Energy and the environment: How will EPA's newest regulations affect electric markets?

Last December, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put the finishing touches on new regulations to reduce emissions of mercury and other air toxics, primarily from coal-fired power plants. 1 Regulations targeting coal-fired power plants are nothing new, really, as coal has been Public Enemy No. 1 for many environmentalists and environmental regulators for many years. The air toxics rule joins several others, including rules governing movements of air pollutants between states, disposal of coal ash, and discharges of cooling water.     

Energy and the Environment: EPA's New Carbon Rule: Lots of Heat,Little Light

Shakespeare seems to describe appropriately the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed new Clean Power Act rule, a 645-page monstrosity that will, supposedly, reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from electric-generating plants by 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. Although power plant emissions have already decreased significantly since 2005, thanks to the wonders of hydraulic fracturing and low-cost natural gas, the EPA's rule nevertheless is supposed to save the world from the multitudinous horrors that will be wrought by global warming—climate change, climate volatility, or whatever today's favorite moniker happens to be.     

Cansolv尾气处理装置对天然气净化厂的影响及优化措施探讨

目的 为了使天然气净化厂尾气排放满足GB 39728-2020《陆上石油天然气开采工业大气污染物排放标准》的要求,已建天然气净化厂须新建尾气处理装置使尾气排放达标,Cansolv工艺在天然气净化厂陆续应用,实现了尾气较低含量的SO₂排放和经济运行。方法 通过对忠县天然气净化厂新建Cansolv尾气处理装置投产以来的运行调整总结,摸索影响装置正常运行的主要因素,对3种情况进行了统计分析：(1)废水水质、废气中SO₂排放;(2)Cansolv尾气处理装置能耗和化工原材料消耗;(3)影响Cansolv尾气处理装置产生污染物的因素,最终对Cansolv尾气处理装置实施以下优化措施：(1)优化装置运行参数,达到尾气SO₂排放要求;(2)合理控制装置DS溶液中热稳定性盐含量,减少废水量;(3)合理控制DS溶液及烟气温度,减少废水量;(4)提高湿式电除雾器运行稳定性,减小溶液中热稳定性盐含量;(5)合理调整中和废水水质,提高DTRO处理橇淡水收率;(6)硫磺回收装置开、停车过程中,优化装置操作;(7)调整装置运行,减少能耗及化工原料消...     

Clean air means new gas customers

The major new market increment for gas from the efforts to clean up the environment should be gas used in place of coal to generate electricity. Estimates from 2 trillion cubic feet a year to 4 trillion cubic feet a year by the year 2000 seem to be commonplace: this is the amount that the American Gas Association has estimated [see my interview with AGA President George H. Lawrence, “The '90s: Regulation No Longer Critical Concern,” Natural Gas, January 1990, 13.]; a recent estimate of 2.2 trillion cubic feet by 2000 from National Economic Research Associates falls in the AGA's range. If the AGA's estimate of 5 trillion cubic feet a year by 2000 of the entire new market from clean air is true [see also the interview with Lawrence], then electric generation is clearly the largest of the submarkets. (The second-largest may be natural gas vehicles.) Exactly where will these markets be? A listing of electric-generation plants that must reduce their emissions is a good start (Figure 1). Jack Hawks, director of public information for the AGA, had a few comments on the list and the legislation that will affect it.     

硫磺回收装置液硫池废气回收技术及应用

为了节能减排,降低天然气净化厂排放烟气中SO_2质量浓度,利用中压蒸汽作为动力,通过抽射器将液硫池废气抽入克劳斯炉,并通过低压蒸汽对废气进行预热,防止硫蒸气冷凝。研究了克劳斯系统在不同负荷下,液硫池废气进入克劳斯炉后,对降低排放烟气中SO_2质量浓度的影响。通过技术改造的实施应用,达到降低排放烟气中SO_2质量浓度的目的,同时对联合装置平稳生产未产生影响,为同类硫磺回收工艺装置降低SO_2排放提供了参考。     

硫磺回收装置液硫池废气回收技术及应用

为了节能减排,降低天然气净化厂排放烟气中SO_2质量浓度,利用中压蒸汽作为动力,通过抽射器将液硫池废气抽入克劳斯炉,并通过低压蒸汽对废气进行预热,防止硫蒸气冷凝。研究了克劳斯系统在不同负荷下,液硫池废气进入克劳斯炉后,对降低排放烟气中SO_2质量浓度的影响。通过技术改造的实施应用,达到降低排放烟气中SO_2质量浓度的目的,同时对联合装置平稳生产未产生影响,为同类硫磺回收工艺装置降低SO_2排放提供了参考。     

