Brine Mass Research Articles

Hybridization of Concentrated Solar Thermal With Geothermal and Biomass Power

While Geothermal Power Plants (GPPs) can be a reliable renewable energy source, this reliability can decrease over the years due to brine mass flow declining. This reduced mass flow causes extra capacity unused in the GPP turbines. This problem can be overcome by hybridizing GPPs with CST and biomass. These three thermal technologies can, in theory, complement each other if all the resources are present at the exact location. This is the scenario for this study, as the location for the case study is the Kızıldere 2 (KZD2) GPP in Denizli, Turkiye, operated by Zorlu Energy. This region has sufficient potential for all three technologies: CST, geothermal, and biomass. Furthermore, by building a topping cycle using CST and biomass, it is possible to generate additional power. This study utilizes a topping steam Rankine cycle run equally by CST and biomass, and, as a result, the 20% excess capacity in the GPP turbine is used while generating an additional 20 MWe of power.

Modeling and verification of non-linear mineral dissolution processes with buoyancy effects

A new methodology for the simulation of salt cavity development by dissolution is presented, verified and qualitatively validated by experiments. Starting from an initial cavity, the simulator models the injection of fresh water, natural and forced convection of the brine, and the evolution of the cavity walls due to dissolution. The nonlinear model couples brine mass and momentum conservation (governed by incompressible Navier–Stokes equations) with the buoyancy effect due to the brine density variations. Vortex generation and density-driven brine plume rise demonstrate the impact of complex brine flow patterns on the dissolution front evolution. A new explicit interface tracking strategy is employed to investigate the dissolution front movement and an improved smoothing algorithm to enhance the model robustness, contributing to low computational cost and stable simulation for the long-term dissolution process simulation. The proposed model is verified by conducting spatial and temporal convergence studies and qualitatively validated using lab-scale experiments. The agreement between experiments and simulations of horizontal and vertical dissolution cases demonstrates the utility of the model. The simulation results indicate that the rising plume of brine results in a “morning glory” shape cavity under a vertical dissolution scenario and a significant difference between upper and lower fronts dissolution rates for the horizontal dissolution case. The coupling effect of eddy development and cavity shape evolution is also discussed. This work furthers the understanding of the interaction between brine transport in an initially-formed cavity and dissolution patterns of the cavity boundaries, driven by gravity and convective flows.

Highly selective and efficient lithium extraction from brines by constructing a novel multiple-crack-porous LiFePO4/FePO4 electrode

The rapid development of new energy vehicles stimulates the demand for lithium, and lithium extraction from brine has attracted much attention. Unfortunately, brines have high impurity content, high viscosity, and high mineralization, while conventional electrodes are highly hydrophobic, which makes brine mass transfer difficult. Herein, a novel electrochemical deintercalation/intercalation system (EDIs) with high hydrophilicity and permeability is constructed. The new system first introduces hydroxyl-rich PEG into PVDF by blending to modify the electrode hydrophilicity. Moreover, NaCl and carbon fibers are used as porogenic and structural reinforcing agents to increase channels for brine mass transfer and strengthen the electrode, respectively. The formed multiple-crack-porous microstructures electrode exhibits excellent hydrophilicity, the contact angle of the electrode decreases from 124° to 82.3°. Compared with the unmodified electrode, the lithium extraction speed increases nearly three times, and the current efficiency increases from 62 % to 92 %. Moreover, an industrial-scale EDIs is designed, and the capacity of the LiFePO4 is maintained at about 27 mg (Li) g−1 (LiFePO4) with the coulombic efficiency of 98.5 % over 1000 cycles at a high current density of 30 A m−2. The proposed pseudo-3D structured electrode with hydrophilic properties has broad application potential for lithium extraction from salt laker brine.

