"The
distinction between the past, present and future is
only a stubbornly persistent illusion." -- Albert Einstein
The following article popped up during a recent browsing session …
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Proceedings of the Mini-Symposium “Coal
Based Fuel Cell Technology: Status, Needs and Future Applications”. Morgantown WV, October 11-12, 2007
(NMS_07_P07 31)
A Review of Coal
Syngas Cleanup Technologies, Past Trace Contaminant Testing, and Future SOFC Testing
Activities at RTI
Jason Trembly, John Albritton, and Raghubir Gupta
RTI International, Center for Energy Technology, 3040 Cornwallis Road, Research
Triangle
Park, NC 27709, Tel: (919)-541-8033, E-mail: jtrembly@rti.org
ABSTRACT
Development of integrated gasification and fuel cell (IGFC) power plants has
increased considerably over recent years due to the ability to produce
electrical power at high efficiencies while being environmentally friendly. The
development of these power generation systems is a key goal of the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE). Although the ability of solid oxide fuel cells
(SOFCs) to operate on carbon based fuels such as natural gas has previously
been reported the use of coal derived syngas as a fuel for SOFCs has only
recently been investigated. The main components of coal derived syngas are
known not to cause loss in SOFC performance; however the syngas may contain
many trace species which may be detrimental towards operation. Although it is
well known that H2S will need to be cleaned to sub-ppm concentrations the
determination of the level of cleanup which will be required for other trace
species contained in coal derived syngas has just recently commenced. A
thorough understanding of the interactions between the SOFC anode and various
species contained in coal derived syngas is required to develop coal based SOFC
systems. RTI International is a leading developer of warm gas cleanup systems
for IGCC and future IGFC power plants. This paper will review previous SOFC
trace contaminant testing which has been completed and testing methodologies
RTI is considering to develop trace contaminant clean up systems for IGFC power
systems.
Free Full Text Source: http://nift.wvu.edu/Symposium2007/papers/NMS_07_P07.pdf
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RTI International (www.rit.org) is one of the
world’s leading nonprofit research institutes, dedicated to improving the human
condition by turning knowledge into practice. Its staff of more than 3,700
provides research and technical expertise to governments and businesses in more
than 75 countries.
I found more articles describing RTI syngas research by searching Google®
Scholar using this statement …
“RTI
International” coal
The quotes tell Google® to search RTI International as a phrase. Here is one result …
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International Journal of Clean Coal and
Energy, Vol.2 No.3(2013), Article ID:36046,19 pages
DOI:10.4236/ijcce.2013.23005
Implementation
of a Demoisturization and Devolatilization Model in Multi-Phase Simulation of a
Hybrid Entrained-Flow and Fluidized Bed Mild Gasifier
Jobaidur Khan, Ting Wang
Energy Conversion & Conservation Center, University of New Orleans, New
Orleans, USA
Email: jrkhan@uno.edu, twang@uno.edu
Copyright © 2013 Jobaidur Khan, Ting Wang. This is an open access article
distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the
original work is properly cited.
ABSTRACT
A mild gasification process has been implemented to provide an alternative form
of clean coal technology called the Integrated Mild Gasification Combined Cycle
(IMGCC), which can be utilized to build a new, highly efficient, and compact
power plant or to retrofit an existing coal-fired power plant in order to
achieve lower emissions and significantly improved thermal efficiency. The core
technology of the mild gasification power plant lies on the design of a compact
and effective mild gasifier that can produce synthesis gases with high energy
volatiles through a hybrid system: utilizing the features of both
entrained-flow and fluidized bed gasifiers. To aid in the design of the mild
gasifier, a computational model has been implemented to investigate the
thermal-flow and gasification process inside this mild gasifier using the
commercial CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) solver ANSYS/FLUENT. The
Eulerian-Eulerian method is employed to model both the primary phase (air) and
the secondary phase (coal particles). However, the Eulerian-Eulerian model used
in the software does not facilitate any built-in devolatilization model. The
objective of this study is therefore to implement a devolatilization model
(along with demoisturization) and incorporate it into the existing code. The Navier-Stokes
equations and seven species transport equations are solved with three
heterogeneous (gassolid) and two homogeneous (gas-gas) global gasification
reactions. Implementation of the complete model starts from adding
demoisturization first, then devolatilization, and then adding one chemical
equation at a time until finally all reactions are included in the multiphase
flow. The result shows that the demoisturization and devolatilization models
are successfully incorporated and a large amount of volatiles are preserved as
high-energy fuels in the syngas stream without being further cracked or reacted
into lighter gases. The overall results are encouraging but require future
experimental data for verification.
Free Full Text Source: http://file.scirp.org/Html/3-2380008_36046.htm
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"Most people
work just hard enough not to get fired
and get paid just enough money not to quit."--George Carlin
Review of Control Technologies for Mercury Emissions from Coal-Fired
Power Plants offers a succinct overview of mercury control technologies and the
recently promulgated MATS-Mercury and Air Toxics Standards.
