Utilizing biomass and waste for power production—a decade of contributing to the understanding, interpretation and analysis of deposits and corrosion products

Through the years, Danish utilities have gained significant knowledge on how to minimize or even avoid ash deposition problems in utility boilers, firing a worldwide suite of high-volatile bituminous coals. In the early 1990s, the Danish Government decided on a 20% reduction in the CO₂-emission before the year 2005, based on the 1988-level. Biomass is considered CO₂-neutral due to its short time of regeneration, compared to fossil fuels. Thus, the Danish power producers are enjoined to burn 1.0 Mtonnes of straw, 0.2 Mtonnes of wood chips and 0.2 Mtonnes of straw/wood chips (free choice) every year beyond year 2005. As a consequence of this, the CHEC Research Centre, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, being partly funded by the Danish power utilities, has during the last decade, investigated ash and deposit formation, and corrosion, in utility boilers fired with coal, petcoke, orimulsion, and different types of biomass (straw (barley, rape and wheat), wood (beech, spruce, fibreboard, bark and waste wood), shea nuts, olive stones, etc.). A number of reviews of these full-scale measuring campaigns have been provided in the open literature. Recently, a project on the formation of ash and deposits in waste incinerators has been initiated.This paper summarizes our findings, including recent activities on: (1) deposit formation during coal-wheat straw co-firing in suspension-fired boilers; (2) a pilot-scale study of ash and deposit formation in the Sandia Multi-Fuel Combustor (MFC); (3) a full-scale measuring campaign dealing with the effect of co-firing of biomass on the ash and deposit formation; (4) a full-scale measuring campaign addressing low-temperature corrosion of tubes in the air pre-heater of a straw-fired utility boiler; (5) a lab-scale study of the corrosion of superheater materials in straw-fired utility boilers, and, finally; (6) a fundamental study on ash and deposit formation in municipal solid waste incinerators. The paper provides insight into the experience gained on ash, deposit and corrosion formation in thermal fuel conversion systems fired with solid non-fossil fuels, and focuses attention on how these results fit into our current understanding of this subject. A complete and updated list of references covering our research activities within this area during the last decade is provided. In addition, a brief overview of current and future research activities is provided.     

Crosslinked acrylic pressure sensitive adhesives. 3. Effect of adherend on film formation

The reaction of isocyanate in pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) films adhered on to various adherends having different surface tensions was monitored by depth profiling using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy.In the latter stages of crosslinking reaction, unreacted isocyanate and its derivatives exist more in the bulk of the PSA than in the interfaces between PSA and adherends which are Teflon sheet and PE film having relatively lower surface tensions. In the case of using stainless steel having relatively higher surface tension as adherend, opposite segregation was observed compared to Teflon and PE.From X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), it was revealed that N atoms exist more in surface than in bulk when stainless steel is used as adherend. We conclude that polyisocyanates migrate in the PSA film in order to minimize the magnitude of interfacial free energy between the PSA and the adherend, which leads to the change of surface tension of PSA film.     

Reactive Hot Melts on the Basis of Polyester and Polyamide

Hot melts show many advantages over other adhesives, for instance, their lack of solvent and their very short setting time just by cooling. The weak point of hot melts in comparison to thermosetting resins is their limited thermal resistance. There is no doubt that the high performance hot melts on the basis of polyester and polyamide show a better heat performance than the widely-used rubbery hot melts. Nevertheless, it is true that the thermal resistance is limited by the melting point of the hot melt. To improve the heat performance, without losing the favourable hot melt properties, crosslinkable hot melts have been created. For the example, copolyamide/blocked isocyanate blends, it can be shown that crosslinkable hot melts are achievable in a wide range of reactivities. After curing, which takes place during the bonding process, these hot melts withstand temperatures of over 220°C even if the melting point of the initial hot melt was 100°C.     

The Effect of Temperature on the Strength of Adhesively-Bonded Composite-Aluminium Joints

Different materials have different coefficients of thermal expansion, which is a measure of the change in length for a given change in temperature. When different materials are combined structurally, as in a bonded joint, a temperature change leads to stresses being set up. These stresses are present even in an unloaded joint which has been cured at say 150°C and cooled to room temperature. Further stresses result from operations at even lower temperatures.

In addition to temperature-induced stresses, account also has to be taken of changes in adhesive properties. Low temperatures cause the adhesive to become more brittle (reduced strain to failure), while high temperatures cause the adhesive to become more ductile, but make it less strong and more liable to creep.

Theoretical predictions are made of the strength of a series of aluminium/CFRP joints using three different adhesives at 20°C and 55°C. Various failure criteria are used to show good correlation with experimental results.     