Experimental and numerical investigation of thermal performance of a new design solar parabolic dish desalination system

• A new design of Solar Parabolic Dish Desalination System (SPDDS) was proposed. • Τhermal performance of SPDDS was investigated experimentally and numerically. • Optical simulation for SPDDS was performed using COMSOL model. • The model showed that thermal performance of absorber within glass enclosure was promising. • The maximum daily thermal efficiency of SPDDS was calculated to be 36.04%. The objective of the present study is to construct a cheap, new design of small-scale solar parabolic dish desalination system made from reused local recyclable materials without complex parts and power source with advantageous approach due to its unique configuration. The desalting system including a new design of cleanable vessel acts as a boiler that accommodate inside a glass box to minimize the heat losses by the wind. The proposed system was investigated by experiments and numerical model. Moreover, the optical efficiency of the system was simulated using COMSOL model. The experimental data using different levels of salt concentrations and brine masses was compared to those of numerical to validate the model. The model validation revealed that the mean bias error and mean percentage error for brine were −1.05 °C and 0.86%, respectively, while the maximum predicted concentration ratio reached ∼16,000 and ∼9000 for ideal and real reflectors, respectively. The experimental results of were compared to those numerical to validate the model using different levels of salt concentrations and brine masses. The obtained daily average values of radiative heat transfer coefficient proved the effective role of the glass box and vessel in reducing the heat losses to surroundings. At brine mass of 0.75 kg and salt concentration of 15 g/kg, the increase of the salt concentration from 0 to 200 g/kg decreases numerically the daily productivity and daily efficiency from 500 to 320 ml/m 2 .day and from 88.60 to 19%, respectively. Experimentally, the maximum instantaneous and daily thermal efficiency were found to be 53.40% and 36.04%,respectively, while the cost of freshwater production from the proposed system was 0.64 $/l.

Market Opportunities of Water Treatments Powered by Solar Micro Gas Turbines: Chile and Ecuador Case Studies

Throughout the last decades the developments on desalination field have been focused on energy consumption and costs reduction. However, water recovery and brine disposal are becoming a matter of concern to desalination industry. In this work, a Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) unit coupled with a Solar Micro Gas Turbine (SMGT) system is presented to address, among others, the challenges of mining industry in remote areas, in particular, fossil fuel dependence, water availability and pollution derived from effluents disposal. As a way to assess the feasibility of the proposal, a techno-economic analysis of the application in two Southern American regions (Chile and Ecuador) of photovoltaic modules, wind turbines and Solar Micro Gas Turbines is performed. Afterwards, the main novel feature of the new system—i.e., the ZLD unit—is described and a sensitivity analysis on its functioning whilst coupled with the SMGT is carried out. The aim is to propose a preliminary design of the ZLD process. The selection of the optimal ratio between exhaust gases and brine mass flow rates is analyzed, as well as variation in inlet salinity and temperatures. Furthermore, the water which could be recovered from effluents, at the same time that the heat of exhaust gases from SMGT is harvested, is quantified. Lastly, according to the results obtained, a preliminary design of a 10 kWe rated power SMGT system, coupled to Reverse Osmosis (RO) and ZLD units, is proposed.

A new zero-liquid-discharge brine concentrator using a Cascaded Fluidised Bed Ice Slurry Generator

A new ZLD process for the salinity range beyond 70,000 ppm has been developed to reduce the volume of brine. We use the fluidised bed heat exchanger to cool down the brine to nucleate ice crystals and separate freshwater from the concentrated brine. Particle and wall collision and pressure fronts induced by particle-particle collision prevent ice formation in the internal surface of the heat exchanger. The concept of transition temperature difference, which is the limit for ice scaling, is used for our process simulation. We use the growth tank and wash column as part of the new process to increase the crystal size and wash the ice crystals efficiently. The new process benefits from the self-cleaning effect, and there is an improvement in the fluidised bed heat transfer coefficient. The process can be scaled up to increase brine mass flow rate using a tube bundle or achieve high concentrations by adding more fluidised bed heat exchangers.

Brine mass fraction measurement based on capacitance sensing

In order to accurately detect the mass fraction of brine, we design a new type of brine mass fraction measuring instrument. In this instrument, the capacitive sensing technology is adopted to detect the change of parasitic capacitance on the metal sheet. The digital high-precision capacitance sensor can sense this weak change and convert it to 28 bits binary digital output. The data is transmitted to the high performance microprocessor STM32H743IIT6 through the interface of integrated circuit (IIC) for acquisition and processing. The quality of brine is measured by the electronic scale made of bridge pressure sensor, and the height of brine level is measured by the serial port ultrasonic ranging module. The accurate brine mass fraction is calculated by using the multi-sensor data fusion method. The experimental results show that the method can detect the brine mass fraction with an accuracy of 0 1%.

