AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Energy and environmental research emphasizing low-rank coal -- Task 3.10, Gas separation and hot-gas cleanup

Catalytic gasification of coal to produce H{sub 2}-, CO-, and CH{sub 4}-rich mixtures of gases for consumption in molten carbonate fuel cells is currently under development; however, to optimize the fuel cell performance and extend its operating life, it is desired to separate as much of the inert components (i.e., CO{sub 2} and N{sub 2}) and impurities (i.e., H{sub 2}S and NH{sub 3}) as possible from the fuel gas before it enters the fuel cell. In addition, the economics of the integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) can be improved by separating as much of the hydrogen as possible from the fuel, since hydrogen is a high-value product. Researchers at the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) and Bend Research, Inc., investigated pressure-driven membranes as a method for accomplishing this gas separation and hot-gas cleanup. These membranes are operated at temperatures as high as 800 C and at pressures up to 300 psig. They have very small pore sizes that separate the undesirable gases by operating in the Knudsen diffusion region of mass transport or in the molecular sieving region of mass transport phenomena. In addition, H{sub 2} separation through a palladium metal membrane proceeds via a solution-diffusion mechanism for atomic hydrogen. This allows the membranes to exhibit extremely high selectivity for hydrogen separation. Specific questions to be answered in this project include: what are the effects of membrane properties (i.e., surface area, pore size, and coating thickness) on permeability and selectivity of the desired gases; what are the effects of operating conditions (i.e., temperature, pressure, and flow rate) on permeability and selectivity; what are the effects of impurities (i.e., small particulate, H{sub 2}S, HCl, NH{sub 3}, etc.) on membrane performance?

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Energy and environmental research emphasizing low-rank coal -- Task 5.1, Stability issues

Low-sulfur subbituminous and lignite coals have high moisture content and, consequently, low heating value, leading to boiler derating in US midwestern and eastern utilities as well as switching and/or blending coals to achieve SO{sub 2} compliance. In the drive to develop cost-effective coal-drying processes, coal developers have focused on heat content of the products and generally neglected the critical stability issues of friability and dusting, moisture reabsorption, and spontaneous heating. The Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC), in an effort to establish new standards for dried products, has used established methods and has developed new ones to evaluate the propensity of lump western coals, raw and dried, to produce dust and absorb water. Three drying methods--air, hydrothermal, and saturated steam--were used to generate low-moisture upgraded products. New indices for dust generation and friability were determined to assess the effects of moisture removal and upgrading methodology on coal stability. Analysis of the dried coals using various strength tests indicated that the reduction in moisture made the lump coal unstable, yielding substantially higher dust and friability indices relative to those of the raw coals.

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Smart structures for application in ceramic barrier filter technology. Final report, August 1991--August 1994

High temperature optical fiber sensors were developed to measure the in-service stressing that occurs in ceramic barrier filter systems. The optical fiber sensors were based on improvements to the sensor design developed under the DOE/METC Smart Structures for Fossil Energy Applications contract no. DE-AC21-89MC25159. In-house application testing of these sensors on both candle and cross-flow filters were performed in the Westinghouse Science and Technology Center High-Temperature, High-Pressure Filter Test Facility and the results analyzed. This report summarizes the sensor developments, methods to apply the sensors to the filters for in-situ testing, and the test results from the four in-house tests that were performed.

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Soil treatment to remove uranium and related mixed radioactive heavy metal contaminants. Quarterly report, January--March 1995

The objective of this project is to design and develop a physico- chemical treatment process for the removal of uranium and heavy metals from contaminated soil to achieve target contamination levels below 35 pCi/g of soil and a target for non-radioactive heavy metals below concentration levels permissible for release of the soil. Ex- situ pilot-scale soil decontamination and leachate treatment test using Chalk River Chemical Pit soil are nearing completion. Soil decontamination tests using Fernald Incinerator Area soil originally scheduled for February 1995 was postponed to May 1995 as result of unexpected delays in the preparation of two drums of soils.

