High-performance thin-layer hydrogel composite membranes for ultrafiltration of natural organic matter

Thin-layer hydrogel composite (TLHC) ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were synthesized by photo-grafting of either poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) or N,N-dimethyl-N-(2-methacryloyloxyethyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl) ammonium betaine (SPE) onto commercial polyethersulfone (PES) UF membranes. The performance of TLHC UF membranes was evaluated for natural organic matter (NOM) filtration and compared to commercial PES UF membranes. The fouling evaluation was done by investigation of membrane-solute interactions (adsorptive fouling) and membrane-solute-solute interactions (UF). The results suggest that the TLHC membranes convincingly displayed a higher adsorptive fouling resistance than unmodified PES UF membranes. In long-term stirred dead-end UF, a much lower fouling was observed for TLHC membranes than for commercial membranes with the same flux and rejection. Further, water flux recovery was also much higher. An analysis using an existing blocking model was performed in order to elucidate the effect of a polymer hydrogel layer on fouling mechanism as well as cake layer characteristics. The TLHC membranes synthesized by photo-grafting of PEGMA (40 g/L) and PEGMA with a low concentration of cross-linker monomer in the reaction mixture (ratio: 40/0.4 (g/L)/(g/L)) showed a much better performance than the other composite membranes. Those membranes could reduce the cake resistance on the membrane surface. This work has relevance for the design of high-performance UF membranes for applications in water treatment.     

油浆阻垢剂的工业应用

油浆系统是催化分馏系统的核心,其运行好坏直接影响整套催化装置的安、稳、长、优生产。近年来,随着原料油的密度越来越重,导致油浆系统的结垢越发严重,轻者造成装置减产,重者迫使装置停工。文内分析了油浆系统的结垢机理,介绍了洛阳石化总厂在增上阻垢剂之前采取的相应措施,并结合油浆系统的结垢原因阐述了油浆阻垢剂的作用原理。该厂于1996年增上了油浆阻垢剂注入系统,装置经过两个生产周期的运行,油浆循环量始终维持在正常水平,装置未出现因设备或管线堵塞而产生的不良后果,油浆系统可调控自如。并对油浆阻垢剂加注前后,泊浆系统操作参数进行了对比,通过对比看出,管线和设备的结垢问题基本得到了解决。油浆阻垢剂投用3年来,减轻了油浆系统的结垢问题,消除了事故隐患,为催化装置的长周期安全运行提供了保障,每年可增加效益170余万元。     

Remediation of ash problems in pulverised coal-fired boilers

This paper reports the control methods for mitigating fouling and slagging in brown coal-fired power utilities. Two control methods were investigated, i.e. wet pretreatment of coal and the use of mineral additives. By the first technique, samples of brown coal were treated with aluminium solutions to adjust the levels of Na, Al and Cl. The effect of cleaning was tested under closely controlled conditions in the range of 1000–1400°C. At a gas temperature of 1250°C, the deposition behaviour of treated and raw coals were compared using a deposition probe maintained at temperatures of 500, 600, 700 and 800°C. The second technique involved experiments with mixtures of candidate mineral additives and sodium compounds at temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1400°C.

Experiments showed that both the methods were effective in reducing ash-related problems. Between 1000 and 1400°C, the quantity of condensable salts generated was found to depend only on the amount of sodium in coal. With the wet method, aluminium reduces the sodium level and thus fouling by ion exchange. The stickiness of sodium silicates from this coal was also shown to be reduced by aluminium. Deposition model calculations based on sticking probability also indicated that Al-treated coals result in less ash deposition on boiler surfaces. Experiments with mineral additives showed that sodium could be captured by clay minerals, particularly kaolin. For Victorian brown coal-based power station boilers, 10–20 μm kaolin making up 2–3 wt.% of the feed was estimated to effectively reduce the ash problems.     

600MW直接空冷机组凝汽器冷却管束污垢热阻变工况特性研究

以600 MW直接空冷机组为例,限定污垢热阻取值在0～0.001 m2.K/W范围内,对管内、外污垢热阻建立数学模型,通过编程计算得到直接空冷机组冷端特性曲线,分析污垢热阻对排汽压力的影响,供发电厂运行参考。     

A 7 year long measurement period investigating the correlation of corrosion,deposit and fuel in a biomass fired circulated fluidized bed boiler

The present investigation involves a unique, 7 year (2001–2007) long study of corrosion and deposits on superheater tubes in a biomass fired circulated fluidized bed boiler. These measurements are correlated against the different fuels used over this period. In the earlier years, the boiler was run with a mixture of different biomass fuels and peat. In later years, recycled wood was introduced into the fuel mix. The deposit growth rate approximately doubled when the recycled wood content of the fuel was increased to 10–20%. Small amounts of chlorine and zinc were found both in the recycled wood and in the deposit layer. These elements together with alkali metals from the biomass, have the potential to form sticky compounds that increase the deposit growth rate. The corrosion rate of the superheater tubes varied over the study period. A number of possible explanations for this phenomenon are discussed.     

缩放管传热与污垢特性的实验研究

采用对比实验的方法,对两种缩放管及其对应光管的流动阻力、传热特性和污垢特性进行了研究。实验结果表明,缩放管的性能与其结构尺寸有关,两种缩放管的流动阻力系数明显高于光管。在加速结垢实验中,缩放管表现出良好的抗垢性能,具有结垢诱导期长、污垢热阻渐近值小的优点,而且缩放管平均传热系数都优于光管,在结垢前后都有良好的强化传热性能。     

Fouling characteristics of an ultrafiltration membrane used in drinking water treatment

The fouling characteristics of ultrafiltration membranes used in drinking water were investigated when used alone and when used in an integrated biofilter-membrane system to treat a humic-acid laden solution. Membrane strands from sacrificial modules operating in parallel with bench-scale modules were analysed from both systems (with and without pretreatment). Chemical and microbiological analyses were performed on these strands together with different process streams along the treatment train. Microscopic observations performed on the sacrificial membrane strands revealed that most of the fouling material was organic in nature with high numbers of viable microorganisms. When comparing their fouling characteristics, a positive effect from the biofilter was observed on the performance of the membrane with pretreatment, decreasing in general the amount of material deposited and reducing the fouling rate. Membranes were tested at two different permeate fluxes; this variable did not have an effect on the overall amount of material deposited, but it significantly impacted the membrane fouling rate.     

Full-scale simulation of seawater reverse osmosis desalination processes for boron removal: Effect of membrane fouling

The objective of this study is to further develop previously reported mechanistic predictive model that simulates boron removal in full-scale seawater reverse osmosis (RO) desalination processes to take into account the effect of membrane fouling. Decrease of boron removal and reduction in water production rate by membrane fouling due to enhanced concentration polarization were simulated as a decrease in solute mass transfer coefficient in boundary layer on membrane surface. Various design and operating options under fouling condition were examined including single- versus double-pass configurations, different number of RO elements per vessel, use of RO membranes with enhanced boron rejection, and pH adjustment. These options were quantitatively compared by normalizing the performance of the system in terms of E_min, the minimum energy costs per product water. Simulation results suggested that most viable options to enhance boron rejection among those tested in this study include: i) minimizing fouling, ii) exchanging the existing SWRO elements to boron-specific ones, and iii) increasing pH in the second pass. The model developed in this study is expected to help design and optimization of the RO processes to achieve the target boron removal at target water recovery under realistic conditions where membrane fouling occurs during operation.