AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Arctic and offshore research: Technology status report

DOE's Morgantown Energy Technology Center and the DOE Fossil Energy Office of Technical Coordination in coordination with the Office of Oil, Gas, and Shale Technology are performing the following activities in Arctic and Offshore Research (AOR): AOR Energy-Related Technology Data Base Development: AOR Seminars and Workshops; Arctic and Offshore Energy Research Coordination; and Arctic and Offshore Research. This research includes: analysis of ice island generation, and prediction of drift paths; field and laboratory determination of the engineering properties of multiyear ice, and the interaction of sea ice with offshore structures; investigation of the effects of ice accretion on offshore structures; measurements of seismic acceleration and velocity for analyzing vibration in and stability of offshore structures; analysis of ice gouging in deep water (150 to 210 feet) in the Artic Ocean, and numerical simulation modeling of the gouging process; analysis of the location and origin of the ice-ridging shear zone; analysis of sea-ice thickness using airborne-radar sensing techniques; and improvement of permafrost detection techniques, analysis of permafrost characteristics, and how temperature and salinity influence seabed freezing. DOE AOR was initiated in the fall of 1982. Current activities include developing the Arctic energy-related technology data base and initiating most of the research described above (except multiyear ice properties, pipeline research, and subice systems development). 12 refs., 11 figs., 4 tabs.

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Western Gas Sands Project status report

Progress of government-sponsored projects directed toward increasing gas production from the low-permeability gas sands of the western United States is summarized. A Technology Implementation Plan (TIP) meeting was held at the CER office in Las Vegas, Nevada, October 16--19 to initiate the implementation phase of the Enhanced Gas Recovery (EGR) working group activities. A WGSP Logging Program meeting was conducted on October 24, 1978, at CER offices to define the problems associated with logs in tight gas sands. CER personnel and the project manager attended a two-day course on the fundamentals of core and reservoir analysis in Denver, Colorado, and met with USGS personnel to discuss USGS work on the WGSP. A meeting was held to discuss a contract for coring a Twin Arrow well on the Douglas Creek Arch, Colorado. CER Corporation personnel attended the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting held in Toronto, Canada, October 23--27 and a Gas Stimulation Workshop at Sandia Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 11 and 12 to discuss recent mineback experiments conducted at the Nevada Test Site. Fiscal year 1979 projects initiated by USGS and the Energy Technology Centers and National Laboratories are progressing as scheduled. Mobil Research and Development Corporation fractured zone 8 of the F-31-13G well in Rio Blanco County, Colorado. Colorado Interstate Gas Company poured the concrete pad for the compresser expected to be delivered in December and were laying pipeline between the wells at month end. The Mitchell Energy well, Muse Duke No. 1 was flowing on test at a rate of 2,100 Mcfd and preparations proceeded to fracture the well on November 15 with approximately 1,000,000 gal of fluid and 3,000,000 lb of sand. Terra Tek completed laboratory analyses of cores taken from the Mitchell Energy well.

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Overall review of work carried out at Grimethorpe in collaboration with US DOE and EPRI and under IEA Agreement on PFBC (pressurised fluidised bed combustion), 1985-1987

Between 1984 and 1988, the Grimethorpe Pressurized Fluidized Bed Combustion (PFBC) Facility was operated for the UK BCC/CEGB Joint Programme on PFBC. Additional funding was obtained from the US Department of Energy (for investigation of operation using a wet slurry feed system), EPRI (for testing an advanced gas filtration device) and as an extension of the IEA Agreement in PFBC (for design of the wet slurry feed system, and further studies into the use of wet slurry). Co-operation with the US DOE extended to the investigation of metal wastage in a new tube bank, Tube Bank  E', involving a US boiler manufacture, Foster Wheeler Development Corporation. The report outlines the results of this collaborative work including combustor performance, operation and performance of the wet slurry feeding system, operation and performance of the EPRI HTHP Filter, and performance of research instrumentation. It also summarizes materials aspects of the collaborative work, including those aspects of the tube bank metal wastage investigation which can be released into the public domain. 39 refs., 27 figs., 17 tabs.

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Western Research Institute: Research investigations in oil shale, tar sand, underground coal gasification, advanced process technology, asphalt research, April 1983-September 1986: Volume 1, Final report

This report summarizes the major research investigations conducted by the Western Research Institute over the period April 1983 through September 1986. The studies were undertaken as part of the research within the Department of Energy's programs in oil shale, tar sand, underground coal gasification, and advanced process technology. Investigations were conducted to determine the physical and chemical properties of materials suitable for conversion to liquid and gaseous fuels, to evaluate processes for such conversion, to test and evaluate innovative concepts for conversion, to determine potential environmental impacts related to development of commercial-sized operations, and to evaluate methods for mitigation of potential environmental impacts. The report is divided into two volumes. Volume 1 consists of 70 articles that summarize the findings of the major research efforts that were undertaken. More detailed information can be found in the related publications listed at the end of the individual articles. References for each section, e.g., oil shale, are located at the end of each section. Volume 2 is a listing of publications, presentations, and other professional activities that have resulted from the work conducted under this Cooperative Agreement. Selected papers in this volume have been processed for inclusion in the Energy Data Base.