Effect of brine mass rate on pressure drop and dirt factor in evaporator design

Geothermal is one of the most significant natural resource potentials in Indonesia. One power plant that utilises geothermal steam as its energy source is PLTP. Geothermal steam that has passed through the geothermal power plant separator to move the turbine while the residual waste (brine) with a high enough temperature has the potential to be a source of heating to produce electrical energy in the Kalina cycle generator. Using brine, before entering the turbine, it must first become airtight in the evaporator. Evaporator design requires initial parameters namely brine fluid flow rate and ammonia-water flow rate, shell dimensions and tube dimensions as well as the number of passes, then performs the design calculation steps until the calculation results meet operating requirements, namely the pressure drop value and the dirt factor. Different variations of brine rate will produce different pressure drops and soil factors. Brine rate variations are 11 kg/s, 22 kg/s, 33 kg/s, 44 kg/s, 55 kg/s and 66 kg/s show the lowest pressure drop of 0.098 bar and the most massive 0.68 bar, and the smallest dirt factor is 0,002 (hr)(m2 °C)/Joule moreover, the largest is 0,00019 (hr)( m2 °C)/Joule.

The effect of brine mass rate on circumferential and longitudinal stress in vertical type separator design

AbstractThe geothermal power plant is converting steam to electricity. The evaporation process in the evaporator produces wet steam (brine). The Brine has a high temperature and contains water, whi...

Comprehensive analysis of a multi-generation energy system by using an energy-exergy methodology for hot water, cooling, power and hydrogen production

In this study, an energy-exergy methodology was applied to achieve more precise conditions for hot water, cooling, power and hydrogen production via a proposed multi-generation system comprised of a geothermal based organic Rankine cycle, domestic water heater, absorption refrigeration cycle and proton exchange membrane electrolyzer. Furthermore, for evaluation of the proposed system performance, the effects of such key variables as brine temperature, turbine inlet temperature, generator temperature, brine mass flow rate and electrolyzer current density on the related efficiencies of energy and exergy for the whole system were investigated. For specified conditions, the results show that energy and exergy efficiencies of the entire system are calculated around 33.92% and 43.59%, respectively. Moreover, estimation of the exergy destruction rate in each system component indicated that the highest rate of exergy destruction occurred in the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) with 16.65% of the total amount of exergy input to the system. And finally, net electrical power output, mass flow rate of hot water, cooling capacity and mass flow rate of hydrogen production are as follows: 816.7 kW, 7.06 kg/s, 1896 kW and 0.05g/s.

Investigation of the factors influencing the efficiency of a solar still combined with a solar collector

A solar still was designed for the evaporation of desalination brine. The influence of several factors, such as the basin heating, the material of the cover (glass or polycarbonate), the existence of a mirror, the activation of an air extractor, and the existence of a black painted floor in the solar still, was evaluated in terms of their contribution to brine evaporation. The experiments were conducted with a factorial design approach. The combination of the factors that produced the best results was used in a subsequent daily monitoring study for brine evaporation. The monitoring parameters were the hourly average incident radiation, the changes in the temperature, the brine mass, and the brine volume. The accumulated amounts of the solar energy were calculated, and the correlation relationship was assessed.

Annual performance variation of an EGS power plant using an ORC with NDDCT cooling

The purpose of this paper is to model an Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) power plant using an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) cooled by a Natural Draft Dry Cooling Tower (NDDCT) and to investigate the influence of the variation of performance of the NDDCT due to changing ambient temperature on cycle performance. The ORC used in this work is the supercritical butene recuperated ORC. The EGS heat source conditions used are those found at the Habanero 1MW pilot plant in South Australia, with geothermal brine inlet temperature of 220°C, minimum brine temperature of 80°C, and brine mass flow rate of 35kg/s. A one dimensional NDDCT model was developed and integrated into the cycle model, enabling a novel method of coupled analysis of ORC and NDDCT interdependence, which allows analysis of plant performance for varying ambient temperature. The analysis finds that annual average Ẇnet is 2.82MWe, the typical daily range of Ẇnet is 0.62MWe (±11%), the typical change in Ẇnet,mean for consecutive days is 0.07MWe (3%), and the largest is 0.5MWe (20%). The maximum range at any given time throughout the year, based on historical temperature data extremes is ±31%, but the typical expected range ±10%.

