AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
[Research guidance studies]. Quarterly progress report, October 1--December 31, 1997

The overall objectives of this contract are to: (1) evaluate the technical and economic merits of current direct and indirect coal liquefaction technologies and other similar emerging technologies such as coal-waste coprocessing, natural gas conversion, and biomass conversion technologies, (2) monitor progress in these technologies, (3) conduct specific and generic project economic and technical feasibility studies based on these technologies, (4) identify long-range R and D areas that have the greatest potential for process improvements, and (5) preliminarily investigate best configurations and associated costs for refining coal-derived and other non-conventional liquids in existing petroleum refineries. During this quarter, work was continued in the area of coal/oil coprocessing with existing petroleum refineries.

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Production of elemental sulfur and methane from H{sub 2}S and CO{sub 2} derived from a coal desulfurization process. Final report, September 1, 1993--March 31, 1997

The purpose of this study was to experimentally and theoretically investigate the feasibility of producing elemental sulfur, carbon monoxide, hydrogen and possible methane from hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide through catalytic reactions. A novel experimental system that could evaluate potential catalysts and adsorbents under controlled laboratory conditions was designed and constructed. Additionally an effective simulation program capable of providing valuable thermodynamic information on the reaction system was compiled. The following tasks have been performed: (1) design and construction of an experimental system for the catalyst preparation and catalyst screening studies including frequent modifications of the experimental setup to meet specific application needs; (2) installation and calibration of related analytical instruments, and investigation of the temperature distribution profile inside the reactor; (3) preparation, reduction, sulfidation of potential catalysts, and measurements of specific surface area of catalysts; (4) decomposition of H{sub 2}S under both non-catalytic condition and catalytic condition with the CoO-MoO{sub 3}-alumina catalyst at moderate temperatures around 550 C. Analyses of the product gas by gas chromatograph; and (5) thermodynamic studies on the theoretical conversions of H{sub 2}S for various temperatures, pressures and ratios of H{sub 2}S to CO{sub 2}. Based on the results of the above tasks, bench scale experiments were performed with the CoO-MoO{sub 3}-alumina catalyst at moderate temperatures around 550 C to investigate the adsorption effects of solid sorbents in order to remove sulfur from the reaction environment. Four kinds of adsorbents have been tested along with several designs of solid adsorbent feed systems.

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Advanced hot gas filter development. Topical report, May 1995--December 1996

Porous iron aluminide was evaluated for use as a particulate filter in pressurized fluid-bed combustion (PFBC) and integrated gasification combined cycles (IGCC) with a short term test. Three alloy compositions were tested: Fe{sub 3}Al 5% chromium (FAL), Fe{sub 3}Al 2% chromium (FAS) and FeAl 0% chromium. The test conditions simulated air blown (Tampa Electric) and oxygen blown (Sierra Pacific) gasifiers with one test gas composition. Four test conditions were used with hydrogen sulfide levels varying from 783 ppm to 78,3000 ppm at 1 atmosphere along with temperatures ranging between 925 F and 1200 F. The iron aluminide was found capable of withstanding the proposed operating conditions and capable of giving years of service. The production method and preferred composition were established as seamless cylinders of Fe{sub 3}Al 2% chromium with a preoxidation of seven hours at 1472 F.

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Simultaneous SO{sub 2}/NO{sub x} abatement using zeolite-supported copper. Progress report, October 1, 1995--September 30, 1996

The bulk of the results from this project, besides being found in the research reports, are in the form of two theses presented for advanced degrees by two different students at two different institutions. Francis E. Porbeni is a Master`s Degree student in Chemistry at Clark Atlanta University and has prepared his Master`s Thesis entitled Simultaneous SO{sub 2} Oxidation and NO Decomposition over Copper Oxide on {gamma}-Alumina Catalysts: An Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Study. Summit Rao, a Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology has defended his thesis entitled Role of Copper Ensemble Size in Silica and Zeolite Supported Catalysts for Nitric Oxide Decomposition. These two documents, which will be forwarded when final copies are available, provide the details of the bulk of the research accomplished over the duration of this project. These two documents are summarized, and other results from the project are given.