Use of piston expanders in plants utilizing energy of compressed natural gas

A comparative analysis has been performed of the suitability of using turbo-and piston (reciprocating) expanders in low-consumption units of natural gas liquefaction plants operating at an initial pressure p_i = 3–5 MPa. Two versions have been investigated: 1) monoblock (single-block) expander-compressor unit (ECU) consisting of a turboexpander and a turbocompressor and 2) expander-generator unit (EGU) consisting of a piston expander and a generating engine. The merits and demerits of both versions have been indicated. It has been shown that in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) output range m_LNG ≤ 1.0–1.5 ton/h use of EGU is preferable because it ensures partial recovery of power expended for compressing and movement of natural gas in trunk pipelines. Based on an analysis of domestic opposite compressors pressed into production, it has been concluded that it is possible to build efficient EGU on Y-and E-like bases for plants producing up to 5 ton/h of LNG with a power recovery of up to 1 MW.     

加油站常见的安全隐患及防范措施

介绍了加油站安全检查验收的依据，指出了有些加油站存在的安全防火距离不够，油罐与工艺系统存在着隐患和消防设施配置不合理等问题，提出新、改、扩建加油站必须按照《汽车加油加气站设计与施工规范》要求去做，委托具备相应资质的单位设计、施工，加强从业人员的安全培训，建立健全各项安全规章制度，定期对电器设备进行检测等项措施。     

天然气净化厂低压尾气CO2回收技术研究

为了节能减排,降低天然气净化厂尾气中CO_2排放量,分别通过实验室实验、模拟试验、侧线试验逐步研究并验证了MEA和复合胺对CO_2的吸收性能。采用实验研究与现场测试、评价相结合的方法,开发出一套适合于普光天然气净化厂烟气排放工况的CO_2回收工艺,为实现天然气净化厂低碳生产与CO_2减排提供了技术支持。     

天然气发电在我国能源转型中的作用及发展建议

较之于燃煤发电,天然气发电(以下简称气电)尽管具有清洁性、高效性、低碳性、灵活性等方面的显著优势,但受政策、气源稳定性等因素的影响,我国气电产业要实现《电力发展"十三五"规划》所提出的1.1×108kW的装机容量目标难度很大。为了推动我国气电产业的健康发展,分析了气电在我国能源转型中的作用、气电产业发展现状与所存在的问题,展望了我国中长期气电产业的发展前景。研究结果表明:①发展气电对于改善我国大气环境质量、积极应对气候变化、促进天然气工业发展、提高制造业水平、提升电力系统灵活性以促进可再生能源大规模发展等都具有重要的意义;②当前,我国气电产业主要面临政策层面缺乏统一明确的发展定位、燃料成本相对较高、环保价值及调峰价值没有得到有效补偿、发电企业对供气稳定性存在担忧、燃气轮机相关费用较高等制约的因素;③随着国内外天然气供需形势的变化、我国天然气市场化改革的深入推进以及燃气轮机国产化初见曙光,我国已经具备大规模发展气电的条件,在政策推动到位的情况下,我国气电仍有较大的发展空间。进而提出以下发展建议:①统一认识,在中长期电力规划中明确"积极发展"气电的定位;②建立产业上下游合作机制,共同促进气电行业发展;③制定反映气电环保价值和调峰价值的电价和调度机制;④推动大型燃气电厂直供;⑤加大科技创新力度,提升燃气轮机国产化水平。     

RGGI's Experience To Date Could Provide Nationwide Model

Through seven-and-a-half years of operation, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) has helped nine northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states¹ achieve significant reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the electric power sector. Over the same period, RGGI states' economies have outpaced the rest of the country, and electricity prices within the region have fallen, even as prices in other states have increased. Through reforms considered in the 2016 Program Review, states can build on this success and solidify RGGI's role in achieving state-level climate commitments and requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Clean Power Plan (CPP).     

