Environmental engineering and analysis: Final report

The Department of Energy's Morgantown Energy Technology Center (DOE-METC) has, since 1975, been sponsoring a number of foam fracturing stimulation treatments in the Devonian Shale. Wells stimulated with foam appear to have better potential than hydraulically stimulated wells. This is indicated by a mean initial open flow rate of 329 Mcf/D obtained from nine conventional size pilot treatments in the periphery of the Big Sandy region. In addition, the periphery of the Big Sandy region. In addition, the mean initial open flow rates of three wells that received multiple massive foam treatments has been 394 Mcf/D, even though they were in an old producing area that was partially depleted. The costs of foam-stimulation are however definitely higher than those of gelled water fracturing. This paper presents a preliminary economic analysis of foam treatments. It uses a discounted cash flow method and generalized production decline curves based on actual production data from 25 hydraulically fractured wells in the Devonian Shale (Big Sandy region) of Eastern Kentucky. The results of the study show that gas production from foam fraced wells is economically viable if the resulting production decline curve is similar to that of production decline curve is similar to that of hydraulically fractured wells with the same initial open flow rates. Introduction It has been established geologically that a potentially significant source of natural gas lies potentially significant source of natural gas lies in the Devonian Shales of the Appalachian, Illinois and Michigan Basins of the eastern United States. The shales underlie an area of approximately 250,000 square miles and are distributed in discrete units ranging in thickness from a few feet to about 400 feet. Organic content ranges from 5 to 25 percent by volume and caloric content ranges up to 7 million Btu (MMBtu) per ton of shale. A recent industry study has estimated that the total gas-in-place in the Devonian Shales ranges from 225 to 2,023 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). The technological challenge is to find practical and economic ways to produce this resource. Industry and the Department of Energy (DOE) are presently involved in developing, improving, and evaluating different well stimulation technologies proposed for the exploitation of the Devonian Shales. One of the technologies under consideration is the use of foam as a low-residual fracturing fluid. Foam has been used quite widely in the oil and gas industry for the past five years. The use of foam fracturing in the Devonian Shale evolved from research at DOE's Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC) that started in 1975 and was directed at improving gas productivity from new shale wells. Together with productivity from new shale wells. Together with independent gas producers and in cost sharing contracts with Kentucky West Virginia Gas Co., Consolidated Gas Co., and Columbia Gas System, DOE-METC has conducted a number of both conventional-size (~1000 bbls) and massive-size (3000–6000 bbls) foam treatments in stimulating gas production from different stratigraphic units within the Devonian Shale formation. Although the number of tests involved and the length of their production history do not yet warrant a statistically-based analysis of the economic viability of foam fracturing, sufficient data has been accumulated to allow for a preliminary evaluation of its economic potential. This paper presents a parametric approach that was used to obtain preliminary insights on the economics of foam fracturing in the Devonian Shales. Foam Fracturing Results Field data from both conventional size and massive size foam treatments in the Devonian Shales have been accumulated by the DOE-METC in cooperative projects with various gas producers. The location projects with various gas producers. The location of the foam treatment test wells is shown in Figure 1. Treated intervals include both the Upper and Middle Brown Shale sections of the Appalachian Basin, the New Albany Shale in the Illinois Basin, and the Antrim Shale of the Michigan Basin. Treatment data on these wells, summarized on Tables 1 and 2 are extremely limited and can only be used to obtain preliminary insights.

The U.S. Department of Energy, Petroleum Consulting Services, Universal Well Services, and Canadian Fracmaster have recently performed eight CO2/sand stimulations on four Devonian Shale gas wells in the Appalachian Basin. Four two-stage CO2/sand stimulations were executed with two operators in the Pike and Martin County, Kentucky area. All stimulätions involved 120 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and up to 47,500 pounds of sand. In addition, there are eleven existing control wells stimulated with four two-stage foam fracs and seven two-stage nitrogen fracs. Production results from these fifteen wells are compared. After nine months of production, CO2/sand fractured wells in the Pike County, Kentucky study area are nearly twice as productive as nitrogen gas fraced wells and nearly five times better than the foam fraced wells in the study group. The per well incremental gas production after nine months ranged from 13.5-22.2 MMcf per well for nitrogen gas and foam fraced wells, respectively. Discussion of the CO2/sand treatment parameters, job execution, and a representative pressure/injection response are discussed in detail. As the operators begin to utilize the CO2/ sand frac process on more wells, the new stimulation process will become commercially available on a routine basis.

