Design Of Pilot Plant Research Articles

PPPL ST-FNSF Engineering Design Details

One of the goals of the PPPL Spherical Tokamak (ST) Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) study was to generate a self-consistent conceptual design of an ST-FNSF device with sufficient physics and engineering details to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different designs and to assess various ST-FNSF missions. This included striving to achieve tritium self-sufficiency; the ability to provide shielding protection of vital components and to develop maintenance strategies that could be used to maintain the in-vessel components (divertors, breeding blankets, shield modules and services) and characterize design upgrade potentials to expanded mission evolutions.With the conceptual design of a 2.2 m ST pilot plant design already completed emphasis was placed on evaluating a range of ST machine sizes looking at a major radius of 1m and a mid-range device size between 1 m and 2.2 m.This paper will present an engineering summary of the design details developed from this study, expanding on earlier progress reports presented at earlier conferences that focused on a mid-size 1.7 m device. Further development has been made by physics in defining a Super-X divertor arrangement that provides an expanded divertor surface area and places all PF coils outside the TF coil inner bore, in regions that improve the device maintenance characteristics. Physics, engineering design and neutronics analysis for both the 1.7 m and 1 m device have been enhanced. The engineering results of the PPPL ST-FNSF study will be presented along with comments on possible future directions.

Studying on design of a complet pilot plant for processing sandstone ores in Pa Lua – Pa Rong area

Design, construction and operation of a pilot for processing uranium containing ores are important stages in the process of project development of uranium production from ores because uranium contained minerals and the composition of minerals are unstable factors. In this case, pilot needs to be a simulation of a plant in the future, but with upgrade equipment compared that at laboratory scale. Results of lab research were used to select the most appropriate process for ore processing and selection of equipment for each stages.
 In the circumstance when there has been a lack of experience in processing uranium ores in Vietnam, the design and construction of such a pilot with completed technological procedures are essential. The main purpose of this work is to verify results of lab researches and optimize operational parameters of the process. In addition, several purposes were also considered such as study on the effects of solution circulation/recycling and accummulation of impurities in a long run; obtain necessary and sufficient information for design, cost estimate for investment and operation... The pilot only can achieve the expected objectives when ore sources (including reserves and characteristics) are determined; a complete technological process for obtaining technical uranium (yellowcake) is designed; investment and operational capitals are estimated and these estimates show the costs and benefits of the process.
 In this article, the authors will focus on the presentation of research results, including data on ore, process technology, material balance, pilot scale, the basic parameters of equipments, installation diagram of equipments, construction, power and water needs identification, preliminary calculation of investment and operational costs.

Design of Pilot Plant Packed Column for the Dehydration of Water from Ethanol-Water Mixtures

This use of biomass-based adsorbent has been explored for the column study of the adsorptive dehydration of water in ethanol-water mixtures. The column study was carried out using enzyme modified corn starch and the breakthrough curve parameters were used to design the packed bed column. The effect of flow rate on the breakthrough curves revealed that adsorption efficiency decreased with increased inflow rate. The empty bed contact time (τ) of the pilot plant packed column was 35.35 min while the breakthrough time is 40.78 min. 66.7% was the fraction of capacity left unused for the pilot plant from the design.

Commercial process development for synthesis of spherical cobalt nanopowder by wet chemical reduction reaction

A commercial process for synthesis of spherical cobalt nanopowder has been developed. Based on laboratory scale experimental data, pilot plant production and reproducibility of the developed process has been investigated and optimized. Cobalt nanopowder were synthesized from reduction of cobalt sulfate salt, using hypo-phosphorous acid as a reductant in solution of sodium hydroxide. The effect of various process parameters on morphology and structure of the cobalt nanopowder synthesis, both at laboratory scale and pilot scale processes were optimized and compared. The developed proposed flow sheet is a techno economical feasible process for commercial production of spherical cobalt nanopowder in the range of 100–300nm size. An indigenous designed pilot plant, capable of handling 30L solution per batch has been developed.

