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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Vehicle Radiation Monitoring Systems for Medical Waste Disposal - 12102

Hospitals often declare their waste as being 'non-radioactive'; however this material often has excessive levels of radiation caused either by an accident or lack of control. To ensure the best possible protection against the accidental receipt of radioactive materials and as a safety precaution for their employees, waste-handling companies have installed large-scale radiation portal monitors at their weigh scales or entry gates of the incinerator plant, waste transfer station, and/or landfill. Large-volume plastic scintillator-based systems can be used to monitor radiation levels at entry points to companies handling medical waste. The recent and intensive field tests together with the thousands of accumulated hours of actual real-life vehicle scanning have proven that the plastic scintillation based system is an appropriate radiation control instrument for waste management companies. The Real-Time background compensation algorithm is flexible with automatic adjustable coefficients that will response to rapidly changing environmental and weather conditions maintaining the preset alarm threshold levels. The Dose Rate correction algorithms further enhance the system's ability to meet the stringent requirements of the waste industries need for Dose Rate measurements. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

Safety Case Considerations for Deep Borehole Disposal of Cs/Sr Capsules - 16294

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) performed an assessment of disposal options that recommended the consideration of deep borehole disposal of smaller DOE-managed waste forms, such as cesium (Cs) and strontium (Sr) capsules. To assess the feasibility of the deep borehole disposal concept for Cs/Sr capsules, safety case considerations are identified and examined. A safety case includes quantitative (e.g., safety assessments) and qualitative information related to both pre-closure (operational) and post-closure safety. For deep borehole disposal of Cs/Sr capsules, pre-closure safety considers potential hazards associated with waste package surface handling and downhole emplacement activities; post-closure safety considers scenarios for long-term radionuclide transport to the biosphere. A preliminary list of qualitative indicators of pre-closure and post-closure safety is presented. Research, development, and demonstration (RD and D) activities that can provide a quantitative basis for these indicators are discussed. In particular, DOE-NE has initiated a Deep Borehole Field Test, using surrogate test packages without radioactive waste, to further investigate various aspects of site characterization, deep drilling, and waste package handling and emplacement that would be needed for a full-scale disposal facility for Cs/Sr capsules or other DOE-managed waste forms. Finally, preliminary results from pre-closure hazard analyses and post-closure performance assessment (PA) calculations are presented as examples of supporting information for the quantitative safety case considerations. These preliminary results suggest that a favorable safety case can be developed for deep borehole disposal of Cs/Sr capsules. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2019

EGS Collab Project: Accomplishments and Plan

To better understand stimulation and inter-well flow in crystalline rock with the goal of developing and improving subsurface heat exchangers for enhanced geothermal energy recovery, the EGS (Enhanced Geothermal Systems) Collab project is developing highly monitored, well- characterized intermediate scale (~10-20 m) field test beds, stimulating, and performing flow tests. These tests provide the ability to evaluate concepts, data to test and validate models, and tools to be used for EGS development, which may be evaluated at DOE’s Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) project. Numerical simulation is key to the project, for experiment design and interpretation of results. Testbed characterization included optical and acoustic televiewers, full waveform seismic, electromagnetic, gamma, and temperature. The test block was further characterized using seismic tomography (p- and s-), electrical resistance tomography (ERT), and hydrologic characterization including tracer tests. Coupled process models are constrained by the detailed site characterization data. Installed monitoring systems include: 1) passive seismic/acoustic emissions; 2) continuous active source seismic; 3) ERT, with dynamic imaging using high contrast fluids; and 4) distributed acoustic, temperature, and strain fiber optic sensors. During flow and stimulation tests, fracture aperture strain monitoring is performed using the Step-rate Injection Method for Fracture In-situ Properties (SIMFIP) tool. Pressure and flow in the injection and production boreholes are monitored, and tracer tests and wavefield imaging and inversion are performed to provide additional constraints. Stimulations have been performed at several locations, connecting our injection and production wells. An overview of the EGS Collab project is presented to provide a framework for other EGS Collab presentations, along with results from numerical simulations and experiments performed at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota.

Enhanced Geothermal Systems, EGS Collab, stimulati↗
NASA NTRS1995

Tests Of Protective Coats For Carbon Steel

Report describes laboratory and field tests of candidate paints (primers, tie coats, and topcoats) for use in protecting carbon-steel structures against corrosion in seaside environment at Kennedy Space Center. Coating materials selected because of utility in preventing corrosion, also on basis of legal requirements, imposed in several urban areas, for reduction of volatile organic contents.