This report documents the result of the US Department of Energy`s (DOE) Environment, Safety and Health (ES&H) Progress Assessment of the Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC) in Morgantown, West Virginia. METC is currently a research and development facility, managed by DOE`s Office of Fossil Energy. Its goal is to focus energy research and development to develop engineered fossil fuel systems, that are economically viable and environmentally sound, for commercial application. There is clear evidence that, since the 1991 Tiger Team Assessment, substantial progress has been made by both FE and METC in most aspects of their ES&H program. The array of new and restructured organizations, systems, and programs at FE and METC; increased assignments of staff to support these initiatives; extensive training activities; and the maturing planning processes, all reflect a discernable, continuous improvement in the quality of the ES&H performance.

The removal of tars and particulate materials from the effluent stream of a coal gasifier is of major importance in both a power generation sense and in an environmental sense. Gas cleanup systems represent a major cost item in powerplant design and their effective operation is crucial to the successful operation of coal gasifier powerplants. This is true whether the power generating unit is a fuel cell or one of the more conventional generators. The wet gas cleanup system presently under study by the Morgantown Energy Technology Center is an attractive approach to tar, particulate and sulfur removal. This report presents a preliminary analysis of four of the components used in the METC wet gas cleanup system. These components are: the humidification chamber, the disengagement changer, spray nozzles and final filter.

The separation of CO{sub 2} and H{sub 2}S from raw natural gas is essential for enhancing the heating value of the gas and for providing environmental safety during nation and use. Membrane separation processes are particularly useful for this application because they are inherently energy-efficient. Membrane processes also offer other important advantages, such as ease of scale-up due to module design, good space and weight efficiency and great flexibility in handling variations in the flow rate, pressure and composition of the raw natural gas streams. In a coordinated effort, the Gas Research Institute and the Department of Energy, Morgantown Energy Technology Center are funding an extensive study at Syracuse University on the relationships between the chemical structure of various polymers and their permeability to different gases. Based on criteria derived from this study, novel fluorine-containing polyimides that exhibit very high C0{sub 2}/CH{sub 4}, selectivities as well as significant H{sub 2}S/CH{sub 4}, selectivities were synthesized. These ``dense`` (homogeneous) membranes separated various mixtures of C0{sub 2}/CH{sub 4}, and H{sub 2}S/CH{sub 4}/CO{sub 2} at 35{degree}C (95{degree}F) and at pressures up to 10 atm (147 psi). The results of these measurements agree well with computer simulations. The C0{sub 2} content of CH{sub 4}/CO{sub 2} mixtures containing as much as 40 mole percent C0{sub 2} can be reduced with the polyamide membranes to pipeline specifications ({le} 2 mole percent C0{sub 2}). To reduce the H{sub 2}S content of H{sub 2}S/CH{sub 4}/CO{sub 2} mixtures to pipeline specifications ({le} 4 ppM H{sub 2}S), the membranes are best combined with conventional gas-absorption processes, such as a selective amine. Such ``hybrid`` processes for the upgrading of natural gas can be more economical than conventional gas-absorption processes alone.

For the development and validation of multiphase flow modeling capability, a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) is in effect between Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC) and Fluent Inc. To validate the Fluent multiphase model, several simulations were conducted at METC and the results were compared with the results of MFIX, a multiphase flow code developed at METC, and with experimental data. The results of these validation studies will be presented. In addition, the application of multiphase flow modeling will be illustrated by presenting the results of simulations of a filter back- flushing and a fluidized bed coal gasifier. These simulations were conducted only with MFIX, since certain features needed in these simulations will be available only in the next release of Fluent.