///////
Review
of Control Technologies for Mercury Emissions from Coal-Fired Power Plants;
Plus, The connection of human health risks to mercury air emissions from coal-fired
power plants
Larry Gray
MANE 696H01 – Air and Water Pollution Prevention and Control, Rensselaer (RPI)
Hartford, Hartford, CT, USA
October 24, 2013
Introduction
Air pollutant control devices, such as electrostatic precipitators, fabric
filers and flue gas desulfurization units, used to control NOX, SO2 and
particulate matter are effective at removing the oxidized and particulate forms
of mercury. However, the vapor form of mercury has proven to be very difficult
to remove from the flue gas and extensive research has been devoted to
developing control technologies for this form of mercury in the flue gas. The
state-of-the-art control technologies of activated carbon injection and
enhanced or chemically-treated activated carbon injection are described in the
paper as mercury specific control options. The development of mercury emission
standards and regulation are described following the control technology
section. The final section of the paper reviews the status of mercury emissions
from an old coal-fired power plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut to provide a
local perspective to the review. Dispersion modeling will be applied to show
the downstream effects from emissions control technologies, again, from a local
perspective. There has been significant progress in developing control
technologies to reduce all three forms of mercury emissions.
Free Full Text Source: http://www.ewp.rpi.edu/hartford/~grayl3/AWPPCE/Air/Project/A_Review_of_Control_Technologies%20_for_Mercury_Emissions_from_Coal-Fired_Poweplants.pdf
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The author also provides a link to a page on the EPA website …
///////
On December 16, 2011, the EPA finalized
the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), to reduce emissions of mercury and
other toxic air pollutants from new and existing coal- and oilfired power
plants, (www.epa.gov/mats/powerplants.html
). This is the first national standard on Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPS) to
apply to power plants.
///////
“A bad review
is like baking a cake with all the best ingredients and having someone sit on
it” -- Danielle Steel
Electricity Framework 5 Year Review: Control Technologies
Review is very useful for getting up to speed on a broad range
of technologies designed to minimize the impact on the environment caused by
the generation of electricity.
Here is an excerpt …
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ERG No. 3689.00.001.001
Electricity Framework 5 Year Review: Control Technologies Review
Final Report
Prepared for Clean Air Strategic Alliance
Prepared by Eastern Research Group, Morruisville, NC
January 21, 2009
This document presents the results of a determination of the Best Available
Technology Economically Achievable (BACTEA) for multiple greenfield build
electricity generating technologies for use in the Province of Alberta, Canada,
as requested by the Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA). Existing retrofit technologies are not
assessed in this document.
The BACTEA analysis was conducted for control technologies used to reduce the
emissons of four pollutants: nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide
(SO2), particulate matter (PM), and mercury (Hg). Additionally, the energy requirements for any
control technologies analyzed were identified, and the resulting greenhouse gas
emissions were estimated. This document
also discusses future technologies, control techniques, and the use of
alternative fuels applicable to electric generating units.
The BACTEA determination was conducted for utility boilers and combustion
turbines that are 25 megawatts (MWJ) or greater in size. The determination was also conducted for
various fuels burned.
Free Full Text Source: http://www.assembly.ab.ca/lao/library/egovdocs/2009/ca6/casa/173276.pdf
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I think of doing
a series as very hard work. But then I've talked to coal miners, and that's really
hard work. --
William Shatner
My background is in the oil and gas industry, so my focus in this blog has been
on the desulfurization of petroleum products.
However, with this post I begin to explore the desulfurization of coal and coal
products. I have to admit that I am not
a big fan of coal. But I do understand
that the industrialized world will continue to use coal for quite some time.
That being the case, the development of technologies that will minimize the
environmental impact of the coal life cycle is critical.
Since I am not familiar with clean coal research, I began by searching Google®
Scholar for review literature. I used
the following search statement:
coal desulfurization
review
Here is one of the reviews resulting from the search, along with a couple of
excerpts …
///////
Proceedings of the Mini-Symposium “Coal
Based Fuel Cell Technology:
Status, Needs and Future Applications”. Morgantown WV, October 11-12, 2007
NMS_07_P07 31
A Review of Coal
Syngas Cleanup Technologies, Past Trace Contaminant Testing, and Future SOFC
Testing Activities at RTI
Jason Trembly (1), John Albritton (1), and Raghubir Gupta (1)
jtrembly@rti.org
1 RTI International, Center for Energy Technology, 3040 Cornwallis Road,
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, Tel: (919)-541-8033
INTRODUCTION
Advanced IGFC power systems have become of particular interest to the U.S. DOE
over recent years due to their potential to operate at efficiencies as high as
60 percent with CO2 capture [1]. In order for a gasifier to be integrated with
an SOFC in an IGFC power plant, the syngas must be cleaned of contaminants that
could damage the SOFC stack or contribute to environmental emissions. Syngas
contaminants that need to be removed before the SOFC stack include
particulates, sulfur gases (primarily H2S and COS), ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen
chloride, alkali, and heavy metals (Hg, As, Se and Cd). Conventional gas
cleaning is typically completed by scrubbing the syngas using chemical or
physical solvents that require cooling the gas to below 100ºF (10ºC). However,
the need to cool the gas to ambient temperature requires the use of additional
equipment (heat exchangers, knockout pots, condensate handling system, etc.).
