Experimental Investigation on Solution Regeneration Performance and Coefficients in Full-Open System for Heat and Water Recovery of Flue Gas

The recovery of heat and water from low-grade flue gas is of considerable importance for energy conservation and environmental preservation.While the full-open absorption heat pump shows promise as a means of achieving heat and water recovery,the lack of research on heat and mass transfer performance of open-type solution evaporation regeneration represents a significant impediment to its design and operation.This paper experimentally investigates the regeneration performance of an open-type spaying tower equipped with ceramic structured packings.Two different regeneration modes are proposed,namely ambient air receiver mode and flue gas receiver mode,to utilize air or low-grade flue gas as a driving source.The impact of different input parameters on the regeneration characteristics,including heat transfer capacity,water removal rate,thermal efficiency,and humidity effectiveness,are demonstrated.The findings indicate that the enhancement of regeneration can be achieved through the increase of solution flow rate,solution temperature,and flue gas flow rate in both regeneration modes.However,high solution concentration and flue gas humidity ratio can weaken water removal rates and reduce thermal efficiency.For the regeneration of CaCl_(2)-H_(2)O with a concentration of55%,flue gas around 200℃with a humidity ratio below 44 g/kg can successfully drive the solution regeneration process.When the solution concentration or flue gas humidity ratio continues to rise,additional energy is necessary for regeneration.Furthermore,the coupled heat and mass transfer coefficients are fitted,which can contribute to the design and optimization of the open-type regenerator.

Investigation of low water recovery based on gas-water two-phase low-velocity Non-Darcy flow model for hydraulically fractured horizontal wells in shale

Various mechanisms are employed to interpret the low water recovery during the shale-gas production period,such as extra-trapped water in the fracture network,water imbibition due to osmotic pressure and capillary pressure.These lead to the difficulty of water flow,which could be described by lowvelocity non-Darcy's law known as threshold pressure gradient(TPG).In this paper we firstly employ the low-velocity non-Darcy's law to describe the water flow and use Darcy flow accounting for slip flow and free molecular flow mechanisms to model gas flow in the shale formation.The sensitive study using numerical simulation shows that the proposed flow model could model the low fracturing liquid recovery and that large pseudo TPG leads to lower fracturing liquid recovery.Thus,the proposed model would give new insight to model the low water recovery in shale formations.

Effective groundwater level recovery from mining reduction: Case study of Baoding and Shijiazhuang Plain area

The effective recovery of water level is a crucial measure of the success of comprehensive groundwater over-exploitation management actions in North China.However,traditional evaluation method do not directly capture the relationship between mining and other equilibrium elements.This study presents an innovative evaluation method to assess the water level recovery resulting from mining reduction based on the relationship between variation in exploitation and recharge.Firstly,the recharge variability of source and sink terms for both the base year and evaluation year is calculated and the coefficient of recharge variationβis introduced,which is then used to calculate the effective mining reduction and solve the water level recovery value caused by the effective mining reduction,and finally the water level recovery contribution by mining reduction is calculated by combining with the actual volume of mining reduction in the evaluation area.This research focuses on Baoding and Shijiazhuang Plain area,which share similar hydrogeological conditions but vary in groundwater exploitation and utilization.As the effect of groundwater level recovery with mining reduction was evaluated in these two areas as case study.In 2018,the results showed an effective water level recovery of 0.17 m and 0.13 m in the shallow groundwater of Shijiazhuang and Baoding Plain areas,respectively.The contributions of recovery from mining reduction were 76%and 57.98%for these two areas,respectively.It was notable that the water level recovery was most prominent in the foothill plain regions.From the evaluation results,it is evident that water level recovery depends not only on the intensity of groundwater mining reduction,but also on its effectiveness.The value of water level recovery alone cannot accurately indicate the intensity of mining reduction,as recharge variation significantly influences water level changes.Therefore,in practice,it is crucial to comprehensively assess the impact of mining reduction on water level recovery by combining the coefficient of recharge variation with the contribution of water level recovery from mining reduction.This integrated approach provide a more reasonable and scientifically supported basis,offering essential data support for groundwater management and conservation.To improve the accuracy and reliability of evaluation results,future work will focus on the standardizing and normalizing raw data processing.

