2,312 Search Results

Decommissioning or cleanup of a nuclear facility or after a nuclear accident requires detailed knowledge of the type, distribution and amount of nuclear isotopes. Gamma spectroscopy is a technique that can provide this information in situ, using the energy deposited by incident photons into the spectrometer. However, the high precision needed limits the speed of measurement. In this work, we present a novel technique to achieve fast, precise measurements, employing a multi-detector system with a fast readout which is suitable for high radiation environments. (authors)

Nickel-based catalysts have been widely tested in decomposing tar and methane in hot biomass syngas cleanup researches. However these catalysts can be easily deactivated by the sulfur compounds in syngas due to the strong sulfur adsorption effect on the Ni surface. Here we report on a new regeneration process, which can effectively and efficiently regenerate the sulfur-poisoned Ni reforming catalysts. This process consists of four sequential treatments: 1) controlled oxidation at 750oC in 1% O2, 2) decomposition at 900oC in Ar, 3) reduction at 900oC in 2% H2, and 4) reaction at 900oC under reforming condition. The duration of this 4-step regeneration process is only about 8 hours, which is shorter than that of the conventional steaming regeneration treatment.

Calcium oxide based materials are attractive regenerable absorbents for separating CO{sub 2} from hot gas streams because of their high reactivity, high CO{sub 2} capacity, and low material cost. Their high carbonation temperature makes it possible to recover and use high quality heat released during CO{sub 2} capture, which increases overall process efficiency. However, the performance of all reported CaO-based absorbents deteriorates as the number of carbonation-decarbonation cycles increases. This is caused by absorbent sintering during the highly exothermic carbonation process. We have found that sintering can be effectively mitigated by properly mixing with a modest amount of MgO. A class of CaO-based absorbents with improved durability and CO{sub 2} reactivity were prepared by physical mixing of Ca(CH{sub 3}COO){sub 2} with small MgO particles followed by high temperature calcination. With 26 wt % MgO content, a CaO-MgO mixture prepared by this method gives as high as 53 wt % CO{sub 2} capacity after 50 carbonation-decarbonation cycles at 758{sup o}C. Without MgO addition, the CO{sub 2} capacity of pure CaO obtained from the same source decreases from 66 wt % for the first cycle to 26 wt % for the 50th cycle under the same test conditions.

The sulfidation behaviors of iron-based sorbent with MgO and MgO-TiO{sub 2} are studied under different isothermal conditions from 623 to 873 K in a fixed bed reactor. The results of sorbents sulfidation experiments indicate that the sorbents with MgO and TiO{sub 2} additives are more attractive than those without additives for desulfurization of hot coal gas. The sulfur capacity (16.17, 18.45, and 19.68 g S/100 g sorbent) of M1F, M3F, and M5F sorbent containing 1, 3, and 5% MgO, respectively, is obviously bigger than that (15.02 g S/100 g sorbent) of M0F without additive. The feasible sulfidation temperature range for M3F sorbent is 773-873 K. The M3F sorbent is optimally regenerated at the temperature of 873 K, under the gas containing 2% oxygen, 15% steam and N{sub 2}, in the space velocity of 2500 h{sup -1}. The sorbent regenerated is also well performed in the second sulfidation (the effective sulfur capacities of 17.98 g S/100 g sorbents and the efficiency of removal sulfur of 99%). The capacity to remove sulfur decreases with steam content increasing in feeding gas from 0 to 10%, but it can restrain the formation of carbon and iron carbide. The addition of TiO{sub 2} in sorbent can shift the optimal sulfidation temperature lower. The iron-based sorbent with 3% MgO and 10% TiO{sub 2} (MFT) is active to the deep removal of H{sub 2}S and COS, especially in the temperature range of 673-723 K. The sulfur removal capacity of MFT sorbent is 21.60 g S/100 g sorbent. 16 refs., 12 figs., 8 tabs.