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First eastern gas shales symposium

Purpose of this symposium is to allow those associated with the Eastern Gas Shales Project (for increased production of natural gas) to report the results of laboratory and field R and D studies conducted during the past year. The 53 papers and abstracts are arranged under the following headings: general session I, stratigraphy/geology, characterization/physical-mineralogical, general session II, geology/structure, geochemistry-gas and organic, and other papers. Separate abstracts were prepared for 38 papers. (DLC)

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Economic analysis of vertical wells for coalbed methane recovery

Previous economic studies of the recovery and utilization of methane from coalbeds using vertical wells were based on drainage in advance of mining where a single seam is drained with well spacing designed for rapid predrainage. This study extends the earlier work and shows that methane recovery costs can be reduced significantly by increasing well spacing and draining multiple coalbeds. A favorable return on investment can be realized in many geologic settings using this method. Sensitivity of recovery economics to certain development costs and parametric variations are also examined as are the economics of three methane utilization options.

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Sample preparation of x-ray diffraction analysis and clay mineralogy of Devonian shale from the Appalachian basin

Three well-known methods of preparing the clay fraction for x-ray diffraction analysis were tested and evaluated. Kaolinite was not identified in samples prepared by the two settling methods because of layering due to differing/settling rates of the clay minerals. It is suggested that if one of the two settling methods of sample preparation is used that the clay film should be thin enough for the x-ray beam to penetrate the entire thickness of clay. The vacuum method of sample preparation is preferred. Chlorite, kaolinite, 2M illite (muscovite), and mixed layer are the clay minerals found by x-ray diffraction analysis in Devonian shale of the Appalachian basin. The proportions of mixed-layer clay minerals were determined by comparing areas of selected basal peaks on x-ray diffraction traces of untreated samples with those of samples that had been heated and saturated by ethylene glycol.

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Economic evaluation of losses to electric power utilities caused by ash fouling. Final technical report, November 1, 1979-April 30, 1980

Problems with convection ash fouling and wall slagging were considerable during our study. The Dakota lignites posed the greatest problems, particularly with fouling. The subbituminous coals had considerable problems, related mostly with wall slagging. The Texas lignites had few problems, and those were only associated with wall slagging. The generation losses were as follows: The Dakota lignite burning stations averaged an overall availability of 87.13%. Convection fouling outages were responsible for 57.75% of this outage time for a decrease in availability of 7.43%. Fouling was responsible for curtailment losses of 317,649 Mwh or 8.25% of the remaining available generation. Slagging was responsible for losses of 2732 megawatt hours or .07% of the remaining available generation. Total ash related losses amounted to 16.08% of the total available generation. The subbituminous burning stations averaged an overall availability of 78.36%. Total ash related losses amounted to 1.54% of the total available generation. The Texas lignite burning stations averaged an overall availability of 80.63%. No ash related outage losses occurred. Slagging curtailments accounted 0.08% of the total available generation. Costs due to ash fouling and slagging related curtailments are a tremendous sum. Seven power stations were studied for a six month period to assess costs. The total cost directly attributable to ash slagging and fouling condition was $20,638,113. Recommendations for reducing the problems involve soot blowers, control of furnace gas exit temperature, water blowers and more conservative boiler design.

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ESR and magnetic studies of shale and coal kerogens. [298 and 77. 1/sup 0/K]

An electron spin resonance (ESR) study of five shale and two coal kerogens has been carried out 298 and 77.1/sup 0/K. The ESR line shapes and linewidths, g-values and spin concentrations are determined and the data are presented in terms of H/C and O/C ratios of the samples. It is shown that the ESR linewidths are primarily determined by the interaction of the free radical spins with the hydrogen nuclear spins, suggesting that the ESR linewidths may be used to characterize the hydrogen content of the shales. Spin-spin relaxation times are determined. Magnetic susceptibility measurements on two samples (one shale and one coal kerogen) were carried out between the temperatures of 77.1 K and 298 K. It is argued that the measured susceptibilities are not due to the free radicals, but rather due to the residual mineral impurities still present in the kerogens.

