Modelling of equilibrium solubility of CO2 and H2S in aqueous diglycolamine (DGA) solutions

Information on acid gas solubility in solvents utilized is needed for the design of gas plants. A mathematical model for the prediction of equilibrium solubility of CO₂ and H₂S in aqueous 2-amino-2-(ethoxy)ethanol (DGA) solutions is presented. The equilibrium constants, K₁ and K₂, representing a simple proton transfer reaction and the carbamate formation reaction, respectively, were found to be functions of temperature and free acid gas concentration. In addition, K₂, was affected by DGA concentration as well. Model predictions agree favourably with experimental data.     

Using poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)/polyacrylonitrile composite membranes for gas dehydration and humidification

The transport of water vapor through a composite membrane consisting of hydrophilic poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) as the active layer and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as the substrate was investigated, and the performance of the membrane for gas dehydration and humidification applications was evaluated. For gas dehydration, methane/water vapor mixtures were used as feed and vacuum was applied on the downstream side. The feed composition and operating temperature were found to have a significant effect on the membrane performance. The PAN substrate had little effect on the permeation of methane, but the resistance of the substrate to water vapor permeation was significant because of the substantially higher permeability of water vapor in the membrane. For gas humidification, liquid water was brought to be in contact with the active layer of the membrane and nitrogen gas flowed on the other side. With an increase in the gas flow rate, the mass transfer rate of water through the membrane to reach the gas stream increased, and the humidity level of the gas stream decreased. The humidification can be enhanced significantly by operating at a higher temperature. A phenomenological mass transfer equation was derived for membrane humidifiers to correlate the overall mass transfer coefficient and membrane area, and this equation could be used in process design and scale up.     

An Integrated Decision Support System for Management of CO2 Geologic Storage in the Weyburn Field

Geologic storage of CO₂ in depleted oil reservoirs is considered to be an effective approach for both facilitating GHG sequestration and enhancing oil recovery. However, as a potential problem in the long run, risks associated with geological storage of CO₂, such as leakage to the groundwater and atmosphere, might pose significant threats to local communities and surrounding environment. Identification and evaluation of such risks are essential for the long-term management of CO₂ storage. Doing so requires a set of advanced technologies in order to well understand the long-range transportation of CO₂ and its impact mechanisms. This study developed an integrated decision support framework for the Weyburn Field. This system included modules of data management, inexact hybrid numerical simulation, optimization for CO₂ EOR processes, hybrid fuzzy-stochastic risk assessment, and post-modeling analysis. A user-friendly interface was designed through visual language programming. Such an effort would provide project managers with a collection of measures for analyzing and visualizing operations and development of different applicable technologies. Valuable information can be provided to EOR project operators about what might be required for new projects or project expansions and how to go about gathering and using the data they will need.     

Flow transition for natural convective heat transfer in a porous medium saturated with water near 4°C

In this paper, the problem of buoyancy-induced convection flow in water-saturated porous media near 4°C is examined using a numerical model. Darcy's law is used to model flow behavior and a single equation convective heat transfer model is used for the energy equation. As the Boussinesq approximation is not valid for this case, a parabolic dependence of density on the temperature is used. Natural convection is generated and sustained by a uniform heat source. Flow behavior is governed by three natural parameters appearing in the model. They are: (i) dynamical parameter, (ii) geometric parameter, γ = b/a; and (iii) wall temperature, in relation to the reference temperature at the density extremum. For certain ranges of θ_w (<0) and Gr, interesting density inversion effects are possible. Transient solutions are obtained for various aspect ratios and modified Grashof number values. For a wide range of Grashof number, steady state solutions could not be obtained. Flow mutations into periodic and chaotic solutions are investigated for a range of Grashof number (100 to 40,000) and aspect ratio values (1 to 10).     

Solubilities of Carbon Dioxide in Polyethylene Glycol Ethers

New extensive data are reported for the solubility of carbon dioxide in fourteen physical solvents, and compared to two other solvents widely used in industry (selexol® and sulfolane). The solubility data are expressed by Henry's law constants and have been measured at 25 °C, 40 °C and 60 °C, using an Autoclave cell. The study concludes that polyethylene glycol dimethyl ethers, and mixtures of these solvents are the best solvents for CO₂ removal.     

Methyl-diethanolamine degradation — Mechanism and kinetics

Methyl-diethanolamine (MDEA) degradation reactions between aqueous solutions of MDEA and CO₂ have been carried out in a 600 mL stirred autoclave under the following conditions: initial MDEA solution concentration 20-50 mass%, solution temperature 100-200°C, CO₂ partial pressure 1.38-4.24 MPa. It was found that MDEA degrades quite rapidly (although more slowly than diethanolamine under comparable conditions) at elevated temperatures and CO₂ partial pressures. Degradation products are identified by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS). An MDEA degradation reaction mechanism and kinetic model predicting concentration changes is proposed and verified.     

