No description available.

Production in Canada’s oil sands has been increasing, with a projected rate of 4.5 million barrels per day by 2025. Two production techniques are currently used, mining and in-situ, with the latter projected to constitute ~57% of all production by that time. Although in-situ extraction methods such as Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) are less invasive than mining, they result in more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per barrel and require large amounts of water that must be treated and recycled with a make-up water requirement of about 10%. CanmetENERGY is developing a steam generation technology called the High Pressure Oxy-fired Direct Contact Steam Generator (HiPrOx/DCSG, or DCSG for short) that will reduce these water requirements and sequester GHGs. This study evaluates the technical feasibility of this technology using process simulations, bench-scale testing, and pilot-scale testing. At first, a method in which to integrate the DCSG into the SAGD process was presented and process modeling of expected system performance was undertaken. The process simulations indicated that DCSG decreased the energy intensity of SAGD by up to 7.6% compared to the base SAGD case without carbon capture and storage (CCS), and up to 12.0% compared to the base SAGD case with CCS. Bench-scale testing was then performed using a pressurized thermogravimetric analyzer (PTGA) in order to investigate the effects of increased pressure and high moisture environments on a Canadian lignite coal char’s reactivity. It was found that under reaction kinetic-controlled conditions at atmospheric pressure, the increased addition of steam led to a reduction in burning time. The findings may have resulted from the lower heat capacity and higher thermal conductivity of steam compared to CO2. At increased pressures, CO2 inhibited burnout due to its higher heat capacity, lower thermal conductivity, and its effect on C(O) concentrations on the particle surface. When steam was added, the inhibiting effects of CO2 were counteracted, resulting in burnout rates similar to pressurized O2/N2 environments. These preliminary results suggested that the technology was feasible at a bench-scale level. Conflicting literature between bench-scale and pilot-scale studies indicated that pilot-scale testing would be advantageous as a next step. At the pilot-scale, testing was performed using n-butanol, graphite slurry, and n-butanol/graphite slurry mixtures covering lower and upper ends in fuel reactivity. It was found that stable combustion was attainable, with high conversion efficiencies in all cases. With the n-butanol, it was possible to achieve low excess oxygen requirements, which minimizes corrosion issues and reduce energy requirements associated with oxygen generation. With graphite slurry, it was found that it was possible to sustain combustion in these high moisture environments and that high conversion was achieved as indicated by the undetectable levels of carbonaceous materials observed in downstream equipment. Overall, these studies indicate that DCSG is technically feasible from the perspectives of energy and combustion efficiencies as well as from a steam generation point of view. Future work includes the investigation of possible corrosion associated with the product gas, the effect of CO2 on bitumen production, the nature of the mineral melt formed by the deposition of the dissolved and suspended solids from the water in the combustor, and possible scaling issues in the steam generator and piping associated with mineral deposits from the dissolved and suspended solids in the produced water is recommended.

