AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Development of effective gas solvents including carbon dioxide for the improved recovery of West Sak oil

The West Sak reservoir located on the North Slope of Alaska is estimated to contain up to 25 billion barrels of heavy oil in place and represents the largest known heavy oil accumulation in the United States. The research pertains to study of thermal and miscible processes for the recovery of West Sak crude. This report provides a description of the West Sak reservoir along with the petrophysical properties of various sand members based on the analysis of well log data; experimentally measured fluid properties (PVT) of West Sak crude and phase behavior of CO{sub 2}-West Sak crude mixtures; slim tube experiments, asphaltene precipitation tests and equation of state predictions (in presence and absence of aqueous phase) conducted to study applicability of miscible flooding with enriched hydrocarbon gas solvents and carbon dioxide. Studies on thermal recovery include: prediction of steamflood performance with a simplified steamflood model, experimental one dimensional corefloods conducted to study effect of addition of gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen and methane to steam on the recovery of West Sak crude and development of analytical heat transfer model to simulate injection of steam/hot water in a one dimensional linear reservoir. 107 refs., 166 figs., 44 tabs.

Tags: kmd
Acoustic methods for detecting water-filled fractures using commercial logging tools

The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory Hot Dry Rock Geothermal Energy Development Project, under the Department of Energy and in cooperation with Dresser Atlas, has conducted single- and dual-well acoustic measurements to detect fractures in the artificial geothermal reservoir at the Fenton Hill New Mexico experimental site. The measurements were made using modified Dresser Atlas logging tools. Signals traversed distances of from 48 to 150 feet between two wells. Signals intersecting hydraulic fractures in the reservoir under both hydrostatic and pressurized conditions were simultaneously detected in both wells. Upon reservoir pressurization, signals along many ray paths were severely attenuated throughout their entire coda. In addition obvious shear wave arrivals were notably absent. The signals were processed to obtain Full-Wave Acoustic, Power, and Normalized Equi-Power Logs. Analysis of these logs identified the effective ''top''of a region of hydraulically activated fractures and fractures intersecting the injection well behind casing.

Tags: kmd
Performance analysis of a screenless (counter-current) Granular Bed Filter on a subpilot-scale PFBC (pressurized fluidized-bed combustor), Volume 2

The US Department of Energy sponsored this program to develop and test the Granular Bed Filter (GBF) as part of the overall program to develop coal-fired, pressurized fluidized-bed combustors to be used in combined-cycle power generating systems. In these systems a portion of the electricity is generated using a gas turbine driven by the high-temperature, high-pressure combustion gas. A hot gas cleanup train, such as the Granular Bed Filter, must be installed before the gas turbine to prevent erosion of turbine materials and deposition of particulate within the turbine. Meeting New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) with this filter is also required to eliminate need for post-turbine particulate removal. Furthermore, it has also been shown that alkali (sodium and potassium) in trace amounts can harm gas turbine materials. The GBF was evaluated for removal of these contaminants. The purpose of this work was to obtain information on the operational and economic feasibility of the Granular Bed Filter when applied to a pressurized fluidized-bed combustor (PFBC) as a high-temperature, high-pressure particle control device. In this program, experimental data was obtained on the design and operational life of critical components, an experimental sequence was conducted on a subpilot-scale GBF test module, and an update of a commercial-scale design was completed based on experimental data. Results are discussed. 60 figs., 23 tabs.

Tags: kmd
Evaluation of gasification and gas cleanup processes for use in molten carbonate fuel cell power plants. Final report. [Contains lists and evaluations of coal gasification and fuel gas desulfurization processes]