In addition, the cooling of the gas, which must ultimately be reheated before
being sent to the fuel cell, introduces a thermodynamic penalty on the overall system.
The paper briefly highlights coal based SOFC testing areas which will need to
be addressed in the near future in order to develop high temperature trace
contaminant cleanup for IGFC power systems.
Free Full Text Source: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnift.wvu.edu%2FSymposium2007%2Fpapers%2FNMS_07_P07.pdf&ei=AtWlUs2FF4nIyAHtl4GADQ&usg=AFQjCNEpwA7HojeuAN3iq9ylo_6DQ93EqA&sig2=EAhSH2zfUZ8T5tcioiYRkA&bvm=bv.57752919,d.aWc&cad=rja
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“The Falklands
thing was a fight between two bald men over a comb.” -- Jorge Luis Borges (Argentinian Poet and
Essayist, 1899-1986)
TIP:
Comb conference programs for the names of
companies to search in Google Patents.
Take, for example, the Asia Refining
& Technologies Conference-ARTC 17th Annual Meeting,
scheduled for Singapore, 5-6 March 2014 (http://events.gtforum.com/artc-annual-meeting). Reading through the program, I noted a
category of presentations labeled “Residual Upgrading and Heavy Oil.”
I then searched several of the companies in Google Patents, using the following
search string pattern.
desulfurization OR dibenzothiophene inassignee:albemarle
Several interesting patents came up, including …
Catalytic cracking and hydroprocessing process for high
diesel yield with low aromatic content and/or high propylene yield
Take a look at the ARTC program and search for some of the other companies on
the presentation list.
“There's no master plan! I'm just gonna be me and
hope it all works out!” -- Britney Spears (American Singer. b.1981,
Kentwood, Louisiana, USA)
I ran across this eye opening article and thought that some of my readers might
be interested. I’ve quoted a few
paragraphs here … you can read the whole thing at http://www.shell.com/global/products-services/solutions-for-businesses/globalsolutions/special-supplements/co-create-integrate-innovate/sulphur-master-plan.html
///////
Developing
A Sulphur Master Plan.
By: Sathish Balasubramanian, Senior
Engineer, Shell India Markets Pvt. Ltd
Despite having a strong track record of applying innovative solutions to meet
environmental legislation, a South-East Asian refinery faced a particularly
severe challenge in 2006. The regulator that sets the environmental emissions
limits for the country’s industrial facilities had indicated that the
refinery’s emission limits were going to be acutely curtailed. The regulator
had been reducing SO2 emissions limits by 15% every three years, but now it was
warning of a step change. It was going to adopt the World Bank guidelines of
500 mg/Nm3 for fuel burning equipment and 150 mg/Nm3 for SRUs. As the SO2
emissions from the SRUs were, at the time, substantially higher at about 30,000
mg/Nm3, this would require a change in operating philosophy.
The refinery was already operating close to its current limits, so much so that
it had to process more expensive, low-sulphur crudes to avoid exceeding its
limit.
The challenge was exacerbated because the refinery had plans to install a new
hydrodesulphurisation unit to produce ULSD, as even better sulphur recovery
capabilities would be required.
Moreover, sulphur was not the only challenge. Although the plant’s carbon
monoxide (CO) emission limit was unlikely to change, the plant had difficulty
meeting its existing CO emissions limit because of the gas treating
configuration at that time. Any solution would have to factor this in as well.
The refinery’s response was to commission a sulphur master plan study. This involved
site technologists, and gas processing specialists and process engineers from
Shell Global Solutions. Working closely as an integrated on-site team, they
conducted brainstorming sessions and technology selection studies before
delivering detailed proposals for how the refinery could reduce its sulphur
emissions. The team also spearheaded the implementation of these proposals,
including the installation of new units.
Free Full Text Source: http://www.shell.com/global/products-services/solutions-for-businesses/globalsolutions/special-supplements/co-create-integrate-innovate/sulphur-master-plan.html
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Mr. Balasubramanian has a LinkedIn presence at http://in.linkedin.com/pub/sathish-balasubramanian/40/73a/2b4
“A man who pays
his bills on time is soon forgotten” -- Oscar Wilde (Irish
Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900)
Refinerlink (www.refinerlink.com) bills
itself as an "Oil Refiner Knowledge Portal." It is worth
bookmarking. It is a useful source of
information on events, jobs, discussions, blogs, and experts.
Here is an excerpt from a recent articles published on RefinerLink ...
///////
Truly Optimize FCC Gasoline Distillation
By Optimization Specialist
Robert (Nov 11, 2013)
This article uses FCC gasoline property optimization to discuss a complex
issue, and how to leverage cross-functional team-work to tackle the problem.
Light Cat Naphtha
We will begin our analysis by focusing on the Light Cat Naphtha stream. How many variables do you control related to
the LCN stream? If you are a process
engineer worth your salt, you will say at least half a dozen for this one
stream alone!
If this response surprises you, let’s work through my series of questions above
to frame the analysis.
1. What is the value of the molecules in the stream above?
A sub-optimal cut between Olefins and LCN will either leave too many olefins in
the LCN stream, or not enough. The value
of olefin stream above the LCN will be governed by downstream unit
capabilities, as well as market conditions.
