Solid fuels in chemical-looping combustion using a NiO-based oxygen carrier

The feasibility of using three different solid fuels in chemical-looping combustion (CLC) has been investigated using NiO as oxygen carrier. A laboratory fluidized-bed reactor system for solid fuel was used, simulating a chemical-looping combustion system by exposing the sample to alternating reducing and oxidizing conditions. In each reducing phase 0.2 g of fuel was added to the reactor containing 20 g oxygen carrier. The experiments were performed at 970 °C. Compared to previously published results with other oxygen carriers the reactivity of the used Ni-particles was considerably lower for the high-sulphur fuel and higher for the low-sulphur fuel. Much more unconverted CO was released and the fuel conversion was much slower for high-sulphur fuel such as petroleum coke, suggesting that the nickel-based oxygen carrier was deactivated by the presence of sulphur. The NiO particles also showed good reactivity with methane and a syngas mixture of 50% H₂ and 50% CO. For all experiments the oxygen carrier showed good fluidizing properties without any signs of agglomeration.     

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF AN ENERGY-SYSTEM WITH A SUPERHEATED STEAM DRYER INTEGRATED IN A LOCAL DISTRICT HEAT AND POWER PLANT.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method for analysing and assessing the environmental impact of a material, product or service throughout the entire life cycle. In this study 100 GWh heat is to be demanded by a local heat district. A mixture of coal and wet biofuel is frequently used as fuel for steam generation (Case 1). A conversion of the mixed fuel to dried biofuel is proposed. In the district it is also estimated that it is possible for 4000 private houses to convert from oil to wood pellets. It is proposed that a sustainable solution to the actual problem is to combine heat and power production together with an in improvement in the quality of wood residues and manufacture of pellets. It is also proposed that a steam dryer is integrated to the system (Case 2).

Most of the heat from the drying process is used to the municipal heating networks. In this study the environmental impact of the two cases is examined with LCA. Different valuation methods shows that Case 2 is an improvement over Case 1, but there is diversity in the magnitudes of environmental impact in the comparison of the cases. The differences depend particularly on how the emissions of CO₂, NO_x and hydrocarbons are estimated. The impact of the organic compounds from the exhaust gas during the drying is estimated as low in all of the three used methods.     

The application of a multistage-bed model for residence-time analysis in chemical-looping combustion of solid fuel

The behavior of a 10 kW chemical-looping combustor for solid fuels, normally operated in continuous mode, has been studied by addition of fuel batches. From analysis of gas leaving the air reactor, it was possible to determine the residence time and residence-time distribution of particles in the fuel reactor. Knowing the solids inventory in the fuel reactor, the circulation mass flow could be directly correlated to measured operational data, i.e. pressure drop, temperature and gas flow in air reactor riser. Using results for carbon-capture efficiency and residence-time distribution, a model was developed which could determine a mass-based reaction-rate constant for char conversion. The reaction-rate constant of a Mexican petroleum coke at both 950 and 970 °C was calculated to 8.2 and 28.8 wt%/min, respectively. The reaction-rate constant of a South African coal at 950 °C was calculated to 26.1 wt%/min. This reaction-rate constant could also be determined independently from the conversion rates of char during the batch tests. The results showed a good agreement between the two approaches, indicating that the model well describes the behavior of the unit. From the determination of the circulation mass flow, and comparison with previous testing with different circulation, it was also possible to estimate the limit for which the ilmenite was unable to supply sufficient oxygen to achieve good conversion. This limit was compared to theoretical limits for ilmenite as well as the limit set by a heat balance. It was concluded that the latter will be the one setting the limit.     

Effect of fuel particle size on reaction rate in chemical looping combustion

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) uses an oxygen carrier circulating between an air and a fuel reactor to replace direct burning of fuels in air. The very low energy penalty for CO₂ separation in CLC gives it the potential to become an important technology on the way to a CO₂ neutral energy supply. In this work, the influence of the particle size of coal on the rate of reaction of the coal was investigated in a bed of oxygen carrier. In order to do this, a method to quench the reaction of coal with oxygen carriers at a specified time and measure the particle size distribution of the remaining coal was developed. Three size fractions of coal were used in the experiments: 90–125, 180–212 and 250–355 μm. Particle size distributions of the fuel show a decrease in particle size with time. The influence of devolatilisation of the coal on the coal particle size was measured, showing that coal particles do not break in the fluidized bed reactor used for the experiments. Reaction rates based on measurements of gas phase concentrations of CO₂, CO and CH₄ showed that the reaction rate is independent of the particle size. These results are in line with literature findings, as studies have shown that carbon gasification is size-independent at conditions similar to those in the performed CLC experiments.     

