Long-term operation optimization of circulating cooling water systems under fouling conditions

Fouling caused by excess metal ions in hard water can negatively impact the performance of the circulating cooling water system(CCWS)by depositing ions on the heat exchanger's surface.Currently,the operation optimization of CCWS often prioritizes short-term flow velocity optimization for minimizing power consumption,without considering fouling.However,low flow velocity promotes fouling.Therefore,it's crucial to balance fouling and energy/water conservation for optimal CCWS long-term operation.This study proposes a mixed-integer nonlinear programming(MINLP)model to achieve this goal.The model considers fouling in the pipeline,dynamic concentration cycle,and variable frequency drive to optimize the synergy between heat transfer,pressure drop,and fouling.By optimizing the concentration cycle of the CCWS,water conservation and fouling control can be achieved.The model can obtain the optimal operating parameters for different operation intervals,including the number of pumps,frequency,and valve local resistance coefficient.Sensitivity experiments on cycle and environmental temperature reveal that as the cycle increases,the marginal benefits of energy/water conservation decrease.In periods with minimal impact on fouling rate,energy/water conservation can be achieved by increasing the cycle while maintaining a low fouling rate.Overall,the proposed model has significant energy/water saving effects and can comprehensively optimize the CCWS through its incorporation of fouling and cycle optimization.

Lowering ash slagging and fouling tendency of high-alkali coal by hydrothermal pretreatment

High-alkali species in coal are notorious for causing ash slagging and fouling incidents.In this paper,four high-alkali coals were individually subject to hydrothermal pretreatment(HTP),within a batch-type autoclave at 300 -C for 1 h,and the treated coals were analyzed,along with the oxygen-containing functional groups determined by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer(FT-IR).Then the alkali species and other components in the coal ash were quantified by X-ray fluorescence(XRF)for evaluating the ash slagging and fouling tendency.Apart from this,FactSage was adopted to simulate the occurrence and transformation of alkali species during coal thermal conversion ending at various temperatures.The findings indicate that the treated coals are superior to the parent ones in terms of certain remarkable changes via HTP.The moisture,oxygen and sulfur of the hydrothermally treated coals decline obviously,while the calorific value rises sharply.HTP could reduce the alkali species to less than 2%(%,by weight,equivalent to Na2O in dry ash),with a maximum removal ratio of 88.9%,lowering the ash slagging and fouling tendency.The proposed mechanism of HTP was that the alkali species in coal matrix became released due to the breakage of the coal functional groups and micropores during HTP.

Fault Diagnostics on Steam Boilers and Forecasting System Based on Hybrid Fuzzy Clustering and Artificial Neural Networks in Early Detection of Chamber Slagging/Fouling

The slagging/fouling due to the accession of fireside deposits on the steam boilers decreases boiler efficiency and availability which leads to unexpected shut-downs. Since it is inevitably associated with the three major factors namely the fuel characteristics, boiler operating conditions and ash behavior, this serious slagging/fouling may be reduced by varying the above three factors. The research develops a generic slagging/fouling prediction tool based on hybrid fuzzy clustering and Artificial Neural Networks (FCANN). The FCANN model presents a good accuracy of 99.85% which makes this model fast in response and easy to be updated with lesser time when compared to single ANN. The comparison between predictions and observations is found to be satisfactory with less input parameters. This should be capable of giving relatively quick responses while being easily implemented for various furnace types.

Analysis of influence of heat exchangerfouling on heat transfer performancebased on thermal fluid coupling

A study on heat transfer performance by thermal fluid coupling simulation for the fouling in a shell-tube heat exchanger used in engineering was presented. The coupling simulation was performed in a fluid and solid domains under three different fouling conditions: fouling inside the tube, fouling outside the tube, and fouling inside the shell. The flow field, temperature, and pressure distributions in the heat exchanger were solved numerically to analyze the heat transfer performance parameters, such as thermal resistance. It is found that the pressure drop of the heat exchanger and the thermal resistance of the tube wall increase by nearly 30% and 20%, respectively, when the relative fouling thickness reaches 10%. The fouling inside the tube has more impact on the heat transfer performance of the heat exchanger, and the fouling inside the shell has less impact.

