AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Peat resource estimation in Michigan. Technical status report No. 7, October 16-December 15, 1982

Accomplishments in FY1982 towards quantifying the energy potential of Michigan's organic soils (peat) are discussed. Five soil-geomorphic provinces have been delineated in the Upper Peninsula. Two were intensively sampled in 1981, and two in 1982. Results from 1982 investigations show that Province 2, initially believed to contain deposits totaling 570,000 acres, actually contains significantly fewer acres of organic soils, many of which are less than 4 feet thick to the underlying mineral matter. Province 5 also has smaller, thinner deposits than the available soil survey data suggested. The areas believed to have the greatest potential are in Province 3-Delta and Menominee counties, and that portion of Province 4 in Menominee County. Physical properties of organic soil materials from provinces samples in 1982 are presented. Only slight differences exist in the average ash contents between these areas. Most materials have ash contents in the 12 to 25% range. Two counties in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan were sampled in detail. Alpena County deposits were quite thin, averaging 64 centimeters (cm), while Roscommon County deposits averaged 120 cm. Neither county seems to contain large acreages that qualify as fuel-grade peat. Recently issued soils surveys for three other counties in the Lower Peninsula, Clare, Jackson, and Oakland, were sampled at a low intensity to demonstrate the use of this information source. It seems evident that, while photo-base soil surveys greatly facilitate locating deposits meeting surficial acreage requirements, many observations are needed to accurately measure the thickness of the organic soils. Some of these materials also contain excessive ash, especially near the surface of the deposits. 22 refs., 11 figs., 11 tabs.

Tags: kmd
Western Gas Sands Project. Status report, 1 May-31 May, 1980

This report summarizes the progress of the government-sponsored project directed towards increasing gas production from the low permeability gas sands of the western United States. The planning activities for the multi-well experiment continued in May. Bartlesville Energy Technology Center continued formation evaluation and reservoir simulation studies. Lawrence Livermore Laboratory continued calculations of fracturing near interfaces. Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory focused work on the permanent magnet system for NMR logging. Results of the 3-D Seismic Reflection Survey were presented by Sandia Laboratories. Production and injection experiments continued for the Colorado Interstate Gas Company Miller No. 1 and Sprague No. 1 wells. The DOE Well Test Facility was transported to Las Vegas for repairs and modifications. In situ testing continued at the Nevada Test Site for the Sandia Mineback program.

Tags: kmd
Peat resource estimation in Michigan. Second year report

Work was continued to evaluate Michigan's estimated 4.5 million acres of organic soils, potentially yielding energy comparable to 270 million short tons of bituminous coal. The goal of the project remained one of determining the ''amount and location of fuel-grade peat in Michigan that may be harvested and utilized in an environmentally acceptable manner.''Michigan is divided into 16 soil-geomorphic provinces for the peat estimation study, and second year field efforts in Provinces III and IV resulted in 207 sections transected and 540 samples collected for analysis. Well-equipped teams used McCauley peat augers with extensions to extract samples in accordance with the sampling plan designed at Michigan Technological University to achieve the objectives of the project. This sampling plan utilizes a multistage sampling approach based on clustering and multiple stratification. The plan was developed to estimate organic soil characteristics by section, township, county, province, and finally the state as a whole when all the 16 soil-geomorphic provinces are covered. The procedure in brief involves running two transects across organic soil deposit areas and taking five systematic depth measurements on each transect. Samples are then extracted as prescribed by the sampling routine. Large samples are taken for proximate, ultimate, and Btu analyses. During the second year of the project, surveys in Provinces III and IV sought to determine acreages of potential fuel-grade peat. At the end of the second year, project plans anticipated completion of the peat resource estimation for the state of Michigan by the end of fiscal year 1983. 8 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs.

Tags: kmd
Industrial application of fluidized-bed combustion:  phase I. Quarterly report, April 1--June 30, 1977. [Cold-flow model]

Work continued on the development activities of the program. The Cold Flow Test Program is complete except for some additional two-dimensional modeling concerned with bubble growth and slugging. Plans have been submitted to modify the 3'x 3'model so that partial defluidization of the bed area can be studied. Design of the Sub-Scale Unit is over 90 percent complete. Materials and vendor's equipment required for the start of construction have arrived. Initial site preparation and construction of the auxiliary equipment enclosure for the fuel handling system has begun. Preliminary design activities on the demonstration plant have included: Establishment of the conceptual design of the fluidized-bed boiler and preliminary block diagrams for the major plant systems. In addition, preliminary selection of a complete boiler water treatment system based on 100 percent plant makeup was begun. Preliminary drawings of the Great Lakes site for the demonstration plant have been started. Requests for coal and limestone suppliers, preliminary coal handling system design, system specifications for the coal and limestone systems, bed material drain and fly ash handling system have been considered and appropriate actions taken.