On the thermal conductivity of CGI and SGI cast irons

The thermal conductivity of Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) and spheroidal graphite iron (SGI) was established in the temperature range from room temperature up to 500 °C using the experimental thermal diffusivity, density and specific heat values. The influence of nodularity, graphite amount, silicon content and temperature on the thermal conductivity of fully ferritic high-silicon cast irons was investigated. It was found that the CGI materials showed higher thermal conductivity than the SGI materials. The thermal conductivity tended to increase with increasing temperature until it reached a maximum followed by a subsequent decrease as temperature was increased up to 500 °C. Conventional models were applied to estimate thermal conductivity and the predictive accuracy of each model was evaluated. The thermal conductivity could be estimated by the Helsing model. The Maxwell model, Bruggeman model and Hashin–Shtrikman model were also in fair agreement using the thermal conductivity value of graphite parallel to the basal planes in graphite.     

DFT and tight binding Monte Carlo calculations related to single-walled carbon nanotube nucleation and growth

Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations for idealized nucleation processes of (5, 5) and (10, 0) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on a 55 atom nickel cluster (Ni₅₅) showed that it requires a larger chemical potential to grow a carbon island (which is the simplest structure that can lead to formation of the SWCNTs) on the cluster than to extend the island into a SWCNT or to have the carbon atoms dispersed on the cluster surface. Hence, in the thermodynamic limit the island will only form once the (surface of the) cluster is saturated with carbon, and the island will spontaneously form a SWCNT at the chemical potentials required to create the island. The DFT (zero Kelvin) and tight binding Monte Carlo (1000 K) also show that there is a minimum cluster size required to support SWCNT growth, and that this cluster size can be used to control the diameter, but probably not the chirality, of the SWCNT at temperatures relevant to carbon nanotube growth. It also imposes a minimum size of clusters that are used for SWCNT regrowth.     

DME as Reductant for Continuous Lean Reduction of NO x over ZSM-5 Catalysts

Dimethyl ether (DME) is an interesting alternative fuel to diesel, but is not an efficient reductant in lean NO _x conversion over typical diesel HC-SCR catalysts. Comparatively high deNO _x activity was found over H-ZSM-5 in the presence of water, giving reduction of 28% NO and 37% NO₂ respectively with a DME/NO _x -ratio of 4.     

Brachial Artery Intima-Media Thickness and Echogenicity in Relation to Lipids and Markers of Oxidative Stress in Elderly Subjects:-The Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) Study

The aim of the present study was to relate brachial artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and the grey scale median of the intima-media complex (IM-GSM) to traditional cardiovascular risk factors and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. In the Prospective Study of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study, a population-based study of 1016 subjects aged 70, brachial artery IMT and IM-GSM, who were evaluated by ultrasound. Lipids, thirteen markers of inflammation and nine markers of oxidative stress were measured. The Framingham risk score was related to IMT (p < 0.0001), but not to the IM-GSM. In univariate analysis, HDL-cholesterol, serum triglycerides, fasting glucose, smoking, HOMA insulin resistance index and oxidized LDL levels were related to IMT. HDL and LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, VCAM-1, e-selectin, leukocyte count, conjugated diens, baseline conjugated diens (BCD)-LDL, antibodies to oxLDL, the GSSG/GSH glutathione ratio and homocysteine were related to IM-GSM. In multiple regression models, HDL-cholesterol, fasting glucose and oxLDL levels were the independently related to IMT (p = 0.01–0.04), while serum triglycerides, BCD-LDL and the GSSG/GSH ratio were independently related to IM-GSM (p = 0.0001–0.004). In conclusion, in addition to traditional lipid variables, markers of oxidative stress were associated with both thickness and echogenicity of the brachial artery intima-media complex. Thus, both thickness and echogenicity of the brachial artery intima-media complex might be useful biomarkers in the future.     

Agglomerate breakage and adhesion upon impact with complex-shaped particles

Understanding the breakage and adhesion of an agglomerate upon collision with a target particle is a primary step to fathom the adhesive mixing process. While the effect of several variables, such as collision velocity and particle interface energy, on collision behavior has been explored, the effects of target particle morphology have yet to be revealed. In this work, we generate three-dimensional particles with controllable shape and texture using Fourier harmonics and, using the discrete element method, we examine the collision of an agglomerate that impacts each target particle. Results show that the agglomerate breakage depends on the local curvature in the impact zone. We observe that the asperity and elongation factors of the target particle largely contribute to the extent of the deposition of fine particles and the size and number of generated fragments after impact, respectively. These results reveal the large potential error when approximating real particles as smooth spheres in fragmentation studies.