Structural properties of residual carbon in coal gasification fine slag and their influence on flotation separation and resource utilization:A review

Coal gasification fine slag(FS)is a typical solid waste generated in coal gasification.Its current disposal methods of stockpil-ing and landfilling have caused serious soil and ecological hazards.Separation recovery and the high-value utilization of residual carbon(RC)in FS are the keys to realizing the win-win situation of the coal chemical industry in terms of economic and environmental benefits.The structural properties,such as pore,surface functional group,and microcrystalline structures,of RC in FS(FS-RC)not only affect the flotation recovery efficiency of FS-RC but also form the basis for the high-value utilization of FS-RC.In this paper,the characteristics of FS-RC in terms of pore structure,surface functional groups,and microcrystalline structure are sorted out in accordance with gasification type and FS particle size.The reasons for the formation of the special structural properties of FS-RC are analyzed,and their influence on the flotation separation and high-value utilization of FS-RC is summarized.Separation methods based on the pore structural characterist-ics of FS-RC,such as ultrasonic pretreatment-pore-blocking flotation and pore breaking-flocculation flotation,are proposed to be the key development technologies for improving FS-RC recovery in the future.The design of low-cost,low-dose collectors containing polar bonds based on the surface and microcrystalline structures of FS-RC is proposed to be an important breakthrough point for strengthening the flotation efficiency of FS-RC in the future.The high-value utilization of FS should be based on the physicochemical structural proper-ties of FS-RC and should focus on the environmental impact of hazardous elements and the recyclability of chemical waste liquid to es-tablish an environmentally friendly utilization method.This review is of great theoretical importance for the comprehensive understand-ing of the unique structural properties of FS-RC,the breakthrough of the technological bottleneck in the efficient flotation separation of FS,and the expansion of the field of the high value-added utilization of FS-RC.

Effect of electrical parameters and slag system on macrostructure of electroslag ingot

To investigate the influence of electric parameters and slag system on the solidification quality of electroslag ingot during electroslag remelting,different power supply modes,current strengths and remelting slag systems were used to conduct electroslag remelting experiments on 304L austenitic stainless steel,and the macrostructure of electroslag ingots was analyzed.The results indicate that the depth of the metal pool decreases with the reduction of remelting frequency in the low frequency power supply mode.The effects of different power supply modes,such as low-frequency,direct current straight polarity(DCSP),and direct current reverse polarity(DCRP),on reducing the depth of the metal pool increase in that order.By reducing the remelting current strength in the same power supply mode,the depth of metal pool is reduced.When compared to the binary slag system of 70%CaF2+30%Al2O3,the ternary slag system of 60%CaF2+20%Al2O3+20%CaO is more effective in reducing the depth of the metal pool during remelting.Utilizing the 60%CaF2+20%Al2O3+20%CaO ternary slag system results in a shallower and flatter metal pool,with columnar crystal growth occurring closer to the axial crystal.This effect is observed for both low frequency and direct current(DC)power supply modes.

Multivariable identification of membrane fouling based on compacted cascade neural network

The membrane fouling phenomenon,reflected with various fouling characterization in the membrane bioreactor(MBR)process,is so complicated to distinguish.This paper proposes a multivariable identification model(MIM)based on a compacted cascade neural network to identify membrane fouling accurately.Firstly,a multivariable model is proposed to calculate multiple indicators of membrane fouling using a cascade neural network,which could avoid the interference of the overlap inputs.Secondly,an unsupervised pretraining algorithm was developed with periodic information of membrane fouling to obtain the compact structure of MIM.Thirdly,a hierarchical learning algorithm was proposed to update the parameters of MIM for improving the identification accuracy online.Finally,the proposed model was tested in real plants to evaluate its efficiency and effectiveness.Experimental results have verified the benefits of the proposed method.