Flue Gas Water Recovery by Indirect Cooling Technology for Large-Scale Applications: A Review

With social development and economic enhancement,energy is facing significant worldwide demand,and fossil fuels are the prime energy sources for various energy systems over past decades.Furthermore,among fuel-consumed applications,power plants are the primary source of energy consumption.There is a lot of waste heat and steam accompanied by the latent heat produced in the exhaust flue gas.Therefore,the latent heat recovery from the flue gas plays an important role in increasing the efficiency of the system and saving water.To recover the heat and mass in power plants,three primary methods are proposed to condense the vapor based on previous studies:(1)flue gas condensation technology,(2)liquid desiccant-based dehydration(LDD)technology and(3)membrane technology.This paper mainly reviews and summaries the indirect cooling technology in flue gas condensation technology.The numerical simulation and theory of flue gas condensation are introduced.Different heat exchanger types and conducted experiments are also summarized.The performance of the indirect cooling technology is affected not only by its own configuration and design but also by the flue gas inlet temperature,velocity,water vapor mass fraction,etc.The major concerns and outlook of practical applications for further study are attributed to the heat exchanger size and cost,acid corrosion,ash accumulation in flue gas,etc.

The Effects of Water Recycling on Flotation at a North American Concentrator—Part 1

Water chemistry and its impact on mineral processing operations are not well understood and often not adequately monitored. CanmetMINING, as part of its water management research program, has been involved in a project initiated to identify opportunities for improving water recovery, water treatment, and recycling in the mining and mineral processing operations. One of the main objectives of this work is to evaluate and assess water chemistry and identify factors that impact mineral recovery, concentrate grade, and metal extraction efficiencies in order to understand and mitigate negative impacts of water recycling and improve process efficiency. In collaboration with a North American concentrator, CanmetMINING has been involved in assessing the water chemistry in the mill and evaluating water recycling options for select process streams to reduce fresh water intake and maximize recycling. The overall goal of the project is to investigate options for water recycling (increase the thickener overflow recirculation from thickener overflow tank) without affecting nickel and copper metallurgy. The results of the sampling campaigns showed that the water chemistry of the streams was fairly consistent throughout the year with no significant seasonal variations. The laboratory tests illustrated that when higher quantities of thickener overflow from thickener overflow were used, the nickel + copper grade versus nickel recovery curves shifted towards lower values. These observations were observed for the plant water samples obtained in April, June and August 2019.

An experimental and numerical study of chemically enhanced water alternating gas injection

In this work, an experimental study combined with numerical simulation was conducted to investigate the potential of chemically enhanced water alternating gas （CWAG） injection as a new enhanced oil recovery method. The unique feature of this new method is that it uses alkaline, surfactant, and polymer additives as a chemical slug which is injected during the water alternating gas （WAG） process to reduce the interfacial tension （IFT） and simultaneously improve the mobility ratio. In essence, the proposed CWAG process involves a combination of chemical flooding and immiscible carbon dioxide （CO2） injection and helps in IFT reduction, water blocking reduction, mobility control, oil swelling, and oil viscosity reduction due to CO2 dissolution. Its performance was compared with the conventional immiscible water alter- nating gas （I-WAG） flooding. Oil recovery utilizing CWAG was better by 26 % of the remaining oil in place after waterflooding compared to the recovery using WAG conducted under similar conditions. The coreflood data （cumulative oil and water production） were history mat- ched via a commercial simulator by adjusting the relative permeability curves and assigning the values of the rock and fluid properties such as porosity, permeability, and the experimentally determined IFT data. History matching ofthe coreflood model helped us optimize the experiments and was useful in determining the importance of the parameters influencing sweep efficiency in the CWAG process. The effectiveness of the CWAG process in pro- viding enhancement of displacement efficiency is evident in the oil recovery and pressure response observed in the coreflood. The results of sensitivity analysis on CWAG slug patterns show that the alkaline-surfactant-polymer injection is more beneficial after CO2 slug injection due to oil swelling and viscosity reduction. The CO2 slug size analysis shows that there is an optimum CO2 slug size, around 25 % pore volume which leads to a maximum oil recovery in the CWAG process. This study shows that the ultralow IFT system, i.e., IFT equaling 10 2 or 10 3 mN/ m, is a very important parameter in CWAG process since the water blocking effect can be minimized.