Macdowell, Louis G., III↗
DOE OSTI2021

Hydraulic Response to Thermal Stimulation Efforts at Raft River Based on Stepped Rate Injection Testing

The injection well stimulation project at the Raft River geothermal field tests the effect of long-term cold water injection and high pressure injection on well injectivity, improvements to which could reduce operating costs. The primary data for analysis and interpretation of the injection test are step-rate flow tests run before each new phase of the injection. These tests were analyzed using a combination of standard pump-test analytical solution methods and methods developed expressly for the observed conditions. The stepped rate injection tests, combined with long-term flow and pressure response data suggest that the well is located within a fractured formation of low transmissivity but high storativity. These calculated parameters appeared to increase with pressure during the first injection test and the higher values were reproduced during the second stepped rate test. Calculated transmissivity and storativity are on the order of 4E-5 m cm 2 and 1E-4 m Pa -1 , respectively. The apparent pressure dependence of fitted hydraulic parameters may reflect near-well fracture compliance that increased the effective radius of the wellbore during the first test. While the type curve fit analysis also suggests that the reservoir behaves as a uniformly fractured reservoir with a radial flow regime, the hydraulic parameters indicate that condition may exist only a very limited distance (<10 m) from the well. Longer-term pressure response suggests that flow in the system effectively reaches steady state in a period of less than a day, which may reflect pressure stabilization resulting from pressure-dependent permeability or a region of much higher permeability located with a few meters of the well. The transmissivity estimates obtained from this analysis, converted to approximate fracture density and aperture, provide useful constraints on the distance to which the thermal front may migrate from the well during the cold water injection phase of the stimulation project. We estimate that the cooling front will migrate less than a tenth of a kilometer over an approximately one-year injection period. Here, the effects of that cooling, however, may be substantial, because increases in permeability have maximum effect nearest the well.

cold water injection↗
DOE OSTI2018

EGS Collab Project Experiment 1 Overview and Progress

Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) offer the potential to extract and use large quantities of clean energy, but questions remain on reservoir creation and sustainability. The EGS Collab project, supported by the US Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office, is establishing a suite of highly monitored and well-characterized intermediate-scale (~10-20 m) field test beds along with fracture stimulation and interwell flow tests to better understand processes that control formation of effective subsurface heat exchangers. EGS Collab tests will provide a means of testing tools and concepts that could later be employed under geothermal reservoir conditions at DOE’s Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) or enhanced geothermal systems. Key to the project is using numerical simulations in the experiment design and interpretation of results. Our first set of experiments is underway at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in South Dakota. To date, stepwise stimulations have been performed at two locations, with the final stimulation connecting our injection and production wells. Numerous data have been collected and are currently being analyzed.

Enhanced Geothermal Systems, EGS Collab, Stimulati↗
DOE OSTI2018

Base Treatment for Uranium Immobilization at DOE's Hanford Site - 18279

Ammonia gas injection is currently being field tested for uranium remediation in the vadose zone at the Department of Energy's Hanford site in Washington State. U is a significant risk driver for the site because of its high mobility in the subsurface and the significant mass released due to Manhattan Project activities. In this research, we conducted laboratory batch experiments to evaluate the changes in mobility of U with different base treatments. Based on our current body of work, base treatment is a promising technique for U immobilization with ammonia gas being the optimal choice because (1) it increases partitioning coefficients for U and results in significant removal from the aqueous phase and (2) it does not add liquid to the vadose zone which could initially increase the flux of U into groundwater. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

ZIPPER: Zonal isolation with plug and perf in enhanced reservoirs (Final Technical Report)