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Analysis of international efforts in energy research and development

Research and experimental development comprise innovative and creative work undertaken systematically to increase the stock of knowledge of science, engineering, and society. This knowledge reserve is used to improve living conditions and standards, including economic growth. Research and development (R&D) expenditures are useful measures of the scale and direction of technological innovation within a country, industry, or scientific field. Administrators concerned with economic growth and performance rely on R&D statistics as one possible type of indicator of technological change. R&D statistics are an essential tool in many government programs and evaluations (OECD 1993). The objective of the analysis was to identify and evaluate R&D funding sources, levels, and trends in the energy sectors of selected industrialized countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States) and the European Union (EU). Fossil fuel technologies, particularly fuel cells and advanced gas turbines, were the focus of the analysis, whose results are presented in this report.

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Investigation on durability and reactivity of promising metal oxide sorbents during sulfidation and regeneration. Quarterly report, April--June 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. 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. The Research Triangle Institute, a sub-contractor of this research project, will also prepare promising metal oxide sorbents for this research project, plan experiments on removal of sulfur compounds from coal gases with metal oxide sorbents as well as regeneration of sulfur-loaded metal oxide sorbents, and review experimental results.

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The development of an integrated multistaged fluid-bed retorting process. Final report, September 1990--August 1994

This summarizes the development of the KENTORT II retorting process, which includes integral fluidized bed zones for pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion of oil shale. Purpose was to design and test the process at the 50-lb/hr scale. The program included bench- scale studies of coking and cracking reactions of shale oil vapors over processed shale particles to address issues of scaleup associated with solid-recycle retorting. The bench-scale studies showed that higher amounts of carbon coverage reduce the rate of subsequent carbon deposition by shale oil vapors onto processed shale particles; however carbon-covered materials were also active in terms of cracking and coking. Main focus was the 50-lb/hr KENTORT II PDU. Cold-flow modeling and shakedown were done before the PDU was made ready for operation. Seven mass-balanced, steady-state runs were completed within the window of design operating conditions. Goals were achieved: shale feedrate, run duration (10 hr), shale recirculation rates (4:1 to pyrolyzer and 10:1 to combustor), bed temperatures (pyrolyzer 530{degree}C, gasifier 750{degree}C, combustor 830{degree}C), and general operating stability. Highest oil yields (up to 109% of Fischer assay) were achieved for runs lasting {ge} 10 hours. High C content of the solids used for heat transfer to the pyrolysis zone contributed to the enhanced oil yield achieved.

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Energy and environmental research emphasizing low-rank coal: Task 7.2, Resource data evaluation. Topical report, July 1994--May 1995

The Resource Data Evaluation subtask of the US Department of Energy (DOE) base program represents an Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) initiative to promote the integration of geographic information system (GIS) technologies with other ongoing and planned EERC research in the areas of resource utilization, remediation, land use planning, and regulatory and policy assessment. Significant demand for GIS-based information already exists for energy resource evaluation, interpretation of remote sensing data, environmental assessment at the state and local levels, and use in strategic planning. The objective of this task was to determine the appropriate platform and approach upon which to develop GIS applications for optimizing resource evaluation and integrating this information with related areas of interest. Activities associated with Task 7.2, Resource Data Evaluation, were conducted primarily during the first half of the project year. These activities included tasks associated with the development and implementation of GIS databases and construction of digitized files for research pertaining to energy studies. As previously noted, database design was undertaken for two EERC projects: 1) coal occurrence in Bowman and adjacent counties in the Fort Union Coal Region of southwestern North Dakota and 2) energy resource utilization concerns for selected sites in Alaska.

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COMPCOAL{trademark}: A profitable process for production of a stable high-Btu fuel from Powder River Basin coal

This report describes the Western Research Institute (WRI) COMPCOAL{trademark} process which is designed to produce a stable, high-Btu fuel from Powder River Basin (PRB) and other low-rank coals. The process is designed to overcome the problems of oxidation and spontaneous combustion, readsorption of moisture, and dust formation from the friable coal. PRB coal is susceptible to low-temperature oxidation and self-heating, particularly after it has been dried. This report describes a method WRI has developed to prevent self-heating of dried PRB coal. The ``accelerated aging`` not only stabilizes the dried coal, but it also increases the heating value of the COMPCOAL product. The stabilized COMPCOAL product has a heating value of 12,000 to 12,700 Btu/lb, contains 35 to 40 wt % volatiles, and is comparable to unprocessed PRB coal in self-heating and low-temperature oxidation characteristics. Importantly, the self-heating tendency can be controlled by slightly adjusting the ``aging`` step in the process.