Post-combustion of mazut with CO2 capture using aspen hysys

There is a wide range of resources for CO₂ emissions. The net amount of CO₂ emissions in the cement industry due to the consumption of fossil fuels and the chemical processes of cement production under heating raw materials is reported to be in the range of 15–25%; this industry, among all the industries and after the power plants and refineries, is the largest CO₂ gas producer throughout the world. Using CO₂ capture and storage (CCS), it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a short time. In this study, the technical feasibility study of recycling CO₂ in Abyek Cement Company, with a cement production capacity of about 12,500 tons per day in two production lines, has been studied as one of the largest cement industries throughout the world. Fuel oil (Mazut) is used as the primary fuel for furnaces in this industry. Affected by combustion, the emissions emitted from the five-stage preheater contain 5/24% vol% of CO₂, 7.6% H₂O, 4.8% vol% of O₂, and 63.1% N₂.     

In Market Review,FERC Believes Prices Stay Down,Increasing Usage

Fundamental changes in the North American natural gas market substantially drove down US natural gas spot prices in 2015 ( Exhibit 1 ). Production and storage reached record levels, while demand rose modestly, tempered by the El Niño warm weather during the 2015–16 winter. Natural gas demand increases came from the addition of new gas-fired generation and increasing utilization rates at existing gas-fired plants. Despite a warmer-than-average summer, nonwinter prices fell to their lowest levels in 20 years, which in turn led to lower wholesale electricity prices, as gas-fired generation set the price in many power markets.     

硫磺回收装置的能耗分析及节能

通过某些引进装置的设计能耗、单位能耗及各项公用工程在装置能耗中所占比例等一系列数据,分别从装置产生的能量和消耗的能量进行逐项分析.提出了硫磺回收部分应采用合适的焚烧温度,利用凝结水代替除氧水,减少外供除氧水量,节约电耗;尾气处理部分应减少蒸汽耗量,降低电耗量;合理选择加热方式,降低燃料气用量;调整急冷水、贫液和酸性气的冷却方案等节能措施.     

LNG冷能用于朗肯循环和CO2液化新工艺

针对CO_2排放过量的问题,提出了两种利用液化天然气冷能进行朗肯循环发电和液化CO_2的新工艺流程。流程1在常规朗肯循环的基础上增加了再热循环和回热循环;流程2在保证预冷和液化CO_2所需冷能不变的情况下,在流程1的基础上集成了氮气液化系统,目的是降低蒸发器内冷热物流的品位差,提高蒸发器的火用效率。分析了烟气温度、循环工质压力和流量对流程比功和火用效率的影响。模拟计算得到,流程1、流程2的火用效率分别可达到49.70%和49.80%,对应比功分别为237.70 kJ/kg LNG和235.20 kJ/kg LNG,CO_2的液化率为0.60 kg/kg LNG。结合具体实例进行计算,证明新流程具有良好的经济效益和环境效益。     

Gasoline as a motor fuel at the pump: Conventional wisdom and new paradigms

The domestic energy policies are still defined by the energy crisis and the Arab oil embargo of the 1970s and 1980s, and occasional spikes in gas prices – with emphasis on alternative and renewable energy sources. Nevertheless, the over-reliance on gasoline/diesel as the only motor fuels of choice is surprising and even counter-directional, especially when new and lower-cost alternatives which serve to protect the environment (on account of lower emissions) have been available for decades. These alternatives can be classified as electric (pure or gas-electric hybrids), gas/liquid (natural gas, propane, methanol/ethanol), or gas (H₂, as part of H₂-economy). In this report, we examine the reasons for gasoline as the “sole” choice and make the assertion that gasoline is not necessarily the most economical or cleaner-burning, and examine the available alternatives. We make the case that a switch from gasoline-powered vehicles to gas-electric hybrids at first, and then by an entire shift to pure electric vehicles (EVs) is the most meaningful alternative. The introduction of the Toyota Prius – the most successful gas-electric hybrid – introduced in the late-1990s (around 2000) – can be seen as a torch bearer in this regard, and a few other noteworthy examples including Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf have further stoked the flames in this revolution. It is also conceivable that a retrofit modification of the vehicles already on the road – from gasoline to gas-electric hybrids – will enable this transition in a more seamless way.     

