CO_(2)-capture research and Clean Energy Technologies Research Institute(CETRI)of University of Regina,Canada:history,current status and future development

Clean Energy Technologies Research Institute(CETRI)was formerly known as the International Test Centre for CO_(2)Capture in the early 2000s.The original focus of the centre was to help lower the carbon intensity of the current energy sources to low-carbon ones in Canada.Currently,CETRI’s mandates have expanded and now include most of the low-carbon and near-carbon-free clean-energy research activities.Areas of research focus include carbon(CO_(2))capture,utilization and storage(CCUS),near-zero-emission hydrogen(H_(2))technologies,and waste-to-renewable fuels and chemicals.CETRI also brings together one of the most dynamic teams of researchers,industry leaders,innovators and educators in the clean and low-carbon energy fields.

Modification of CaO-based sorbents prepared from calcium acetate for CO_2 capture at high temperature

CaO-based sorbent is considered to be a promising candidate for capturing CO_2 at high temperature. However,the adsorption capacity of CaO decreases sharply with the increase of the carbonation/calcination cycles. In this study, CaO was derived from calcium acetate(CaAc_2), which was doped with different elements(Mg, Al,Ce, Zr and La) to improve the cyclic stability. The carbonation conversion and cyclic stability of sorbents were tested by thermogravimetric analyzer(TGA). The sorbents were characterized by N_2 isothermal adsorption measurements, scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD). The results showed that the cyclic stabilities of all modified sorbents were improved by doping elements, while the carbonation conversions of sorbents in the 1st cycle were not increased by doping different elements. After 22 cycles, the cyclic stabilities of CaO–Al, CaO–Ce and CaO–La were above 96.2%. After 110 cycles, the cyclic stability of CaO–Al was still as high as 87.1%. Furthermore, the carbonation conversion was closely related to the critical time and specific surface area.

Hollow ZSM-5 encapsulated with single Ga-atoms for the catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass waste

The development of efficient metal-zeolite bifunctional catalysts for catalytic fast pyrolysis(CFP) of biomass waste is highly desirable for bioenergy and renewable biofuel production.However,conventional metal-loaded zeolites often suffer from metal sintering during pyrolysis and are thus inactivated.In this study,single-site Ga-functionalized hollow ZSM-5(GaO_x@HS-Z5) was synthesized via an impregnationdissolution-recrystallization strategy without H_(2) reduction.The Ga atom was coordinated to four oxygen atoms in HS-Z5 frameworks.Benefitting from the highly dispersed single-Ga atoms and hollow zeolite framework,3GaO_x@HS-Z5 performed the best in producing hydrocarbon-rich bio-oil compared to impregnated 3GaO_x/HS-Z5 and H_(2)-reduced 3Ga@HS-Z5 in the maize straw CFP.In particular,3GaO_x@HS-Z5 delivered the highest bio-oil yield(23.6 wt%) and hydrocarbon selectivity(49.4 area%).3GaO_x@HS-Z5 also retained its structural integrity and catalytic activity after five pyrolysis-regeneration cycles,demonstrating its advantage in practical biomass CFP.The elimination of H_(2) reduction during the synthesis of catalyst provides an additional advantage for simplifying the CFP process and reducing operating costs.The retained Ga micro-environment and anti-sintering properties were unique for 3GaO_x@HS-Z5,as severe metal sintering occurred during pyrolysis for other metals(e.g.,NiO_x,ZnO_x,FeO_x,and CoO_x) that encapsulated HS-Z5.

Effect of pre-calcination for modified CaO-based sorbents on multiple carbonation/calcination cycles

In the present work,the effect of pre-calcination on carbonation conversion and cyclic stability of modi fied CaObased sorbent was investigated by thermogravimetric analyzer(TGA).The modi fied CaO-based sorbents with CaAc_2 as precursor were respectively doped with different elements(Mg,Al,Ce,Zr and La).The speci fic surface area,pore volume and pore size distribution were tested by N_2 isothermal adsorption measurements.The phase compositions of sorbents were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD).The results showed that the cyclic stabilities of the sorbents were improved by pre-calcination.The pre-calcination was conducted at 900°C for 5 h in air by the muf fle furnace.With pre-calcination,the cyclic stabilities of sorbents could be as high as 96% after 22 cycles,such as CaO-Al,CaO-Ce and CaO-La.After contact with air,the carbonation conversions of spent sorbents with pre-calcination suddenly increased by about one-sixth due to the change of channel structure by hydration.Both the cyclic stability of sorbent and the durability of reactivation were related to the structural stability of sample,especially the stability of mesopores between 2 nm and 5.5 nm.The present work also provided an easy and low-cost method for reactivating the spent CaO-based sorbents.