The Pilot Plant Design and Operation Scheme Research on Treatment of Fluoride Flue Gas by Wet Absorption in Electrolytic Aluminium Industry

A survey on the tail gas contained HF of the electrolyzed aluminumindustry was analyzed at first,which included the applications of tail gas treating technology and gas purification devices both at home and abroad.Combining with their professional knowledge and engineering experience,a technical scheme was formed that purifying the tail gas with HF by a new progress,which designed a set of pilot plant about wet hydrogen fluoride absorption, and the optimization of this process scheme. At last,safe operation, equipment design and material selection, automatic control were discussed in this paper. It is worth mentioning that the detection method of by-products and the comprehensive utilization of subsequent product were established.

Homogeneous redox catalysts based on heteropoly acid solutions: I. Pilot testing of a catalyst and methyl ethyl ketone synthesis

The pilot experiments on methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) synthesis in 2005–2006 were aimed at developing a technology for highly selective n-butylene oxidation with oxygen into MEK in the presence of a new homogeneous catalyst. This catalyst was a chloride-free aqueous solution of Pd(II) + HPA-7′, where HPA-7′ is a vanadium-rich molybdovanadophosphoric acid of modified (non-Keggin) composition with the empirical formula H12P3Mo18V7O85. For ensuring the explosion and fire safety of the pilot unit, the MEK synthesis process was carried out in two steps conducted in different reactors. The catalyst solution in the pilot plant circulated in a closed loop. The target reaction (step (1)) was performed at 60°C and an n-butylene pressure of 9 bar in a tubular plug-flow reactor 1 in the absence of O2. The high oxidation potential of the HPA-7′ solution ensured a high rate of the reaction, which lasted <20 min. The separation of MEK from the reduced catalyst was carried out in a film evaporator (stripping column) at 100°C. Subsequent catalyst regeneration with atmospheric oxygen (step (2)) was performed in an original perfect-mixing reactor 2. At 160–190°C and a pressure of 20 bar (\(P_{O_2 } \) = 4 bar), this step lasted 40–50 min. The regenerated catalyst was returned into reactor 1 to be involved in the next catalytic cycle. Thus, the catalytic oxidation of n-butylene with oxygen in the pilot plant was carried out in two steps, while MEK was drawn off continuously. The pilot tests demonstrated that the unsteady-state catalysis mode is appropriate for the two-step MEK synthesis. The Pd(II) + HPA-7′ catalyst developed has a near-optimum composition. An analysis of the drawbacks of the pilot plant design showed the ways of attaining the rated production capacity, 250 (kg MEK)/day. The results of carrying out the MEK synthesis process on the pilot scale will be taken into consideration in developing two-step technologies for the oxidation of other organic compounds with oxygen in the presence of an HPA solution.

Biomass Carbonization: Process Options and Economics for Small Scale Forestry Farms

Bioenergy represents a unique opportunity for forestry companies to diversify the sources of income and create new stable business opportunities: a large number of initiatives has started in the last decades especially regarding decentralized power generation; nevertheless the conversion of the farmers to energy producers is not a trivial issue. The present work has focused on a possible alternative to biopower generation for forestry farms: the biomass carbonization (i.e. biomass slow pyrolysis). Charcoal making presents good prerequisite conditions for successful biomass based systems in the forestry sector: the system results incentive-independent, the power generation represents the co-product of a different primary production (resulting a real additional income), the plant capital cost is affordable for small scale farmers, operations requires technical skills normally available in the forestry sector and the reliability of the system is proven and credible, reducing the risks contained in business plans based on “number of hours of operation over several years”. Moreover charcoal is a well known product, familiar to forestry companies for a very long time, the market is well defined, the technology is known but still offers opportunities for further improvements (in terms of efficiency, costs and environmental impacts), the technology does not present major risk, the investment is well suited to small farmers and the process and technology gives a great opportunity for small scale and local supply chain development.Based on these considerations, the present work investigated the technological opportunities for small scale charcoal making systems. Various process configurations have been examined, focusing on advantages and disadvantages representative of each solution in view of small scale application suitable for the Italian case and a designed pilot plant has been proposed.

