SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
NETL is innovating cost-effective, safe carbon capturing and storage technologies as part of a long-term strategy for mitigating carbon emissions from fossil fuels.
Industries and utilities continue to investigate ways to decrease their carbon footprint. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) can enable existing power generation facilities to meet the current national CO 2 reduction goals. The Partnership for CO2 Capture Phase III focused on several important research areas in an effort to find ways to decrease the cost of capture across both precombustion and postcombustion platforms. Two flue gas pretreatment technologies for postcombustion capture, an SO 2 reduction scrubbing technology from Cansolv Technologies Inc. and the Tri-Mer filtration technology that combines particulate, NOx, and SO 2 control, were evaluated on the Energy & Environmental Research Center’s (EERC’s) pilot-scale test system. Pretreating the flue gas should enable more efficient, and therefore less expensive, CO 2 capture. Both technologies were found to be effective in pretreating flue gas prior to CO 2 capture. Two new postcombustion capture solvents were tested, one from the Korea Carbon Capture and Sequestration R&D Center (KCRC) and one from CO 2 Solutions Incorporated. Both of these solvents showed the ability to capture CO 2 while requiring less regeneration energy, which would reduce the cost of capture. Hydrogen separation membranes from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation were evaluated through precombustion testing. They are composed of vanadium alloy, which is less expensive than the palladium alloys that are typically used. Their performance was comparable to that of other membranes that have been tested at the EERC. Aspen Plus® software was used to model the KCRC and CO 2 Solutions solvents and found that they would result in significantly improved overall plant performance. The modeling effort also showed that the parasitic steam load at partial capture of 45% is less than half that of 90% overall capture, indicating savings that could be accrued if 90% capture is not required. Modeling of three regional power plants using the Carnegie Mellon Integrated Environmental Control Model showed that, among other things, the use of a bypass during partial capture may minimize the size of the capture tower(s) and result in a slight reduction in the revenue required to operate the capture facility. The results reinforced that a one-size-fits-all approach cannot be taken to adding capture to a power plant. Laboratory testing indicated that Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy could be used to continuously sample stack emissions at CO 2 capture facilities to detect and quantify any residual amine or its degradation products, particularly nitrosamines. The information gathered during Phase III is important for utility stakeholders as they determine how to reduce their CO 2 emissions in a carbon-constrained world. This subtask was funded through the EERC–U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Program on Research and Development for Fossil Energy-Related Resources Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC26-08NT43291. Nonfederal funding was provided by the North Dakota Industrial Commission, PPL Montana, Nebraska Public Power District, Tri-Mer Corporation, Montana–Dakota Utilities Co., Basin Electric Power Cooperative, KCRC/Korean Institute of Energy Research, Cansolv Technologies, and CO 2 Solutions, Inc.
Energy generation by use of fossil fuels produces large volumes of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases, whose accumulation in the atmosphere is widely seen as undesirable. CO 2 Capture followed by sequestration has been identified as the solution. Subsurface geologic formations offer a potential location for long-term storage of CO 2 because of their requisite size. Unfortunately, the inaccessibility and complexity of the subsurface, the wide range of scales of variability, and the coupled nonlinear processes, impose tremendous challenges to determine the transport and predict the fate of the stored CO 2 . Among the various monitoring approaches, in situ down-hole monitoring of the various state parameters provides critical and direct data points that can be used to validate the models, optimize the injection, detect leakage and track the CO 2 plume. However, down-hole sensors that can withstand the harsh conditions and operate over decades of the project lifecycle remain unavailable. Given that the widespread of carbon capture and storage will be the necessity and reality in the future, fundamental and applied research is required to address the significant challenges and technological gaps in lack of long-term reliable down-hole sensors This project focused on the development and demonstration of a novel, low-cost, distributed, robust ceramic coaxial cable sensor platform for in situ down-hole monitoring of geologic CO 2 injection and storage with high spatial and temporal resolutions. The coaxial cable Fabry-Perot interferometer (CCFPI) has been studied as a general sensor platform for in situ, long-term, measurement of temperature, pressure and strain, which are critical to CO 2 injection and storage. A novel signal processing scheme has been developed and demonstrated for dense multiplexing of the sensors for low-cost distributed sensing with high spatial resolution. The developed temperature, pressure and strain sensors have been extensively tested under laboratory conditions that are similar to the downhole CO 2 storage environment, showing excellent capability for in situ monitoring the various parameters that are important to model, optimize the injection, detect leakage and track the CO 2 plume. In addition, the interactions between the sensor datum and the geological models have been investigated in details for the purposes of model validation, guiding sensor installation/placement, enhancement of model prediction capability and optimization of the injection processes. This project has resulted in the successful development of new ceramic coaxial cable based sensor systems that can monitor directly the changes in pressure, temperature, and strain caused by increased reservoir pressure and reduced reservoir temperature due to the supercritical CO 2 injection. Integrated with geological models, the sensors and measurement data can improve the possibility to identify plume movement and leakage in the cap rock and wells with higher precision and more accuracy. The low cost, ease of deployment, small size and dense multiplexing features of the new sensing technology will allow a large number of sensors to be deployed to address the objective to demonstrate that 99% of the CO 2 remains in the injection zone.