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Environment, safety, and health. Annual report, fiscal year 1981

This first report briefly reviews the environment, safety, and health history at the Morgantown Energy Technology Center and enumerates and describes the program in FY81 for ambient air, water/wastewater, and solids/hazardous by-products, safety, occupational health, and industrial hygiene. Professional development, publications, and conference presentations also are presented for FY81. The environmental protection management program provided technical assistance and compliance related support services for both on- and off-site projects. In FY81, the safety program focused on developing and issuing a Site Environment, Safety, and Health Plan, that provides for safe design and operation for the facility. Other safety activities provided controls during planning and design phases of projects and defined the methods to achieve an acceptable level of risk at the Morgantown Energy Technology Center 47-acre developed site. The efforts of the occupational health program in FY81 were directed toward protecting employees from health and safety hazards in their work environment and overseeing any physical limitations that would hamper job performance or safety.

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Measurement and modeling of advanced coal conversion: Quarterly report, September-December 1986

The two top priority thrusts for METC are: (1) combined-cycle power generation and (2) development of new fuel forms. Leading candidates for combined-cycle power generation are high pressure, fixed-bed gasification and high pressure, entrained-bed gasification. Another promising alternative for power generation is the use of coal-fired or coal-derived liquid fuel-fired gas turbines. This program is aimed at developing these options. The major objective of METC in developing the technology is to provide ''proof of concept''while looking for minimum cost and acceptable environmental quality. But the design and testing of such processes are expensive, even for pilot size units, and scale-up is risky. Accurate computer simulations could be used to help optimize the design of coal conversion processes, improve testing in pilot  plants and lower the risks of scaling up to commercial size. Current comprehensive computer codes have shown significant potential for providing detailed reactor simulations but there is a need to bring the computer simulation technology for coal reactors to a higher level of generality, accuracy and acceptability so it can be routinely used as a reliable design and development tool. This program will take a major step in improving the predictive capabilities of these codes, making them general for different coals and demonstrating their reliability. This goal will be accomplished by: (1) generalizing these codes by integrating unique submodels to allow treatment of specific coal-related chemistry; (2) extensive validation of the submodels; (3) extensive validation of the generalized code by comparison to laboratory and process scale data; and (4) providing well documented, user-friendly software.

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Impacts of proposed RCRA regulations and other related federal environmental regulations on fossil fuel-fired facilities: Final report, Volume 3

Estimation of the costs associated with implementation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations for non-hazardous and hazardous material disposal in the utility industry are provided. These costs are based on engineering studies at a number of coal-fired power plants in which the costs for hazardous and non-hazardous disposal are compared to the costs developed for the current practice design for each utility. The relationship of the three costs is displayed. The emphasis of this study is on the determination of incremental costs rather than the absolute costs for each case (current practice, non-hazardous, or hazardous). For the purpose of this project, the hazardous design cost was determined for both minimum and maximum compliance.

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Thin section porous graphite materials for fuel cell electrode applications: Final report

A proprietary process for the fabrication of thin section porous graphite components invented at Great Lakes Research Corporation (GLRC), continued under development in this program. The principal effort under this program was to solve the technical problems of consistently producing thin sections of porous graphite materials that are uniform in thickness, flatness, mean pore size and pore size distribution, and to provide processes that lower the cost of producing these materials. Materials developed in this program were targeted at applications for electrodes and/or catalyst support backing paper in phosphoric acid fuel cell systems currently under development in the USA. The results of the GLRC program were positive. Principal accomplishments include an improved definition of the range of thin section graphite characteristics that can be produced by the GLRC process, and the effect of key process changes. Also accomplished was development of an optimized process in terms of conformance to major fuel cell developers to NASA-Lewis of more than 100 porous graphite sheets in sizes of approximately 33 /times/ 46 /times/ 0.04 (thick) or 33 /times/ 46 /times/ 0.22 (thick) centimeters that meet the Lewis Major Systems Contractor fuel cell requirements, and development of wet edge seals for a major fuel cell electrode type. In conjunction with tasks used to demonstrate the versatility and technical and economic feasibility of a batch process, preliminary development of engineering data began the decision of a commercial process. This included preliminary work toward a conceptual design for a continuous process to bake.

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Great plains coal gasification plant: Technical lessons learned report

In a first of a kind, grass roots plant of the complexity of the Great Plains Gasification Plant the lessons learned are numerous and encompass a wide range of items. This report documents the lessons learned from all phases of the project from preliminary design through the most recent operation of the plant. Based on these lessons learned, suggestions are made for changes and/or process improvements to future synfuel plants. In addition, recommendations are made for research and development in selected areas. 46 refs., 31 figs., 33 tabs.

