator and the stainless would be used elsewhere to keep the cost down.

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Disposal of fluidized bed combustion ash in an underground mine to control acid mine drainage and subsidence. Semi-annual report, September 1, 1995--February 29, 1996

During Phase I (first 18 months) the project is segregated into four areas of reporting: (A) Grout Formulation, (B) Grout Characterization, (C) Water Quality Monitoring, (D) Subsidence Control & Contaminant Transport. The first component involves formulating a grout mixture with appropriate flowability to be used in filling complex mine voids. The Grout Characterization component will determine the flow characteristics of the formulated grout. The Water Quality component involves background monitoring of water quality and precipitation at the Phase III (Longridge) mine site. The last component involves evaluating the strength requirements and the migration of contaminants through the candidate grouts. This report separately discusses progress on all components of the program in order of project subtask.

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Remote sensor chemical development - a new field screening method for soil fuel contamination

A new field screening method was developed for determining the presence of fuels containing aromatic components, particularly diesel fuel in soils, by Western Research Institute (WRI) in cooperation with In-Situ, Inc. and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Morgantown Energy Technology Center. While the Freon extraction/infrared method estimates fuel concentration by measuring aliphatic C-H stretch, approaches designed to replace this, such as the immunoassay method and the method involving a Fridel-Crafts alkylation reaction, measure the aromatic component of fuel mixtures. Both of these methods measure aromatic content indirectly with visible color development. The new method measures the aromatic components directly with absorption at 254 nm with a laboratory spectrophotometer or a field-portable photometer. It is very simple since it does not involve complicated color development steps and does not require the use of highly toxic reagents. The new method involves a three-minute extraction of soil with a 10:1 ratio of isopropyl alcohol. Prior to extraction, the soil is treated with an agent, calcium oxide, to minimize the extraction of humic materials that can interfere with the process. The extract solution is passed through a syringe filter and the absorbance is read. If the contaminant fuel is available for calibration, the approximate concentration of the fuel in the soil can be measured. If the contaminant fuel type is known but not available for calibration, an estimate of the concentration can be determined using average response factors. If the nature of the contaminant is unknown, the screening method can be used to identify the possible presence of contamination. The quantitation limit is about 75 mg/kg diesel in soil. The method has been tested with a variety of soils, fuel types, and conditions.

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Direct methane conversion to methanol. Final report, July 19, 1990--May 18, 1996

One objective of this project was to demonstrate the effectiveness of a catalytic membrane reactor (a ceramic membrane combined with a catalyst) to selectively produce methanol by partial oxidation of methane. Methanol is used as a chemical feed stock, gasoline additive, and turbine fuel. Methane partial oxidation using a catalytic membrane reactor has been determined as one of the promising approaches for methanol synthesis from methane. Methanol synthesis and separation in one step would also make methane valuable for producing chemicals and fuels. Another valuable fuel product is H{sub 2}. Its separation from other gasification products would make it very valuable as a chemical feedstock and clean fuel for fuel cells. Gasification of coal or other organic fuels as a source of H{sub 2} produces compounds (CO, CO{sub 2}, and H{sub 2}O) that require high temperature (1000-1500{degrees}F) and high pressure (600-1000 psia) separations. A zeolite membrane layer on a mechanically stable ceramic or stainless steel support would have ideal applications for this type of separation. Separations using zeolite membrane was also evaluated for use in the production in the above fuels. 20 refs., 20 figs., 1 tab.

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Development of a natural gas systems analysis model (GSAM). Annual report, July 1, 1995--June 30, 1996

