A passive autocatalytic hydrogen recombiner (PAR) is a self-starting device, without operator action or external power input, installed in nuclear power plants to remove hydrogen from the containment building of a nuclear reactor. A new mechanistic model of PAR has been presented and validated by experimental data and results of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The model allows to quickly and accurately predict gas temperature and composition, catalyst temperature and hydrogen recombination rate. It is assumed in the model that an exothermic recombination reaction of hydrogen and oxygen proceeds at the catalyst surface only, while processes of heat and mass transport occur by assisted natural and forced convection in non-isothermal and laminar gas flow conditions in vertical channels between catalyst plates. The model accounts for heat radiation from a hot catalyst surface and has no adjustable parameters. It can be combined with an equation of chimney draft and become a useful engineering tool for selection and optimisation of catalytic recombiner geometry.
In this paper a two-disc spinning disc reactor for intensified biodiesel synthesis is described and numerically simulated. The reactor consists of two flat discs, located coaxially and parallel to each other with a gap of 0.2 mm between the discs. The upper disc is located on a rotating shaft while the lower disc is stationary. The feed liquids, triglycerides (TG) and methanol are introduced coaxially along the centre line of rotating disc and stationary disc. Fluid hydrodynamics in the reactor for synthesis of biodiesel from TG and methanol in the presence of a sodium hydroxide catalyst are simulated, using convection-diffusion-reaction species transport model by the CFD software ANSYS©Fluent v. 13.0. The effect of the upper disc’s spinning speed is evaluated. The results show that the rotational speed increase causes an increase of TG conversion despite the fact that the residence time decreases. Compared to data obtained from adequate experiments, the model shows a satisfactory agreement.
This paper provides a discussion concerning results of CO2 removal from a gas mixture by the application of aqueous solutions of ethanoloamine (MEA) and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) promoted with piperazine (PZ). The studies were conducted using a process development unit. Research of such a scale provides far more reliable representation of the actual industrial process than modelling and laboratory tests. The studies comprised comparative analyses entailing identical energy supplied to a reboiler as well as tests conducted at similar process efficiencies for both solvents. The results thus obtained imply that using AMP/PZ enables reduction of the solvent heat duty. Moreover, while using AMP/PZ temperature decrease was also observed in the columns.
Amine absorption processes are widely used in the industry to purify refinery gases, process gases or natural gas. Recently, amine absorption has also been considered for CO2 removal from flue gases. It has a number of advantages, but there is one major disadvantage - high energy consumption. This can be reduced by using an appropriate sorbent. From a group of several dozen solutions, three amine sorbents were selected based on primary, tertiary and sterically hindered amines. The solutions were used to test CO2 absorption capacity, absorption kinetics and heat of CO2 absorption. Additional tests were performed on the actual absorber-desorber system to indicate the most appropriate sorbent for capturing CO2 from flue gases.
The main aim of this work is to study the thermal efficiency of a new type of a static mixer and to analyse the flow and temperature patterns and heat transfer efficiency. The measurements were carried out for the static mixer equipped with a new mixing insert. The heat transfer enhancement was determined by measuring the temperature profiles on each side of the heating pipe as well as the temperature field inside the static mixer. All experiments were carried out with varying operating parameters for four liquids: water, glycerol, transformer oil and an aqueous solution of molasses. Numerical CFD simulations were carried out using the two-equation turbulence k-ω model, provided by ANSYS Workbench 14.5 software. The proposed CFD model was validated by comparing the predicted numerical results against experimental thermal database obtained from the investigations. Local and global convective heat transfer coefficients and Nusselt numbers were detrmined. The relationship between heat transfer process and hydrodynamics in the static mixer was also presented. Moreover, a comparison of the thermal performance between the tested static mixer and a conventional empty tube was carried out. The relative enhancement of heat transfer was characterised by the rate of relative heat transfer intensification.
A modified approach to equilibrium modelling of coal gasification is presented, based on global thermodynamic analysis of both homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions occurring during a gasification process conducted in a circulating fluid bed reactor. The model is based on large-scale experiments (ca. 200 kg/h) with air used as a gasification agent and introduces empirical modifications governing the quasi-equilibrium state of two reactions: water-gas shift and Boudouard reaction. The model predicts the formation of the eight key gaseous species: CO, CO2, H2O, H2, H2S, N2, COS and CH4, volatile hydrocarbons represented by propane and benzene, tar represented by naphthalene, and char containing the five elements C, H, O, N, S and inorganic matter.
A model of bacterial filtration on fibrous filter media is developed. The single fibre efficiency as well as the efficiency of the whole filter - at the onset of the process and the evolution of those quantities - are analysed. The differences between the numerical modelling of colloidal particles and bacteria are stressed in detail. The main differences are the active motion ability of bacteria and biofilm formation. The parameters of the model were identified based on the literature data.
Two systems of hydraulic mixing in a vertical cylindrical anaerobic digester: standard and modernised are discussed in the paper. Numerical investigations that were carried out are focused on a study of hydrodynamic processes in an aerobic digester using two various systems of hydraulic mixing as well as on analysis of the efficiency of methane fermentation process accomplished under different geometric parameters of an anaerobic digester and systems of hydraulic mixing.
In this paper some issues of the transition process from air- to oxy-combustion were investigated. Advantages of flexible combustion were described. Flexible combustion tests carried out at four European plants and five plants outside Europe of different scales of process and test parameters were presented. An analysis of the transition time from air to oxy-combustion of different laboratory and pilot scale processes was carried out. The “first-order + dead time” approach was used as a model to describe transition process. Transitional periods between combustion modes and characteristic parameters of the process were determined. The transition time depends not only on the facility’s capacity but also it is impacted by specific operational parameters.