Seasonal Variability of Biofouling Community Structure in the Gulf of Mannar,Southeast Coast of India:A Multivariate Approach

In this research,an Underwater Biofouling Panel(UWBFP)system was erected for the qualitative and quantitative estimation of macro fouling organisms in the Gulf of Mannar.Forty-four biofoulers were identified from four types of selected test panels.Among these biofoulers,Amphibalanus amphitrite(Darwin,1854)was the dominant one.The concrete panel encouraged the highest barnacle density compared to the other panels.Three series of test panels were used to assess the seasonal density of biofouling communities.The overall variation in barnacle count in the seaward and shoreward sides of all these three series were tested.They were found to be significantly different from each other.The greater variations in the barnacle density observed in this study in A-series of test panels could be due to the lack of or absence of other foulers to compete within the fortnight.The Shannon-Wiener species diversity index showed the highest diversity in wood substratum among the three series with greater accumulation of different types of fouling organisms.Multivariate analyses were also performed to understand the seasonal variation as well as the settlement pattern on the different directions of test panels based on validated data.PCA showed a strong variability(PC1 between 70.8%and 98.6%variance)between the directions of the panels in connection with barnacle density.The shade plot and CAP analysis segregated the short-term A-series test panels from the long-term(B-and C-series)test panels.Hence,the output was helpful in understanding the recruitment status of various faunal resources involved in the biofouling processes.

Interphase migration and enrichment of lead and zinc during copper slag depletion

An interphase migration and enrichment model of lead and zinc during molten copper slag depletion was established.The occurrence of various components in copper slag was predicted using sulfur-oxygen potential calculations and confirmed through high-temperature experiments.The recovery rate of copper can reach 90.13%under the optimal conditions of 1200°C,an iron to silicon mass ratio of 1.0,3 wt.%ferrous sulfide,and a duration of 45 min.Lead(54.07 wt.%)and zinc(17.42 wt.%)are found in the flue dust as lead sulfate,lead sulfide,and zinc oxide,while copper matte contains lead(14.44 wt.%)and zinc sulfide(1.29 wt.%).The remaining lead and zinc are encapsulated as oxides within the fayalite phase.

Corrosion behavior of co-gasification slag of furfural residue and coal on alumina-silica refractories

Gasification of furfural residue with coal can realize its efficient and clean utilization.But the high alkali metal content in furfural slag is easy to cause the corrosion of gasifier refractory.Two gasification coals with different silica alumina ratio and a furfural residue were selected in the study.The effects of furfural residue additions on corrosion of silica brick,corundum brick,high alumina brick and mullite brick were investigated by using XRD,SEM-EDS and Factsage Software,and the corrosion mechanism was analyzed.With increasing furfural residue addition,the permeability of the slags to high-aluminium-bearing refractories first decreases and then increases,while the permeability on silica brick shows a slight decrease trend.Leucite(KAlSi_(2)O_(6))with high-melting temperature is generated from the reaction of K_(2)O and SiO_(2)in slag with Al_(2)O_(3)in refractories after furfural residue is added,which hinders the infiltration of slag in refractories.Kaliophilite(KAlSiO_(4))of low-melting point is formed when K_(2)O content increases,and this contributes to the infiltration of slag in refractories.The acid-base reaction between slag and silica brick is distinctly occurred,more slag reacts with SiO_(2)in the silicon brick,resulting in a decrease in the amount of slag infiltrating into the silicon brick as furfural residue is added.The corrosion of silica brick is mainly caused by the acid-base reaction,while the corrosion of three alumina based refractory bricks of corundum,mullite and high alumina brick is determined by slag infiltration.A linear correlation between the percolation rate and slag viscosity is established,the slag permeability increases with decreasing viscosity,resulting in stronger permeability for the high Si/Al ratio slag with lower viscosity.