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Engineering development of coal-fired high-performance power systems. Progress report, April 1--June 30, 1996

In Phase 1 of the project, a conceptual design of a coal-fired, high-performance power system (HIPPS) was developed, and small-scale R and D was done in critical areas of the design. The current phase of the project includes development through the pilot plant stage and design of a prototype plant that would be built in Phase 3. The power-generating system being developed in this project will be an improvement over current coal-fired systems. It is a combined-cycle plant. This arrangement is referred to as the All Coal HIPPS because it does not require any other fuels for normal operation. A fluidized bed, air-blown pyrolyzer converts coal into fuel gas and char. The char is fired in a high-temperature advanced furnace (HITAF) which heats both air for a gas turbine and steam for a steam turbine. The fuel gas from the pyrolyzer goes to a topping combustor where it is used to raise the air entering the gas turbine to 1288 C. In addition to the HITAF, steam duty is achieved with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG) in the gas turbine exhaust stream and economizers in the HITAF flue gas exhaust stream. Progress during the quarter is described.

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Simultaneous SO{sub 2}/NO{sub x} abatement using zeolite-supported copper. Progress report, April 1--June 30, 1995

Several catalysts for NO decomposition have been reported in the literature to include the following: Cu/ZSM-5; Cu/Zeolite-Y; Cu/mordenite; Cu/{beta} zeolite; Cu/alumina; and Cu/silica which have been studied less than Cu/ZSM-5. The catalytic properties for NO conversion are found to be different on these samples with the ZSM-5 supported catalysts showing the highest activity in a dry environment free from sulfur oxides. One of the goals of this study is to have a better fundamental understanding on the different roles of Cu and the support in the catalytic reaction. The authors use stable, cationic metal complexes in non-aqueous solvents as sources of the Cu ions in producing model catalysts for which the fate of the source molecule is known and is controlled during the ion exchange/impregnation. Molecular models of these systems can be used to identify the possible configurations of the metal complexes within the zeolite support. The authors compare the performance of the model catalysts to one prepared by aqueous impregnation of ZSM-5 zeolite. The performance of the dinuclear metal complex on silica is compared to the same complex in ZSM-5 and Y-zeolites.

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Simultaneous SO{sub 2}/NO{sub x} abatement using zeolite supported-copper. Progress report, April 1--June 30, 1996

The authors have continued the investigation of the adsorption of NO on the Cu/{gamma}-alumina samples and have begun the study of the interaction of NO with sulfated Cu/{gamma}-alumina. The interaction of NO with a sulfated surface is extremely important, since the copper sites in the most popular NO reduction catalyst, Cu/ZAM-5, also adsorb SO{sub 2}, and the catalyst is poisoned by SO{sub 2}. It may be possible to determine whether the poisoning mechanism is due to a chemical effect, or some other effect, and investigate measures which might alleviate the deleterious effects of surface sulfation on the adsorption/reduction process. The results for NO interacting with the sulfated surface do not appear to result in the formation of any new species, but do show a dramatic change in the relative amounts of the NO species formed on the surface. The sulfation of the copper species apparently forces the copper species to remain as Cu{sup 2 }, which gives rise to a strong band at 1850 cm{sup {minus}1}, shifted to lower frequency from the 1863 cm{sup {minus}1} absorption found for the unsulfated catalyst, but which is still probably due to the formation of a Cu{sup 2 }/NO complex, given the small frequency shift. Two other infrared absorption bands observed for NO adsorbed on the un-sulfated catalyst are observed in the current study only weakly, and are due to the formation of adsorbed NO{sub 2}, the NO oxidation product formed when Cu{sup 2 } is reduced to Cu{sup  }, and to the Cu{sup  }/NO{sup {minus}} complex. The relatively intense absorption due to the Cu{sup 2 }/NO complex and the weak absorptions due to adsorbed NO{sub 2} and the Cu{sup  }/NO{sup {minus}} complex indicate that little reduction of the copper has taken place. Stabilization of the Cu species as Cu{sup 2 } by the sulfate apparently prevents participation of the surface copper species in the redox cycle. To the authors` knowledge this is the first reported infrared spectroscopic study of NO interacting with a sulfated Cu/{gamma}-alumina catalyst.