This report summarizes work over the past twelve months on DOE Contract DE-AC21-92MC28138, Development of a Natural Gas Systems Analysis Model (GSAM). The products developed under this project directly support the Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC) in carrying out its natural gas R&D mission. The objective of GSAM development is to create a comprehensive, non-proprietary, microcomputer model of the North American natural gas system. GSAM explicitly evaluates the key components of the system, including the resource base, exploration and development practices, extraction technology performance and costs, project economics, transportation costs and restrictions, storage, and end-use. The primary focus is the detailed characterization of the resource base at the reservoir and subreservoir level. This disaggregation allows direct evaluation of alternative extraction technologies based on discretely estimated, individual well productivity, required investments, and associated operating costs. GSAM`S design allows users to evaluate complex interactions of current and alternative future technology and policy initiatives as they directly impact the gas market. GSAM development has been ongoing for the past four years. The project is currently implementing the recommendations of an industry Peer Review Committee. Research findings to date have focused the design work on critical data and model segments required to fully evaluate future market conditions. The contract also includes the development, testing, and integration of an environmental analysis module, including data development, analytical methodology, and full integration into GSAM. This work is currently being completed in coordination with DOE`s Metairie Site Office (MSO). The full development of GSAM also now includes the finalization of reservoir level databases. Data development is complete with enhancements for key regions and resource segments having been implemented.

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Development and demonstration of a wood-fired gas turbine system

Power Generating, Inc. (PGI), Fort Worth, has developed a direct- fired gas turbine power system operating on solid wood fuels. It is designed to generate from 500 kW to 3.5 MW of electric power and up to 30 million Btu/hr of thermal energy for industry/utility use. It is expected to operate at thermal efficiency levels > 70% through full use of both the electric and thermal energy that it generates. PGI and Western Research Institute (WRI) are building a 450-kW prototype system at the WRI facilities in Laramie, Wyoming, to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of the PGI power system. After a brief shakedown, the plant will operate on white wood and then coal. The problem of degradation of the hot section in the gas turbine is overcome in the PGI power system through its unique design, closely controlling fuel specifications, and developing operating procedures to mitigate the problem. This report deals with the design and fabrication of various components and subsystems of the plant. The plant is expected to be operational in Aug./Sept. 1995.

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An intelligent inspection and survey robot. Volume 1

ARIES {number_sign}1 (Autonomous Robotic Inspection Experimental System), has been developed for the Department of Energy to survey and inspect drums containing low-level radioactive waste stored in warehouses at DOE facilities. The drums are typically stacked four high and arranged in rows with three-foot aisle widths. The robot will navigate through the aisles and perform an inspection operation, typically performed by a human operator, making decisions about the condition of the drums and maintaining a database of pertinent information about each drum. A new version of the Cybermotion series of mobile robots is the base mobile vehicle for ARIES. The new Model K3A consists of an improved and enhanced mobile platform and a new turret that will permit turning around in a three-foot aisle. Advanced sonar and lidar systems were added to improve navigation in the narrow drum aisles. Onboard computer enhancements include a VMEbus computer system running the VxWorks real-time operating system. A graphical offboard supervisory UNIX workstation is used for high-level planning, control, monitoring, and reporting. A camera positioning system (CPS) includes primitive instructions for the robot to use in referencing and positioning the payload. The CPS retracts to a more compact position when traveling in the open warehouse. During inspection, the CPS extends up to deploy inspection packages at different heights on the four-drum stacks of 55-, 85-, and 110-gallon drums. The vision inspection module performs a visual inspection of the waste drums. This system will locate and identify each drum, locate any unique visual features, characterize relevant surface features of interest and update a data-base containing the inspection data.

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Development of biological coal gasification (MicGAS process). Final report, May 1, 1990--May 31, 1995

ARCTECH has developed a novel process (MicGAS) for direct, anaerobic biomethanation of coals. Biomethanation potential of coals of different ranks (Anthracite, bitumious, sub-bitumious, and lignites of different types), by various microbial consortia, was investigated. Studies on biogasification of Texas Lignite (TxL) were conducted with a proprietary microbial consortium, Mic-1, isolated from hind guts of soil eating termites (Zootermopsis and Nasutitermes sp.) and further improved at ARCTECH. Various microbial populations of the Mic-1 consortium carry out the multi-step MicGAS Process. First, the primary coal degraders, or hydrolytic microbes, degrade the coal to high molecular weight (MW) compounds. Then acedogens ferment the high MW compounds to low MW volatile fatty acids. The volatile fatty acids are converted to acetate by acetogens, and the methanogens complete the biomethanation by converting acetate and CO{sub 2} to methane.