Oil mist coalescence separators are widely used downstream of screw compressors. Unfortunately, due to high concentration most of the available literature reporting particle sizes in raw or clean gas of screw compressors is on model systems at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. To study oil mist coalescence separators under real-world conditions, the pressurized aerosol needs to be diluted.In this work, two newly developed isobaric and isothermal dilution systems for particle size measurements using an optical particle counter (200 nm–10 µm) in the application scenario are presented. For both systems, one a single-stage and the other a triple-stage system, transfer functions were determined in the laboratory using a pressurized oil atomizer.As a proof of concept, the triple-stage dilution system was used on a compressor test bench to study the influence of operating conditions (varying pressure and volume flow) on the particle size distribution and concentration in raw and clean gas. Both raw and clean gas particle size distributions showed most particles in the size range below 500 nm. The achievable dilution factor of 1000 was sufficient for measuring the raw gas concentration.On a second compressor test bench, the single-stage dilution system was used to study the influence of different coalescence separators on clean gas particle size distribution and concentration. Three separators were used for experiments: one industry-typical reference separator, one with less layers, and one with a weakened entrainment separation fleece. As expected, the particle size distributions showed clear differences, i.e., higher penetration or increased entrainment.Copyright © 2023 American Association for Aerosol Research

EIA study identifies nuclear's growing electricity share

Coal: Energy for the future

95/00659 A combined cycle designed to achieve greater than 60 percent efficiency

The use of coal as a fuel for diesel engines dates back to the early days of the development of the engine. Dr. Diesel envisioned his concept as a multi-fuel engine, with coal a prime candidate due to the fact that it was Germany`s primary domestic energy resource. It is interesting that the focus on coal burning diesel engines appears to peak about every twenty years as shortages of other energy resources increase the economic attractiveness of using coal. This periodic interest in coal started in Germany with the work of Diesel in the timeframe 1898-1906. Pawlikowski carried on the work from 1916 to 1928. Two German companies commercialized the technology prior to and during World War II. The next flurry of activity occurred in the United States in the period from 1957-69, with work done at Southwest Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnical University, and Howard University. The current period of activity started in 1978 with work sponsored by the Conservation and Renewable Energy Branch of the US Department of Energy. This work was done at Southwest Research Institute and by ThermoElectron at Sulzer Engine in Switzerland. In 1982, the Fossil Energy Branch of the US Department of Energy, through the Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC) initiated a concentrated effort to develop coal burning diesel and gas turbine engines. The diesel engine work in the METC sponsored program was performed at Arthur D. Little (Cooper-Bessemer as subcontractor), Bartlesville Energy Technology Center (now NIPER), Caterpillar, Detroit Diesel Corporation, General Motor Corporation (Electromotive Division), General Electric, Southwest Research Institute, and various universities and other research and development organizations. This DOE-METC coal engine RD & D initiative which spanned the 1982-1993 timeframe is the topic of this review document. The combustion of a coal-water fuel slurry in a diesel engine is described. The engine modifications necessary are discussed.

Modelling of Substitute Natural Gas production via combined gasification and power to fuel

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC), is sponsoring research in advanced methods for controlling contaminants in hot coal gasifier gas (coal gas) streams of integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) power systems. The programs focus on hot-gas particulate removal and desulfurization technologies that match or nearly match the temperatures and pressures of the gasifier, cleanup system, and power generator. The work seeks to eliminate the need for expensive heat recovery equipment, reduce efficiency losses due to quenching, and minimize wastewater treatment costs. Hot-gas desulfurization research has focused on regenerable mixed-metal oxide sorbents which can reduce the sulfur in coal gas to less than 20 ppmv and can be regenerated in a cyclic manner with air for multicycle operation. Zinc titanate (Zn{sub 2}TiO{sub 4} or ZnTiO{sub 3}), formed by a solid-state reaction of zinc (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}), is currently one of the leading sorbents. This report summarizes the highlights and accomplishments of the October slipstream test run of the Zinc Titanate Fluid Bed Desulfurization/Direct Sulfur Recovery Process (ZTFBD/DSRP) Mobile Laboratory at the Department of Energy`s Morgantown Energy Technology Center. Although the run had to be shortened due to mechanical problems with METC`s gasifier, there was sufficient on-stream time to demonstrate highly successful operation of both the zinc titanate fluid bed desulfurization and the DSRP with actual coal gas.

Thermodynamic evaluation of small-scale systems with biomass gasifiers, solid oxide fuel cells with Ni/GDC anodes and gas turbines

13 - Gas-cleaning technology