燃煤改燃气发电项目的经济效益分析

目前我国发电以煤为主,存在单位发电煤耗率高、有害物排放量大、环境污染严重等问题。为了优化能源结构,促进绿色经济、低碳经济和循环经济的发展,对现有的燃煤电厂进行煤改气已成为各地政府的首选技改措施,但由于未考虑碳减排收益,众多燃煤电厂改造因经济不可行而搁浅。为此,引入碳排放交易规则,从减排量计算到项目经济性分析,系统讨论了清洁发展机制（CDM）应用于燃煤改燃气项目中的关键问题,并以某电厂燃煤改燃气项目为例,结合碳排放交易规则对电厂技改的经济性进行了研究评价。结果表明,充分利用碳排放交易规则可达到要求的内部收益率,使那些不具有经济性的电厂改造变得可行。     

天然气净化厂SO2达标排放技术适应性分析研究

目的解决国内中小规模天然气净化厂硫磺回收装置烟气中SO₂达标排放及装置在低负荷或低H₂S含量的条件下开工、停工除硫及加氢催化剂预硫化期间高浓度SO₂短时超标排放的问题。 方法统计研究了国内28座天然气净化厂硫磺回收、尾气处理工艺和硫磺产量,分析了现阶段还原吸收、氧化吸收、碱液洗涤及液相氧化还原4种处理工艺在天然气行业的应用情况,介绍了天然气研究院开发的Claus尾气中SO₂催化吸附技术的相关情况。 结果对天然气净化厂SO₂减排技术提出以下建议:①充分重视气田潜硫量变化引起的装置低负荷稳定运行等问题;②现有装置增设尾气处理装置时,避免对原硫磺回收装置工艺进行改变,选择环保、无二次污染物产生且能与工厂智能化建设衔接的工艺技术;③SO₂减排需从源头解决问题,着眼于硫磺回收单元的精细化操作和管理、催化剂正确使用及性能跟踪分析,进而提高硫回收率,减少后端处理的负荷。 结论采用上述研究结果,一方面可保障硫磺回收装置长周期稳定运行,另一方面可在现有排放的基础上进一步减少SO₂排放。      

发电厂烟气开采天然气水合物过程能效模拟

利用发电厂烟道气(以下简称烟气,主要成分为CO_2与N_2)开采天然气水合物(以下简称水合物)是一种安全、环保的方法,但目前对于该开采方法的能耗及能效情况仍缺乏深入的研究。为此,建立了一种烟气开采水合物的流程:烟气通过增压注入到水合物储层,储层中的水合物一部分发生热分解,另一部分与烟气置换得到CH_4-CO_2-N_2混合气,再经膜组件分离除去N_2得到提浓后的CH_4-CO_2混合气,最后将CH_4-CO_2混合气输送至原发电厂发电。进而采用Aspen Plus软件对这一过程进行了模拟,分析了不同注入压力下烟气置换过程的采注比、置换采出CH_4的比例以及整个过程的能耗与能效。结果表明:(1)烟气开采水合物过程的主要能耗在增压注入阶段,注入压力的增加会导致增压阶段与膜分离阶段的能耗相应增加,但在一定程度上也可提高压力能回收率;(2)注入压力在5~16 MPa条件下,烟气置换过程的采注比为0.03~0.26,置换采出CH_4的比例为19.9%~56.2%,烟气开采水合物全过程的单位能耗为2.15~1.05(k W·h)/kgCH_4,能源投入回报值(EROI)介于7.2~14.7。结论认为:在5~10 MPa范围内增加注入压力可有效地提高烟气开采水合物过程的能效。     

炼油厂节能减排循环经济的实施案例与效果

结合中国石化某公司生产实际,利用工业园区的循环经济概念,对周边其他公司的水、电、蒸汽、燃料气四大公用工程数据进行分析,分别提出:将城市中水回用代替新鲜水,节约新鲜水1 280 kt,节约资金800万;利用国家政策,率先在省内第一批实现大用户直供电,降低企业用电费0.046 4元/(kW·h),年节约900万元以上;利用电厂热值较低的富余中压蒸汽代替炼油厂锅炉,停用动力锅炉来降低用汽成本,达到锅炉环保排放100％;利用春、夏季炼油厂燃气富余,供给市内燃气企业等措施,实现气电互供,能源利用效率则比纯发电的效率提高40％～50％.通过循环经济模式,从工业生产源头上将污染物排放量减至最低,实行资源的综合配置,预计降低成本1.4～1.5亿元,最大限度地提高资源利用率,减少了碳排放,实现跨企业、跨行业、跨区域的清洁生产.