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70 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Process Design and Techno-Economic Analysis of the Modular Staged Pressurized Oxy-Combustion (SPOC) Power Plant for Biomass

This work describes the process design and techno-economic analysis (TEA) of the modular stage pressurized oxy-combustion (SPOC) power plant for biomass firing and coal-biomass co-firing. The SPOC process was modelled using Aspen Plus®, and largely based on a previous model designed by this group for SPOC coal firing. To enable comparison with current National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Bio-Energy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) studies, a 550 MWe SPOC power plant with a supercritical Rankine cycle (241 bar, 593°C, and 593°C), and 90% carbon capture was modeled, and hybrid poplar biomass was chosen. Two cases were evaluated, namely 100% biomass (carbon negative) and 25% biomass co-firing (carbon neutral), and the 100% Powder River Basin coal firing case was chosen for comparison purposes. In the SPOC process, oxygen is produced via a cryogenic air separation unit (ASU) and the heat generated from the compression of air is integrated into the steam cycle and utilized for boiler feed water regeneration. Unique to the SPOC process, the boilers are arranged in a series-parallel configuration, with minimized flue gas recirculation. The flue gas is cooled and scrubbed in the direct-contact cooler (DCC) column, and the water leaving the bottom of the DCC is at a sufficiently high temperature that it can be used for boiler feed water heating, improving plant thermal efficiency. The SPOC efficiencies were above the BECCS cases with capture, and no efficiency penalty on the SPOC plant was observed with an increase of biomass in the mix mostly due to the higher oxygen content in biomass that resulted in lower oxygen requirement from the ASU, and the higher moisture in biomass that due to the key benefit of the SPOC process can be partially recovered as latent heat.

Magalhaes, Duarte↗
DOE OSTI2024

Process Design and Techno-Economic Analysis of the Modular Staged Pressurized Oxy-Combustion (SPOC) Power Plant for Biomass

This work describes the process design and techno-economic analysis (TEA) of the modular SPOC power plant for biomass firing and coal-biomass co-firing. Two Rankine cycles were considered: a supercritical steam cycle (242 bar, 593°C, 593°C) with 550 MWe net output and a subcritical cycle (166 bar, 566°C, 566°C) with 200 MWe net output. For both cases, 95% carbon capture was modeled, and hybrid poplar biomass was chosen to generate carbon-negative power. In addition, the supercritical 500 MWe case included a 25% biomass co-firing (carbon neutral) case. For both cycles, a 100% Powder River Basin coal firing case was used for comparison purposes. In the SPOC process, oxygen is produced via a cryogenic air separation unit (ASU) and the heat generated from the compression of air is integrated into the steam cycle and utilized for boiler feed water pre-heating. Unique to the SPOC process, the boilers are pressurized and arranged in a series-parallel configuration, with minimized flue gas recirculation. The flue gas is cooled and scrubbed in the direct-contact cooler (DCC) column, and the moisture in the flue gas is condensed, leaving the bottom of the DCC at a sufficiently high temperature such that it can be used for boiler feed water pre-heating, improving plant thermal efficiency. Following drying and purification, CO2 in the flue gas is at the purity required for storage or utilization. The performance data were obtained from process modelling via Aspen Plus®. The stream data from Aspen Plus® were used as an input for the AACE Class 5 cost study. Ultimately, the capital costs, Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), and cost of CO2 captured and avoided were obtained. The HHV efficiency of the carbon negative 550 MWe supercritical SPOC case (34.8%) was clearly above those reported by NETL for the BECCS baseline cases of supercritical pulverized coal with capture (B12B, 31.5%) and the 49% biomass co-firing case with capture (PA3, 29.2%). The HHV efficiency of the carbon-negative subcritical plant is also higher than the subcritical baseline PC plant with capture (case B11B.95) presented by NETL (32% vs 29.7%). The LCOE for the SPOC 100% biomass case was similar to the LCOE for the BECCS 49% biomass with carbon capture case ($147/MWh), and the SPOC carbon neutral case LCOE was lower ($110/MWh) than the cost for the NETL baseline SC coal firing case with 90% carbon capture ($114/MWh).