Detection of Al, Mg, Ca, and Zn in copper slag by LIBS combined with calibration curve and PLSR methods

The precise measurement of Al, Mg, Ca, and Zn composition in copper slag is crucial for effective process control of copper pyrometallurgy. In this study, a remote laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS) system was utilized for the spectral analysis of copper slag samples at a distance of 2.5 m. The composition of copper slag was then analyzed using both the calibration curve(CC) method and the partial least squares regression(PLSR) analysis method based on the characteristic spectral intensity ratio. The performance of the two analysis methods was gauged through the determination coefficient(R^(2)), average relative error(ARE), root mean square error of calibration(RMSEC), and root mean square error of prediction(RMSEP). The results demonstrate that the PLSR method significantly improved both R^(2) for the calibration and test sets while reducing ARE, RMSEC, and RMSEP by 50% compared to the CC method. The results suggest that the combination of LIBS and PLSR is a viable approach for effectively detecting the elemental concentration in copper slag and holds potential for online detection of the elemental composition of high-temperature molten copper slag.

Phase equilibria relations in the V_(2)O_(5)-rich part of the Fe_(2)O_(3-)TiO_(2)-V_(2)O_(5) system at 1200℃ related to converter vanadium-bearing slag

The efficient recycling of vanadium from converter vanadium-bearing slag is highly significant for sustainable development and circular economy.The key to developing novel processes and improving traditional routes lies in the thermodynamic data.In this study,the equilibrium phase relations for the Fe_(2)O_(3)-TiO_(2)-V_(2)O_(5)system at 1200℃in air were investigated using a high-temperature equilibrium-quenching technique,followed by analysis using scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.One liquid-phase region,two two-phase regions(liquid-rutile and liquid-ferropseudobrookite),and one three-phase region(liquid-rutile-ferropseudobrookite)were determined.The variation in the TiO_(2)and V_(2)O_(5)contents with the Fe_(2)O_(3)content was examined for rutile and ferropseudobrookite solid solutions.However,on further comparison with the predictions of FactSage 8.1,significant discrepancies were identified,highlighting that greater attention must be paid to updating the current thermodynamic database related to vanadium-bearing slag systems.

Breaking the Fe_(3)O_(4)-wrapped copper microstructure to enhance copper-slag separation

The precipitation of Fe_(3)O_(4)particles and the accompanied formation of Fe_(3)O_(4)-wrapped copper structure are the main obstacles to copper recovery from the molten slag during the pyrometallurgical smelting of copper concentrates.Herein,the commercial powdery pyrite or anthracite is replaced with pyrite-anthracite pellets as the reductants to remove a large amount of Fe_(3)O_(4)particles in the molten slag,resulting in a deep fracture in the Fe_(3)O_(4)-wrapped copper microstructure and the full exposure of the copper matte cores.When 1wt%composite pellet is used as the reductant,the copper matte droplets are enlarged greatly from 25μm to a size observable by the naked eye,with the copper content being enriched remarkably from 1.2wt%to 4.5wt%.Density functional theory calculation results imply that the formation of the Fe_(3)O_(4)-wrapped copper structure is due to the preferential adhesion of Cu_(2)S on the Fe_(3)O_(4)particles.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,Fourier transform infrared spectrometer(FTIR),and Raman spectroscopy results all reveal that the high-efficiency conver-sion of Fe_(3)O_(4)to FeO can decrease the volume fraction of the solid phase and promote the depolymerization of silicate network structure.As a consequence,the settling of copper matte droplets is enhanced due to the lowered slag viscosity,contributing to the high efficiency of copper-slag separation for copper recovery.The results provide new insights into the enhanced in-situ enrichment of copper from mol-ten slag.

Copper slag assisted coke reduction of phosphogypsum for sulphur dioxide preparation