Wetting behaviour of different tube materials and its influence on scale formation in multiple-effect distillers

Multiple-effect distillation (MED) plants with horizontal tube falling film evaporators for sea water desalination exhibit relatively high heat transfer coefficients achieved by film flow under clean surface conditions. However, they are susceptible to heat transfer deterioration and scale formation accompanied by film breakdown. Thus, maintaining all heated tubes in a fully wetted state is one of the key issues to be considered in designing falling film evaporators. Surface tension, hydrophilicity, hydrophobicity and wettability of materials play an important role in scale formation. The wetting rate, that is the brine mass flow rate on one tube per unit tube length, is one of the most important parameters in the design and operation of MED plants. It has an impact on heat transfer, tube bundle design, scale formation, the capital and operational costs of the plant and its operational flexibility. Thus, it is very important to acquire a better understanding of the wetting behaviour and the impact of different tube materials, various process parameters and sea water properties on tube wetting. The wetting behaviour of different tube materials such as aluminium brass, copper–nickel 90/10 and aluminium alloy AlMg2.5, which are commonly used in MED plants, was investigated in a horizontal tube falling film evaporator in pilot plant scale. In tests with stepwise increasing and decreasing wetting rate, pictures of the film flow over the horizontal tubes were taken and the percentages of the wet surface area were evaluated by means of an image processing software. The tube surfaces were characterized by measuring contact angles and determining surface free energies. Furthermore, the horizontal tube falling evaporator was used to study the effect of the wetting rate on composition and quantity of mixed salt scale. Experiments were performed with artificial sea water at wetting rates from 0.14 kg/(s m) down to 0.025 kg/(s m) for different tube materials such as aluminium brass, copper–nickel 90/10 and AlMg2.5. New insights into the wetting behaviour of different tube materials and the influence of the wetting rate on scale formation in the horizontal tube falling film evaporators are given. The effects of various process parameters such as wetting rate, temperature and salinity on the wettability of typical tube materials and the effect of the wetting rate on composition and quantity of mixed salt scale are presented and discussed.

Molecular Modeling of Diffusion Coefficient and Ionic Conductivity of CO2 in Aqueous Ionic Solutions

Mass diffusion coefficients of CO(2)/brine mixtures under thermodynamic conditions of deep saline aquifers have been investigated by molecular simulation. The objective of this work is to provide estimates of the diffusion coefficient of CO(2) in salty water to compensate the lack of experimental data on this property. We analyzed the influence of temperature, CO(2) concentration,and salinity on the diffusion coefficient, the rotational diffusion, as well as the electrical conductivity. We observe an increase of the mass diffusion coefficient with the temperature, but no clear dependence is identified with the salinity or with the CO(2) mole fraction, if the system is overall dilute. In this case, we notice an important dispersion on the values of the diffusion coefficient which impairs any conclusive statement about the effect of the gas concentration on the mobility of CO(2) molecules. Rotational relaxation times for water and CO(2) increase by decreasing temperature or increasing the salt concentration. We propose a correlation for the self-diffusion coefficient of CO(2) in terms of the rotational relaxation time which can ultimately be used to estimate the mutual diffusion coefficient of CO(2) in brine. The electrical conductivity of the CO(2)-brine mixtures was also calculated under different thermodynamic conditions. Electrical conductivity tends to increase with the temperature and salt concentration. However, we do not observe any influence of this property with the CO(2) concentration at the studied regimes. Our results give a first evaluation of the variation of the CO(2)-brine mass diffusion coefficient, rotational relaxation times, and electrical conductivity under the thermodynamic conditions typically encountered in deep saline aquifers.