Magalhaes, Duarte↗
DOE OSTI2024

Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Coal-Biomass Co-Firing Power Plants with Carbon Capture and Storage

The United States has set a target to achieve the net-zero economy by 2050. Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Sequestration (BECCS) is one of the promising negative-emission routes in the mitigation portfolio to help meet this goal. Coal-biomass co-firing with carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a key BECCS technology to realize the carbon mitigation at fossil-fuel power plants. The mitigation potential of co-firing option is affected by numerous critical factors, such as biomass properties, co-firing level, and carbon capture rate. The objectives of the study are to characterize and estimate the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and performance of coal-biomass co-firing power plants with CCS, determine the breakeven co-firing level at power plants necessary to achieve net-zero life cycle emissions, and quantify the variabilities and uncertainties in life cycle emissions. The scope of the life cycle assessment includes the fuel supply, combustion-based power generation, and CO2 transport and storage. A fuel-based life cycle module is developed and embedded in the Integrated Environmental Control Model (IECM), a fossil-fuel power plant modeling tool. This study then applies the enhanced IECM to conduct the process-based life cycle assessment for an array of biomass co-firing scenarios. Deterministic analysis indicates that reaching net-zero life cycle emissions in a biomass co-firing plant without CCS deployment is challenging. Combining biomass co-firing and CCS deployment can significantly lower the overall life cycle emissions of power plants. Net-zero life cycle emissions can be achieved with a 20 wt.% co-firing level and 90% CCS when the Powder River Basin coal is co-fired with energy crops or forestry residues. However, the breakeven co-firing level for net-zero emissions depend on the selected fuel properties. Fuel supply and plant operation are the critical stages influencing the life cycle emissions of power plants with 90% CCS. Deployment of deep CCS beyond 90% CO2 capture can remarkably reduce operational emissions and the breakeven co-firing level. With 99% CCS, the breakeven co-firing rate can be reduced to 12% on average. These findings highlight the trade-offs between technical performance and environmental impact of biomass co-firing at coal-fired power plants and emphasize the role of deep CCS in achieving a net-zero emissions future.

Wu, Wanying↗
NASA NTRS1973

Utilizing ERTS-A imagery for tectonic analysis through study of Big Horn Mountains Region

The author has identified the following significant results. NASA-provided color composite (1048-17234) which includes the southeastern portion of the Bighorn Mountains and the western Powder River basin is of excellent quality. The considerable variations in the red hues indicate that vegetational mapping will be enhanced over the black and white. Some additional delineation of rock units can be made, particularly the Chugwater formation. Preliminary look at just received winter scenes indicates that topographic features are enhanced both due to the snow cover and to the lower sun angle.

Hoppin, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Remote sensing applied to land-use studies in Wyoming

Impending development of Wyoming's vast fuel resources requires a quick and efficient method of land use inventory and evaluation. Preliminary evaluations of ERTS-1 imagery have shown that physiographic and land use inventory maps can be compiled by using a combination of visual and automated interpretation techniques. Test studies in the Powder River Basin showed that ERTS image interpretations can provide much of the needed physiographic and land use information. Water impoundments as small as one acre were detected and water bodies larger than five acres could be mapped and their acreage estimated. Flood plains and irrigated lands were successfully mapped, and some individual crops were identified and mapped. Coniferous and deciduous trees were mapped separately using color additive analysis on the ERTS multispectral imagery. Gross soil distinctions were made with the ERTS imagery, and were found to be closely related to the bedrock geology. Several broad unstable areas were identified. These were related to specific geologic and slope conditions and generally extended through large regions. Some new oil fields and all large open-cut coal mines were mapped. The most difficult task accomplished was that of mapping urban areas. Work in the urban areas provides a striking example of snow enhancement and the detail available from a snow enhanced image.

Breckenridge, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Geologic application of thermal-inertia mapping from satellite

The author has identified the following significant results. The proportional and linear relationship between absolute and relative thermal inertia was theoretically evaluated, and a more accurate expression for thermal inertia was proposed. Radiometric and meteorological data from three stations in the Powder River Basin were acquired, as well as 400 miles of low altitude scanner data between July 25-28.

Offield, T. W.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Geologic application of thermal-inertia mapping from satellite

The author has identified the following significant results. Approximately 400 miles of low altitude scanner data of good quality was acquired over the Powder River Basin between 13-16 Oct. 1978. Radiometric and meteorological data from three ground stations were also acquired in support of low altitude U.S.G.S. overflights.

Offield, T. W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Geologic applications of thermal-inertia mapping from satellite

The author has identified the following significant results. After digitization, a noise rejection filter was applied to data obtained by USGS aircraft. An albedo image was formed by combining three bands of visible data. Along with the day and nighttime thermal data, the albedo image was used to construct a relative thermal-inertia image. This image, registered to a topographic base, shows there are thermal property differences in the vicinity of the contact between the Fort Union and Wasatch formations in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming.

Offield, T. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Geologic application of thermal-inertia mapping from satellite

The author has identified the following significant results. Two night-time thermal images of the Powder River Basin, Wyoming distinctly show a major thermal feature. This feature is substantially coincident with a drainage divide and the southward facing slope appears cooler, suggesting a lower thermal inertia. An initial examination of regional geologic maps provides no clear evidence to suggest what type of geologic feature or structure may be present, although it can be noted that its northeastern end passes directly through Lead, South Dakota where the Homestake Gold Mine is located.