A method for recovery of iron,titanium,and vanadium from vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite

An innovative method for recovering valuable elements from vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite is proposed. This method involves two procedures： low-temperature roasting of vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite and water leaching of roasting slag. During the roasting process, the reduction of iron oxides to metallic iron, the sodium oxidation of vanadium oxides to water-soluble sodium vanadate, and the smelting separation of metallic iron and slag were accomplished simultaneously. Optimal roasting conditions for iron/slag separation were achieved with a mixture thickness of 42.5 mm, a roasting temperature of 1200°C, a residence time of 2 h, a molar ratio of C/O of 1.7, and a sodium carbonate addition of 70 wt%, as well as with the use of anthracite as a reductant. Under the optimal conditions, 93.67% iron from the raw ore was recovered in the form of iron nugget with 95.44% iron grade. After a water leaching process, 85.61% of the vanadium from the roasting slag was leached, confirming the sodium oxidation of most of the vanadium oxides to water-soluble sodium vanadate during the roasting process. The total recoveries of iron, vanadium, and titanium were 93.67%, 72.68%, and 99.72%, respectively.

Water storage changes and balances in Africa observed by GRACE and hydrologic models

Continental water storage plays a major role in Earth＇s climate system. However, temporal and spatial variations of continental water are poorly known, particularly in Africa. Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment （GRACE） satellite mission provides an opportunity to estimate terrestrial water storage （TWS） variations at both continental and river-basin scales. In this paper, seasonal and secular variations of TWS within Africa for the period from January 2003 to July 2013 are assessed using monthly GRACE coefficients from three processing centers （Centre for Space Research, the German Research Centre for Geo- sciences, and NASA＇s Jet Propulsion Laboratory）. Monthly grids from Global Land Data Assimilation System （GLDAS）-I and from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission （TRMM）- 3B43 models are also used in order to understand the reasons of increasing or decreasing water storage. Results from GRACE processing centers show similar TWS estimates at seasonal timescales with some differences concerning inter-annual trend variations. The largest annual signals of GRACE TWS are observed in Zambezi and Okavango River basins and in Volta River Basin. An increasing trend of 11.60 mm/a is found in Zambezi River Basin and of 9 mm/a in Volta River Basin. A phase shift is found between rainfall and GRACE TWS （GRACE TWS is preceded by rainfall} by 2-3 months in parts of south central Africa. Comparing GLDAS rainfall with TRMM model, it is found that GLDAS has a dry bias from TRMM model.

Water storage changes in North America retrieved from GRACE gravity and GPS data

As global warming continues,the monitoring of changes in terrestrial water storage becomes increasingly important since it plays a critical role in understanding global change and water resource management.In North America as elsewhere in the world,changes in water resources strongly impact agriculture and animal husbandry.From a combination of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment（GRACE） gravity and Global Positioning System（GPS） data,it is recently found that water storage from August,2002 to March,2011 recovered after the extreme Canadian Prairies drought between 1999 and 2005.In this paper,we use GRACE monthly gravity data of Release 5 to track the water storage change from August,2002 to June,2014.In Canadian Prairies and the Great Lakes areas,the total water storage is found to have increased during the last decade by a rate of 73.8 ± 14.5 Gt/a,which is larger than that found in the previous study due to the longer time span of GRACE observations used and the reduction of the leakage error.We also find a long term decrease of water storage at a rate of-12.0 ± 4.2 Gt/a in Ungava Peninsula,possibly due to permafrost degradation and less snow accumulation during the winter in the region.In addition,the effect of total mass gain in the surveyed area,on present-day sea level,amounts to-0.18 mm/a,and thus should be taken into account in studies of global sea level change.