Heterogeneous numerical modelling for the auto thermal reforming of crude glycerol in a fixed bed reactor

A mathematical model for the catalytic autothermal reforming(ATR)reaction of synthetic crude glycerol to hydrogen in a fixed bed tubular reactor(FBTR)and over an in-house developed metal oxide catalyst is presented in this work.The heterogeneous model equations account for a two-phase system of solid catalyst and bulk feed gas.Also,the ATR of crude glycerol reaction scheme and intrinsic kinetic rate model over an active,selective,and stable nickel-based catalyst were integrated in the developed model.Also,the model was validated using experimental data generated in our labs for the ATR of synthetic crude glycerol.The modelling results adequately described the detailed gas product composition and distribution,temperature profiles,and conversion propagation in the axial direction of the fixed bed reactor over a wide range of reaction temperature(773–923 K)and mass-time(12.71–158.23 g cat·min·(mol C)^(-1)).The crude glycerol conversion predicted with the model showing a close resemblance to those obtained experimentally with an average absolute deviation(AAD)of less than 8%.The maximum crude glycerol conversion and hydrogen yield were found to be 92%and 3 mol hydrogen/mol crude glycerol,respectively.Also,the gas product concentration profile in the reactor was adequately described(90%)accuracy with a hydrogen concentration of 39%(volume).

An Experimental Study on Oxidized Mercury Adsorption by Bromide Blended Coal Combustion Fly Ash

The application of forced mercury oxidation technology would lead to an increase of Hg^(2+)concentration in the flue gas.Although Hg^(2+)can be easily removed in the WFGD,the mercury re-emission in the WFGD can decrease the total removal of mercury from coal-fired power plants.Hence,it is necessary to control Hg^(2+)concentration in the devices before the WFGD.Fly ash adsorbent is considered as a potential alternative for commercial activated carbon adsorbent.However,the adsorption efficiency of the original fly ash is low.Modification procedure is needed to enhance the adsorption performance.In this study,the adsorption of Hg^(2+)by brominated fly ash was studied.The fly ash was collected from the full-scale power plant utilizing bromide-blended coal combustion technology.The brominated fly ash exhibited excellent performance for Hg^(2+)removal.The flue gas component HBr and SO_(2)could improve adsorbent’s performance,while HCl would hinder its adsorption process.Also,it was demonstrated by Hg-TPD experiments that the adsorbed Hg^(2+)mainly existed on the fly ash surface in the form of HgBr_(2).In summary,the brominated fly ash has a broad application prospect for mercury control.

On the Thermal Fatigue of a Room-Cured Neat Epoxy and Its Composite

An experimental investigation is conducted to evaluate the potential degradation in the mechanical properties of an epoxy resin and unidirectional glass fiber-reinforced epoxy (GFRE) as a result of exposure to fluctuating temperature. A commonly used room-cured epoxy resin and the GFRE are subjected to various numbers of thermal cycles (up to 1000 heating/cooling cycles). Mechanical tests are conducted to examine the influence of thermal cycles on the stiffness, ultimate strength and strain of the resin and its GFRE. The Fourier transform-Raman spectroscopy (FT-Raman) is conducted to investigate the influence of the thermal cycles on the resulting chemical changes and curing degree of the resin. In addition, the Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analysis is conducted to investigate the variation in the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the resin as a function of the applied thermal cycles.

Standard of Electrical Washing Machine for Household and Similar Purposes

Background With further improvement of people＇s living, the household washing machine industry has entered a new stage of development. However, some indicators of GB/T 4288-2003 have become no longer suitable for the development of household washing machine products at present. Particularly, with an increasing number of basic functions and auxiliary functions,

Catalytic conversion of bioethanol to value-added chemicals and fuels:A review

Bioethanol produced via valorisation of renewable biomass is of great interest to many industries.The increased availability and decreased cost of bioethanol make it a promising platform molecule to produce a wide range of value-added chemicals and fuels via the catalytic conversions.This paper provides a comprehensive review of catalytic conversions of bioethanol to a variety of chemicals/fuels such as hydrogen,C_(2)-C_(4)olefins,gasoline and small oxygenates.Specifically,the focus was placed on the relationship between the catalyst property(such as pore structure,acidity,active metal sites,and catalyst supports)and the catalytic performance(including catalyst activity and stability),as well as the reaction mechanisms involved.Future research avenues on the catalyst design for improving catalytic valorisation of bioethanol are also discussed.