Production in Canada’s oil sands has been increasing, with a projected rate of 4.5 million barrels per day by 2025. Two production techniques are currently used, mining and in-situ, with the latter projected to constitute ~57% of all production by that time. Although in-situ extraction methods such as Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) are less invasive than mining, they result in more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per barrel and require large amounts of water that must be treated and recycled with a make-up water requirement of about 10%. CanmetENERGY is developing a steam generation technology called the High Pressure Oxy-fired Direct Contact Steam Generator (HiPrOx/DCSG, or DCSG for short) that will reduce these water requirements and sequester GHGs. This study evaluates the technical feasibility of this technology using process simulations, bench-scale testing, and pilot-scale testing. At first, a method in which to integrate the DCSG into the SAGD process was presented and process modeling of expected system performance was undertaken. The process simulations indicated that DCSG decreased the energy intensity of SAGD by up to 7.6% compared to the base SAGD case without carbon capture and storage (CCS), and up to 12.0% compared to the base SAGD case with CCS. Bench-scale testing was then performed using a pressurized thermogravimetric analyzer (PTGA) in order to investigate the effects of increased pressure and high moisture environments on a Canadian lignite coal char’s reactivity. It was found that under reaction kinetic-controlled conditions at atmospheric pressure, the increased addition of steam led to a reduction in burning time. The findings may have resulted from the lower heat capacity and higher thermal conductivity of steam compared to CO2. At increased pressures, CO2 inhibited burnout due to its higher heat capacity, lower thermal conductivity, and its effect on C(O) concentrations on the particle surface. When steam was added, the inhibiting effects of CO2 were counteracted, resulting in burnout rates similar to pressurized O2/N2 environments. These preliminary results suggested that the technology was feasible at a bench-scale level. Conflicting literature between bench-scale and pilot-scale studies indicated that pilot-scale testing would be advantageous as a next step. At the pilot-scale, testing was performed using n-butanol, graphite slurry, and n-butanol/graphite slurry mixtures covering lower and upper ends in fuel reactivity. It was found that stable combustion was attainable, with high conversion efficiencies in all cases. With the n-butanol, it was possible to achieve low excess oxygen requirements, which minimizes corrosion issues and reduce energy requirements associated with oxygen generation. With graphite slurry, it was found that it was possible to sustain combustion in these high moisture environments and that high conversion was achieved as indicated by the undetectable levels of carbonaceous materials observed in downstream equipment. Overall, these studies indicate that DCSG is technically feasible from the perspectives of energy and combustion efficiencies as well as from a steam generation point of view. Future work includes the investigation of possible corrosion associated with the product gas, the effect of CO2 on bitumen production, the nature of the mineral melt formed by the deposition of the dissolved and suspended solids from the water in the combustor, and possible scaling issues in the steam generator and piping associated with mineral deposits from the dissolved and suspended solids in the produced water is recommended.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo o desenvolvimento de catalisadores mássicos à base de óxidos mistos de cobalto, manganês e alumínio, para a decomposição de peróxido de hidrogênio comercial, 70% em massa, e consequente geração de vapor d\'água. A síntese dos materiais foi realizada por coprecipitação em meio básico. Durante a reação foram sistematicamente estudados o pH do meio, a concentração inicial de carbonato, a velocidade de agitação, o tempo de envelhecimento, a influência da lavagem do precitado, o diâmetro médio das partículas e a temperatura e tempo de tratamento térmico. Os materiais foram caracterizados quanto as fases presentes, porcentagem mássica, massa específica, área específica, resistência mecânica e atividade catalítica, visando correlacionar suas propriedades físico-químicas com sua atividade na decomposição catalítica do peróxido de hidrogênio. Finalmente, os materiais que apresentaram melhor resistência mecânica e atividade catalítica foram testados em um sistema gerador de vapor. O melhor catalisador apresentou alta resistência mecânica, baixo tempo de indução e se mostrou ativo em testes de longa duração, possibilitando ao sistema alcançar temperaturas próximas à de decomposição adiabática do H2O2 70% em massa. / This work aimed to develop catalysts based on mixed oxides of cobalt, manganese and aluminum for the decomposition of commercial hydrogen peroxide, 70% p, inducing steam generation. The materials were synthesized by coprecipitation under alkaline condition. During reaction, were systematically studied the pH of the solution, the initial concentration of carbonate, the stirring speed, the aging time, the precipitate washing, the average particle diameter, the temperature and time of thermal treatment. The materials were characterized to determine the present phases, mass concentration, density, surface area, mechanical strength and catalytic activity, aiming to correlate their physicochemical properties with its activity on hydrogen peroxide catalytic decomposition. Once the best parameters were set, the best catalysts were tested in a steam generating system. The best catalyst have presented high mechanical strength, low induction time and proved to be active in long-term tests, enabling the system to reach temperatures close to the adiabatic decomposition of the H2O2 70% wt.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo o desenvolvimento de catalisadores mássicos à base de óxidos mistos de cobalto, manganês e alumínio, para a decomposição de peróxido de hidrogênio comercial, 70% em massa, e consequente geração de vapor d\'água. A síntese dos materiais foi realizada por coprecipitação em meio básico. Durante a reação foram sistematicamente estudados o pH do meio, a concentração inicial de carbonato, a velocidade de agitação, o tempo de envelhecimento, a influência da lavagem do precitado, o diâmetro médio das partículas e a temperatura e tempo de tratamento térmico. Os materiais foram caracterizados quanto as fases presentes, porcentagem mássica, massa específica, área específica, resistência mecânica e atividade catalítica, visando correlacionar suas propriedades físico-químicas com sua atividade na decomposição catalítica do peróxido de hidrogênio. Finalmente, os materiais que apresentaram melhor resistência mecânica e atividade catalítica foram testados em um sistema gerador de vapor. O melhor catalisador apresentou alta resistência mecânica, baixo tempo de indução e se mostrou ativo em testes de longa duração, possibilitando ao sistema alcançar temperaturas próximas à de decomposição adiabática do H2O2 70% em massa. / This work aimed to develop catalysts based on mixed oxides of cobalt, manganese and aluminum for the decomposition of commercial hydrogen peroxide, 70% p, inducing steam generation. The materials were synthesized by coprecipitation under alkaline condition. During reaction, were systematically studied the pH of the solution, the initial concentration of carbonate, the stirring speed, the aging time, the precipitate washing, the average particle diameter, the temperature and time of thermal treatment. The materials were characterized to determine the present phases, mass concentration, density, surface area, mechanical strength and catalytic activity, aiming to correlate their physicochemical properties with its activity on hydrogen peroxide catalytic decomposition. Once the best parameters were set, the best catalysts were tested in a steam generating system. The best catalyst have presented high mechanical strength, low induction time and proved to be active in long-term tests, enabling the system to reach temperatures close to the adiabatic decomposition of the H2O2 70% wt.