Modern multistage hydraulic stimulation treatments in cased wellbores require an effective method of isolating stages between treatments. A commonly used method in the oil and gas industry, plug and perf, is not currently viable for Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) due to limitations of a critical component of the system – the ball drop (flow through) frac plug. Commercially available ball drop frac plugs do not meet the temperature or wellbore diameter requirements needed for use in EGS stimulations. For example, one particular drillable bridge and frac plug line from a large tool developer is only rated to 175 °C, while another is only available up to casing sizes of 5 ½” and rated up to 204 °C. We developed, prototyped, and field tested an upgraded ball drop frac plug to meet the requirements of EGS stimulations, including high-temperature (225+ °C), differential pressure (6000+ psi), and wellbore diameters ranging from 6 5/8” to 10 5/8”. We focused on designs and materials to optimize drillability, a key cost driver in plug and perf systems. The primary objective was to upgrade a drillable frac plug (currently rated to a temperature of 175°C and a pressure of 10,000 psi in 7” casing) to withstand temperatures of 225+°C. The upgraded frac plug was tested in the laboratory as well as in a field trial at a geothermal field. Engineering design and fabrication of the new plug was completed in 2019. Lab testing, validation, and qualification of the plug was completed in 2020. Ultimately the plug was successfully run during a multistage stimulation treatment in a fully horizontal EGS well in 2022. Prior to this project, a ball-drop, flow-through stimulation plug had never been used in a geothermal well. At the conclusion of this project, three different types of zonal isolation plugs were evaluated under full-scale operating conditions across 16 stimulation treatment stages in a first-of-a-kind EGS project called Project Red. This trial included the newly designed high-temperature, large-diameter plug. The plugs met all of 5 the technical requirements for commercial viability. Project Red has since been fully commissioned and is generating electricity on the Nevada grid - the first EGS project to successfully deliver power to the grid in the US.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Utilization of GIS technology to support development of flow and contaminant fate and transport models at US DOE sites - 15457

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites have accumulated years of data and millions of spatial and temporal records related to the hydrological cycle, contaminant transport, and parameters of remediation technologies. In addition, numerical models which use field monitoring data to help understand flow and transport produce gigabytes of computed spatial and temporal data for each computation node. There is a need therefore for an advanced spatial data structure that can be used to address the management, processing, and analysis of spatial and temporal numerical modeling data derived from multiple sources. This can be accomplished using a geo-database. The development of an ArcSDE geo-database facilitates the centralized storage, backup, accessibility, organization, and management of model configuration and computed simulation data, putting it into a structured, coherent, and logical computer-supported system. GIS data processing and automation would enable faster and hence more complex analyses of field test data. The Applied Research Center (ARC) at Florida International University (FIU) has provided analysis of flow and transport for several watersheds at DOE's Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), including East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC), Upper EFPC in the Y-12 National Security Complex area (Y-12 NSC) and White Oak Creek (WOC). Integrated surface and subsurface flow, fate and transport models were developed to provide analysis of contaminant patterns within each watershed. In addition, digital monitoring data available from the Oak Ridge Environmental Information System (OREIS) related to mercury (Hg) contamination and remediation within these watersheds was used for calibration and verification of the model. Experimental studies were also carried out which provided kinetic and equilibrium data about important parameters related to Hg transport, speciation and methylation/demethylation kinetics within the watershed. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology was employed to support the modeling work through storage and geo-processing of spatial and temporal data required by the models and to produce hydrogeological maps for visualization. An ArcGIS geo-database was developed for centralized storage and management of experimental and computed model data and its capabilities were extended over the years using tools such as ModelBuilder combined with Python scripting to automate repetitive tasks, perform statistical analyses and generate maps and reports. The hydrologic geo-database model developed possesses a structure that enables linkage with scalable hydrologic modeling tools/applications to model hydrologic systems, and in this case, enables the testing of the potential impacts of various remediation scenarios on the ORR watersheds. The ArcSDE geo-database can also be used to automate and simplify the process of calling stored GIS and time series data. This geo-database can serve as a tool for contaminant flow and transport analyses which require large amounts of high-quality spatial and temporal data in order to ensure reliability and validity of modeling results. The existing geo-database structure developed for the hydrological modeling at ORR was designed to be replicable for application at other DOE sites. An investigation of downloadable free/open source GIS software along with required security protocols to facilitate online querying of the database was also conducted to determine methods by which project-derived data can be more easily shared with other project stakeholders such as DOE personnel and site contractors. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2011

Retrievals of cloud optical depth and effective radius from Thin-Cloud Rotating Shadowband Radiometer measurements

A Thin-Cloud Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (TCRSR) was developed and deployed in a field test at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility's Southern Great Plains site. The TCRSR measures the forward-scattering lobe of the direct solar beam (i.e., the solar aureole) through an optically thin cloud (optical depth < 8). We applied the retrieval algorithm of Min and Duan (2005) to the TCRSR measurements of the solar aureole to derive simultaneously the cloud optical depth (COD) and cloud drop effective radius (DER), subsequently inferring the cloud liquid-water path (LWP). After careful calibration and preprocessing, our results indicate that the TCRSR is able to retrieve simultaneously these three properties for optically thin water clouds. Colocated instruments, such as the MultiFilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR), atmospheric emitted radiance interferometer (AERI), and Microwave Radiometer (MWR), are used to evaluate our retrieval results. The relative difference between retrieved CODs from the TCRSR and those from the MFRSR is less than 5%. The distribution of retrieved LWPs from the TCRSR is similar to those from the MWR and AERI. The differences between the TCRSR-based retrieved DERs and those from the AERI are apparent in some time periods, and the uncertainties of the DER retrievals are discussed in detail in this article.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

Salt disposal of heat-generating nuclear waste.