Mild separation system for olive oil: quality evaluation and pilot plant design

The entire process of olive oil extraction involves the breakage of olive fruits to obtain a paste, the kneading of the paste, a centrifugation, and a further cleaning, performed by a disc stack centrifuge, to separate the residual water. In this research, in order to evaluate the effect of final centrifugal separation on olive oil quality and to both define and design the settings of a innovative separation system, olive oil was separated off from water using an accelerated separation process, tested in comparison with a disc centrifuge. The laboratory plant used for the trials was constituted by a twin cylindrical separator equipped with 4 variable frequency inverters, in order to regulate the fluid flow rates in the plant. Oil samples were collected during the trials to evaluate the influence of the proposed innovative process on oil quality; measuring some parameters as free acidity, peroxides (PV), specific extinction coefficients K232 and K270, chlorophylls , carotenoids, total polyphenols (POL) and turbidity. Results showed statistically significant differences (p-values&amp;lt;0.05) in some parameters as POL, PV, and ultraviolet absorption K232 and K270.

Mild separation system for olive oil: quality evaluation and pilot plant design

Mild separation system for olive oil: quality evaluation and pilot plant design

TF Inner Leg Space Allocation for Pilot Plant Design Studies

A critical design feature of any tokamak is the space taken up by the inner leg of the toroidal field (TF) coil. The radial build needed for the TF inner leg, along with shield thickness, size of the central solenoid and plasma minor radius set the major radius of the machine. Small reductions in the TF build can have a large impact on the overall cost of the reactor.The cross section of the TF inner leg support the centering force and that portion of the vertical separating force that is not supported by the outer structures. In this paper, the TF inner leg equatorial plane cross sections are considered. Out-of-Plane (OOP) forces are taken by structures that are not closely coupled with the radial build of the central column at the equatorial plane. The “Vertical Access AT Pilot Plant” currently under consideration at PPPL is used as a starting point for the structural, field and current requirements. Other TF structural concepts are considered. With the expectation that the pilot plant will be a steady state machine, a static stress criteria is used for all the concepts. The coils are assumed to be superconducting, with the superconductor not contributing to the structural strength. Limit analysis is employed to assess the degree of conservatism in the static criteria as it is applied to a linear elastic stress analysis. TF concepts, and in particular the PPPL AT PILOT plate concept are evaluated based on amount of space needed for structure and the amount of space left for superconductor.

Modeling, design and operation of pilot plant for two-stage oxidation of methanol into formic acid

The new technology of formic acid production from methanol is developed. Methanol oxidation into formaldehyde in a tubular reactor with iron-molybdenum catalyst is carried out at the first stage similarly to existing technology of formalin production, Formaldehyde is oxidized into formic acid in a tubular reactor with an appropriate vanadia–titania catalyst at the second stage. Mathematical modeling of the process second stage is performed on basis of the detailed kinetic model. Design parameters and performance of large-scale multitubular reactors were determined and reproduced in the constructed pilot plant with a capacity of 2–3kg of formic acid per hour. Process feasibility was confirmed by operation of the pilot plant. Formic acid yield at the second stage was shown to be 87–88%. The technology is ready for further scaling up to industrial level.

Chemometric approaches to data assessment for a long-term case study of MIEX pretreatment performance

A specifically designed pilot plant facility located at the Mount Pleasant Water Treatment Plant in South Australia was used to investigate the efficiencies of several drinking water treatment processes, including (1) magnetic ion exchange (MIEX) as a pretreatment followed by conventional coagulation treatment, (2) conventional coagulation at pilot the plant alone, (3) MIEX followed by microfiltration (MF), and (4) MF alone. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) removal efficiency of the treatment processes and more importantly the treated water quality was assessed using dissolved organic carbon (DOC) measurement and together with the changes in the chromophoric organics character based on their molecular weight profiles determined by high-performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) were also reported. Cluster analyses (CAs) were performed using the HPSEC peak area (after separated by peak fitting), and supported by DOC, UV absorbance at 254 nm, and SUVA in order to compare treatment efficiencies of these technologies. It was a novel way of applying CA as a data mining tool to interpret and assess DOM removal results. From the results of these CA, it was found that the MIEX process provided consistent treatment performance and highest removal of DOM, as well as removal of a broad range of molecular weight organics. In comparison coagulation with alum tended to remove the high molecular weight (>1000 Da) compounds. This statistical approach provided improved understanding of the performances of the treatment processes, investigated at a molecular level, for the removal of DOM.