The reduction of phosphogypsum(PG)to lime slag and SO_(2)using coke can effectively alleviate the environmental problems caused by PG.However,the PG decomposition temperature remains high and the product yield remains poor.By adding additives,the decomposition temperature can be further reduced and PG decomposition rate and product yield can be improved.However,the use of current additives such as Fe_(2)O_(3)and SiO_(2)brings the problem of increasing economic cost.Therefore,it is proposed to use solid waste copper slag(CS)as a new additive to reduce PG to prepare SO2,which can reduce the cost and meet the environmental benefits at the same time.The effects of proportion,temperature and thermostatic time on PG decomposition are investigated by experimental and kinetic analysis combined with FactSage thermodynamic calculations to optimize the roasting conditions.Finally,the reaction mechanism is proposed.It is found that adding CS to the coke and PG system can increase the rate of PG decomposition and SO_(2)yield while lowering the PG decomposition temperature.For example,when the CS/PG mass ratio increases from 0 to 1,PG decomposition rate increases from 83.38%to 99.35%,SO_(2)yield increases from 78.62%to 96.81%,and PG decomposition temperature decreases from 992.4℃to 949.6℃.The optimal reaction parameters are CS/PG mass ratio of 1,Coke/PG mass ratio of 0.06 at 1100℃for 20 min with 99.35%PG decomposition rate and 96.81%SO_(2) yield.The process proceeds according to the following reactions:2CaSO_(4)+ 0.7C + 0.8Fe_(2)SiO_(4)→0.8Ca_(2)SiO_(4)+ 0.2Ca_(2)Fe_(2)O_(5)+ 0.4Fe_(3)O_(4)+2SO_(2)+ 0.7CO_(2)Finally,a process for decomposing PG with coke and CS is proposed.

Multiscale analysis of fine slag from pulverized coal gasification in entrained-flow bed

Fine slag(FS)is an unavoidable by-product of coal gasification.FS,which is a simple heap of solid waste left in the open air,easily causes environmental pollution and has a low resource utilization rate,thereby restricting the development of energy-saving coal gasification technologies.The multiscale analysis of FS performed in this study indicates typical grain size distribution,composition,crystalline structure,and chemical bonding characteristics.The FS primarily contained inorganic and carbon components(dry bases)and exhibited a"three-peak distribution"of the grain size and regular spheroidal as well as irregular shapes.The irregular particles were mainly adsorbed onto the structure and had a dense distribution and multiple pores and folds.The carbon constituents were primarily amorphous in structure,with a certain degree of order and active sites.C 1s XPS spectrum indicated the presence of C–C and C–H bonds and numerous aromatic structures.The inorganic components,constituting 90%of the total sample,were primarily silicon,aluminum,iron,and calcium.The inorganic components contained Si–O-Si,Si–O–Al,Si–O,SO_(4)^(2−),and Fe–O bonds.Fe 2p XPS spectrum could be deconvoluted into Fe 2p_(1/2) and Fe 2p_(3/2) peaks and satellite peaks,while Fe existed mainly in the form of Fe(III).The findings of this study will be beneficial in resource utilization and formation mechanism of fine slag in future.

Effects of iron oxide on crystallization behavior and spatial distribution of spinel in stainless steel slag

Chromium plays a vital role in stainless steel due to its ability to improve the corrosion resistance of the latter.However,the re-lease of chromium from stainless steel slag(SSS)during SSS stockpiling causes detrimental environmental issues.To prevent chromium pollution,the effects of iron oxide on crystallization behavior and spatial distribution of spinel were investigated in this work.The results revealed that FeO was more conducive to the growth of spinels compared with Fe2O3 and Fe3O4.Spinels were found to be mainly distrib-uted at the top and bottom of slag.The amount of spinel phase at the bottom decreased with the increasing FeO content,while that at the top increased.The average particle size of spinel in the slag with 18wt%FeO content was 12.8μm.Meanwhile,no notable structural changes were observed with a further increase in FeO content.In other words,the spatial distribution of spinel changed when the content of iron oxide varied in the range of 8wt%to 18wt%.Finally,less spinel was found at the bottom of slag with a FeO content of 23wt%.