Tags: kmd
System design of the METC automatic data acquisition and control system

A system of computer programs and hardware was developed by the Instrumentation Branch of the Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC) to provide data acquisition and control features for research projects at the site. The Automatic Data Acquisition and Control System (ADACS) has the capability of servicing up to eight individual projects simultaneously, providing data acquisition, data feedback, and process control where needed. Several novel software features - including a data table driven program, extensive feedback in real time, free format English commands, and high reliability - were incorporated to provide these functions.

Tags: kmd
Measurements of microwave transmission characteristics through various configurations of fluidized bed materials

The feasibility of developing a microwave diagnostic system for measurement of bubbles in a fluidized bed combustion system has been experimentally investigated. Experiments were performed in a simple waveguide geometry, using microwave frequencies from 2.4 to 3.9 GHz. Styrofoam spacers were used to simulate bubbles in bed materials, such as Greer limestone. The results show that it is feasible to develop a diagnostic system based on microwave transmission through a system consisting of gaps in a limestone media, such as a fluidized bed. The gap has been shown to perturb the transmitted power, and to be very sensitive to bubble and bed material dimensions. Resonance effects are shown to occur when dimensions are integer multiples of a quarter wavelength.

Tags: kmd
Flash hydropyrolysis of coal for conversion to liquid and gaseous fuels

The overall objective of the short residence time flash hydropyrolysis/hydrogasification program is to obtain process chemistry and design information for production of both liquid and gaseous fuels from coal. In particular, the aim is to identify the products and to correlate the product yields as a function of pressure, temperature, and coal residence time in the flash hydropyrolyzer, and then to combine this information with the kinetic data to develop a reaction model. A parametric study of the flash hydropyrolysis has been made with different coal types. Appropriate reactor conditions for maximizing either liquid or gaseous products have been determined. The components in the heavier liquids have been identified, and nitrogen and sulfur balances were made on the coal, the char products, and both the liquid and the gaseous effluents. From a detailed analysis of data, a reaction scheme for the flash hydropyrolysis of coal was proposed, for which reaction rate constants were determined and a kinetic model was developed. All this information was applied to a conceptual full scale process design, and comparative economic estimates were made. The results indicate that the coals tested can be successfully converted to produce clean gaseous and liquid fuels via flash hydropyrolysis. Two features of this process - its being noncatalytic and its using direct hydrogenation in one step to liquid distillates - tend to improve the efficiency and reduce capital and operating costs. An important aspect of the process is its flexibility: it can be made to produce either gaseous or liquid fuels, or both, by adjusting the reactor and process design conditions.

Tags: kmd
Chemical kinetic studies on dry sorbents. Final report. [Sodium bicarbonate]

The scope of this research investigation has included a review of potential additives suitable for dry flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) and a bench scale laboratory study to determine the chemical kinetics for the reaction of five different sorbents with sulfur dioxide. The sorbents chosen included sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO/sub 3/), soda ash (Na/sub 2/CO/sub 3/), trona, lime (CaO) and hydrated lime (Ca(OH)/sub 2/). This study has shown that: (1) The reaction rate increases with temperature for soda ash and calcium oxide. The reaction temperature has an inverse effect on sodium bicarbonate and trona due, primarily, to the simultaneous thermal activation reaction. The calcium hydroxide-SO/sub 2/ reaction increased up to 550/sup 0/F, and then decreased, due to uneven gas flow distribution. (2) The reaction rates for soda ash, calcium oxide and calcium hydroxide were increased by decreasing their particle size. This effect was not confirmed for sodium bicarbonate and trona where reaction temperature was the most important reaction parameter. (3) Reaction with soda ash was found to be limited by the presence of an impervious ash layer which prevented interparticle gaseous diffusion. Calcium oxide and calcium hydroxide were found to be limited by a slow chemical reaction rate. Results on the rate-limiting steps for sodium bicarbonate and trona were inconclusive because of the simultaneous thermal activation reaction. (4) The effect of thermal activation was to increase the reaction rate for sodium bicarbonate and trona at lower temperatures. This effect was less pronounced at higher temperatures. (5) Results obtained for nitric oxide show limited adsorption for the five sorbents tested as compared to the finding for sulfur dioxide.

Tags: kmd
Steam stripping of KRW Energy Systems gasifier process development unit wastewater

This report serves as the basis-of-design document for steam stripping of process wastewaters from an ash agglomerating fluidized-bed gasification process. The technology also is generally applicable to the treatment of similar process wastewaters from similar gasification technologies. Section 2 summarizes the results and conclusions of the ammonia stripping and steam stripping experimental program, including both performance and environmental parameters. Section 3 discusses the experimental approach. Section 4 presents the results of both series of experimental runs. Section 5 discusses the results of the procedures followed to validate the data from both series of experimental runs. Section 6 discusses equations and procedures typically used in the preliminary design of steam stripping columns. A brief discussion of the limitations of the design procedures presented and extrapolation to other conditions is also included. Example design calculations are also summarized in this section. Appendices are included that provide tables of detailed experimental data; sample handling, analysis, and QA/QC procedures; and details of the design example calculations.