The Mickey Leland Fellowship program provide students with the opportunity to study energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy.
This presentation overviews progress to date on the H2@Scale resource and market analysis work. The work finds, for example, that hydrogen demand of 60 MMT/yr is possible when transportation and industry are considered; resources are available to meet that demand; using renewable resources would reduce emissions and fossil use by over 15%; further impacts are possible when considering synergistic benefits; additional analysis is underway to improve understanding of potential markets and synergistic impacts; and further analysis will be necessary to estimate impacts due to spatial characteristics, feedback effects in the economy, and inertia characteristics.
Gasification is an enabling technology for the clean-up of fossil and biomass fuels for energy production. A history of gasifier development is told from the perspective of a technology evolving to meet the ever changing market needs. The chemistry and physics of coal conversion includes pyrolysis, combustion, gasification, mineral transformations as well as a discussion of the materials developed to meet the most challenging gasifier applications. Integrated gasification and combined cycle processes are discussed with respect to electrical power production. The distinguishing features for different types of gasifiers are described including fixed bed, fluidized bed, entrained flow, transport gasifiers. The twelve major gasifiers being marketed today are described. The hydrodynamics and kinetics of each are reviewed along with salient differences in performance, such as gas composition, when using a variety of fuels under different conditions. Critical operational features that are discussed include oxidizing media, air or oxygen blown; the system pressure; fuel feed stock; and downstream clean-up. Thermal integration is discussed with respect to its impact on the gasifier performance. Gas clean-up is also considered with respect to the removal of potential pollutants and the shifting to environmentally benign transportation and process fuels.
Researchers using Los Alamos’ unique neutron-imaging and high-energy X-ray capabilities have exposed the inner structures of the fossil skull of a 74-million-year-old tyrannosauroid dinosaur nicknamed the Bisti Beast in the highest-resolution scan of tyrannosaur skull ever done.
Southern Research along with Advanced Resources International, Inc. (ARI), Heartland Technology Partners, LLC (Heartland), New Logic Research, Inc. (New Logic), and Mr. Michael N. DiFilippo, Consultant developed a concept for an on-site strategy and design for management of produced water from CO 2 sequestration sites for maximum water reuse. When CO 2 is injected into deep saline aquifers, it may be necessary to produce water from the reservoir to reduce reservoir pressure. The New Logic Research, vibratory shear enhanced process (VSEP) membrane technology, and Heartland Technology Partners, low momentum-high turbulence (LM-HT) evaporation technology was selected for evaluation for treating this produced water from a 530 MW natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant by utilizing waste heat from the plant to drive the evaporation process. The technology was also evaluated for application to a coal-fired power plant in lieu of the NGCC power plant. The results from the project show that the application of the proposed technology to the 530 MW NGCC power plant scenario could be feasible. The results indicate that formation water TDS has a very large impact on the technical and economic feasibility of the process. One advantage of formations with low TDS water is that the VSEP membrane can be utilized to pre-concentrate the produced water upstream of the LM-HT. The results indicate that a significant portion of the exhaust gas from the NGCC power plant will have to be utilized to provide waste heat for the LM-HT evaporator; however, less will be required with low-TDS formation water. The CAPEX costs for LM-HT for all three formations (97.8USD to 122.7USD MM/year) and VSEP plus LM-HT (106.6USD MM/year) for the Keg River formation is high in cost but lower than all technology compared including crystallization, VSEP plus crystallization, FO plus LM-HT, VCE plus LM-HT, and VCE plus crystallization. The OPEX for the LM-HT for all three formations (6.33USD to 7.97USD MM/year) and VSEP plus LM-HT (13.29USD MM/year) for the Keg River formation is lower than crystallization, VSEP plus crystallization, FO plus LM-HT, and FO plus crystallization. Only VCE plus LM-HT and VCE plus crystallization have a comparable OPEX costs to LM-HT for all three formation and VSEP plus LM-HT for the Keg River formation. The coal-fired power plant comparison showed that it is not feasible to apply the technology to that type of fossil fuel plant.