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Energy and environmental research emphasizing low-rank coal: Task 3.7, Fuel utilization properties

Gasification-type entrained ash and deposits were produced in a pressurized test furnace at high temperature. For the subbituminous Black Thunder coal, the effect of fuel-rich conditions was an increase in quartz, calcite, dolomite, and calcium-rich phases in the entrained ash. Lower particle temperatures, as compared to full air conventional combustion, and the oxygen-lean atmosphere may have caused a reduction in the interaction and assimilation of pure quartz and organically bound calcium into calcium aluminosilicate phases. For the Illinois No. 6 entrained fly ash fuel-rich conditions prevented the oxidation of pyrite and pyrrhotite to iron oxide. Lower temperatures within and surrounding char particles during reducing conditions combustion may have prevented the decomposition of pyrrhotite and enhanced the reaction of iron with aluminosilicate phases. The deposits show similar trends, with the Illinois No. 6 deposit grown under pressurized conditions at a lower temperature having Na and (Ca, Mg, Fe, Na, K) aluminosilicates, calcium carbonate, and an iron sulfide, probably pyrrohotite, present. At higher temperature, loss of sulfur occurs with the increased formation of iron aluminosilicate phases. The Illinois No. 6 and Black Thunder coals were tested with kaolin and lime additives under highly reducing conditions to simulate a gasification environment. The deposit collection zone temperature was varied from 750{degree}C to 1OOO{degree}C. Although no clear trends were evident for the interaction of kaolin or lime with the deposits, the deposits did become more porous, with greatly reduced strength shown for both additives.

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Base program on energy related research. Quarterly progress report, May--July 1995

Accomplishments are briefly summarized for the following tasks: oil and gas; advanced systems applications; environmental technologies; applied energy science; and remediation. Subtasks under oil and gas are: CROW{trademark} process modeling; miscible/immiscible gas injection processes; development of a portable data acquisition system and coalbed methane simulator; and tank bottom waste processing using the TaBoRR{trademark} process. Subtasks for advanced system applications are: development and optimization of process for the production of premium solid fuel from Western US coals; process support and development; and Eastern shale oil residue as an asphalt additive. Environmental technologies cover: solid waste management; remediation of contaminated soils (Haz-Flote{trademark},2886 ); the Syn- Ag{trademark} process--coal combustion ash management option; the Maxi-acid{trademark} process--in-situ amelioration of acid mine drainage; and spill test facility data base. Subtasks for applied energy science are: heavy oil/plastics co-processing; and fossil fuel and hydrocarbon conversion using hydrogen-rich plasmas. Remediation covers North site remediation.

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Energy and environmental research emphasizing low-rank coal: Task 5.7, Coal char fuel evaporation canister sorbent

Atomobile evaporative emission canisters contain activated carbon sorbents that trap and store fuel vapors emitted from automobile fuel tanks during periods of hot ambient temperatures and after engine operation. When a vehicle is started, combustion air is pulled through the canister, and adsorbed vapors are removed from the sorbent and routed to the intake manifold for combustion along with fuel from the tank. The two primary requirements of an effective canister sorbent are that (1) it must be a strong enough adsorbent to hold on to the fuel vapors that contact it and (2) it must be a weak enough adsorbent to release the captured vapors in the presence of the airflow required by the engine for fuel combustion. Most currently available commercial canister sorbents are made from wood, which is reacted with phosphoric acid and heat to yield an activated carbon with optimum pore size for gasoline vapor adsorption. The objectives of Task 5.7 were to (1) design and construct a test system for evaluating the performance of different sorbents in trapping and releasing butane, gasoline, and other organic vapors; (2) investigate the use of lignite char as an automobile fuel evaporation canister sorbent; (3) compare the adsorbing and desorbing characteristics of lignite chars with those of several commercial sorbents; and (4) investigate whether the presence of ethanol in fuel vapors affects sorbent performance in any way. Tests with two different sorbents (a wood-derived activated carbon and a lignite char) showed that with both sorbents, ethanol vapor breakthrough took about twice as long as hydrocarbon vapor breakthrough. Possible reasons for this, including an increased sorbent affinity for ethanol vapors, will be investigated. If this effect is real (i.e., reproducible over an extensive series of tests under varying conditions), it may help explain why ethanol vapor concentrations in SHED test evaporative emissions are often lower than would be expected.