Is there an alky unit downstream of the FCC, and if so, does the Alky
have capacity to take more feed?
Also, consider the type of Alky downstream of the FCC. If your refinery has a Sulfuric Alky, you have
greater ability to cut deeper in the olefin draw to capture C5= olefins. If your refinery has a HF Alky, olefin
recovery will be limited by acid strength concerns.
As for market conditions, you should next consider if it is summer or
winter. During the summer time,
Alkylation economics strength as isobutane prices deflate and the value of
octane strengthens.
2. What is the value of the molecules in the stream below?
Below the LCN stream is HCN. When
gasoline prices are above that of distillate prices, some refiners may be
indifferent to the LCN/HCN cutpoint distillation as both streams end up in
gasoline product. When distillate prices
are above that of gasoline, most refiners try to minimize the LCN endpoint to
maximize distillate production.
source: http://www.refinerlink.com/blog/Truly_Optimize_FCC_Gasoline_Distillation/
///////
Another site worth bookmarking is the Desulfurization Blog (www.desulf.blogspot.com) ... just
another of my time-saver hints.
“The axis of the
earth sticks out visibly through the centre of
each and every town or city.” -- Oliver Wendell Holmes (American
Physician, Poet, Writer, Humorist and Professor at Harvard, 1809-1894)
The next International Petroleum Technology Conference is scheduled for two
locations, on two different dates:
International Petroleum Technology Conference, 19-22 January 2014, Doha Qatar
The eighth International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC) will be held
10–12 December 2014 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
For more information on either event, go to:
http://www.iptcnet.org/2014/
“It is the framework which changes with each new technology and not just the
picture within the frame.” -- Marshall McLuhan (Canadian communications
theorist Educator, Writer and Social Reformer, 1911-1980)
Serious researchers know that the first step in any new area of research is to
see what has already been done. In other
words, it requires a search of the literature.
As an experienced researcher, you know how to conduct a comprehensive
literature search. But how about your research
assistant?
Save yourself some time and frustration … have your research assistant read the
following article. It is directed at
people in the Information Systems arena, but the basic principles are broadly
applicable.
///////
Excerpts
from:
Informing Science Journal Volume
9, 2006
A Systems
Approach to Conduct an Effective Literature Review in Support of Information
Systems Research
Yair Levy and Timothy J. Ellis
Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences,
Nova Southeastern University, Florida, USA
levyy@nova.edu ellist@nova.edu
Free Full Text Source: http://www.scs.ryerson.ca/aferworn/courses/CP8101/CLASSES/ConductingLiteratureReview.pdf
Abstract
This paper introduces a framework for conducting and writing an effective
literature review. The target audience for the framework includes information
systems (IS) doctoral students, novice IS researchers, and other IS researchers
who are constantly struggling with the development of an effective
literature-based foundation for a proposed research. The proposed framework
follows the systematic data processing approach comprised of three major
stages: 1) inputs (literature gathering and screening), 2) processing
(following Bloom’s Taxonomy), and 3) outputs (writing the literature review).
This paper provides the rationale for developing a solid literature review
including detailed instructions on how to conduct each stage of the process
proposed. The paper concludes by providing arguments for the value of an
effective literature review to IS research.
What is a Literature Review?
Novice researchers tend to approach the literature review as nothing more than
a collection of summaries of papers or an elaborated annotated bibliography of
multiple research manuscripts. A meaningful literature review is much more …
Webster and Watson defined an effective literature review as one that “creates
a firm foundation for advancing knowledge. It facilitates theory development,
closes areas where a plethora of research exists, and uncovers areas where
research is needed”
An effective and quality literature review is one that is based upon a
concept-centric approach rather than chronological or author-centric approach.
Bem noted that “authors of literature reviews are at risk for producing
mind-numbing lists of citations and findings that resemble a phone book –
impressive case, lots of numbers, but not much plot.”
With the increased use of electronic resources for library services, the speed
at which researchers can find relevant literature increased dramatically.
However, novice researchers should be fully competent in using such electronic
resources in order to produce an effective literature review.
Keyword searching presents a classic cold-start problem for the novice
researcher; how can one identify the applicable keywords for an unknown domain.
The best source for keywords is, of course, the literature base for the domain
and all articles reviewed should be read with an eye for potential keywords.
Locating the first article can, however, be a considerable challenge … The
keyword search should be just the initial, not the main step for a literature
search. A common mistake by novice researchers … is to assume that the keyword
search yields all that is available from the literature.
How to tell when you are done with the literature search? By default, the
literature search process should continuously be done during the course of the
study. As noted previously, the use of backward and forward literature search
techniques should provide additional valid references as the search progresses.
However, it may appear to novice researchers that this process is a never-ending
one. From a practical perspective, one needs to stop the search and move on to
the processing and writing (output) of the literature review. Thus, the
question arises: “At what point should the process of gathering additional
relevant literature end?” Leedy and Ormrod noted that one common rule of thumb
is that the search is near completion when one discovers that new articles only
introduce familiar arguments, methodologies, findings, authors, and studies.