Large-scale anthropogenic CO2 sources (>100,000 tonnes/year) were catalogued and assessed for the Illinois East Sub-Basin project area. The portfolio of sources is quite diverse, and contains not only fossil-based power generation facilities but also ethanol, chemical, and refinery facilities. Over 60% of the facilities are relatively new (i.e. post year 2000 construction) hence increasing the likelihood that retrofitting the facility with a carbon capture plant is feasible. Two of the facilities have indicated interest in being “early adopters” should the CarbonSAFE project eventually transition to a build and operate phase: the Prairie State Generating Company’s electricity generation facility near Marissa, Illinois, and Quasar Syngas, LLC’s Wabash ammonia/direct-reduced iron plant, currently in development north of Terre Haute, Indiana.
Chemical Looping Combustion (CLC) has the potential to efficiently capture CO2 from the combustion of fossil fuels at an affordable price. CLC is a process that produces a flue gas primarily consisting of CO2 and H2O. The CO2 can be easily separated and captured by condensing the H2O, similar to an oxy-fuel process. Although the process looks promising on paper, the challenge of making chemical looping a reality involves demonstrating that the process is technically feasible. To help achieve this goal, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), has constructed and tested a 50kWth chemical looping reactor (CLR). The general arrangement of the process consists of a bubbling fluidized bed fuel reactor and a fluidized bed/riser air reactor. This paper will describe the results from a hematite ore that has been tested during a week-long test campaign.
Displacing fossil fuels with biofuels is an effective way to sustainably mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and natural resource consumption. As DOE's only national laboratory solely dedicated to researching and developing clean energy and energy efficiency technologies, NREL has been developing conceptual biomass-to-fuels conversion processes. To improve the economic feasibility of biofuels production from lignocellulosic biomass, NREL's researchers have been exploring various design options. Our team has developed a vapor phase selective oxidation process that will convert lignin streams from biofuels production into high-value chemicals and thereby improve the economics and GHG emissions of biofuels plants. This approach is directed towards valorizing lignin, which is often treated as waste or burnt for low value process heat. For techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA), we have developed and modeled this hybrid process: 1) biochemically converting C5/C6 sugars from biomass to a hydrocarbon blendstock, and 2) thermochemically converting lignin from biomass, via selective partial oxidation of lignin pyrolysis vapor, to phenols. Results from the TEA and LCA for this process will be presented and discussed. The lignin valorization readily improves the biofuel production cost and reduces the life cycle carbon footprint. Even though more electricity is required as lignin is used for coproduct production instead of for heat and power generation, the GHG coproduct credit from phenols is more than enough to compensate for the GHG associated with the additional import electricity use. These analyses show that our process to produce phenol has significant economic and environmental impacts, which will enable biofuel production.