Advancement and new perspectives of using formulated reactive amine blends for post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO_(2)) capture technologies

Chemical absorption using amine-based solvents have proven to be the most studied,as well as the most reliable and efficient technology for capturing carbon dioxide(CO_(2))from exhaust gas streams and synthesis gas in all combustion and industrial processes.The application of single amine-based solvents especially the very reactive monoethanolamine(MEA)is associated with a parasitic energy demand for solvent regeneration.Since regeneration energy accounts for up to threeequarters of the plant operating cost,efforts in its reduction have prompted the idea of using blended amine solvents.This review paper highlights the success achieved in blending amine solvents and the recent and future technologies aimed at increasing the overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient,absorption rate,cyclic capacity and greatly minimizing both degradation and the energy for solvent regeneration.The importance of amine biodegradability(BOD)and low ecotoxicity as well as low amine volatility is also highlighted.Costs and energy penalty indices that influences the capital and operating costs of CO_(2) capture process was also highlighted.A new experimental method for simultaneously estimating amine cost,degradation rate,regeneration energy and reclaiming energy is also proposed in this review paper.

The relationship between oxidative degradation and ammonia emission of carbon capture amines based on their chemical structures

This work investigates the effect of chemical structural positioning of different functional groups in 29 amines covering primary,secondary and tertiary alkanolamines as well as multi-alkylamines and cyclic amines on both amine degradation and ammonia(NH_(3))emissions during post-combustion amine-based carbon dioxide capture.The results helped to elucidate possible relation-ships between degradation and emissions as related to the chemical structure of the amine.The results showed that longer alkyl chain lengths in multi-alkylamines caused a more drastic decrease in both degradation and NH_(3) emissions followed by secondary alkanolamines.The decrease in those activities for primary and tertiary alkanolamines as well as cyclic amines was low and more so for NH_(3) emissions.In contrast,the increase in hydroxyl groups in secondary alkanolamines caused a drastic increase in degrad-ation and NH_(3) emissions.On the other hand,having more hydroxyl groups in sterically hindered primary and tertiary alkanolamines caused a more drastic decrease in degradation and a smaller decrease in NH_(3) emissions due to the steric hindrance within their structure.An increase in the number of amino groups in an amine caused an increase in both degradation and NH_(3) emission rates because these provided the reactive sites for the formation of free radicals.This effect was not as large in alkyl-cyclic amines as in multi-alkylamines due to the ability of the former to resist oxidative degradation.Furthermore,branched alkyl groups between amino and hydroxyl groups more drastically increased both the degradation and NH_(3) emission activities than branched alkyl groups located at the nitrogen atom.

Volumetric and viscometric properties of aqueous 1,2-dimethylethylenediamine solution for carbon capture application

The present work investigates the volumetric and viscometric properties of an aqueous solution of 1,2-dimethylethylenediamine(DEEDA)over an entire concentration range and an absorber operating temperature range of 313.15K-333.15K at atmospheric pressure.The investigated volumetric properties included the density,excess molar volume,partial molar volume,and the investigated viscometric properties included the viscosity,viscosity deviation,free energy for activation of viscous flow,excess free energy for activation of viscous flow,and excess entropy for activation of viscous flow.The results indicated that there are strong intermolecular interactions and suitable molecular packing in the binary DEEDA-water mixture.Hence,the mixture was found to deviate from a real mixture according to the calculated excess properties.The DEEDA solvent's preliminary volumetric and viscometric properties revealed convincing potential as a novel amine for carbon capture.Additionally,the Redlich-Kister-based correlations showed favorable correlative performance for excess molar volume,viscosity deviation,and excess entropy for activation of viscous flow.

Review on the NO removal from flue gas by oxidation methods

Due to the increasingly strict emission standards of NOx on various industries,many traditional flue gas treatment methods have been gradually improved.Except for selective catalytic reduction(SCR)and selective non-catalytic reduction(SNCR)methods to remove NOx from flue gas,theoxidation method is paying more attention to NOx removal now because of the potential to simultaneously remove multiple pollutants from flue gas.This paper summarizes the efficiency,reaction conditions,effect factors,and reaction mechanism of NO oxidation from the aspects of liquid-phase oxidation,gas-phase oxidation,plasma technology,and catalytic oxidation.The effects of free radicals and active components of catalysts on NO oxidation and the combination of various oxidation methods are discussed in detail.The advantages and disadvantages of different oxidation methods are summarized,and the suggestions for future research on NO oxidation are put forward at the end.The review on the NO removal by oxidation methods can provide new ideas for future studies on the NO removal from flue gas.