Tags: kmd
Management of coal waste by energy recovery: mild gasification/flash pyrolysis of coal preparation wastes. Quarterly report No. 2, January-March 1985

In consideration of favorable information received via pyrolysis laboratory tests at UCC Research and from Coalite Chemicals in England, it is recommended that the pyrolysis system for the subject project be changed to a low pressure/temperature design. A very considerable effort was expended at UCC Research Corporation during the quarter on justification and documentation for the proposed new system. The preliminary design of the proposed unit was essentially completed. Industrial Machine Company was approved as the subcontractor by DOE and the final furnace design was finished. Based on a trip to Coalite Chemicals, tapered reactor tubes will be used initially in the pyrolysis system.

Tags: kmd
Prediction and measurement of entrained flow coal gasification processes. Interim report, September 8, 1981-September 7, 1983

This volume reports interim experimental and theoretical results of the first two years of a three year study of entrained coal gasification with steam and oxygen. The gasifier facility and testing methods were revised and improved. The gasifier was also modified for high pressure operation. Six successful check-out tests at elevated pressure were performed (55, 75, 100, 130, 170, and 215 psig), and 8 successful mapping tests were performed with the Utah bituminous coal at an elevated pressure of 137.5 psig. Also, mapping tests were performed at atmospheric pressure with a Utah bituminous coal (9 tests) and with a Wyoming subbituminous coal (14 tests). The LDV system was used on the cold-flow facility to make additional nonreactive jets mixing measurements (local mean and turbulent velocity) that could be used to help validate the two-dimensional code. The previously completed two-dimensional entrained coal gasification code, PCGC-2, was evaluated through rigorous comparison with cold-flow, pulverized coal combustion, and entrained coal gasification data. Data from this laboratory were primarily used but data from other laboratories were used when available. A complete set of the data used has been compiled into a Data Book which is included as a supplemental volume of this interim report. A revised user's manual for the two-dimensional code has been prepared and is also included as a part of this interim report. Three technical papers based on the results of this study were published or prepared. 107 references, 57 figures, 35 tables.

Tags: kmd
Use of deposit pins to determine the potential for deposit formation

This report describes a technique to be used in interpreting the data obtained from the use of deposition pins in combustors. The discussion illustrates the potential problems associated with the use of deposition pins and the failure of many investigators to perform rigorous analyses of the aerodynamics and multiphase flow surrounding the pins. The technique outlined in this report for interpreting deposition pin data is fairly sophisticated but does not address all of the problems associated with such an analysis. This report specifically addresses the interception of entrained particles by the pin as a result of inertial impaction. Other forces such as diffusiophoresis and thermophoresis, which are most important for particles that are one micron diameter or smaller, are not considered. The primary goal of the report is to demonstrate the significance of the interception probability of a pin for entrained particles of specific sizes. The potential interception of entrained particles by a pin or component is only the first step in understanding deposition. Once the particles have arrived at the surface, those mechanisms that are responsible for adhesion dominate the deposition phenomenon. While little data is currently available on particle adhesion for combustion conditions, an in-house METC project is underway to measure the sticking coefficient of residual coal particles as a function of coal type and combustion parameters. Based on the understanding of adhesion mechanisms, improved methods of preventing or removing deposits may result. 11 refs., 19 figs., 9 tabs.

Tags: kmd
Sulfur-tolerant anode materials: Annual report, September 1986-September 1987

This report summarizes the results of the first year's technical effort performed on a program identifying and evaluating alternative anode materials for use in molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFC) operating with high levels of sulfur contaminants in the fuel. A literature survey was performed on materials for use in the MCFC and on materials exhibiting good electrical conductivity at high temperature. A list candidate materials having a reported electrical conductivity in excess of 0.1 (ohm-cm)/sup -1/ was compiled. 19 candidate materials were selected, and nine have been tested for electrical conductivity and for stability in the molten eletrolyte. To date, only cobalt metal has proved to be stable under all test conditions. Several water-gas shift catalysts were also evaluated for their catalytic activity and sulfur resistance under conditions prevailing in the MCFC anode. 19 refs., 24 figs., 21 tabs

