Quarterly report on Phase 1 of a phase fraction meter for the Solvent Refined Coal (SRC1) facility at Wilsonville, Alabama
This report concludes the first phase of the research and development of a three-phase fraction meter for the monitoring of the coal liquefaction process. The objectives of Phase I were to: identify all state-of-art techniques pertinent to instrument development and assess their capabilities and limitations; and choose the most promising technique and perform the requisite benchmark experiments and sensitivity calculations to demonstrate concept feasibility. Nuclear, electromagnetic, physical/chemical, acoustic, and ultrasonic techniques were investigated for this application. Radiation (High Energy Gamma, Low Energy Gamma, and neutron moderation) gauging was identified as the prominent technique for the development of the instrument. The initial experiments and extensive sensitivity calculations performed show the following results: All three radiation gauging techniques mentioned above exhibit strong responses to phase fraction flow-regime, and bulk density changes. An instrument employing a dual energy gamma gauge can successfully identify liquid, ash, and gas fractions when density and stoichiometric compositions are known within reasonable bounds. An additional neutron moderation channel may provide further knowledge of the unreacted coal fraction as better values of the carbon to hydrogen ratios become available. SAI recommends the building and installation of a prototype Dual Energy Gamma Gauge at the preheater exit of the SRC I plant at Wilsonville, Alabama. This system will serve as the first version of the 3-phase fraction meter. Its operational characteristics, when on-line, are expected to provide invaluable information about the process itself and further improvement in its accuracy. Furthermore, its components can be structurally modified to be useful at other pipe locations of the process loop. 12 figs., 4 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Science Applications, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC22-82PC50031
- OSTI ID:
- 5814915
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/PC/50031-T2; ON: DE85012995
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Development of a solid/liquid/gas phase fraction meter: Final report
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Related Subjects
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DENSIMETERS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
DESIGN
RADIOMETRIC GAGES
SRC PROCESS
MONITORING
ASHES
BULK DENSITY
FLOWSHEETS
GAMMA SOURCES
GASES
LIQUIDS
NEUTRON SOURCES
ON-LINE MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS
RECOMMENDATIONS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
DENSITY
DIAGRAMS
FLUIDS
ON-LINE SYSTEMS
PARTICLE SOURCES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATION SOURCES
RESIDUES
010405* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Hydrogenation & Liquefaction
440105 - Radiation Instrumentation- Radiometric Instruments- (-1987)