Low-frequency variability of terrestrial water budget in China using GRACE satellite measurements from 2003 to 2010

Mass variations in terrestrial water storage（TWS） obtained from eight years of satellite data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment（GRACE） are used to describe low frequency TWS through Empirical Orthogonal Function（EOF） analysis. Results of the second seasonal EOF mode show the influence of the Meiyu season. Annual variability is clearly shown in the precipitation distribution over China, and two new patterns of interannual variability are presented for the first time from observations, where two periods of abrupt acceleration are seen in 2004 and 2008. GRACE successfully measures drought events in southern China, and in this respect, an association with the Arctic Oscillation and El Nino-Southern Oscillation is discussed. This study demonstrates the unique potential of satellite gravity measurements in monitoring TWS variations and large-scale severe drought in China.

An atmospheric water harvester with fast and energy-saving water removal and recovery

Moisture removal and water recovery from the air are vital for regulating indoor humidity and mitigating water scarcity.Most atmospheric water harvesters(AWH)focus primarily on increasing the moisture capture rate,but for it to be economical and sustainable,it is essential to consider the energy required to recover and harvest the captured water.Here,a mechanically flexible,biphilic sorption-based AWH made of green,environmentally friendly material is presented.It consists of a hygroscopic chitosan polymer embedded within a flexible,hydrophobic silica xerogel that can harvest 86.3 g water/g chitosan at 97%relative humidity and 25℃reaching saturation after 30 days(i.e.2.88 g water/g chitosan/day).Roughly 88%of the sorbed moisture was recovered by mechanical squeezing(ca.0.020 MPa)within 150 s.Repeated water harvesting experiments and uniaxial compression tests demonstrate that chitosan-silica xerogel is durable for longterm operations,providing a fast,reliable,and sustainable moisture removal and water harvesting tool.

Physiological and anatomical changes in two rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) genotypes under drought stress conditions

Understanding the mechanisms of drought resistance in crop species is crucial for the selection and breeding of tolerant rapeseed(Brassica napus L.)varieties.The present study aimed to assess the physiological and anatomical responses of two rapeseed genotypes,P287(drought-tolerant)and T88(drought-sensitive)under three intensities of drought stress.All physiological and anatomical parameters related to drought acclimation were significantly altered in both genotypes under stress conditions.At the fourth-leaf stage,the relative water content,chlorophyll content,protein content,malondialdehyde content,and the activities of peroxidase and catalase in P287 were significantly higher than those in T88,particularly under severe drought conditions.After rehydration,all physiological indexes recovered rapidly,especially in P287.In addition,under drought stress,compared with T88,P287 had thicker palisade tissue,thinner spongy tissue,higher ratio of chloroplast length to chloroplast width,higher stomatal density and stomatal closure rate.Overall,the interaction between physiological and anatomical features improved the drought tolerance of P287 under drought stress conditions.

Evaluating the blank contamination and recovery of sample pretreatment procedures for analyzing organophosphorus flame retardants in waters

Organophosphate esters（OPEs）, used as flame retardants and plasticizers, are widely present in environmental waters. Development of accurate determination methods for trace OPEs in water is urgent for understanding the fate and risk of this class of emerging pollutants. However, the wide use of OPEs in experimental materials results in blank interference, which influences the accuracy of analytical results. In the present work, blank contamination and recovery of pretreatment procedures for analysis of OPEs in water samples were systematically examined for the first time. Blank contaminations were observed in filtration membranes, glass bottles, solid phase extraction cartridges, and nitrogen blowing instruments. These contaminations could be as high as 6.4–64 ng/L per treatment. Different kinds of membranes were compared in terms of contamination levels left after common glassware cleaning, and a special wash procedure was proposed to eliminate the contamination from membranes. Meanwhile, adsorption of highly hydrophobic OPEs on the inside wall of glass bottles was found to be 42.4%–86.1%, which was the primary cause of low recoveries and was significantly reduced by an additional washing step with acetonitrile. This work is expected to provide guidelines for the establishment of analysis methods for OPEs in aqueous samples.