Offield, T. W.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Geologic applications of thermal-inertia mapping from satellite

In the Powder River Basin, Wyo., narrow geologic units having thermal inertias which contrast with their surroundings can be discriminated in optimal images. A few subtle thermal inertia anomalies coincide with areas of helium leakage believed to be associated with deep oil and gas concentrations. The most important results involved delineation of tectonic framework elements some of which were not previously recognized. Thermal and thermal inertia images also permit mapping of geomorphic textural domains. A thermal lineament appears to reveal a basement discontinuity which involves the Homestake Mine in the Black Hill, a zone of Tertiary igneous activity and facies control in oil producing horizons. Applications of these data to the Cabeza Prieta, Ariz., area illustrate their potential for igneous rock type discrimination. Extension to Yellowstone National Park resulted in the detection of additional structural information but surface hydrothermal features could not be distinguished with any confidence. A thermal inertia mapping algorithm, a fast and accurate image registration technique, and an efficient topographic slope and elevation correction method were developed.

Offield, T. W.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Raman Microscopy Analysis of Wyoming CarbonSAFE Pilot Well Thin Sections for Mineralogy and Organic Matter Characterization

Scanning confocal Raman microspectroscopy (RMS) was used to analyze thin sections for inorganic mineral content and for evaluation of organic material (OM). Thin sections were selected from a stratigraphic test well core in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming under the Wyoming CarbonSAFE project. The well was analyzed with a variety of rock and fluid characterization techniques to determine the feasibility of a commercial-scale CO2 storage site. RMS complements other analyses, including traditional petrography, SEM, porosity and permeability, and XRD For this aspect of the study, RMS is especially important in the evaluation of OM in sealing lithologies. At prospective geologic CO2 storage sites, it is imperative to assess the unconventional oil and gas potential of seals to ensure that any future development would not compromise the integrity of the seals. Whole-slide mineralogical surveys were performed on thin sections from various shale and sandstone formations. Surveys were analyzed with Direct Classical Least Squares to identify and quantify minerals. The location and concentration of minerals was color-coded and overlaid on optical images for visualization of the distribution of minerals. Dense hyperspectral Raman mapping of OM was performed on five thin sections. Eleven spectral parameters diagnostic of organic type and thermal maturity were used to train a Partial Least Squares (PLS) calibration against a set of artificially matured samples spanning the pre- to mid-oil window. The PLS was applied to the study set and a post-mature set. Additionally, the PLS was applied to each point in hyperspectral maps for visualization of trends in maturity across sample sets and discrimination of organic matter types within a given map. In inorganic surveys on thin sections, a total of 14 unique inorganic minerals were identified in Raman spectra including quartz, dolomite, calcite, hematite and anhydrite. Shale thin sections tended to be dominated by organic material. OM was often observed mixed with inorganic minerals. Sand- and mudstones were dominated by inorganic minerals. The PLS extrapolated the post-mature set to reflectances >1.2%. The study set ranged from very immature to postmature in the median of map fit-peak parameters. However, point maturity maps indicate that matrix OM in all study samples is immature and that discreet organic particles selected for mapping, which may be inertinites, bias medians towards more-mature. The work demonstrates the capabilities of RMS to perform both whole-slide mineralogy and OM analysis with applications to formation evaluation in oil & gas, carbon sequestration and mining. Here, analysis of sealing formations in the well indicates high levels of immature organic matter that would not be a viable target for future oil production that could compromise the CO2 storage site. The work brings together diverse disciplines from geology and petrography to analytical chemistry, big data and microscopy.

Myers, Grant↗
DOE OSTI2023

Flexible Gasification of Coal and Biomass to Generate Carbon Free Electric Power and Hydrogen

This paper describes the development of a coal and biomass-fed plant concept to co-produce electric power and hydrogen with net-negative CO2 emissions under the aegis of the 21st Century Power Plant initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), whose goal is to advance innovative power plant concepts that are capable of flexible, net-zero carbon emission operations while producing cost-effective “blue” hydrogen to support economy-wide decarbonization goals. The proposed standalone plant will be in Nebraska, USA. The specified design feedstock is a hybrid blend of Powder River Basin (PRB) subbituminous coal from Wyoming and local Nebraska biomass (corn stover), 50 wt.% each (dry basis). Other potential feedstocks, including woody biomass (eastern red cedar) and waste plastic (auto shredder residue) were evaluated or reviewed as alternates. The proposed process block comprises a high-pressure, oxygen-blown fluidized bed gasifier (GTI Energy U-GAS® process) coupled with water gas shift, the Selexol process for acid gas (H2S and CO2) removal, and pressure-swing adsorption (PSA) to yield 8,500 kg/h of high-purity hydrogen. The off gas from the PSA unit is used in the power block (gas turbine combined cycle) to generate electric power to support the gasification process, hydrogen production, and 50 MWe net electric power to the grid. All major plant equipment including the gasifier, gas cleanup system, and power generation are commercially available and proven in other applications and considered at TRL 8-9. However, gasification of corn stover biomass is considered at TRL 6. Overall thermal efficiency of the plant is 50% (net HHV) with net atmospheric CO2 removal at a rate of 250-300,000 tpa. Design activities necessary to provide input to a FEED study (Phase II of the project), including the development of the Environmental Information Volume (EIV) for the host site, and an investment case, based on a pro-forma pre-FEED level cost estimate, have been completed and are described in detail in this paper.