This report satisfies the requirements for DOE Contract AC21-81MC16220 to: List coal gasifiers and gas cleanup systems suitable for supplying fuel to molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFC) in industrial and utility power plants; extensively characterize those coal gas cleanup systems rejected by DOE's MCFC contractors for their power plant systems by virtue of the resources required for those systems to be commercially developed; develop an analytical model to predict MCFC tolerance for particulates on the anode (fuel gas) side of the MCFC; develop an analytical model to predict MCFC anode side tolerance for chemical species, including sulfides, halogens, and trace heavy metals; choose from the candidate gasifier/cleanup systems those most suitable for MCFC-based power plants; choose a reference wet cleanup system; provide parametric analyses of the coal gasifiers and gas cleanup systems when integrated into a power plant incorporating MCFC units with suitable gas expansion turbines, steam turbines, heat exchangers, and heat recovery steam generators, using the Westinghouse proprietary AHEAD computer model; provide efficiency, investment, cost of electricity, operability, and environmental effect rankings of the system; and provide a final report incorporating the results of all of the above tasks. Section 7 of this final report provides general conclusions.

Tags: kmd
Chemical and physical characterization of western low-rank coal waste materials. Part 2. Byproducts from an atmospheric fluidized-bed combustion system. Final report

The objective was to evaluate disposal requirements for solid wastes from power stations burning low-rank western coals. Samples of wastes from process development programs were tested in the laboratory. Measurements were selected to characterize waste materials with respect to their disposal properties. This volume presents results of physical and chemical tests carried out on four fly ashes collected from tests of a fluidized bed combustion process carried out at the Grand Forks Energy Technology Center. Other volumes present results of characterization of solids from dry scrubbing processes and from wet scrubbers employing alkaline fly ashes as FGD reagents. Regulations promulgated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended, require that disposal practices pose no reasonable probability of adverse effects on health or the environment. Laboratory tests indicated that fly ashes from atmospheric fluidized bed combustion (AFBC) of coal would be classified as nontoxic and therefore nonhazardous. These tests indicated that AFBC fly ashes can be disposed of as nonhazardous wastes. However, compositions of leachates from these solids indicated that leachates from disposed wastes have some potential to contaminate surface water and groundwater. Disposal practices should be designed so that no leachate or runoff from exposed wastes is released directly to surface waters. In addition, generation and release of leachate should be controlled so high quality groundwater resources are protected. Specific designs required to achieve these goals will vary from site to site. Current technology should be adequate to develop environmentally and economically acceptable disposal options. 16 figures, 16 tables.

Tags: kmd
Expansion of high-temperature, high-pressure data set for coal gasification: Final report

Coal devolatilization is one of the most important factors in gasification and combustion processes. It encompasses the initial release of volatiles, sets the stage for subsequent secondary reactions of volatiles, and established the amount and reactivity of the remaining char. While extensive devolatilization measurements have been made at 1 atm pressure, most of the gasification processes of current interest will be carried out at elevated pressures (5-50 atm). The objectives of this program were to address the following scientific questions: How are the kinetic rates for coal pyrolysis affected by pressure. What are the relationships between the reactivity of char and its formation conditions (pressure, temperature, heating rate). What is the effect of high pressure and/or high temperature on pyrolysis product yields. What is the effect of high pressure and/or high temperature gasification reactions in CO/sub 2/. The major accomplishments of the program included a series of baseline kinetic pyrolysis experiments at one atmosphere pressure with the Montana Rosebud coal, which included material balances, particle temperature measurements, and thermal and optical property measurements. The kinetic rates for overall mass loss were consistent with values determined for coals of lower, higher, and similar rank in our other programs. The rates are significantly higher than most values in the literature at temperature above 600/degree/C. In addition, pyrolysis data for the Montana Rosebud coal were obtained at pressures up to 400 psig. 65 refs., 59 figs., 31 tabs.