The ultimate goal of this project is to reduce uncertainty in the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies by overcoming key challenges through a combination of experimentation and modeling studies. The studies focused on key areas of concern for CCS systems and worked to increase overall confidence in the technology. To achieve project goals, the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) identified the following objectives: Determine the potential impacts of coal combustion-derived aerosols on solvent emissions, solvent degradation, and fouling of postcombustion CO2 capture systems. Identify methods to control the formation of aerosols. Evaluate, quantify, and document the regional impacts that could result from implementation of CO2 capture technologies and enhanced oil recovery. Support U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) modeling efforts by providing key information to help reduce the uncertainty of future CCS projects and increase investor and public confidence in the technologies. Four activities were executed to support this effort, and the detailed results of these activities are presented herein. This project was cofunded through the EERC–DOE Joint Program on Research and Development for Fossil Energy-Related Resources Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FE0024233. Nonfederal funding was provided by the North Dakota Industrial Commission, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Minnkota Power Cooperative, ALLETE, and the Lignite Energy Council.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) on-site researchers have been examining and developing a novel solvent for precombustion capture that has the potential for improved performance and lower costs compared to Selexol™ and Rectisol®. In Subtask 2.5, the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) conducted actual comparison tests on actual coal-derived syngas of a PEGDME (polyethylene glycol dimethyl ether) Selexol-type solvent and three other solvents provided by NETL. One was a new hybrid PEG–PDMS (poly[dimethylsiloxane]) solvent engineered by NETL. In addition, two commercially available chemicals that are projected to have good CO2 capture abilities were also selected for testing on actual coal-derived syngas. These tests were conducted in the EERC high-pressure fluid-bed gasifier (HPFBG) system utilizing an existing gas-sweetening absorption system (GSAS) to test the solvents. The four solvents tested were Solvent 1 – AGR II from Coastal Chemical Co., LLC, NETL Solvent 2 – XG-3229 Bis(methoxytriethyleneoxypropyl)hexamethyltrisiloxane, as manufactured by Gelast, Inc.; Solvent 3 – CASSH-1 (diethyl sebacate), procured from Sigma Aldrich; and Solvent 4 – TBP (tributyl phosphate), purchased from ThermoFisher Scientific. The solvents were all tested at a consistent syngas flow and composition at approximately 50 bar to make direct comparisons easier; two solvent flow rates which would bracket 90% CO2 capture; and, temperatures of 10°, 25°, 40°, and 55°C to determine the effects of temperature on CO2 uptake and CO2 to H2 selectivity. Figure E-1 shows the results for CO2 uptake and selectivity for the various solvents. These data show that the CO2 uptake for the Selexol-type solvent for the PEG-PDMS-3 and CASHH-1 solvents at higher operating temperatures around 40°C was better than the Selexol-type solvent was able to achieve at the lower operating temperature of 10°C. Selectivity of CO2 over H2 was at least as good as Selexol for the PEG-PDMS-3 solvent and even better than Selexol for the CASSH-1 solvent. The TBP solvent also displayed good CO2 uptake; however, CO2/H2 selectivity was worse than for the Selexol-type solvent. Operation of precombustion CO2 solvents at temperatures above ambient can provide a 2% process efficiency improvement along with a significant capital cost reduction since refrigeration and solvent dehydration equipment is not required. The excellent results from these tests warrant further longer-duration testing with one or both superior NETL-provided solvents to determine if longer-term exposure to any coal-derived syngas trace species may have an adverse impact on solvent performance. This project was funded through the EERC–DOE Joint Program on Research and Development for Fossil Energy-Related Resources Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FE0024233.
Large-scale anthropogenic CO 2 sources (>100,000 tonnes/year) were catalogued for the CarbonSAFE Illinois East Sub-Basin carbon capture and storage pre-feasibility study. The source portfolio is diverse, consisting of fossil-base power production, ethanol production operations, chemical development, and refinery facilities, most of which are relatively new or modernized (i.e. post year 2000). Ten facilities were considered for potential commercial-scale geological storage in a regional CO 2 source and storage network study. The study area has a number of potential geologic sequestration targets, including three significant deep saline reservoirs with corresponding seals, and potential enhanced oil recovery (EOR) opportunities. Recent research has focused on a high-porosity, highly arkosic zone within the Lower Mt. Simon Sandstone. Based on this work, we present a conceptual CO 2 source and storage network, which focuses on the arkosic zone in the Lower Mt. Simon as a prospective storage resource play in the Illinois East Sub-Basin region.
The Babcock & Wilcox Company and The Ohio State University are developing iron-based metal oxide chemical looping technology for power generation and conversion of fossil fuels to chemicals and liquid fuels. A 250 kWt pilot facility has been constructed at the Babcock & Wilcox Research Center in Barberton, Ohio. Testing was conducted on the facility to support scale-up of the technology for implementation in a 10 MWe coal direct chemical looping large pilot plant at Dover Light & Power in Dover, Ohio. The paper discusses the results of the pilot test and the impact of the results on the design of the large pilot facility.
Given the need for clean and reliable energy, fuel cell technologies offer the ability to produce extremely low-emission electricity from reliable fossil energy. A standalone solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) module can reach electrical efficiencies of about 60%. However, coupling a SOFC to a Brayton style gas turbine (GT) increases the efficiency of the system to 70-75% or more. Using results from NETL’s HYPER Lab and published research, this project evaluates the strengths, limitations, and potential applications of SOFC-GT hybrids.