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Acoustically enhanced remediation of contaminated soils and ground water. Volume 2

This report contains the following analytical reports: hydraulic conductivity and Atterberg limits of porcelain clay; laser particle size analyses of Oklahoma sand, Custer feldspar, porcelain clay and Ajax sand; X-ray diffraction analyses of Custer feldspar and porcelain clay; density and viscosity of canola oil; residual oil saturation analyses of Oklahoma sand samples with canola oil; and residual oil saturation analyses of Oklahoma sand samples with Soltrol.

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Acoustically enhanced remediation of contaminated soils and ground water. Volume 1

The Phase 1 laboratory bench-scale investigation results have shown that acoustically enhanced remediation (AER) technology can significantly accelerate the ground water remediation of non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in unconsolidated soils. The testing also determined some of the acoustic parameters which maximize fluid and contaminant extraction rates. A technology merit and trade analysis identified the conditions under which AER could be successfully deployed in the field, and an analysis of existing acoustical sources and varying methods for their deployment found that AER technology can be successfully deployed in-situ. Current estimates of deployability indicate that a NAPL plume 150 ft in diameter can be readily remediated. This program focused on unconsolidated soils because of the large number of remediation sites located in this type of hydrogeologic setting throughout the nation. It also focused on NAPLs and low permeability soil because of the inherent difficult in the remediation of NAPLs and the significant time and cost impact caused by contaminated low permeability soils. This overall program is recommended for Phase 2 which will address the technology scaling requirements for a field scale test.

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Rapid Surface Sampling and Archival Record (RSSAR) System. Topical report, October 1, 1993--December 31, 1994

This report describes the results of Phase 1 efforts to develop a Rapid Surface Sampling and Archival Record (RSSAR) System for the detection of semivolatile organic contaminants on concrete, transite, and metal surfaces. The characterization of equipment and building surfaces for the presence of contaminants as part of building decontamination and decommissioning activities is an immensely large tacks of concern to both government and industry. Contaminated and clean materials must be clearly identified and segregated so that the clean materials can be recycled or reused, if possible, or disposed of more cheaply as nonhazardous waste. Characterization of building and equipment surfaces will be needed during initial investigations, during cleanup operations, and during the final confirmatory process, increasing the total number of samples well beyond that needed for initial characterization. This multiplicity of information places a premium on the ability to handle and track data as efficiently as possible. Aware of the shortcomings of traditional surface characterization technology, GE, with DOE support has undertaken a 12-month effort to complete Phase 1 of a proposed four-phase program to develop the RSSAR system. The objectives of this work are to provide instrumentation to cost-effectively sample concrete and steel surfaces, provide a quick-look indication for the presence or absence of contaminants, and collect samples for later, more detailed analysis in a readily accessible and addressable form. The Rapid Surface Sampling and Archival Record (RSSAR) System will be a modular instrument made up of several components: (1) sampling heads for concrete surfaces, steel surfaces, and bulk samples; (2) quick-look detectors for photoionization and ultraviolet; (3) multisample trapping module to trap and store vaporized contaminants in a manner suitable for subsequent detailed lab-based analyses.

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Enhancement of methane conversion using electric fields. Quarterly report, October 1--December 31, 1996

The goal of this project is the development of novel, economical, processes for the conversion of natural gas to more valuable projects such as methanol, ethylene and other organic oxygenates or higher hydrocarbons. The methodologies of the project are to investigate and develop low temperature electric discharges and electric field-enhanced catalysis for carrying out these conversions. In the case of low temperature discharges, the conversion is carried out at ambient temperature which in effect trades high temperature thermal energy for electric energy as the driving force for conversion. The low operating temperatures relax the thermodynamic constraints on the product distribution found at high temperature and also removes the requirements of large thermal masses required for current technologies. With the electric field-enhanced conversion, the operating temperatures are expected to be below those currently required for such processes as oxidative coupling, thereby allowing for a higher degree of catalytic selectivity while maintaining high activity. During this quarter the authors worked on some kinetics experiments and also did some catalyst screening, particularly looking for correlations with surface OH and oxygen groups to help determine the manner in which these surfaces alter the selectivities. On the dielectric systems they looked at power versus frequency and conversions relationships, worked on oxygen utilization and started building a short residence time reactor for studying intermediate formation and destruction.