Tags: kmd
Aerodynamic drag characterization and deposition studies of irregular particles

An experimental and numerical analysis was performed of the temperature and flow field involved in co-axial, confined, non-reacting heated jets in a drop tube reactor. An electrically heated 2-inch (50.8 mm) diameter drop tube reactor was utilized to study the jet characteristics. Profiles of gas temperature, typically in the range of 800--1600 K were measured in the mixing zone of the jet with a K-Type thermocouple. Measured temperatures were corrected for conduction, convection, and radiation heat losses. Because of limited access to the mixing zone, characterization of the flow field at high temperatures with laser doppler or hot wire anemometry were impractical. A computer program which solves the full equations of motion and energy was employed to simulate the temperature and flow fields. The location of the recirculation region, the flow regimes and the mixing phenomena were studied. The wall heating, laminar and turbulent flow regimes were considered in the simulations. The predictions are in fairly good agreement with the corrected temperature measurements provided that the flow is turbulent. The results of this study demonstrate how a numerical method and measurement can be used together to analyze the flow conditions inside a reactor which has limited access because of very high temperatures. 37 refs., 37 figs., 8 tabs.

Tags: kmd
Novel concept development of an internal recirculation catalyst for mild gasification: Progress report for the period December 1, 1987--February 29, 1988

During this quarter, experimental work involving zinc chloride as a potential recirculating catalyst for coal, initiated in the previous quarter, was continued. All experiments were performed with Illinois No. 6 high-volatile bituminous coal. Seventeen pyrolysis-gas-chromatography experiments were performed with Illinois No. 6 coal in helium. Coal samples were tested without catalyst and with 19.1 weight percent zinc chloride. The data showed that the devolatilization weight loss was reduced from 43% to 30% by the presence of catalyst in this coal; this was in contrast to prior experiments with North Dakota lignite, in which case there was no significant difference in weight loss with and without the catalyst. Four devolatilization experiments at temperatures up to 837/degree/F in a thermogravimetric analyzer revealed that 10% ZnCl/sub 2/ increased the weight loss from coal. The devolatilization weight loss also was higher with methanol as the impregnating solvent rather than water, even when no catalyst was present. Four standard Fischer-Assay tests on catalyzed and uncatalyzed coal revealed no significant differences in yields or product distribution. A total of sixty-five devolatilization experiments in a combustion-tube-type apparatus were completed, covering a temperature range of 662/degree/ to 1610/degree/F, and residence times of 1 to 3 minutes. Illinois coal /emdash/ untreated, methanol-treated, water-treated, and catalyzed with ZnCl/sub 2/ from both water and methanol solutions-was tested in the apparatus, with helium and most CO/sub 2/ used as purging gases. The catalyst-free weight loss varied from 5.0 to 36.3%, and there was no identifiable effect from catalyst, solvent, or gas composition on the overall devolatilization weight loss. 1 fig., 6 tabs.

Tags: kmd
CT imaging of enhanced oil recovery experiments

X-ray computerized tomography (Cr) has been used to study fluid distributions during chemical enhanced oil recovery experiments. Four CT-monitored corefloods were conducted, and oil saturation distributions were calculated at various stages of the experiments. Results suggested that this technique could add significant information toward interpretation and evaluation of surfactant/polymer EOR recovery methods. CT-monitored tracer tests provided information about flow properties in the core samples. Nonuniform fluid advance could be observed, even in core that appeared uniform by visual inspection. Porosity distribution maps based on CT density calculations also showed the presence of different porosity layers that affected fluid movement through the cores. Several types of CT-monitored corefloods were conducted. Comparisons were made for CT-monitored corefloods using chemical systems that were highly successful in reducing residual oil saturations in laboratory experiments and less successful systems. Changes were made in surfactant formulation and in concentration of the mobility control polymer. Use of a poor mobility control agent failed to move oil that was not initially displaced by the injected surfactant solution; even when a   good''surfactant system was used. Use of a less favorable surfactant system with adequate mobility control could produce as much oil as the use of a good surfactant system with inadequate mobility control. The role of mobility control, therefore, becomes a critical parameter for successful application of chemical EOR. Continuation of efforts to use CT imaging in connection with chemical EOR evaluations is recommended.