Enhanced interfacial adhesion of aramid fiber reinforced rubber composites through bio-inspired surface modification and aramid nanofiber coating

In order to improve the interfacial adhesion between aramid fiber (AF) and rubber matrix, a simple and facile method of aramid nanofiber (ANF) coating is demonstrated in this article. Tannic acid (TA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) are polymerized in an alkaline solution to form a thin TA/PEI (TP) layer that is deposited on the surface of AF to introduce functional groups such as hydroxyl and amino groups. Then, the ANF coating is utilized to construct nanostructures on the surface of AF to improve the interfacial adhesion between the fiber and the rubber. Through hydrogen bonding and/or π-π stacking between the TP layer and the ANF, the ANF coating is firmly attached to the surface of AF. Compared with the untreated fiber, the interfacial adhesion of AF coated with ANF after 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 deposition cycles is increased by 27.8%, 29.1%, 31.5%, 43.1%, and 30.3%, and the mechanical properties of the fibers remain almost unchanged. This method shows its advantages of simple, facile, and time-effective, which is of great significance for industrial applications.     

Catechol-containing waterborne polyurethane adhesive inspired by mussel proteins

A series of waterborne polyurethane (PDMAPU) containing catechol group were prepared by double-bond random copolymerization of terminated double bond polyurethane prepolymer with modified acrylamido dopamine under thermal initiation. This kind of mussel-like waterborne polyurethane adhesive is inspired by marine mussel, as well as it is environment-friendly and used in bonding of leather. FTIR and ¹H NMR proved the successful introduction of catechol group into polyurethane matrix. Oxidative cross-linking between catechol unit and molecular chain in PDMAPU structure, the thermal stability and crystallization ability of PDMAPU was significantly improved. The increase of the particle size of PDMAPU emulsion showed that the introduction of catechol group changed the microstructure of polyurethane and enhanced the cross-linking degree. The water resistance of polyurethane emulsion was further improved. Compared with PU without catechol group, the peel strength of leather substrate adhered by PDMAPU emulsion increased from 0.42 to 1.93 MPa, which indicated that PDMAPU has better bonding properties with leather. The bidentate hydrogen bond formed with catechol group as the reaction sites is considered to be the key reason for the adhesion of mussel-like polyurethane adhesive to hydrophilic substrates. This work provides an alternative to prepare environment-friendly high performance adhesive for hydrophilic substrates.     

Effects of polyphosphoric acid (PPA), styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), or rock asphalt on the performance of desulfurized rubber modified asphalt

To improve the performance of desulfurized rubber modified asphalt (DRMA), especially its high-temperature performance, three modifiers (including polyphosphoric acid [PPA], styrene-butadiene-styrene [SBS], and rock asphalt) were selected to modify DRMA respectively. The conventional performance, rheological properties, chemical composition, and thermal decomposition were characterized to analyze the performance and modification mechanism of DRMA and its composites. Test results show that, the addition of PPA, SBS, and rock asphalt can all improve the high temperature of DRMA, among which the desulfurized rubber/rock asphalt compound modified asphalt (DRMA-ROCK) has the best high-temperature performance; however, its construction workability, storage stability, and low-temperature performance are poor. In contrast, desulfurized rubber/PPA compound modified asphalt (DRMA-PPA) not only has better high-temperature performance, but also has excellent low-temperature performance, storage stability, and fatigue performance. Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) test confirms that the modification process of DRMA by these modifiers is chemical modification, and the characteristic peak indexes obtained from FTIR also prove that DRMA-ROCK has better high-temperature performance but poor construction workability from the microscopic point of view. Furthermore, thermogravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry test shows that the addition of rock asphalt improves the thermal stability of DRMA, while PPA and SBS decrease its thermal stability. From the above results, it can be concluded that DRMA-PPA has excellent comprehensive properties.     

Development and performance analysis of new spade bit designs

The purpose of this work is to present the development and experimental performance assessment of a new generation of spade drill bits. Rigorous point geometry and drilling force models that describe the topology of the drill and its cutting behaviour have guided the development of these new drills with unique topological features. It is shown, both analytically through simulations and through a systematic experimental study, that the performance of the newly developed topologies exceeds that of the commercially available designs. The new spade bits yield lower thrust and torque over the whole range of pragmatic operating conditions.     

用于树脂砂造型的木模结构设计及制作工艺

从木模起模和木模强度等方面入手，阐述了树脂砂木模结构的设计、木模结构简化的方法。提出了木模的选材及制作工艺