This report summarizes the state of salt repository science, reviews many of the technical issues pertaining to disposal of heat-generating nuclear waste in salt, and proposes several avenues for future science-based activities to further the technical basis for disposal in salt. There are extensive salt formations in the forty-eight contiguous states, and many of them may be worthy of consideration for nuclear waste disposal. The United States has extensive experience in salt repository sciences, including an operating facility for disposal of transuranic wastes. The scientific background for salt disposal including laboratory and field tests at ambient and elevated temperature, principles of salt behavior, potential for fracture damage and its mitigation, seal systems, chemical conditions, advanced modeling capabilities and near-future developments, performance assessment processes, and international collaboration are all discussed. The discussion of salt disposal issues is brought current, including a summary of recent international workshops dedicated to high-level waste disposal in salt. Lessons learned from Sandia National Laboratories' experience on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and the Yucca Mountain Project as well as related salt experience with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve are applied in this assessment. Disposal of heat-generating nuclear waste in a suitable salt formation is attractive because the material is essentially impermeable, self-sealing, and thermally conductive. Conditions are chemically beneficial, and a significant experience base exists in understanding this environment. Within the period of institutional control, overburden pressure will seal fractures and provide a repository setting that limits radionuclide movement. A salt repository could potentially achieve total containment, with no releases to the environment in undisturbed scenarios for as long as the region is geologically stable. Much of the experience gained from United States repository development, such as seal system design, coupled process simulation, and application of performance assessment methodology, helps define a clear strategy for a heat-generating nuclear waste repository in salt.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2016

Deep Borehole Disposal Waste Emplacement Mode Cost-Risk Study - 16346

An engineering study has developed alternative concepts for waste packaging and for emplacing/retrieving packages in deep boreholes. The study compared costs and risks associated with emplacement using wire-line vs. drill-string technologies. Selection of a method is needed to proceed with demonstration as part of the Deep Borehole Field Test being conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Used Nuclear Fuel Disposition. Each emplacement method was described as a series of steps, and each step was analyzed for potential to cause any of four off-normal events including drops and getting stuck. Each such event was supported by a fault tree. The hazard analysis identified a number of improvements including: 1) impact limiters; 2) safety systems; 3) instrumentation; and 4) methods to mitigate casing collapse or borehole debris during operations. Off-normal events were related in a top-level event tree with normal and off-normal outcomes. Costs were estimated for each outcome (including recovery and decontamination). A panel of subject matter experts was convened to review the study and provide key inputs. The wire-line method is less costly for normal operations, while the drill-string method has advantages if waste packages become stuck. The wire-line method has a lower aggregate probability of accidents resulting in waste package breach. The integrated probability of off-normal events is on the order of a few percent per borehole, and engineered measures are quite important to prevent and mitigate accidents, limiting radiological consequences. Development of these measures during design will help to further improve system reliability. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2011

Breakthroughs in Seismic and Borehole Characterization of Basalt Sequestration Targets