Tags: kmd
Design of gasifiers to optimize fuel cell systems

Phase 1 of Task 4.2 began this quarter with TGA testing of limestone, taconite and K[sub 2]CO[sub 3] as a gasification catalysts with Illinois No. 6 coal. These tests are designed to compare the reactivities of these catalysts using Illinois No 6 coal. In all cases the molar equivalent ratio of catalyst to fixed carbon was 0.12, so that for K[sup  ] the molar ratio was K/FC = 0.12, for Ca[sup   ] = 0.06, and for Fe[sup    ] = 0.04 mols/mol. In this way the active sites on the coal structure (-COO[sup [minus]]) are exposed to the same number of possible connections with mobile cations regardless of the choice of metallic element. The proximate analyses of the catalyzed samples and raw coal are shown in Table 1. The TGA tests used a dry form of each catalyst at temperatures ranging from 700[degrees] to 800[degrees]C. Analysis of the data, shown in Table 2 and Figure 4, reveals that dry taconite alone provides essentially no catalytic activity. Dry limestone provides a slight improvement in reactivity; however this improvement is insignificant in comparison to the high reactivities obtained with a potassium catalyst. An impregnated potassium catalyst, introduced as a wood ash leachate, was also tested. The negligible difference in reactivities of wood ash leachate and K[sub 2]CO[sub 3] indicate that the potassium is as mobile dry as it is impregnated, and therefore its chemical form is not a crucial issue. Further TGA testing is being conducted using Illinois No. 6 coal char impregnated with soluble Ca[sup   ] and Fe[sup    .] By using soluble forms of the catalysts, more intimate contact between the coal and catalyst is expected, which may increase apparent reactivity.

Tags: kmd
Trace element-sulfide mineral association in eastern oil shale

Eastern oil shales including the Chattanooga Shale in Tennessee and the various other time-equivalent black shales in the central portion of the United States represent a major source of hydrocarbons. A primary concern for the development of eastern oil shale and all fossil fuels is the high concentration of sulfide minerals and associated with these materials. The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate trace elements in sulfide minerals from a Chattanooga Shale core from central Tennessee and (2) establish mineral residence and stratigraphic distribution of selected trace elements. Previous researchers have suggested the residency of the trace elements As, Cu, Cd, Pb, Mo, Ni, and Zn as being sulfide minerals, either as separate distinct phases, inclusions, or isomorphous substitution. The most significant contribution derived from the present study is the direct observation and association of selected trace and minor elements with sulfide minerals. Rather than an indirect or inferred trace element- sulfide mineral association, sulfide mineral phases were isolated allowing the morphology and composition to be directly evaluated. 9 refs., 31 figs., 3 tabs.

Tags: kmd
Passive seismic monitoring of hydraulic fracture experiments at the Multiwell Experiment site

Redesign of hardware, software, and data-reduction techniques associated with the Sandia National Laboratories'Borehole Seismic System (BSS) have made possible better estimates of hydraulic fracture geometry at the Multiwell Experiment (MWX) site. The redesigned system now incorporates four geophones per axis and provides up to 112 dB of downhole gain, for 100 times the sensitivity of the original system. Improved signal-to-noise ratios, extended frequency response and increased digitization rates have made possible the acquisition and processing of data which were previously inaccessible. A maximum likelihood event location scheme, which incorporates an algorithm based on the use of spherical statistics, is used to compute the location of microseismic events and error estimates for these locations. Accuracy estimates for the redesigned system, based on the ability to locate perforation shots, indicates a 25 ft (7.6 m) uncertainty in the location of individual microseismic events using data from two BSS receivers. This resulted in a high level of confidence in determination of the azimuth of the November 1, 1986, hydraulic fracture in the Fluvial B sandstone. A reasonable determination of the azimuth, propped wing length and height for the September 23, 1987, hydraulic fracture in the Fluvial E sandstone was possible using data from only one BSS receiver. 15 refs., 32 figs., 6 tabs.