///////
“Why can we
remember the tiniest detail that has happened to us, and not remember how many times we
have told it to the same person.” -- François de la Rochefoucauld (French
classical author, leading exponent of the Maxime, 1613-1680)
Two free full text desulfurization items of interest … a patent, and an article
from the amazing Hindawi (http://www.hindawi.com/)
open access journals database.
Details
below …
///////
PATENT
Desulfurization
of hydrocarbons by Ionic liquids and preparation of ionic liquids (Instituto
Mexicano Del Petroleo)
Publication number
US20130118955 A1
Publication type
Application
Application number
US 13/733,173
Publication date
May 16, 2013
DE102009022284A1, US20090288992
Inventors
Natalya Victorovna Likhanova, Rafael Martinez Palou, Jorge Froylan Palomeque
Santiago
Original Assignee
Instituto Mexicano Del Petroleo
Abstract
The
present invention relates to an improved desulfurization process using an ionic
liquid compound of general formula C+A−, where C+ represents an organic cation
such as alkyl-pyridinium, di-alkyl imidazolium and tri-alkyl imidazolium; and
A− is an anion of halides of iron (III), such as, for example, FeCl4 −. The
desulfurization process is also improved when producing the ionic liquid
compound by heating the reactants using microwave energy. The ionic liquids can
be used to desulfurize hydrocarbon mixtures by a liquid-liquid extraction.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides a process for the synthesis of ionic liquids which can
be used for the efficient removal of sulfur compounds from hydrocarbon
mixtures. The ionic liquids related are insoluble in hydrocarbons but are able
to dissolve aliphatic and aromatic sulfur compounds. Thus, the ionic liquids
can be used for removal of sulfur compounds by a liquid-liquid extraction
process at room temperature and pressure. The invention is also directed to a
process for extracting sulfur from a hydrocarbon liquid by contacting the
hydrocarbon with the ionic liquid.
More preferably, this invention is related to the synthesis of ionic liquids
with general formula C+A−, where C+ is an organic cation preferably but not
exclusively alkyl pyridinium, dialkylimidazolium, and trialkylimidazolium, the
anion A− is preferably halogen ferrate (III), particularly Cl*FeCl3 − and
Br*FeCl3. The invention is also directed to the process for the extraction of
sulfur-containing compounds, such as sulfur compound that are present in
gasoline and Diesel as contaminant obtained in petroleum refining processes by
contacting with the ionic liquids.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The production of gasoline according with the new European Environmental
Standards requires that the refiners to lower the sulfur content in gasoline to
values that are lower than 50 ppm since 2005. For example in Germany he content
of sulfur in gasoline should be lower than 10 ppm. For the case of USA the
content of sulfur is limited to lowest than 80 ppm and with average of 30 ppm.
In attention to this claims, PEMEX Refining should be produce gasoline with
sulfur content between 15 and 30 ppm for the years 2008-2010.
The classic method used for sulfur removal in Refining Processes is the
catalytic Hydrodesulfurization (HDS technology) at high temperature and
pressure. This method is very costly process that required drastic operation
conditions and it is inefficient to reduce aromatic sulfur compounds especially
for Mexican heavy crude oil, so is more reasonable the use of alternative
desulfurization process. For increasing the efficiency of HDS process some
technology modification are required such as the addition of other catalytic
bed, more efficient catalyst, higher temperature and pressures and to reduce
LHSV to expense of few processing capacity.
New technologic lines have been develop on in several countries in order to
resolve this problem (Zaczepinski, S. Exxon, Diesel Oil Deep Desulfurization
(DODD) in Handbook of Petroleum Refining Processes, ed. R. A. Meyer, Mc
Graw-Hill, NY, 1996, Ch. 8.7), i.e.: the absorption of sulfur compounds over
solid absorbents, like IRVAD® process (U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,860, dated Mar. 24,
1998) from Black & Veatch Pritchard Inc.; the process S-Zorb® from Phillips
Petroleum (http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/ulsd/uls.html), the process
Haldor Topsoe (EP 1057879, dated Dec. 6, 2000); and the liquid-liquid
extraction with volatile organic solvents (Petrostar Refining, 217 National
Meeting, American Chemical Society, Anaheim, Calif., Marzo, 1999). An original
process is the oxidative desulfurization with different oxidant agents (Unipure
Corp., NPRA Meeting No AM-01-10, Marzo 2001; Sulphco Corp, NPRA Meeting No
AM-01-55, March 2001; BP Chemicals UK, Journal of Molecular Catalysis A:
Chemical (1997) 397-403; UOP LLC, U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,478, dated Jan. 9, 2001;
EXXON Research and Engineering Co., U.S. Pat. No. 5,910,440, dated Jun. 8,
1999; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0035306 A1 with publication date of Mar.
21, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,596,914 B2, dated Jul. 22, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,616,
dated Jun. 18, 2002 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,940 B1 dated Jun. 11, 2002; Fuel 82
(2003) 4015; Green Chemistry 5 (2003) 639). Recently the extraction of
sulfur-containing compounds using liquid-liquid extraction employing ionic
liquids have been welcome by scientific community.