Following the successful completion of a 15-year effort to develop and test materials that would allow coal-fired power plants to be operated at advanced ultra-supercritical (A-USC) steam conditions, a United States-based consortium is presently engaged in Phase 2 of a project which includes an advanced manufacturing effort to complete US-based supply chain development for full commercial scale (800-850 MWe) A-USC components made of nickel-based alloys, components operating at up to 760°C. The project, funded under U.S. Department of Energy Award No. DE-FE0025064, falls under the US DOE overall goal to Develop cost-effective, reliable technologies to improve the efficiency of new and existing coal-fired power plants. A-USC steam cycles have the potential to improve cycle efficiency, reduce fuel costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Current development and demonstration efforts are focused on enabling the construction of A-USC plants, operating with steam temperatures as high as 1400°F (760°C) and steam pressures up to 5000 psi (35 MPa), which can potentially increase cycle efficiencies to 47% HHV (higher heating value), or approximately 50% LHV (lower heating value), and reduce CO 2 emissions by roughly 25%, compared to today’s U.S. fleet. A-USC technology provides a lower-cost method to reduce CO 2 emissions, compared to CO 2 capture technologies, while retaining a viable coal option for owners of coal generation assets. Among the specific goals of Phase 2 of the ComTest Project are to: validate that components made from advanced nickel-based alloys can operate and perform under A-USC conditions accelerate the development of a U.S.-based supply chain for the full complement of A-USC components close the remaining gaps and reduce the risks for manufacturing components from advanced materials for commercial demonstration fabricate full-scale versions of selected key components made of nickel-based alloys validate a qualified U.S. supply chain, to provide greater cost certainty for components obtain American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code approval for new materials, components and processes Additional benefit: Manufacturing technology will be applicable to other advanced fossil energy high temperature cycles, and can support increased flexibility of existing power plants The ComTest project is managed by Energy Industries of Ohio, and technically directed by the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc., with General Electric designing the A-USC components. As stated earlier, the current phase of the effort is primarily funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, through the National Energy Technology Laboratory. This presentation outlines the motivation for the project, explains the project’s structure and schedule, and provides some of the technical details on the design of the ComTest components.
Following the successful completion of a 15-year effort to develop and test materials that would allow coal-fired power plants to be operated at advanced ultra-supercritical (A-USC) steam conditions, a United States-based consortium is presently engaged in Phase 2 of a project which includes an advanced manufacturing effort to complete US-based supply chain development for full commercial scale (800-850 MWe) A-USC components made of nickel-based alloys, components operating at up to 760°C. The project, funded under U.S. Department of Energy Award No. DE-FE0025064, falls under the US DOE overall goal to Develop cost-effective, reliable technologies to improve the efficiency of new and existing coal-fired power plants. A-USC steam cycles have the potential to improve cycle efficiency, reduce fuel costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Current development and demonstration efforts are focused on enabling the construction of A-USC plants, operating with steam temperatures as high as 1400°F (760°C) and steam pressures up to 5000 psi (35 MPa), which can potentially increase cycle efficiencies to 47% HHV (higher heating value), or approximately 50% LHV (lower heating value), and reduce CO 2 emissions by roughly 25%, compared to today’s U.S. fleet. A-USC technology provides a lower-cost method to reduce CO 2 emissions, compared to CO 2 capture technologies, while retaining a viable coal option for owners of coal generation assets. Among the specific goals of Phase 2 of the ComTest Project are to: validate that components made from advanced nickel-based alloys can operate and perform under A-USC conditions accelerate the development of a U.S.-based supply chain for the full complement of A-USC components close the remaining gaps and reduce the risks for manufacturing components from advanced materials for commercial demonstration fabricate full-scale versions of selected key components made of nickel-based alloys validate a qualified U.S. supply chain, to provide greater cost certainty for components obtain American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code approval for new materials, components and processes Additional benefit: Manufacturing technology will be applicable to other advanced fossil energy high temperature cycles, and can support increased flexibility of existing power plants The ComTest project is managed by Energy Industries of Ohio, and technically directed by the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc., with General Electric designing the A-USC components. As stated earlier, the current phase of the effort is primarily funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, through the National Energy Technology Laboratory. This presentation outlines the motivation for the project, explains the project’s structure and schedule, and provides some of the technical details on the design of the ComTest components.