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The Effect of Heterogeneity on In-Situ Combustion: The Propagation of Combustion Fronts in Layered Porous Media

This report extend the approach to heterogeneous systems, by considering the simpler case of in-situ combustion in layered porous media (and particularly to a two-layer model). Analytical models were developed to delineate the combined elects of fluid flow, reaction and heat transfer on the dynamics of combustion fronts in layered porous media, using as parameters the thermal coupling between the layers, the heat transfer to the surroundings and the permeability contrast.

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A Methodology to Integrate Magnetic Resonance and Acoustic Measurements for Reservoir Characterization

The objective of the project was to develop an advanced imaging method, including pore scale imaging, to integrate nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques and acoustic measurements to improve predictability of the pay zone in hydrocarbon reservoirs. This will be accomplished by extracting the fluid property parameters using NMR laboratory measurements and the elastic parameters of the rock matrix from acoustic measurements to create poroelastic models of different parts of the reservoir. Laboratory measurement techniques and core imaging were linked with a balanced petrographical analysis of cores and theoretical modeling.

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Restored Drill Cuttings for Wetlands Creation: Results of Mesocosm Approach to Emulate Field Conditions Under Varying Salinity and Hydrologic Conditions

Both interstitial water and plant tissue associated with the DC-A substrate exhibited low metal concentrations. Also in agreement with the previous study, plant performance in the DC-A substrate was found to be comparable to plant performance in the dredge spoil and topsoil substrates. This was extremely important because it indicated that the drill cuttings themselves served as an excellent substrate for wetland plant growth, but that the processing and stabilization techniques and drilling fluid formulations required further refinement.

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Assistance to Oil and Gas State Agencies and Industry through Continuation of Environmental and Production Data Management and a Water Regulatory Initiative

This grant project was a major step toward completion of the Risk Based Data Management System (RBDMS) project. Additionally the project addresses the needs identified during the projects initial phases. By implementing this project, the following outcomes were sought: (1) State regulatory agencies implemented more formalized environmental risk management practices as they pertain to the production of oil and gas, and injection via Class II wells. (2) Enhancement of oil and gas production by implementing a management system supporting the saving of abandoned or idle wells located in areas with a relatively low environmental risk of endangering underground sources of drinking water (USDWs) in a particular state. (3) Verification that protection of USDWs is adequate and additional restrictions of requirements are not necessary in areas with a relatively low environmental risk. (4) Standardization of data and information maintained by state regulatory agencies and decrease the regulatory cost burden on producers operating in multiple states, and (5) Development of a system for electronic data transfer among operators and state regulatory agencies and reduction of overall operator reporting burdens.

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Increased Oil Recovery from Mature Oil Fields Using Gelled Polymer Treatments, Annual Report, June 16,2000-June 15, 2001

This program was aimed at reducing barriers to the widespread use of gelled polymer treatments by (1) developing methods to predict gel behavior during placement in matrix rock and fractures, (2) determining the persistence of permeability reduction after gel placement, and (3) developing methods to design production well treatments to control water production.

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Reservoir Characterization of Upper Devonian Gordon Sandstone, Jacksonburg, Stringtown Oil Field, Northwestern West Virginia

This report gives results of efforts to determine electrofacies from logs; measure permeability in outcrop to study very fine-scale trends; find the correlation between permeability measured by the minipermeameter and in core plugs, define porosity-permeability flow units; and run the BOAST III reservoir simulator using the flow units defined for the Gordon reservoir.