Ionic liquids are known for more than 30 years, but their industrial
applications began in the last 10 years (Rogers, R. D.; Seddon, K. R (Eds.),
Ionic Liquids: Industrial Applications of Green Chemistry, ACS, Boston, 2002).
They are applied as solvents and catalyst in alkylation reactions,
polymerization and Diels-Alder cycloaddition. In addition they are employed in
electrochemical processes, in supercritical CO2 extraction of aromatic
compounds and sulfur compounds in hydrocarbon mixtures. One of the first
publications mention the use of ionic liquids for the removal of mercaptans (WO
0234863, dated May 2, 2002). The patented method is based on the use of sodium
hydroxide in combination with ionic liquids for the conversion of mercaptans to
mercaptures, which were removed using ionic liquids. Peter Wassercheid and
coworkers published several papers and patents between 2001 and 2005 about the
use of ionic liquids for desulfurization of gasolines (Chem. Comun. (2001)
2494; WO 03037835, with publication date of 2003 May 8; U.S. Publication No.
2005/0010076 A1, published Jan. 13, 2005). In these works the authors employed
ionic liquids with C+ being 1,3-dialkylimidazolium or tetralkylammonium, and A−
being tetrachloroaluminates or methanesulfonates. By means of a process with
several extractions (up to 8 extractions), high extraction of sulfur compounds
were achieved using model gasolines. However these kinds of compounds are air
and moisture sensitive and a polymerization reaction was observed during the
extraction process. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0085156 A1 published May
8, 2003 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,001,504, dated Feb. 21, 2006, also mention the use
of ionic liquids, where C+ is an ammonium o fosfonium and quaternary, A− being
tetrachloroaluminates for the extraction of sulfur from model gasoline. In the
paper published in Energy & Fuels 18 (2004) 1862, the use of ionic liquids
containing Copper chloride (I) anion with the same application, and in the
papers Ind Eng. Chem. Res. 43 (2004) 614 and Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 46 (2007)
5108-5112) several ionic liquids were evaluated for the extraction of sulfur
and nitrogen-containing compounds. More recently, some papers (Energy &
Fuels 20 (2006) 2083-2087; Green Chemistry 8 (2006) 70-77; Progress in
chemistry 19 (2007) 1331-1344; Green Chemistry 10 (2008) 87-92) also report the
use of IL for desulfurization processes. U.S. Patent Publication No.
2004/00445874 A1, published Mar. 11, 2004, discloses a procedure for
desulfurization and denitrogenation of hydrocarbons fractions using a wide
family of ionic liquids and alkylations agents with high efficiency in some
cases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to the use of ionic liquids containing
halogens of Fe (III) as an anion for these purposes, where these compounds
presented very high efficiency for extracting sulfur-containing compounds from
gasoline, turbosin, diesel and other petroleum fractions. Another important and
novel aspect of the invention is the use of microwave irradiation for
synthesizing the ionic liquids suitable for use as extracting agents (symmetric
and non-symmetric compounds) with a corresponding shorter time and higher
yields in the synthesis of these ionic liquids compared to the conventional
methods of synthesis.
The invention is also directed to a process for extracting sulfur and sulfur
compounds from a sulfur-containing hydrocarbon liquid by contacting the
hydrocarbon liquid with an ionic liquid of the invention for sufficient time to
extract the sulfur and sulfur-containing compounds, and thereafter recovering
the hydrocarbon liquid.
The ionic liquids of the invention comprise a heterocyclic cation and an iron
(III) halide. The heterocyclic cation is an imidazolium compound having at
least one C1-C10 alkyl group or alkoxy group where the alkyl group and alkoxy
group can be linear, branched, substituted or unsubstituted. The heterocyclic
cation can be symmetrical or asymmetrical.
Free Full Text Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US20130118955
///////
International Journal of Chemical Engineering,
Volume 2013, Article ID 951045, 10 pages, http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/951045
Investigation of Influential Parameters in Deep
Oxidative Desulfurization of Dibenzothiophene with Hydrogen Peroxide and Formic Acid
Alireza Haghighat Mamaghani, Shohreh Fatemi,
andMehrdad Asgari
shfatemi@ut.ac.ir
School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran,
Enghelab Avenue, P.O. Box 11155-4563, Tehran 11155-4563, Iran
Abstract
An effective oxidative system consisting of
hydrogen peroxide, formic acid, and sulfuric acid followed by an extractive
stage were implemented to remove dibenzothiophene in the simulated fuel oil.
The results revealed such a great performance in the case of H2O2 in the
presence of formic and sulfuric acids that led to the removal of sulfur
compounds. Sulfuric acid was employed to increase the acidity of media as well
as catalytic activity together with formic acid. The oxidation reaction was
followed by a liquid-liquid extraction stage using acetonitrile as a polar
solvent to remove produced sulfones from the model fuel. The impact of
operating parameters including the molar ratio of formic acid to sulfur
(nF/nS), hydrogen peroxide to sulfur (nO/nS), and the time of reaction was
investigated using Box-Behnken experimental design for oxidation of the model
fuel. A significant quadratic model was introduced for the sulfur removal as a
function of effective parameters by the statistic analysis.