No description available.

Hospitals are one of the most energy consuming centers in which thermal energy is utilized for different medical equipments and others. Sterilizers, laundry and kitchens are the main thermal energy utilizing equipments. In addition, large amount of hot water is utilized mainly for showering and dish washing. The main sources of this thermal energy are fossil fuel for oil fired boilers and solar irradiation for solar thermal steam generation system. This project aims in analyzing the Technical performance of parabolic trough steam generation and oil fired boiler steam generation system for Black lion general specialized hospital which is located in Addis Ababa and to perform economic assessment on both systems so as to make comparison test. The result from technical feasibility study shows the parabolic trough can meet the steam demand of the hospital at the required time, more than 8hour per day, as the hospital currently require steam for different activities during the day time for 8hour per day. During cloudy day the conventional back up steam generation system will meet the daily demand for few days of the year. The economic assessment result shows that although the initial investment of concentrated solar steam generation is high as compared to convention steam generation system, the reverse is observed in operation and maintenance cost, resulting solar thermal steam generation break even (payback) to occur early, after 7 year the system let to operate over the conventional oil fired steam generation. In addition the levelized cost of energy for concentrated solar steam generation is found to be 58% higher than conventional steam generation.   Hence, the result shows that parabolic trough is found to be more economical for steam generation than oil fired boiler. If solar thermal steam generation (parabolic through) is implemented, the fuel consumption and operational cost of the boiler can be reduced appreciably.

Maintaining a constant supply of clean drinking water is among the most pressing global challenges in our time. About one-third of the population is affected by the water scarcity and it can only get worse with climate change, rapid industrialization, and the population growth. Even though nearly 70 percent of the planet is covered by water, the consumable freshwater content is only 2.5 percent of it. Unfortunately, the accessible portion of it is only 1 percent. Even so, most of the freshwater bodies are choked with pollution. Considering the vast availability of saline water on the planet and the increasing wastewater generation, seawater desalination, and wastewater treatment and recycling seem to have the potential to address current water-related issues. Therefore, it is necessary to find efficient techniques for seawater desalination and wastewater treatment. The use of nanostructured materials for these applications is becoming a popular approach due to the unique chemical and physical properties they possess compared to bulk materials Solar energy is the cleanest and most abundant renewable natural resource available. Materials for solar photothermal energy conversion are highly sought after for their cost savings, clean environment, and broad utility in providing water heating and/or steam for many applications including domestic water heating and solar-driven desalination. Extensive research efforts have been made to develop efficient solar absorbers with characteristics such as low weight, low thermal conductivity, broad solar absorption and porosity to be able to float on water to provide more efficient and cost-effective solar steam generation systems. Metal NPs have been proposed to take advantage of the high efficiency of the photothermal energy conversion associated with surface plasmon resonance absorption. Nanostructured carbon-based materials such as graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, carbonized biomass are also in use due to their excellent photothermal energy conversion ability over the range of the visible and near infra-red region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In this dissertation, five projects based on the utility of nanostructured materials for desalination, photocatalysis and water treatment will be discussed. The first three projects involve the fabrication and design of plasmonic and carbon-based photothermal materials for applications in solar steam generation, water desalination, and wastewater treatment. In the fourth project, a unique shape of ZnO nanostructure was synthesized for photodegradation of organic dyes in industrial wastewater. The final project demonstrates the shape-controlled synthesis of iron carbide nanostructures and composite materials of aminated graphene oxide for the removal of Cr(VI) from wastewater.