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Molten carbonate fuel cell product design improvement. Annual report, December 20, 1996--December 20, 1997

This program is designed to advance the carbonate fuel cell technology from the current full-size field test to the commercial design by the turn of the century. The specific objectives selected to attain the overall program goal are: Define power plant requirements and specifications; Establish the design for a multifuel, low-cost, modular, market-responsive power plant; Resolve power plant manufacturing issues and define the design for the commercial-scale manufacturing facility; Define the stack and balance-of-plant (BOP) equipment packaging arrangement and module designs; Acquire capability to support developmental testing of stacks and critical BOP equipment to prepare for commercial design; and Resolve stack and BOP equipment technology issues, and design, build, and field test a modular prototype power plant to demonstrate readiness for commercial entry. ERC is currently in the third year of the multiyear program for development and demonstration of a MW-class power plant. The product definition and specification have been derived with input from potential users, including the Fuel Cell Commercialization Group (FCCG). The baseline power plant final design has been completed. Detailed power plant system and packaging designs are being developed using stack and BOP development results. A MW-scale prototype modular power plant representative of the commercial design is planned. Based on the experience and data generated in the current program, ERC also plans to acquire manufacturing capability for market-entry products through expansion of the existing Torrington production facility.

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Greybull Sandstone Petroleum Potential on the Crow Indian Reservation, South-Central Montana

The focus of this project was to explore for stratigraphic traps that may be present in valley-fill sandstone at the top of the Lower Cretaceous Kootenai Formation. This sandstone interval, generally known as the Greybull Sandstone, has been identified along the western edge of the reservation and is a known oil and gas reservoir in the surrounding region. The Greybull Sandstone was chosen as the focus of this research because it is an excellent, well-documented, productive reservoir in adjacent areas, such as Elk Basin; Mosser Dome field, a few miles northwest of the reservation; and several other oil and gas fields in the northern portion of the Bighorn Basin.

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BLAST FURNACE GRANULAR COAL INJECTION SYSTEM

Bethlehem Steel Corporation (BSC) requested financial assistance from the Department of Energy (DOE), for the design, construction and operation of a 2,800-ton-per-day blast furnace granulated coal injection (BFGCI) system for two existing iron-making blast furnaces. The blast furnaces are located at BSC's facilities in Burns Harbor, Indiana. The demonstration project proposal was selected by the DOE and awarded to Bethlehem in November 1990. The design of the project was completed in December 1993 and construction was completed in January 1995. The equipment startup period continued to November 1995 at which time the operating and testing program began. The blast furnace test program with different injected coals was completed in December 1998.

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Reaction-transport simulations of non-oxidative methane conversion with continuous hydrogen removal: Homogeneous-heterogeneous methane reaction pathways

Detailed kinetic-transport models were used to explore thermodynamic and kinetic barriers in the non-oxidative conversion of CH4 via homogeneous and homogeneous-heterogeneous pathways and the effects of continuous hydrogen removal and of catalytic sites on attainable yields of useful C2-C10 products. The homogeneous kinetic model combines separately developed models for low-conversion pyrolysis and for chain growth to form large aromatics and carbon. The H2 formed in the reaction decreases CH4 pyrolysis rates and equilibrium conversions and it favors the formation of lighter products. The removal of H2 along tubular reactors with permeable walls increases reaction rates and equilibrium CH4 conversions. C2-C10 yields reach values greater than 90 percent at intermediate values of dimensionless transport rates (delta=1-10), defined as the ratio hydrogen transport and methane conversion rates. Homogeneous reactions require impractical residence times, even with H2 removal, because of slow initiation and chain transfer rates. The introduction of heterogeneous chain initiation pathways using surface sites that form methyl radicals eliminates the induction period without influencing the homogeneous product distribution. Methane conversion, however, occurs predominately in the chain transfer regime, within which individual transfer steps and the formation of C2 intermediates become limited by thermodynamic constraints. Catalytic sites alone cannot overcome these constraints. Catalytic membrane reactors with continuous H2 removal remove these thermodynamic obstacles and decrease the required residence time. Reaction rates become limited by homogeneous reactions of C2 products to form C6  aromatics. Higher delta values lead to subsequent conversion of the desired C2-C10 products to larger polynuclear aromatics. We conclude that catalytic methane pyrolysis at the low temperatures required for restricted chain growth and the elimination of thermodynamics constraints via continuous hydrogen removal provide a practical path for the direct conversion of methane to higher hydrocarbons. The rigorous design criteria developed are being implemented using shape-selective bifunctional pyrolysis catalysts and perovskite membrane films in a parallel experimental effort.