Tags: kmd
Fundamental mechanisms of coal gasification

The goal of this project was to obtain improved quantitative understanding of certain features of coal devolatilization of significant interest for coal gasification technology, for basic coal science, and for coal utilization in general. The work features systematic experimental and related mathematical modeling studies of reactions of newly formed coal pyrolysis tars within pyrolyzing coal particles and of how coal type affects the rapid devolatilization behavior of coal. Extensive new data bases were provided on these phenomena and mathematical models and/or correlations were developed for: (1) intra-particle transport and secondary reactions for coal pyrolysis tars; (2) effects of coal type and total pressure on total pyrolysis tar yield; (3) effects of heating rate on global coal devolatilization rates; and (4) effects of coal type on global rates of weight loss in rapid devolatilization.

Tags: kmd
Investigation of reaction of heteroatoms during coal gasification

The disposition of the heteroatomic structures contain coal during gasification. The understanding of the behavior of the sulfur containing entities is of special importance because of environmental concerns. This investigation deals with the correlation between the structural incorporation of sulfur and oxygen and the production of hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, carbonyl sulfide, carbon disulfide as sulfur containing gases and carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane as nonsulfur containing gases. Well characterized sulfur structures were introduced into bituminous coal in low concentration by 0-alkylation methodology into the coal structure so their behavior at elevated temperatures could be monitored. Pyrolysis experiments were performed using a wire screen reactor and temperature programmed pyrolysis high-resolution mass spectroscopic techniques. The relationships between the structural components and the evolution of gases is discussed. Finally, the structural mobility of the anchoring group during the pyrolysis has been demonstrated. For example, the 2-butylthiophene fragment incorporated in coal structure was converted into benzothiophene along with many intermediate compounds. In addition, a few oxygen and nitrogen containing fragments were also introduced in coal structure and the coals were subsequently pyrolyzed. However, their behavior during the pyrolysis was not extensively studied. 83 refs., 68 figs., 26 tabs.

Tags: kmd
Micronized coal powder and coal slurries: Preparation and characterization: Topical report

This report documents some of the experiences in preparation and characterization of micronized coal powders and slurries encountered at Southwest Research Institute. These experiences include processes to grind micronized coal and characterize the size distribution with volume median diameters less than 10 micrometers. Slurry blending procedures for coal/water, coal/diesel-fuel, and coal/methanol mixtures are described. The effect of coal concentration and some additives on the rheology and stability of the slurries is examined. Instrumentation for rheological measurements over a wide dynamic range of shear rates (greater than four orders of magnitude) is described. 4 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs.

Tags: kmd
Microbial degradation of acenapthene and napthalene under denitrification conditions in soil--water systems: Annual report, October 1987

This study examined the microbial degradation of acenaphthene and naphthalene under denitrification conditions at soil-to-water ratios of 1:25 and 1:50 with soil containing approximately 10/sup 5/ denitrifying organisms per gram of soil. Under nitrate-excess conditions, both acenaphthene and naphthalene were degraded microbially from initial aqueous-phase concentrations of about one and several mg/l, respectively, to nondetectable levels (<0.01 mg/l) in time periods less than 9 weeks. Acclimation periods of 12 to 36 days were observed prior to the onset of microbial degradation in tests with soil not previously exposed to PAH, while acclimation periods were absent in tests with soil reserved from prior PAH degradation tests. It was judged that the apparent acclimation period resulted from the time for a small population of organisms capable of PAH degradation to attain sufficient densities to exhibit detectable PAH reduction. About 0.9 percent of the naturally occurring soil organic carbon could be mineralized under denitrification conditions, and this accounted for the greater proportion of the nitrate depletion. The mineralization of the labile fraction of the soil organic carbon via microbial denitrification occurred without an observed acclimation period, and was rapid compared to PAH degradation. Under nitrate-limiting conditions the PAH compounds were stable owing to the depletion of nitrate via the more rapid process of soil organic carbon mineralization. The microbial degradation of the PAH compound depends on the interrelationships between: the desorption kinetics and the reversibility of desorption of sorbed compound from the soil, the concentration of PAH-degrading microorganisms, and the competing reaction for nitrate utilization via mineralization of the labile fraction of naturally occurring soil organic carbon. 44 refs., 10 figs.

Tags: kmd