Submitted by RODRIGO ESCADA MATHIAS null (rodrigo.escada.mathias@gmail.com) on 2016-10-31T18:16:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO_MESTRADO_RODRIGO_MATHIAS_Revisão_Final.pdf: 1664343 bytes, checksum: cab844e66361d8607aa397acbedcf0c1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Felipe Augusto Arakaki (arakaki@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-11-07T19:55:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 mathias_re_me_guara.pdf: 1662746 bytes, checksum: 954b916c500d16709c82f21f90f55277 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-07T19:55:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 mathias_re_me_guara.pdf: 1662746 bytes, checksum: 954b916c500d16709c82f21f90f55277 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-09-01 / No atual contexto energético mundial, a busca pela mitigação e, sempre que possível, a substituição de combustíveis fósseis por fontes renováveis, são a pauta de diversas instituições e empresas, pois a disponibilidade de recursos não é proporcional ao crescimento do consumo. Este trabalho tem por objetivo a redução do uso de gás natural para geração de vapor nos processos de cocção de cozinha industrial. Foi realizado a caracterização do processo e dos equipamentos, identificando o fluxo de vapor ao longo de todo o processo. De modo comparativo, desenvolveu-se propostas utilizando energia renovável para redução do uso de combustível fóssil. Para suportar essa atividade foram realizadas modelagens termodinâmica do sistema atual comparando-a aos sistemas propostos, mostrando o comportamento e definindo qual proposta teria a maior colaboração na redução do consumo de combustível. Por fim, foi estudado a viabilidade financeira de cada proposta através do método do VPL e payback. O presente trabalho gerou oito propostas, entre energia solar, produção de biogás a partir de resíduos orgânicos e efluentes de estação de tratamento de esgoto, geração de energia elétrica por meio de microturbina a gás e motor de combustão interna. Conclui-se que das oito propostas, três apresentaram potencial energético capaz de substituir em 100 % a vazão mássica de gás natural demandada na cozinha industrial, além de obterem viabilidade financeira satisfatória para seguir em frente com implementação do projeto. A substituição do gás natural pelo biogás gerado a partir de efluentes da estação de tratamento foi a proposta que apresentou o melhor desempenho, a mesma foi capaz de substituir 100 % da vazão mássica de gás natural utilizado para gerar vapor aos vasos de pressão da cozinha industrial, sendo 199.741 kWh de potencial energético e um VPL positivo de R$ 2.473.966,15, com retorno dos investimentos em menos de um ano. / In the current global energy context of mitigation of non-renewable fuels and whenever it is possible, replacing fossil fuels by renewable sources are the agenda of the most of institutions and companies, because the availability of resources is not proportional to the growth of consumption. This work has as target to reduce the use of natural gas for steam generation in the cooking process of industrial kitchen. It was performed a process and equipment characterization, identifying the steam flow along the whole process. In a comparative way, it has developed proposals using renewable energy for reducing the use of fossil fuel. To support that, it was done a thermodynamic modeling of the current system compared with the proposed ones, showing the behavior and defining which proposal had the larger collaboration in terms of fuel consumption reduction. Finally, it was analyzed the financial feasibility of each alternatives by NPV and payback method. The present work has created eight proposals, such as solar energy, biogas production from organic waste and from wastewater of sewage treatment station, electric energy from gas micro turbine and internal combustion engine. Concludes that from eight proposals, three presented energetic potential able to replace in 100 % the natural gas mass flow demanded in the industrial kitchen, beyond to get satisfactory financial viability to move forwards with the project implementation. The replacement of natural gas by generated biogas from wastewater of sewage treatment station was the proposal that presented the best performance, this ones was able to replace 100 % of the natural gas mass flow used to generate steam to the pressure vessel of industrial kitchen, where 199.741 kWh of energetic potential and a NPV of R$ 2.473.966,15, with an investment return less than one year.

This study focused on a numerical second law analysis and optimisation of a receiver tube op- erating in a parabolic trough solar collector for small-scale application. The receiver functioned in a Rankine cycle. The focus was on entropy generation minimisation in the receiver due to the high quality exergy losses in this component. Water functioned as the working uid and was heated from ambient conditions (liquid) to a superheated state (vapour), consequently, the receiver tube was subject to both single phase as well as two-phase ow. Entropy generation in the receiver tube was mainly due to nite temperature di erences as well as uid friction. The contribution of each of these components was investigated. Geometrical as well as operating conditions were investigated to obtain good guidelines for receiver tube and plant design. An operating pressure in the range of 1 MPa (Tsat = 180 C) to 10 MPa (Tsat = 311 C) was considered. Furthermore a mass ow range of 0:15 kg=s to 0:4 kg=s was investigated. Results showed that beyond a diameter of 20 mm, the main contributor to the entropy generation was the nite temperature di erences for most conditions. Generally, operating pressures below 3 MPa showed bad performance since the uid friction component was too large for small operating pressures. This phenomenon was due to long two-phase lengths and high pressure drops in this region. The nite temperature di erence component increased linearly when the tube diameter was increased (due to the increase in exposed area) if the focused heat ux was kept constant. However, the uid friction component increased quadratically when the diameter was reduced. In general when the concentration ratio was increased, the entropy generation was decreased. This was due to more focused heat on each section of the receiver pipe and, in general, resulted in shorter receiver lengths. Unfortunately, there is a limit to the highest concentration ratio that can be achieved and in this study, it was assumed to be 45 for two-dimensional trough technology. A Simulated Annealing (SA) optimisation algorithm was implemented to obtain certain optimum parameters. The optimisation showed that increasing the diameter could result in a decrease in entropy generation, provided that the concentration ratio is kept constant. However, beyond a certain point gains in minimising the entropy generation became negligible. Optimal operating pressure would generally increase if the mass ow rate was increased. Finally, it was seen that the highest operating pressure under consideration (10 MPa) showed the best performance when considering the minimisation of entropy in conjunction with the maximisation of the thermodynamic work output. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / MEng / Unrestricted