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Management of dry gas desulfurization by-products in underground mines. Quarterly report, October 1--December 31, 1996

The objective is to develop and demonstrate two technologies for the placement of coal combustion by-products in abandoned underground coal mines, and to assess the environmental impact of these technologies for the management of coal combustion by-products. The two technologies for the underground placement that will be developed and demonstrated are: (1) pneumatic placement using virtually dry coal combustion by-products, and (2) hydraulic placement using a paste mixture of combustion by-products with about 70% solids. Phase 2 of the overall program began April 1, 1996. The principal objective of Phase 2 is to develop and fabricate the equipment for both the pneumatic and hydraulic placement technologies, and to conduct a limited, small-scale shakedown test of the pneumatic and hydraulic placement equipment. The shakedown test originally was to take place on the surface, in trenches dug for the tests. However, after a thorough study it was decided, with the concurrence of DOE-METC, to drill additional injection wells and conduct the shakedown tests underground. This will allow a more thorough test of the placement equipment.

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Disposal of fluidized-bed combustion ash in an underground mine to control acid mine drainage and subsidence. Quarterly report, March 1--May 31, 1996

During Phase 1 (first 18 months) the project is segregated into four areas of reporting: (A) Grout Formulation, (B) Grout Characterization, (C) Water Quality Monitoring, (D) Subsidence Control and Contaminant Transport. The first component involves formulating a grout mixture with appropriate flowability to be used in filling complex mine voids. The Grout Characterization component will determine the flow characteristics of the formulated grout. The Water Quality component involves background monitoring of water quality and precipitation at the Phase 3 (Longridge) mine site. The last component involves evaluating the strength requirements and the migration of contaminants through the candidate grouts. This report separately discusses progress on all components of the program in order of project subtask.

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Providing solutions to energy and environmental programs. Quarterly report, October 1--December 31, 1996

The goals of WRI`s jointly sponsored research program are to: (1) increase the production of US and western energy resources--low-sulfur coal, natural gas, oil, and renewable energy resources; (2) enhance the competitiveness of US and western energy technologies in international markets and assist in technology transfer; (3) reduce the nation`s dependence upon foreign energy supplies and strengthen the US and regional economies; and (4) minimize the impact of energy production and utilization on the environment. A summary of appropriations, obligations and expenditures is given, then a summary of objectives and accomplishments for the 21 tasks being supported is presented.

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Analysis and control of the METC fluid bed gasifier. Quarterly report, July 1--September 30, 1995

In this work, three components will form the basis for design of a control scheme for the Fluidized Bed Gasifier (FBG) at METC: (1) a control systems analysis based on simple linear models derived from process data; (2) review of the literature on fluid bed gasifier operation and control; and (3) understanding of present FBG operation and real world considerations. Tasks accomplished during the present reporting period include: (1) observation of the FBG during the week of July 17 to July 21; (2) suggested improvements to the control of FBG backpressure and MGCR pressure; and (3) data collection from FBG run No. 11 and transfer of data to USC.

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Fractal interrelationship in field and seismic data. Fifth quarterly technical report, March 21--June 21, 1996

The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the possibility that the fractal characteristics of reservoir fracture systems might be inferred from the fractal characteristics of the reservoir reflector. Results discussed in the summary below provide support for such a view. The matter will, however, remain unresolved until fracture data acquired from core or FMS logs can be compared to reflection seismic data from the core areas. A series of cross sections along the Middle Mountain syncline and Elkhorn Mountain anticline were evaluated. Near-surface deformation in the Middle Mountain and Elkhorn mountain area of the Valley and Ridge province is significant. In this area the fractal dimension of topography is linearly related to the fractal dimension of underlying structure. Comparison of the fractal variability of Valley and Ridge structures with those observed in seismic data from the Plateau indicate that the increased fractal dimension of reflection events implies greater relative abundance of higher order or smaller wavelength structures. Results from the seismic evaluation suggest that fractal analysis might provide a useful exploration tool in cases where one is interested in locating subtle detached structures or identifying fractured reservoirs. Results from the Valley and a Ridge area suggest that, in active tectonic areas, fractal analysis may provide a means to assess the relative frequency of earthquake activity over time periods that extend beyond the historical record.

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