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Erosion of heat exchanger tubes in fluidized beds

The initial objective of this project was to develop a scaling procedure to predict in-bed heat transfer tube erosion rates in fluidized-bed combustors (FBC). Specifically, the localized tube erosion rates were to be related to the circulation patterns of the bed material. This objective was to be accomplished by comparing the results of the Morgantown Energy Technology Center's (MET) 6{times}6 bed with those obtained from a geometrically similar 2{times}2 bed constructed and operated at the West Virginia University (WVU). However, instead of emphasizing scaling as an approach to erosion rate analysis, the development of a model for erosion rates was recommended. This model would be based on data from the WVU 2{times}2 bed, the METC 6{times}6 bed, and from a new 6{times}6 bed at WVU. It is intended that the model will involve bubble dynamics; subsequently, the scaling problem will be one of scaling the bubble dynamics of an FBC unit. At least four tube materials will be tested: two high temperature steels now employed in FBC's, aluminum, and graphite. For the bed material, crushed quartz is the reference material and several mixtures of coal ash (mineral matter) and calcium compounds will be employed to represent typical FBC bed material. Accomplishments for 1989 were: (1) Completed a set of runs to evaluate tube materials for maximum erosion rates and to satisfy one condition of the initial test matrix. (2) Analyzed the recent erosion and scaling literature in order to evaluate our results and to understand the erosion and scaling processes. (3) Re-evaluated the initial technical approach to this project based on our results and the recent literature. 27 refs., 20 figs., 7 tabs.

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Development of an advanced, continuous mild gasification process for the production of co-products

The principal finding of this study was the high capital cost and poor financial performance predicted for the size and configuration of the plant design presented. The XBi financial assessment gave a disappointingly low base-case discounted cash flow rate of return (DCFRR) of only 8.1% based on a unit capital cost of $900 per ton year (tpy) for their 129,000 tpy design. This plant cost is in reasonable agreement with the preliminary estimates developed by J.E. Sinor Associates for a 117,000 tpy plant based on the FMC process with similar auxiliaries (Sinor, 1989), for which a unit capital costs of $938 tpy was predicted for a design that included char beneficiation and coal liquids upgrading--or about $779 tpy without the liquid upgrading facilities. The XBi assessment points out that a unit plant cost of $900 tpy is about three times the cost for a conventional coke oven, and therefore, outside the competitive range for commercialization. Modifications to improve process economics could involve increasing plant size, expanding the product slate that XBi has restricted to form coke and electricity, and simplifying the plant flow sheet by eliminating marginally effective cleaning steps and changing other key design parameters. Improving the financial performance of the proposed formed coke design to the level of a 20% DCFRR based on increased plant size alone would require a twenty-fold increase to a coal input of 20,000 tpd and a coke production of about 2.6 minion tpy--a scaling exponent of 0.70 to correct plant cost in relation to plant size.

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Fundamental research on novel process alternatives for coal gasification: Progress report for the period May 7-August 6, 1984

During this quarter, a detailed test plan was developed and approved for each of the three subtasks in this program involving experimental work: CO/sub 2/-Coal Devolatilization Studies; CO/sub 2/-Coal Char Gasification Studies; and CO/sub 2/ Adsorption/Desorption Studies. Two coals were selected for testing: a North Dakota lignite and an Illinois No. 6 bituminous coal. The high-temperature thermobalance was readied for testing, instruments were calibrated, and some reactor tube components were replaced. Instrumentation for the CO/sub 2/ adsorption/desorption tests was specified. The literature on the effect of CO/sub 2/ on coal devolatilization characteristics was reviewed. A detailed analysis of the literature data is under way. A detailed test plan was developed and approved for the internal recirculation catalysts coal gasification process concept.

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Fundamental research on novel process alternatives for coal gasification: Progress report for the period November 7, 1985-February 6, 1986

During this quarter, the CO/sub 2/-coal char gasification test program (Subtask 1.3) was completed. Twelve char gasification tests were conducted in the high-temperature thermobalance, eleven with synthesis gas and one (a replicate test) with a CO/sub 2//helium mixture. Rate constants have been determined for all tests conducted. The CO/sub 2/ absorption/desorption test program was also completed during this quarter. A total of 60 thermobalance experiments have now been conducted. The maximum weight changes ranged from 18.5 to 20.8 wt % out of a maximum possible value based on sorbent composition of 45.29 wt %. The maximum rates of weight change ranged from 0.33 to 0.80 wt %/min for the absorption cycle and from 0.60 to 0.80 wt %/min for the desorption cycle. Operating conditions were 100 to 300 psig and 850/sup 0/ to 1170/sup 0/F. The bench-scale char gasification program was completed with two additional tests with North Dakota lignite char and two tests with Illinois No. 6 bituminous coal char. Chemical analyses and data analyses were completed. The results indicate that the addition of cesium hydroxide catalyst significantly enhances the char gasification rate with both lignite and bituminous coal char. 68 figs., 6 tabs.

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