Effectiveness of empirical orthogonal function used in decorrelation of GRACE time-variable gravity field

Empirical orthogonal function （EOF） was used to process the spherical harmonic coefficient （SHC） of 115 Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment （GRACE） RL05 monthly gravity field models from March 2003 to February 2013 released by CSR （Center for Space Research）. We analyzed the effectiveness of EOF in decorrelation of gravity field. Results show that only a small Gaussian smoothing radius was needed by EOF to significantly weaken the north -south stripes compared with the empirical moving-window filtering algorithm. The comparative experiments with a Global Land Data Assimilation System （GLDAS） hydrological model also show that EOF did not much affect the real geophysical signals, and that the removed signals were nearly uncorrelated with the real geophysical signals. As the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment （GRACE） missions continue, EOF can be used to significantly remove the correlated errors from monthly gravity fields and reserve rich effective signals.

Development and prospect of separated zone oil production technology

This article outlines the development of separated zone oil production in foreign countries,and details its development in China.According to the development process,production needs,technical characteristics and adaptability of oilfields in China,the development of separate zone oil production technology is divided into four stages:flowing well zonal oil production,mechanical recovery and water blocking,hydraulically adjustable zonal oil production,and intelligent zonal production.The principles,construction processes,adaptability,advantages and disadvantages of the technology are introduced in detail.Based on the actual production situation of the oilfields in China at present,three development directions of the technology are proposed.First,the real-time monitoring and adjustment level of separated zone oil production needs to be improved by developing downhole sensor technology and two-way communication technology between ground and downhole and enhancing full life cycle service capability and adaptability to horizontal wells.Second,an integrated platform of zonal oil production and management should be built using a digital artificial lifting system.Third,integration of injection and production should be implemented through large-scale application of zonal oil production and zonal water injection to improve matching and adjustment level between the injection and production parameters,thus making the development adjustment from"lag control"to"real-time optimization"and improving the development effect.

Preparation of reverse osmosis membrane with high permselectivity and anti-biofouling properties for desalination

High performance is essential for the polyamide(PA)reverse osmosis(RO)membranes during the desalination process.Herein,RO membranes with high permselectivity and anti-biofouling properties were fabricated by nanoparticles incorporation and anti-biofouling grafting.Hydrotalcite(HT)incorporation was performed with a dual role,enhancing water flux and acting as grafting sites.The HT incorporation increased the water flux without sacrificing the salt rejection,compensating for the loss caused by the following grafting reaction.The exposed surface of HT acted as grafting sites for anti-biofouling agent dimethyloctadecyl[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ammonium chloride(DMOTPAC).The combination of HT incorporation and DMOTPAC grafting endowed RO membranes with high permselectivity and anti-biofouling properties.The water flux of the modified membrane PA-HT-0.06 was 49.8 L/m^(2)·h,which was 16.4%higher than that of the pristine membrane.The salt rejection of PA-HT-0.06 was 99.1%,which was comparable to that of the pristine membrane.As to the fouling of negatively charged lysozyme,the modified membrane’s water flux recovery was superior to that of the pristine membrane(e.g.86.8%of PA-HT-0.06 compared to 78.2%of PA-pristine).The sterilization rates of PA-HT-0.06 for E.coli and B.subtilis were 97.3%and 98.7%,much higher than those of the pristine membrane(24.0%for E.coli and 26.7%for B.subtilis).