Understanding ethanolamine (MEA) and ammonia emissions from amine based post combustion carbon capture: Lessons learned from field tests

The study discusses the origin and driving factors of the ammonia (NH3) and ethanolamine (MEA) emissions from post combustion carbon capture (PCCC) pilot installations. The objective of this research is not presenting PCCC emission values as such but presenting the current understanding of the different emission processes based on pilot plant FTIR measurements. NH3 is being continuously produced as a result of the oxidative degradation of MEA. The study shows that its emission level is closely correlated to the solvent metal ion concentration. A good solvent chemistry in which metal ion concentrations are kept low is required to minimise NH3 emissions. The fluctuating behaviour of the MEA emissions is found to be related to mist (aerosol) formation phenomena. Whether and to what extent mist is formed depends to a large extent on the flue gas composition upstream the CO2 capture plant and on the carbon capture pilot plant's design and operating conditions. Preliminary tests suggest that a single water wash is efficient for the removal of gaseous MEA emissions but may not be suitable for the removal of the submicron mist emissions.

Supercritical fluid technology in biodiesel production: pilot plant design and operation

Supercritical fluid technology in biodiesel production: pilot plant design and operation

Innovative process for biogas upgrading with CO2 storage: Results from pilot plant operation

An innovative biogas upgrading method that, differs from the currently employed commercial techniques, allows also to capture and store the separated CO2 is investigated. This process, named Alkali absorption with Regeneration (AwR), consists in a first step in which CO2 is separated from the biogas by chemical absorption with an alkali aqueous solution followed by a second step in which the spent absorption solution is regenerated for reuse in the first step of the upgrading process and the captured CO2 is stored in a solid and thermodynamically stable form. The latter process is carried out contacting the spent absorption solution, rich in carbonate and bicarbonate ions, with a waste material – air pollution control (APC) residues from Waste-to-Energy plants – characterized by a high content of calcium hydroxide and leads to the precipitation of calcium carbonate and to the regeneration of the alkali hydroxide content of the solution. The process was tested in a specifically designed pilot plant fed with 20 m3 h−1 (gas at standard conditions of 273 K and 1001 kPa) of landfill gas. Results showed that a high CH4 content in the outlet gas can be obtained using a 3.8 mol L−1 NaOH aqueous solution with a solution/landfill gas ratio of about 9 L m−3 (gas at standard conditions of 273 K and 1001 kPa). The regeneration process proved to be feasible, but its efficiency was limited by several factors to maximum values in the range of 50–60 %, showing to decrease with higher NaOH concentrations in the absorption solution. Absorption tests with regenerated load solutions after appropriate NaOH makeup, did not show appreciable differences with respect to raw solutions.

Dynamic viscosity of olive oil as a function of composition and temperature: A first approach

AbstractKnowledge of the viscosity of virgin olive oils (VOOs) is of great importance for the design of pilot plants, to determine the time required for the settling of particles at the end of the production chain and from a sensory view point. The dynamic viscosities of French VOOs from four different cultivars (‘Aglandau’, ‘Bouteillan’, ‘Salonenque’ and ‘Tanche’) were studied as a function of their fatty acid and TAG compositions and of the temperature [10–50°C]. These four VOOs had different TAG and fatty acid compositions representative of the range of compositional variations in the main French oils. Their viscosities were similar, although small but measurable differences that depended on their compositions were apparent. All the VOO samples exhibited the same dynamic viscosity pattern over temperature. For a given temperature, the viscosity difference was the greatest between Aglandau and Salonenque oils, Aglandau being the oil with the highest viscosity. The correlation between temperature and viscosity was highlighted by an Arrhenius model for this Newtonian fluid. The Arrhenius activation energy was correlated (R2 = 0.993) with the percentage of triolein, the main TAG in olive oil.