Mafic continental flood basalts form a globally important, but under-characterized CO2 sequestration target. The Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) in the northwestern U.S. is up to 5 km thick and covers over 168,000 km2. In India, flood basalts are 3 km thick and cover greater than 500,000 km2. Laboratory experiments demonstrate that the CRBG and other basalts react with formation water and super critical (sc) CO2 to precipitate carbonates, thus adding a potential mineral trapping mechanism to the standard trapping mechanisms of most other types of CO2 sequestration reservoirs. Brecciated tops of individual basalt flows in the CRBG form regional aquifers that locally have greater than 30% porosity and three Darcies of permeability. Porous flow tops are potential sites for sequestration of gigatons of scCO2 in areas where the basalts contain unpotable water and are at depths greater than 800 m. In this paper we report on the U.S. DOE Big Sky Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership surface seismic and borehole geophysical characterization that supports a field test of capacity, integrity, and geochemical reactivity of CRBG reservoirs in eastern Washington, U.S.A. Traditional surface seismic methods have had little success in imaging basalt features in on-shore areas where the basalt is thinly covered by sediment. Processing of the experimental 6.5 km, 5 line 3C seismic swath included constructing an elastic wavefield model, identifying and separating seismic wave modes, and processing the swath as a single 2D line. Important findings include: (1) a wide variety of shear wave energy modes swamp the P-wave seismic records; (2) except at very short geophone offsets, ground roll overprints P-wave signal; and (3) because of extreme velocity contrasts, P-wave events are refracted at incidence angles greater than 7-15 degrees. Subsequent removal of S-wave and other noise during processing resulted in tremendous improvement in image quality. The application of wireline logging to onshore basalts is underexploited. Full waveform sonic logs and resistivity-based image logs acquired in the 1250 m basalt pilot borehole provide powerful tools for evaluating geomechanics and lithofacies. The azimuth of the fast shear wave is parallel to SH and records the changes through time in basalt flow and tectonic stress tensors. Combined with image log data, azimuthal S-wave data provide a borehole technique for assessing basalt emplacement and cooling history that is related to the development of reservoirs and seals, as well as the orientation of tectonic stresses and fracture systems that could affect CO2 transport or containment. Reservoir and seal properties are controlled by basalt lithofacies, and rescaled P- and S- wave slowness curves, integrated with image logs, provide a tool for improved recognition of subsurface lithofacies.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Quantitative Evaluation of Top Coal Caving Methods at the Working Face of Extra‐Thick Coal Seams Based on the Random Medium Theory

Adopting an effective top coal caving method is the key to enhancing coal recovery and reducing gangue content for the fully mechanized top coal caving working face with extra‐thick coal seams. In this study, the movement of coal particles generated during top coal caving is considered to follow a normal distribution. Then, the caving body and coal‐rock settlement along the working face during the caving process are studied based on both the random media theory and probability theory. Accordingly, the optimal caving interval and caving sequences are determined, and a novel interval symmetrical coal caving method is proposed. The proposed method is systematically verified with results from physical similarity tests, and different caving methods are assessed by field tests. The results show the following: (1) The coal‐rock settlement and the caving body demonstrate clear axial symmetrical features along the working face; the size of the caving body increases as the caving height grows and its shape turns progressively from semicircular to semielliptical with a lower foot of the coal‐rock settlement. (2) The caving interval is derived using the sum of the radii of the coal‐rock settlement curves formed by the two largest caving bodies. (3) The symmetrical caving approach provides a symmetrical space for the subsequent movement of the broken top coal, which enables a uniform development of the caving body. (4) Compared with the traditional sequential coal caving method with the same number of supports, the interval symmetrical caving method results in a 21.7% of coal production increase, 17% caving rate promotion, and a shortened caving time by 23.4%. (5) The interval symmetrical caving method is found to improve the controllability of the caving process at the fully mechanized top coal caving working face. In general, this work presents a theoretical approach to select the optimal caving methods for the fully mechanized caving working face in extra‐thick coal seams for an improved production efficiency of the work face. The results of this study can also provide theoretical significance and referencing value for quantitative analyses of the coal caving methods for work faces with similar geological conditions.

Jiulin, Shi (ORCID:0000000155819062)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Analysis and Integration of the Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site-2 (HFTS-2) Comprehensive Dataset

Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site-2 (HFTS-2) is a field-based research experiment performed in the Permian (Delaware) Basin. The unique aspect of this program was the acquisition of a unique, comprehensive, diagnostic dataset. Additionally, shorter parent wells drilled three years before the child wells offered clear distinction between the stages influenced by parent-child effects and the stages without any effects. The goal of this study was to analyze and integrate this comprehensive diagnostic dataset to understand the areal and vertical extent of hydraulic fractures (HF). The paper also provides insights on the effects of parent wells’ depletion on child well HF geometry based on various monitoring methods and subsurface models. Areal and vertical coverage for all HFTS-2 wells during stimulation and depletion was estimated based on analysis and interpretation of diagnostics and advanced modeling results. HFTS-2 diagnostics included microseismic (MS), pre- and post-stimulation logs and cores, bottomhole gauges, and fiber optic (FO) data. The diagnostics results (MS, FO, image logs) were integrated and used to calibrate subsurface models. Additional field tests were designed and implemented for depletion monitoring. The tailored program for monitoring depletion included vertical and slant well pressures, interference testing, and a vertical strain depletion trial. Areal Coverage: Conventional MS (and FO MS) were used to compute HF dimensions, which were compared with diagnostics (FO strain, gauge, image logs) observations and calibrated subsurface models. A post-production interference test did not show offset well communication. Vertical Coverage: Vertical coverage during stimulation was monitored using a vertical monitoring well. The stronger mechanical strain signals showed good correlation with MS event intensities, geomechanical properties, and gauge inferences. Vertical depletion was estimated based on vertical/slant well gauges and strain depletion tests. Parent-Child Effects: Diagnostics and calibrated subsurface models show asymmetry in child well fracture geometries for stages that overlap parent wells. Child well image logs serve as a good indicator for parent Downloaded from http://onepetro.org/URTECONF/proceedings-pdf/21URTC/2-21URTC/D021S031R004/2477423/urtec-2021-5241-ms.pdf/1 by Carol Worster on 28 February 2022 URTeC 5241 well HF tracking. Child well MS events had an eastward bias, in line with pre-stimulation image logs, and was confirmed by parent well frac hits. Novel/Additive Information: The dataset presents a unique, over-constrained problem space to compare independent techniques to arrive at HF metrics (i.e., stimulation height and/or half-length), unlike a single source dataset, in which calibration is done using available data to guide predictions. Here, the asymmetry in HF geometry seen in the stages influenced by parent-child effects offers unique insights into well spacing and landing, which are key capital decisions the unconventional resources industry is seeking to optimize.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

Multiplexed Optical Fiber Sensors for Coal Fired Advanced Fossil Energy Systems

This report summarizes technical progress on the program Multiplexed Optical Fiber Sensors for Coal Fired Advanced Fossil Energy Systems funded by the National Energy Technology Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, and performed jointly by the Center for Photonics Technology of the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Virginia Tech. This three-year project started on October 1, 2008. In the project, a fiber optical sensing system based on intrinsic Fabry-Perot Interferometer (IFPI) was developed for strain and temperature measurements for Ultra Supercritical boiler condition assessment. Investigations were focused on sensor design, fabrication, attachment techniques and novel materials for high temperature and strain measurements. At the start of the project, the technical requirements for the sensing technology were determined together with our industrial partner Alstom Power. As is demonstrated in Chapter 4, all the technical requirements are successfully met. The success of the technology extended beyond laboratory test; its capability was further validated through the field test at DOE NETL, in which the sensors yielded distributed temperature mapping of a testing coupon installed in the turbine test rig. The measurement results agreed well with prior results generated with thermocouples. In this project, significant improvements were made to the IFPI sensor technology by splicing condition optimization, transmission loss reduction, sensor signal demodulation and sensor system design.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2013

Hydrogen Recovery and Carbon Dioxide Separation in Steam Methane Reformers (SBIR Phase II Final Report)

Approximately six trillion standard cubic feet (scf) of hydrogen are produced each year by steam reforming light hydrocarbons. The water gas shift portion of the process yields a hydrogen product containing significant quantities of by-products such as carbon dioxide. The hydrogen must be purified for further use and carbon dioxide, a primary global warming agent, should be captured for other applications or sequestration. Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is often used to produce high-purity hydrogen. However, the tail gas coming out of PSA contains about 15% of the hydrogen produced from reforming, and is currently used as fuel for reformers. The overall goal of this DOE-funded SBIR project was to develop a membrane process to recover hydrogen from PSA tail gas. This process also produces liquid carbon dioxide for sequestration. In the Phase I project, polyamide polyether based membranes were developed and evaluated with pure gases and model mixed hydrogen containing gases. Two bench scale modules were fabricated from these membranes, and evaluated with pure gases. These membranes and modules provided high carbon dioxide permeance and high carbon dioxide/hydrogen selectivity. In the Phase II project, a modified polyamide polyether based membrane, Polaris (TM), was successfully developed, and the membrane permeances were greatly improved. Bench scale modules prepared from this membrane were tested in the laboratory. Industrial scale 8-inch diameter modules were prepared and tested at BP's Pascagoula Gas Processing Plant. The modules were exposed to high-pressure natural gas for three months in a long-term integrity test. The promising results in the laboratory and field tests have generated great interest in using Polaris (TM) membranes for carbon dioxide/hydrogen separations. The membranes and processes developed in this project are in the early stage of commercialization. This work has already resulted in the sale of one commercial membrane unit for carbon dioxide removal and hydrogen purification.

02 PETROLEUM↗