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Development of More Effective Biosurfactants for Enhanced Oil Recovery/Advanced Recovery Concepts Awards

The objectives of this were two fold. First, core displacement studies were done to determine whether microbial processes could recover residual oil at elevated pressures. Second, the importance of biosurfactant production for the recovery of residual oil was studies. In these studies, a biosurfactant-producing, microorganisms called Bacillus licheniformis strain JF-2 was used. This bacterium produces a cyclic peptide biosurfactant that significantly reduces the interfacial tension between oil and brine (7). The use of a mutant deficient in surfactant production and a mathematical MEOR simulator were used to determine the major mechanisms of oil recovery by these two strains.

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Experimental and Analytical Study of Multidimensional Imbibition in Fractured Porous Media, SUPRI TR-129

Using an X-ray computerized tomography (CT) scanner, and a novel, CT-compatible core holder, performed a series of experiments to study air and oil expulsion from rock samples by capillary imbibition of water in a three-dimensional geometry. The air-water system was useful in that a relatively large number of experiments can be conducted to delineate physical processes. Different injection rates and fracture apertures were utilized. Two different fracture flow regimes were identified. The ''filling-fracture''regime shows a plane source that grows in length due to relatively slow water flow through fractures. In the second, ''instantly-filled fracture''regime, the time to fill the fracture is much less than the imbibition time. Here, imbibition performance scales as the square root of time. In the former regime, the mass of water imbibed scales linearly with time.

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Naturally fractured tight gas: Gas reservoir detection optimization. Quarterly report, January 1--March 31, 1997

Economically viable natural gas production from the low permeability Mesaverde Formation in the Piceance Basin, Colorado requires the presence of an intense set of open natural fractures. Establishing the regional presence and specific location of such natural fractures is the highest priority exploration goal in the Piceance and other western US tight, gas-centered basins. Recently, Advanced Resources International, Inc. (ARI) completed a field program at Rulison Field, Piceance Basin, to test and demonstrate the use of advanced seismic methods to locate and characterize natural fractures. This project began with a comprehensive review of the tectonic history, state of stress and fracture genesis of the basin. A high resolution aeromagnetic survey, interpreted satellite and SLAR imagery, and 400 line miles of 2-D seismic provided the foundation for the structural interpretation. The central feature of the program was the 4.5 square mile multi-azimuth 3-D seismic P-wave survey to locate natural fracture anomalies. The interpreted seismic attributes are being tested against a control data set of 27 wells. Additional wells are currently being drilled at Rulison, on close 40 acre spacings, to establish the productivity from the seismically observed fracture anomalies. A similar regional prospecting and seismic program is being considered for another part of the basin. The preliminary results indicate that detailed mapping of fault geometries and use of azimuthally defined seismic attributes exhibit close correlation with high productivity gas wells. The performance of the ten new wells, being drilled in the seismic grid in late 1996 and early 1997, will help demonstrate the reliability of this natural fracture detection and mapping technology.

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Phase II Interim Report:  Assessment of Hydrocarbon Seepage Detection Methods on the Fort Peck Reservation, Northeast Montana

The following work was performed: (1) collected reconnaissance micro-magnetic data and background field data for Area 1, (2) identified and collected soil sample data in three anomalous regions of Area 1, (3) sampled soils in Northwest Poplar Oil Field, (4) Graphed, mapped and interperted all data areas listed above, (5) Registered for the AAPG Penrose Conference on Hydrocarbon Seepage Mechanisms and Migration in Vancouver, B.C.

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