Abstract: The method of using Moessbauer spectroscopy at room temperature was applied to assign the iron sites in one fresh zinc ferrite sample ZF with (1:1) concentration of their component oxides and calcined at 900C as well as its sulfurization derivatives at 750C in different coal gas of composition 0.5% H{sub 2}S + 0.5% H{sub 2}; 0.5% H{sub 2}S + 10% H{sub 2}; 0.5% H{sub 2}S + 25% H{sub 2}, and 0.5% H{sub 2}S + 10% H{sub 2}O (v). The most important iron phase obtained in the sulfurized samples, was pyrrhotite, Fe1-xS that exhibit three well different ional sextets. From the peak area and the associated magnetic hyperfine fields, the average magnetic field was calculated and indicates lowering in the number of iron vacancies whereas x is close to 0.

Mixed metal oxide containing iron with the high-sulfur capacity and reactivity is considered as one of the most favorable sorbents for desulfurization in hot gas. The stability and life of iron-based sorbents are the main challenges for the hot gas cleanup techniques. Not only the effect of gas atmosphere but also the effect of ZnO and MgO on the stability of iron-based sorbent was studied in this work. The mechanism and factors influencing sorbent stability are discussed. The results showed that the coexistence of CO and H{sub 2} result in the instability of the zinc-iron-based sorbents. The reaction of carbon deposit is the crucial step affecting the stability of sorbent for hot gas desulfurization. ZnO in the sorbent is adverse to the physical stability of the iron-based sorbents. MgO in the sorbent hardly affects the physical stability of the iron-based sorbents but improves the capacity of removing the hydrogen sulfide from hot coal gas at 773 K. 12 refs., 8 figs., 5 tabs.

The research was directed towards a sorbent injection/particle removal process where a sorbent may be injected upstream of the warm gas cleanup system to scavenge Hg and other trace metals, and removed (with the metals) within the warm gas cleanup process. The specific objectives of this project were to understand and quantify, through fundamentally based models, mechanisms of interaction between mercury vapor compounds and novel paper waste derived (kaolinite + calcium based) sorbents (currently marketed under the trade name MinPlus). The portion of the research described first is the experimental portion, in which sorbent effectiveness to scavenge metallic mercury (Hg{sup 0}) at high temperatures (>600 C) is determined as a function of temperature, sorbent loading, gas composition, and other important parameters. Levels of Hg{sup 0} investigated were in an industrially relevant range ({approx} 25 {micro}g/m{sup 3}) although contaminants were contained in synthetic gases and not in actual flue gases. A later section of this report contains the results of the complementary computational results.

A ZnO-based sorbent, ZAC 32N, applicable to transport reactors was successfully prepared by the spray-drying technique. Another sorbent, ZAC 32SU, was prepared by scale-up preparation of ZAC 32N sorbent. The physical properties of the sorbents such as attrition resistance, specific surface area, pore volume, and particle size were extensively characterized and exhibited a good potential for use in transport applications. The chemical reactivity tested in the thermogravimetric analyzer and microreactor exhibited desirable characteristics for effective desulfurization of syngas streams in the range of 450-550{sup o}C. Bench-scale tests for the sorbent ZAC 32SU were performed for a continuous 160 h with a steady solid circulation of 54.6 kg/h. The results showed 99.5%+ desulfurization at 500-550{sup o}C and reasonable regenerability at 550-620{sup o}C. Test results on the physical properties and chemical reactivity indicated that the performance of developed sorbents proved to be outstanding.

The development of alternative technologies for the removal of gas pollutants is an important aspect for the environmental friendliness of energy production. During coal gasification, N{sub 2} contained in coal is converted to NH{sub 3} and, as much as 50% of the ammonia in the fuel gas can be converted to nitrogen oxides (NOx). At these conditions, decomposition seems to be the only applicable solution for the removal of NH{sub 3}. The application of a high temperature catalytic membrane reactor process appears to offer an efficient and cost effective method of removing the NH{sub 3} from coal gasification gas streams. The present work examines the operation of such a selective membrane, used for the decomposition of NH{sub 3}, under a 2-D axissymetric CFD approach where the flow field, the chemical reactions and the selective porous membrane behavior are being modeled and computed. The main target of this effort was to obtain a more detailed view of the flow field and to investigate the decomposition of ammonia in comparison with a simpler 1-D modeling approach and, thus, to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

No abstract prepared.