Thermal and hydrodynamic analysis of the condensation and evaporation processes in horizontal tube desalination plant

This paper considers the hydrodynamic and thermal analysis for the case where steam is condensing inside a horizontal tube while simultaneously a thin water film is evaporating on the outside of the tube. An analysis of the collective three-dimensional effects influencing the condensing and evaporating sides are presented at different operating conditions. The operating conditions include the effects of the brine mass feed rate, saturation temperatures of the condensing steam and the falling brine, and vapour flow rates. The analysis is extended to account for further effects produced by the vapour pressure and shear stresses, and also by the temperature differences between both sides of the tube. The model presented in this work consists of three regions on the condensation side and two regions on the evaporation side. The condensation side is categorized by a thin laminar condensing layer (at the top of the tube) , a stratified laminary layer (at the bottom of the tube) , and a laminar or turbulent vapour zone. The evaporation side has a thermally developing laminar liquid film and a thermally fully developed zone. The results of the condensation/evaporation analysis show that the dominant effects are due mainly to the brine mass feed rates, secondly to the saturation temperature differences, and least to the incoming condensing steam rates. Calculations are carried out for vapour flow of Reynolds number between 20 000 and 30 000, inlet saturation temperature of incoming steam between 60 and 70°C, and brine mass feed rate between 0.01 and 0.15 kg m −1 m s −1.

Effect of Temperature Dependent Internal Heat Transfers on the Performance of a Solar Still

In this paper, an effect of the temperature dependence of internal heat transfer coefficients on the performance of a single basin solar still has been studied by incorporating the change of water mass in the basin with time, initial basin water temperature etc. On the basis of numerical calculations based on simple transient analysis, the following conclusions have been drawn: i) the evaporative heat transfer coefficient is a strong function of brine temperature, and ii) the change of brine mass with time has insignificant effect on the performance of the still in nocturnal production which is in accordance with the assumption made by Malik and Tran (1973). This is true for other cases also. These have also been validated by experimental results.

Design equations for a new set up of sluice gates to stabilize inter-stage brine flow

The goal of this work is to obtain design equations, for a new design proposal of an inter-stage sluice gate. This design would control and stabilize the brine flow through a flashing stage of a multi-stage flash unit. A theoretical approach is given, based on the two phase momentum equation. The two-phase momentum equation was utilized, to maximize the brine mass flux with the sluice gate opening height. It was also utilized, under isentropic and frozen flow conditions to obtain a void fraction, steam quality relationship, which is a basic requirement in the design equations of the sluice gates.

Depositional and Diagenetic Model for Brine Related Stratiform Mineralization: Atlantis II Deep, Red Sea: ABSTRACT

Genetic models of many massive sulfide deposits postulate deposition of metalliferous sediment by venting of high-salinity hydrothermal fluids onto the sea floor. The Atlantis II deep, Red Sea, is a currently active modern example of such a process. Areal extent of the brine pool in the Atlantis II deep exerts primary control on the distribution of metalliferous sediment. The presence of a density-stratified brine pool allows dispersion of undiluted metal-rich brine to all parts of the deep. Currently, brine vents in the Southwest basin, advects vertically to the density interface between the brine pool and overlying sea water, and then flows laterally along the interface. The lower brine mass is isolated from oxygenated sea water, allowing base metal sulfides to precipit te in areas distal from the site of venting. The metalliferous sediments are extremely fine grained with interstitial water contents in the uppermost sediments of greater than 98% by weight. Sedimentation rates inside the brine pool are in excess of 100 cm/1,000 years. High salinity, high temperature, and high trace-metal content of the brine produce a toxic environment which ensures that the finely laminated sediments are not disturbed by bioturbation. However, metalliferous sediment deposited in the area of active brine venting is highly disturbed, with common features of soft sediment deformation. Heterolithic and homolithic breccias occur, some of which are metalliferous turbidites dislodged, by tectonic activity, from steep graben walls flanking the deep. Influx of new brine causes urther disruption and deposition of epigenetic minerals in veins which cut unlithified metalliferous sediment. End_of_Article - Last_Page 646------------