Slimformer—Self-Limiting Transformer Pre-Prototype and Pilot Plant Design, Construction, and Tests

The current limiting or self-limiting transformer, (CLT) is a multifunctional device, which combines the functions of a power transformer with the functions of a current limiter. The investigated SLIMFormer consists of a room temperature primary winding and a secondary high temperature superconductor (HTS) winding (BSCCO 2223) divided into two parts located on different limbs and up to 4 HTS ring (BSCCO 2212). The primary winding is connected to the electrical network, the secondary winding is intended to supply an HTS cable. As a result the SLIMFormer is an inductive terminal between the room temperature network and a projected HTS cable. For investigation of the SLIMFormer a 100 kVA rating experimental device (pilot plant) was designed, built and tested. The design and optimization aspects as well as the construction of the pilot plant will be presented. The present work is based on the previous 20 kVA SLIMFormer pre-prototype device which was tested at Lab of DEPE BME. The SLIMFormer was investigated experimentally for both sudden short circuit and steady-state (transformer) operational modes. The activation currents were determined for both operational modes with the rated secondary winding turn ratio. SLIMFormer work is being performed as part of an EC funded project, project name: acronym SLIMFormer.

UT/SRP CO2 capture pilot plant — Operating experience and procedures

Abstract The Separations Research Program (SRP) pilot plant is located at The University of Texas (UT) Pickle Research Campus and has been operated as a carbon capture facility since 2002. The semi-works scale pilot facility uses air and 3–14 mol% CO2 as flue gas as it applies the latest advancements in carbon dioxide recovery technology. The capacity of the pilot plant is approximately 15 m3/min of gas and 130 liters/min of solvent. Past experimental studies include solvent performance characterization using potassium carbonate with piperazine, monoethanolamine, concentrated piperazine and other proprietary solvents. In recent years, the pilot plant has been utilized to determine the mass transfer and hydraulic characteristics of various structured and random packings using amine-based solvents for CO2 absorption. In 2002, the UT/SRP began developing improved measurement techniques and operating procedures to ensure reliable process control and closure of material and energy balances. Past experience and learning with the UT/SRP pilot plant is currently being utilized for the design and operation of several future pilot plants that will process actual coal-fired flue gas. The purpose of the presentation is to provide a brief description of the UT/SRP CO2 capture pilot plant capabilities, innovative operational procedures and instrument accuracies. The objectives of this paper are to discuss SRP pilot plant experience including: process description, operations and control, key equipment, measurement methods including novel techniques, overall process performance, and future work.

Design and operation of pilot plant for CO 2 capture from IGCC flue gases by combined cryogenic and hydrate method

This project is a trial conducted under contract with CO 2CRC, Australia of a new CO 2 capture technology that can be applied to integrated gasification combined cycle power plants and other industrial gasification facilities. The technology is based on combination of two low temperature processes, namely cryogenic condensation and the formation of hydrates, to remove CO 2 from the gas stream. The first stage of this technology is condensation at −55 °C where CO 2 concentration is expected to be reduced by up to 75 mol%. Remaining CO 2 is captured in the form of solid hydrate at about 1 °C reducing CO 2 concentration down to 7 mol% using hydrate promoters. This integrated cryogenic condensation and CO 2 hydrate capture technology hold promise for greater reduction of CO 2 emissions at lower cost and energy demand. Overall, the process produced gas with a hydrogen content better than 90 mol%. The concentrated CO 2 stream was produced with 95–97 mol% purity in liquid form at high pressure and is available for re-use or sequestration. The enhancement of carbon dioxide hydrate formation and separation in the presence of new hydrate promoter is also discussed. A laboratory scale flow system for the continuous production of condensed CO 2 and carbon dioxide hydrates is also described and operational details are identified.

Liquid phase desulfurization of jet fuel by a combined pervaporation and adsorption process

Since the conventional hydrodesulfurization process employed in the refinery industry is not suitable for mobile fuel cell applications (e.g. auxiliary power units, APUs), the present study aims at developing an alternative process and determining its technical feasibility. A large number of processes were assessed with respect to their application in fuel cell APUs. The results revealed that a two-step process combining pervaporation and adsorption is a suitable process for the on-board desulfurization of jet fuel. Therefore, a pervaporation process with subsequent adsorption was selected for detailed investigation. Six different membrane materials and ten sorbent materials were screened to choose the most suitable candidates. Further laboratory experiments were conducted to optimize the operating conditions and to collect data for a pilot plant design. Different jet fuel qualities with up to 1675 ppmw of sulfur can be desulfurized to a level of 10 ppmw. The aim of developing a suitable process for the desulfurization of jet fuel in fuel cell APUs was thus achieved.