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[Energy and environmental research emphasizing low-rank coal]: Task 5. 8, Development of a coal by-product classification protocol for utilization. Topical report, January--September 1995

The scope of work for this task was limited to the development of a general process to evaluate coal fly ash for use in applications beyond cement and concrete. Two coal fly ash samples were evaluated for appropriateness in structural fill as an example of how to use alternative classification protocol as ash use standards are developed for the industry. The goal of this project is to develop a classification system for fly ash based on parameters that relate to performance specification of engineering and construction applications. The new classification system will provide a means of evaluating the suitability of coal ash for use in certain products that currently have no reality-based standards or classifications. Recent work by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Committee E50 on Pollution Prevention has proposed a standard practice for use of coal ash for structural fill applications. Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) coal ash researchers have worked on preparing this standard practice, and the development of criteria for the coal ash to be used in this application will facilitate the use of this standard once approved by ASTM. A preliminary flowchart for classification criteria was developed and is shown in figure 1.

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Particulate hot gas stream cleanup technical issues: Task 1.0, Assessment of ash characteristics. Quarterly report, October-- December 1994

This is the first in a series of quarterly reports describing the activities performed under Task 1. The analyses of Hot Gas Stream Cleanup (HGCU) ashes and descriptions of filter performance presented in this report were designed to address the problems with filter operation that are apparently linked to the characteristics of the collected ash. This task is designed to generate a data base of the key characteristics of ashes collected from operating advanced particle filters (APF`s) and to relate these ash properties to the operation and performance of these filters and their components. Observations of the filter assembly during site visits to the Tidd Demonstration Plant APF have led to the conclusion that that tenacious ash deposits that form in the APF apparently induce stresses that result in bent and/or broken ceramic candle filter elements. A site visit, was made to the Tidd APF on October 27, 1994 to collect ash samples from various locations in the filter vessel and to document the condition of the APF. A variety of laboratory analyses were performed on ash samples collected during this site visit to assess whether recent attempts to introduce larger particles into the ash deposits by derating the cyclone upstream of the APF have been successful. Some particles larger than 45 Jim were identified in various ash samples from the APF, but they account for less than 5 % of the mass of the ash. Although Scanning Electron Microscope EDX spectra and elemental maps lack the resolution to identify the bonds between particles in the ash agglomerates found in the APF, an excellent stereographic image of the structure of an ash nodule collected from the APF was generated with the Scanning Electron Microscope. The stereographic image was very enlightening as to the structure of the nodule.

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Particulate hot gas stream cleanup technical issues: Task 1.0, Assessment of ash characteristics. Quarterly report, January--March 1995

Analyses of Hot Gas Stream Cleanup (HGSC) ashes and descriptions of filter performance were made to address the problems with filter operation that are apparently linked to the collected ash. This task is designed to generate data base of the key properties of ashes collected from operating advanced particle filters and to relate these ash proeprties to the operation and performance of these filters. Activities including initial formatting of the data base and entry, modification of the permeability model, and initial design of a high-temperature test device for measuring uncompacted bulk porosity of ashe aggregates (indicator of relative cohesivity of the ash, filter cake porosity/permeability). Chemical analyses of hopper and filter cake ashes from Tidd showed that the consolidation degree could not be accounted for by condensation/adsorption from the flue gas; the mechanism is likely physical rearrangement of the ash particles.

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Secondary natural gas recovery: Targeted applications for infield reserve growth in midcontinent reservoirs, Boonsville Field, Fort Worth Basin, Texas. Topical report, May 1993--June 1995

The objectives of this project are to define undrained or incompletely drained reservoir compartments controlled primarily by depositional heterogeneity in a low-accommodation, cratonic Midcontinent depositional setting, and, afterwards, to develop and transfer to producers strategies for infield reserve growth of natural gas. Integrated geologic, geophysical, reservoir engineering, and petrophysical evaluations are described in complex difficult-to-characterize fluvial and deltaic reservoirs in Boonsville (Bend Conglomerate Gas) field, a large, mature gas field located in the Fort Worth Basin of North Texas. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate approaches to overcoming the reservoir complexity, targeting the gas resource, and doing so using state-of-the-art technologies being applied by a large cross section of Midcontinent operators.

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