Dissolution behavior of Al_(2)O_(3)inclusions into CaO-MgO-SiO_(2)-Al_(2)O_(3)-TiO_(2)system ladle slags

To investigate the dissolution behaviors of Al_(2)O_(3)inclusions in CaO-5wt%MgO-SiO_(2)-30wt%Al_(2)O_(3)-TiO_(2)system ladle slags,confocal scanning laser microscopy was conducted on the slags with different TiO_(2)contents(0-10wt%),and scanning electron microscopy was performed to study the interfacial reaction between Al_(2)O_(3)and this slag system.The results disclose that the dissolution of Al_(2)O_(3)inclusions does not result in the formation of new phases at the boundary between the slag and the inclusions.In TiO_(2)-bearing and TiO_(2)-free ladle slags,there is no difference in the dissolution mechanism of Al_(2)O_(3)inclusions at steelmaking temperatures.Boundary layer diffusion is found as the controlling step of the dissolution of Al_(2)O_(3),and the diffusion coefficient is in the range of 4.18×10^(-10)to 2.18×10^(-9)m^(2)/s at 1450-1500℃.Compared with the solubility of Al_(2)O_(3)in the slags,slag viscosity and temperature play a more profound role in the dissolution of Al_(2)O_(3)inclusions.A lower viscosity and a lower melting point of the slags are beneficial for the dissolution.Suitable addition of TiO_(2)(e.g.,5wt%)in ladle slags can enhance the dissolution of Al_(2)O_(3)inclusions because of the low viscosity and melting point of the slags,while excessive addition of TiO_(2)(e.g.,10wt%)shows the opposite trend.

Effective separation of coal gasification fine slag: Role of classification and ultrasonication in enhancing flotation

Effective separation of residual carbon and ash is the basis for the resource utilization of coal gasification fine slag(CGFS).The conventional flotation process of CGFS has the bottlenecks of low carbon recovery and high collector dosage.In order to address these issues,CGFS sample taken from Shaanxi,China was used as the study object in this paper.A new process of size classification-fine grain ultrasonic pretreatment flotation(SC-FGUF)was proposed and its separation effect was compared with that of wholegrain flotation(WGF)as well as size classification-fine grain flotation(SC-FGF).The mechanism of its enhanced separation effect was revealed through flotation kinetic fitting,flotation flow foam layer stability,particle size composition,surface morphology,pore structure,and surface chemical property analysis.The results showed that compared with WGF,pre-classification could reduce the collector dosage by 84.09%and the combination of pre-classification and ultrasonic pretreatment could increase the combustible recovery by 17.29%and up to 93.46%.The SC-FGUF process allows the ineffective adsorption of coarse residual carbon to collector during flotation stage to be reduced by pre-classification,and the tightly embedded state of fine CGFS particles is disrupted and surface oxidizing functional group occupancy was reduced by ultrasonic pretreatment,thus carbon and ash is easier to be separated in the flotation process.In addition,some of the residual carbon particles were broken down to smaller sizes in the ultrasonic pretreatment,which led to an increase in the stability of flotation flow foam layer and a decrease in the probability of detachment of residual carbon particles from the bubbles.Therefore,SCFGUF could increase the residual carbon recovery and reduce the flotation collector dosage,which is an innovative method for carbon-ash separation of CGFS with good application prospect.

Extraction of Valuable Metals from Titanium-bearing Blast Furnace Slag by Acid Leaching

To realize the resource utilization of the valuable metals in the titanium-containing blast furnace slag,the process route of “hydrochloric acid leaching-electrolysis-carbonization and carbon dioxide capture-preparation of calcium carbonate” was proposed.In this study,the influences of process conditions on the leaching rates of calcium,magnesium,aluminum,and iron and the phases of the leaching residue were investigated for the leaching process.The experimental results show that the HCl solution could selectively leach the elements from the titanium-containing blast furnace slag.The better leaching conditions are the HCl solution concentration of 4 mol/L,the leaching time of 30 min,the ratio of liquid volume to solid gas of 10 mL/g,and the stirring paddle speed of 300 r/min.Under the conditions,the leaching rates of calcium,magnesium,aluminum,and iron can reach 85.87%,73.41%,81.35%,and 59.08%,and the leaching rate of titanium is 10.71%.The iron and the aluminum are removed from the leachate to obtain iron-aluminum water purification agents,and the magnesium is removed from the leachate to obtain magnesium hydroxide.The leaching residue phase is dominated by perovskite,followed by magnesium silicate and tricalcium aluminate,and the titaniumrich material could be obtained from the leaching residue by desiliconization.