Gülen, S. Can↗
DOE OSTI2023

Recent development and manufacturing of coal-derived building materials

Coal has been challenged because coal combustion generates large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2), which contributes to global warming. Pyrolysis char (PC), a valuable byproduct of coal that does not liberate CO2 when produced in an inert environment, can be used as a high carbon content fuel in combustion and gasification. However, using PC as a fuel is not an eco-friendly and cost-efficient way to make energy. Contrastingly using PC to make engineered products does offer an eco-friendly, attractive and value-added use. This paper introduces a novel integrated coal pyrolysis and solvent extraction process invented by the University of Wyoming (UW) to convert as-mined coal from the Powder River Basin Coal Field, Wyoming, to functional carbon products, which together liberates very little CO2. PC and coal deposit, extract and residual (CDER) are two functional carbon products that can be used in the development and manufacture of high value coal-derived building materials. The novel development of three building products known as coal-derived char bricks (CCB), carbon structural unit (CSU), and char-based insulation foam (CIF) are introduced. The approaches to manufacture them are investigated, including consideration of the eco-friendly approaches, optimization of engineering performance, and cost effectiveness relative to traditional products. CCBs show advantages in terms of their light weight (< 1 g/cm3) and good compressive strength (> 14 MPa). CSUs possess high compressive strength (> 30 MPa) and low thermal conductivity (< 0.3 W/mK), while CIFs can achieve a low thermal conductivity of 0.06 W/mK. Two demonstration houses have been built on UW campus, one using CCBs and another using commercial clay bricks. The performances of these houses are being monitored for temperature control, humidity uptake, noise reduction, inside air volatile organic content, indoor air quality and weatherability. The performance of the CCBs in terms of these criteria is discussed.

Ng, Kam↗
DOE OSTI2024

Process Optimization of Carbon Electrode Materials Manufacturing by Experimental Study and Machine Learning Techniques

Electrospun carbon fibers from coal have been investigated as electrodes for batteries and supercapacitors. Despite the excellent properties of coal-derived carbon fibers (CCNF) for energy storage devices, there still lacks systematic understanding on how various process parameters affect final electrode performances, which poses challenges to scale from pilot to high volume manufacturing. The goals of this project are twofold. First, we focuse on process optimization for converting a new precursor from powder river basin (PRB) coal, referred to as coal-based polyurethane (CPU) to CCNF using electrospinning. Second, different machine learning techniques will be examined using experimental data from this work and open literature. Specifically, for CPU the following process parameters need to be characterized and optimized in order to produce CCNFs with desirable mechanical integrity and physiochemical properties: precursor composition and viscosity, operating voltage and distance, oxidation and carbonization temperature and duration. Consequently, physiochemical properties of the fibers were characterized to correlate these process parameters with desirable electrochemical performance. Given the complex nature of the fiber production process, ML models are assessed for their ability to capture the nonlinear relationship between process parameters and the electrochemical properties in applications including supercapacitors. As such, we applied various machine learning techniques, to determine which technique produces a model that best predicts device function.

Cincotta, Robert E.F.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Patterns of megafloral change across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in the Northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountains

The spatial and temporal distribution of vegetation in the terminal Cretaceous of Western Interior North America was a complex mosaic resulting from the interaction of factors including a shifting coastline, tectonic activity, a mild, possibly deteriorating climate, dinosaur herbivory, local facies effects, and a hypothesized bolide impact. In order to achieve sufficient resolution to analyze this vegetational pattern, over 100 megafloral collecting sites were established, yielding approximately 15,000 specimens, in Upper Cretaceous and lower Paleocene strata in the Williston, Powder River, and Bighorn basins in North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. These localities were integrated into a lithostratigraphic framework that is based on detailed local reference sections and constrained by vertebrate and palynomorph biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and sedimentary facies analysis. A regional biostratigraphy based on well located and identified plant megafossils that can be used to address patterns of floral evolution, ecology, and extinction is the goal of this research. Results of the analyses are discussed.

Johnson, Kirk R.↗