Using hydrogen peroxide with an acid has been
widely investigated by several researchers. However, to the best knowledge of
the authors, there are few studies which are concerned with optimizing the
process parameters. The objective of the present work is to develop an
efficient system for oxidative desulfurization of model fuel. ODS of
dibenzothiophene (DBT) in n-octane as simulated fuel was performed in the
presence of H2O2, formic acid, and H2SO4 as the oxidation system. After the
oxidation step, a twostep liquid-liquid extraction with acetonitrile was
applied to remove the oxidated sulfur compounds from the model fuel. Influences
of operating conditions including H2O2/S molar ratio, acid formic/S molar
ratio, oxidation duration time, and mediumaciditywere examined.Theextraction
step was carried out at the same conditions in all experiments. Box-Behnken
experimental design was implemented as a kind of response surface methodology
(RSM) to arrange the experiments and develop amodel to explain the
relationships of sulfur removal and the studied parameters and finally optimize
the operating conditions.
Free Full Text Source: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijce/2013/951045/abs/
“Ideas are elusive, slippery things. Best to keep a pad of paper and a pencil
at your bedside, so you can stab them during the night before they get away.”
-- Earl Nightingale (US motivational writer and author, 1921-1989)
PTQ- Petroleum Technology Quarterly
(http://www.eptq.com/) offers consistently
high value articles written by experts in specific areas. Usually the articles conclude with a list of
cited references. Typically, the citations do not include the title of the
referenced article. Without the title,
you may not want to take the time and money to locate and read the referenced
article.
Today’s tip:
Copy the citation and paste it into a
Google® search. Usually, this will take
you to a source that does include the article’s title.
Here is an example …
Cross, C. (2013, Q 4). High-acid crude processing enabled by unique use of
computational fluid dynamics. Petroleum
Technology Quarterly, pp. 39-49
The cited references in this PTQ article include the following cite …
Derungs W A, Corrosion, 1956, 12, (12), 41
To find the title …
Google®: Derungs
W A, Corrosion, 1956, 12, (12), 41
You will find a more complete citation in ...
Naphthenic Acid Corrosion Review
Derungs, W.A., "Naphthenic
Acid Corrosion – An Old Enemy Of The Petroleum Industry",
Corrosion, 12(2), 41(1956).
source: http://www.setlaboratories.com/nac/tabid/79/Default.aspx.
With the title, you have more information to decide whether it is worth your
effort to find and read the cited article.
By the way, following the Desulfurization Blog (www.desulf.blogspot.com) requires no
effort … and yields big benefits.
“Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily
available, they will create their own problems.” -- Scott Adams
(American Cartoonist, b.1957)
Are you a researcher seeking a publishing venue? Here is a site that might be worth exploring …
///////
WikiCFP
A
Wiki for Calls for Papers
WikiCFP is a semantic wiki for Calls For Papers in science and
technology fields. There are about 30,000 CFPs on WikiCFP. Over 100,000
researchers use WikiCFP each month.
http://www.wikicfp.com/cfp/
///////
Example:a search for “petroleum”
results in …
NAHE 2014 – Newest Advances in
Hydrocarbon Engineering,
March 6, 2014, Angiers, France
Submission deadline:
December 17, 2013
Check it out. And tell your friends and
colleagues to check out the Desulfurization Blog (www.desulf.blogspot.com)
“The trouble with
talking too fast is you may say something you haven't thought of yet.” -- Ann
Landers (American Advice columnist, 1918-2002)
The Sulphur 2013
International Conference & Exhibition, 04 - 07 November 2013 -
InterContinental Miami, USA is coming up fast.
According to the Conference Web …
///////
“Sulphur 2013 will bring together
representatives from a wide variety of disciplines within the industries which
produce and use sulphur and sulphuric acid from all over the world. The three
day programme will review the status of the world sulphur and sulphuric acid
industries and markets and their prospects. Showing alongside the conference
will be a large scale exhibition of products, technology, equipment and
literature for the sulphur and sulphuric acid industries.”
source: http://www.crugroup.com/events/sulphur/
///////
Thanks to an email alert from Hydrocarbon Engineering (http://www.energyglobal.com/magazines/latestissue/hydrocarbon-engineering.aspx). The current issue includes a Sulphur Show
preview.
“I finally know
what distinguishes man from the other beasts: financial
worries” -- Jules Renard (French Writer, 1864-1910)
Today’s Tip: Use patent databases in tandem with financial databases … and teach your
colleagues to do the same
I found the following patent, which seemed interesting enough to explore the
patent’s assignee, MEG Energy Corp. in Hoover’s (www.hoovers.com), a Dun & Bradstreet
database. The information you find about
a company in a financial database can help determine how likely the patent is
to be worth studying.
///////
Pub. No.: WO/2013/106897 International Application No.: PCT/CA2012/000049
Publication Date: 25.07.2013
International Filing Date: 17.01.2012
Low Complexity,
High Yield Conversion Of Heavy Hydrocarbons
Applicants: MEG ENERGY CORP.