Tags: kmd
Acoustic agglomeration of power plant fly ash. Final report

The work has shown that acoustic agglomeration at practical acoustic intensities and frequencies is technically and most likely economically viable. The following studies were performed with the listed results: The physics of acoustic agglomeration is complex particularly at the needed high acoustic intensities in the range of 150 to 160 dB and frequencies in the 2500 Hz range. The analytical model which we developed, although not including nonlinear acoustic efforts, agreed with the trends observed. We concentrated our efforts on clarifying the impact of high acoustic intensities on the generation of turbulence. Results from a special set of tests show that although some acoustically generated turbulence of sorts exists in the 150 to 170 dB range with acoustic streaming present, such turbulence will not be a significant factor in acoustic agglomeration compared to the dominant effect of the acoustic velocities at the fundamental frequency and its harmonics. Studies of the robustness of the agglomerated particles using the Anderson Mark III impactor as the source of the shear stresses on the particles show that the agglomerates should be able to withstand the rigors of flow through commercial cyclones without significant break-up. We designed and developed a 700/sup 0/F tubular agglomerator of 8''internal diameter. The electrically heated system functioned well and provided very encouraging agglomeration results at acoustic levels in the 150 to 160 dB and 2000 to 3000 Hz ranges. We confirmed earlier results that an optimum frequency exists at about 2500 Hz and that larger dust loadings will give better results. Studies of the absorption of acoustic energy by various common gases as a function of temperature and humidity showed the need to pursue such an investigation for flue gas constituents in order to provide necessary data for the design of agglomerators. 65 references, 56 figures, 4 tables.

Tags: kmd
Advanced combined NO/sub x//SO/sub x/ removal system. Monthly technical progress report, January 1-31, 1984

Progress report for Task 1 catalyst selection and characterization is presented. The assembly of the fixed-bed reactor system was completed. Feed or product samples were analyzed with a thermoelectron model 40 pulsed fluorescence analyzer in SO/sub 2/ sorption tests. For NO reduction tests, the determination of NO, NO/sub 2/, and NH/sub 3/ concentrations in the gas streams was accomplished with two thermoelectron chemiluminescent model 10A analyzers. Catalysts, alumina-base pellets containing copper in the form of copper oxide, were evaluated for SO/sub 2/ sorption and NO reduction. 5 figures.

Tags: kmd
Advanced combined NO/sub x//SO/sub x/ removal system. Monthly technical progress report, December 1-31, 1983

Work accomplished in December for Task 1, catalyst selection and characterization, is presented. The assembly of the fixed-bed reactor system was carried out and is now 90% complete. Copper sorbents/catalysts were prepared using Davison gamma alumina supports in 2 sizes: 5 x 8 mesh and 8 x 14 mesh spheres. Preparation of a third catalyst with Davison 12 x 25 mesh alumina spheres is being prepared.

Tags: kmd
Carbon dioxide for the recovery of crude oil. Annual report, November 1978-November 1979

The displacement of residual oil to waterflooding by miscible fluid injection has been studied using scaled physical models of line-drive systems. The effects of flow rate, mobility ratio, and density ratio, were investigated. This work was a first step in an overall program of studying miscible displacement in particular by carbon dioxide, of residual oil as a process for recovering additional crude oil from reservoirs which had been waterflooded. The ratios of gravitational and viscous forces which exist in tertiary recovery operations, using carbon dioxide as a recovery reagent, were approximated in a scaled physical model at ambient pressure and temperature. The viscosity ratio was now very unfavorable and displacement of moveable water was inefficient. Consequently, the displacement of the residual oil by the solvent, which was simulating the role of carbon dioxide, was also poor. The recovery efficiency could not be improved by reasonable increases in the fluid velocity because the unfavorable mobility-caused viscous fingering was so dominant. Insomuch as carbon dioxide flooding, an imperfectly miscible recovery process, cannot be expected to perform as well as a perfectly miscible recovery process, these experiments point to the need for imposing a strong measure of mobility control if the injection of carbon dioxide is to achieve widespread usage for the recovery of residual oil.

Tags: kmd
Recovery of sulfur from hot gas desulfurization processes

High temperature desulfurization processes being developed by METC involve the use of regenerable mixed metal compounds such as zinc ferrite for efficient removal of reduced sulfur compounds from coal gasifier gases. Regeneration of these sorbents is carried out by an air/diluent mixture containing low concentrations (1--3%) of oxygen and results in an off-gas stream containing low concentrations (1--3%) of SO{sub 2}. The concepts addressed in this project involve the use of regenerable alkali metal based sorbents for elemental sulfur recovery from these regeneration off-gases at elevated temperature and pressure. In one concept, the SO{sub 2} in the off-gas is adsorbed onto the sorbent at 550{degree}C--700{degree}C. The sulfated sorbent is then regenerated using a reducing gas to produce an H{sub 2}S-rich gas suitable for Claus sulfur recovery. In the other concept, a near stoichiometric mixture of the off-gas and reducing gas is reacted at 550{degree}C--700{degree}C across the Na/Al sorbent to yield elemental sulfur directly in one step. Commercial application of the concepts would involve the use of elevated pressures which would match the pressure of the coal gasifier. 21 refs., 33 figs., 19 tabs.

Tags: kmd