Impact of channel length,gate insulator thickness,gate insulator material,and temperature on the performance of nanoscale FETs

Aggressive technology scaling as per Moore’s law has led to elevated power dissipation levels owing to an exponential increase in subthreshold leakage power. Short channel effects (SCEs) due to channel length reduction, gate insulator thickness change, application of high-k gate insulator, and temperature change in a double-gate metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (DG MOSFET) and carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (CNTFET) were investigated in this work. Computational simulations were performed to investigate SCEs, viz. the threshold voltage (V_th) roll-off, subthreshold swing (SS), and I_on/I_off ratio, in the DG MOSFET and CNTFET while reducing the channel length. The CNTFET showed better performance than the DG MOSFET, including near-zero SCEs due to its pure ballistic transport mechanism. We also examined the threshold voltage (V_th), subthreshold swing (SS), and I_on/I_off ratio of the DG MOSFET and CNTFET with varying gate insulator thickness, gate insulator material, and temperature. Finally, we handpicked almost similar parameters for both the CNTFET and DG MOSFET and carried out performance analysis based on the simulation results. Comparative analysis of the results showed that the CNTFET provides 47.8 times more I_on/I_off ratio than the DG MOSFET. Its better control over the threshold voltage, near-zero SCEs, high on-current, low leakage power consumption, and ability to operate at high temperature make the CNTFET a viable option for use in enhanced switching applications and low-voltage digital applications in nanoelectronics.     

Physical mechanism of sono‐Fenton process

Hybrid advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), where two or more AOPs are applied simultaneously, are known to give effective degradation of recalcitrant organic pollutants. This article attempts to discern the physical mechanism of the hybrid sono‐Fenton process with identification of links between individual mechanism of the sonolysis and Fenton process. An approach of coupling experimental results with simulations of cavitation bubble dynamics has been adopted for two textile dyes as model pollutants. Fenton process is revealed to have greater contribution than sonolysis in the overall decolorization of both dyes. H₂O₂ added to the liquid medium as a Fenton reagent scavenges radicals produced by cavitation bubbles. Addition of only H₂O₂ to the medium during sonolysis does not yield marked difference in decolorization. Elimination of transient cavitation with application of elevated static pressure to the medium does not alter the extent of decolorization. The synergy between sonolysis and Fenton process is, thus, revealed to be negative. The dissolved oxygen in the medium is found to play an important role in decolorization through conservation of oxidizing radicals. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 4303–4313, 2013     

Modelling of multicomponent gas separation with asymmetric hollow fibre membranes—methane enrichment from biogas

A mathematical model for the dynamic performance of gas separation with high flux, asymmetric hollow fibre membranes was developed considering the permeate pressure build‐up inside the fibre bore and cross flow pattern with respect to the membrane skin. The solution technique provides reliable examination of pressure and concentration profiles along the permeator length (both residue/permeate streams) with minimal effort. The proposed simulation model and scheme were validated with experimental data of gas separation from literature. The model and solution technique were applied to investigate dynamic performance of several membrane module configurations for methane recovery from biogas (landfill gas or digester gas), considering biogas as a mixture of CO₂, N₂ and CH₄. Recycle ratio plays a crucial role, and optimum recycle ratio vital for the retentate recycle to permeate and permeate recycle to feed operation was found. From the concept of two recycle operations, complexities involved in the design and operation of continuous membrane column were simplified. Membrane permselectivity required for a targeted separation to produce pipeline quality natural gas by methane‐selective or nitrogen‐selective membranes was calculated. © 2012 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Air stripping of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils: Investigation of mass transfer effects

Bench-scale experiments were carried out to simulate air stripping of soil contaminated with a semi-volatile hydrocarbon, n-octane. The experiments were conducted in an 8-cm diameter glass column, packed with two types of packings: glass beads to represent non-adsorbing materials and soil particles to represent adsorbing materials. Effects of gas superficial velocity, particle size and soil organic matter on the column outlet concentration and temperature profile were studied. Nitrogen adsorption/desorption experiments were performed to establish the desorption characteristics of the soil sample. Additionally, a mathematical model is presented which treats the interphase contaminant transport as a mass transfer rate-limited process. The predictions from the mathematical model are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental results. Most importantly, the numerical results show that, contrary to the common assumption of local equilibrium, the interphase contaminant transport (from the sorbed to the vapour phase and/or from the liquid to the vapour phase) is mass transfer controlled.