[CA/CA]; 11th Floor 520 - 3rd Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta T2P 0R3 (CA)
Abstract:
A process for producing pipeline-ready or refinery-ready feedstock from heavy
hydrocarbons using a high-performance solvent extraction process with high
local solvent-to-process fluid ratios yet maintaining low overall solvent-
to-process fluid ratios, by first performing mild thermal cracking on the heavy
hydrocarbons and then separating asphaltene-rich fractions from a resulting
thermally affected fluid so that the high solvent-to-oil ratio portion of the
process acts only on those asphaltene-rich fractions, and producing a dry,
solid asphaltene as an end-product.
source: http://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/WO2013106897
///////
Here’s what I found in Hoover’s …
///////
MEG Energy Corp.
Calgary, AB Canada
Toronto MEG
520 3rd Ave. Sw, 11th Fl.
Calgary T2P 0R3 AB
Canada
Phone: +1-403-770-0446
Fax: +1-403-264-1711
http://www.megenergy.com
The snowy Athabasca oil sands of
northern Alberta are a real day at the beach for MEG Energy. The company
produces 26,000 barrels per day of bitumen, a tar-like form of crude oil, from
its property at Christina Lake. The 850-sq.-mi. property is undergoing an
expansion to increase production by another 35,000 barrels per day. MEG Energy
also owns a 100% working interest in 32 sq. miles of undeveloped land in
Surmont, located about 30 miles from Christina Lake, as well as 750 sq. mi. of
oil sands leases in other properties across the region. Altogether the company
reports 1.9 billion barrels of proved plus probable reserves. MEG Energy was
founded in 1999 and went public in 2010, raising $700 million in its IPO.
2012
Profitability
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MEG
Energy
|
Cenovus
|
Suncor
|
Industry
Median
|
Market
Median1
|
Gross
Profit Margin
|
81.87%
|
24.93%
|
53.26%
|
56.06%
|
33.78%
|
Pre-Tax
Profit Margin
|
-9.51%
|
6.50%
|
12.19%
|
11.17%
|
9.75%
|
Net
Profit Margin
|
-9.59%
|
3.02%
|
7.17%
|
3.90%
|
6.65%
|
Return
on Equity
|
-2.38%
|
5.23%
|
7.02%
|
3.08%
|
10.86%
|
Return
on Assets
|
-1.42%
|
2.20%
|
3.62%
|
1.40%
|
2.04%
|
Return
on Invested Cap
|
-2.98%
|
1.19%
|
4.50%
|
2.05%
|
5.97%
|
source: Hoover's (www.hoovers.com)
///////
“An original idea. That can't be too hard. The library must be full of
them.” -- Stephen John Fry (born 1957) English actor, screenwriter,
author, playwright, journalist, poet, and comedian
Global Technology Forum (GTF) (http://events.gtforum.com/artc-annual-meeting/static/home)
has issued a call for papers for ARTC (Asian Refining Technology Conference) 17th Annual
Meeting, to be held 5 & 6 March 2014 in Singapore.
I discovered the call for papers thanks to an email I received from GTF. Here are details from the email …
///////
Global Technology
Forum is delighted to announce that the “call for papers” is now open
for the ARTC 17th Annual Meeting.
ARTC is the leading downstream industry event serving the Asia region. The
event will bring together senior refining and petrochemical professionals to
discuss the latest technological developments, regulatory changes and
operational challenges facing the downstream sector. Attendees will include
heads of refining, technical and operational management as well as process and
technical engineers.
Global Technology Forum has again commissioned an advisory board for ARTC
comprising of industry experts to make the paper selections for the conference.
You are now invited to submit one or two original papers for this conference.
Acceptance criteria will be based on originality, technical innovation and
relevance to industry concerns. At this stage, the only requirements are a
working title, subject area and brief description of the proposed content
(typically a 200 word abstract will suffice).
Deadline for paper submissions: Friday 11 October
Some suggested hot topics for the ARTC agenda are as follows but are not
restricted to:
Best practices in the use of LP for optimisation of refinery units for higher
yields
Impacts of potentially cheap feed in shale gas / shale oil at western
refineries
Addressing export risks for Asia n refiners
Retaining existing markets and capturing new ones
Solutions to rising energy and operational costs
Process optimisation/revamp cases in petrochemical plants
Determining operating models and levels of integration across the value chain
Joint-venture refineries in China as a growing trend
Heat and utility integration in combined cycle plants
Changing dynamics of petrochemicals and mega refineries reverse-integration
Availability and viability of alternative biofuels
How will the IMO maritime affect ASEAN refiners
Energy management systems and trends
How is demand and use of clean fuels changing end user requirements?
Developments in Gas to Liquids (GTL) technology
Advanced materials for pipeline protection and rehabilitation
Asset integrity and lifecycle maintenance with maximum up time
Trends in gasoline and diesel upgrading
Preference will be given to papers giving case histories and actual operating
experience. We would be pleased to receive abstracts from supply companies that
are co-authored with refining companies.
For more information about the ARTC please visit the website where you will
find regular updates as well as details of our other events: http://events.gtforum.com/artc-annual-meeting/static/home
Please send abstracts to adam.thompson@gtforum.com
by 11th October 2013.
///////
Follow
the Desulfurization Blog (www.desulf.blogspot.com) for a
continuing stream of tips and tricks to help you navigate the vastness of the
Web … and tell your colleagues about the Blog.