Integrated Equivalent Model of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator Based Wind Turbine for Large-scale Offshore Wind Farm Simulation

The high-speed simulation of large-scale offshore wind farms(OWFs) preserving the internal machine information has become a huge challenge due to the large wind turbine(WT) count and microsecond-range time step. Hence, it is undoable to investigate the internal node information of the OWF in the electro-magnetic transient(EMT) programs. To fill this gap,this paper presents an equivalent modeling method for largescale OWF, whose accuracy and efficiency are guaranteed by integrating the individual devices of permanent magnet synchronous generator(PMSG) based WT. The node-elimination algorithm is used while the internal machine information is recursively updated. Unlike the existing aggregation methods, the developed EMT model can reflect the characteristics of each WT under different wind speeds and WT parameters without modifying the codes. The access to each WT controller is preserved so that the time-varying dynamics of all the WTs could be simulated. Comparisons of the proposed model with the detailed model in PSCAD/EMTDC have shown very high precision and high efficiency. The proposed modeling procedures can be used as reference for other types of WTs once the structures and parameters are given.

Application of carbon nanotubes prepared from CH_(4)/CO_(2) over Ni/MgO catalysts in CO_(2) capture using a BEA-AMP bi-solvent blend

Carbon nanotubes(CNTs)were synthesized by the chemical vapour deposition of methane and carbon dioxide over a Ni/MgO catalyst.The synthesized CNTs were then mixed with K/MgO catalyst at different ratios and used as the catalyst for CO_(2) absorption in butylethanolamine-2-amino-2-methyl-l-propanol bi-solvent blend.The catalysts were characterized using X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,butylethanolamine,thermal gravimetric analysis and temperature-programmed desorption of carbon dioxide in order to determine the characteristics responsible for good CO_(2)-absorption performance.The results showed that,with the addition of a catalyst into the amine solution,the amine reached equilibrium CO_(2) loading faster than without a catalyst.Also,the increase in the CNT content of the KMgO/CNTs catalyst made the CO_(2) absorption reach equilibrium much more quickly compared with just KMgO alone and without a catalyst.The KMgO/CNTs at a ratio of 1:4 yielded the fastest time to reach CO_(2)-loading equilibrium at 240 min,which was mainly due to the increase in strong basic sites as well as the highest total basic sites with an increase in CNT content.In addition,because of the extremely large specific surface area and pore volume generated due to the CNT,the number of exposed active centres per unit mass increased tremendously,leading to a corresponding tremendous increase in CO_(2) absorption.

The history and development of the IEA GHG Weyburn-Midale CO_(2) Monitoring and Storage Project in Saskatchewan, Canada (the world largest CO_(2) for EOR and CCS program)

1.Introduction The Weyburn oil field occurs within a larger trend of similar oil accumulations in Mississippian-aged carbonates.The history of discovery of these oil accumulations resulted in the fields being given several different names.The Weyburn field and the immediately-adjacent Midale field are effectively part of a larger oil pool with OOIP(original oil in place)reserves of over 2 billion barrels.This is certainly a large conventional oil pool for Canada even if not large by world standards.These pools are found in truncated stratigraphic traps and occur at about 1450e1550 m depth making them ideal for CO_(2) storage[1].

Recent progress and new developments of applications of artificial intelligence (AI), knowledge-based systems (KBS), and Machine Learning (ML) in the petroleum industry

Over the past two decades,broad-based and intense efforts have been devoted to apply concepts and methodologies from information technology(IT)and artificial intelligence(AI)to informatics research related to energy and environmental systems.Both academic research and industrial practices have generated an impressive amount of literature,which spans virtually every aspect of synergistic work among these disciplines.Informatics and systems analysis techniques are now being widely used by the practicing engineers and scientists to solve a broad range of problems in the petroleum industry.Speaking at the World Economic Forum at Davos Switzerland in 2017,Ginni Rometty,IBM′CEO at that time(now Executive Chairperson of IBM),described AI's role in the partnership between humans and machines as“augmented cognition.”In other words,AI not only supports but augments human cognition so that humans can be more efficient and“do a better job”[1,2].This should also be true and very beneficial for the petroleum industry.

Mass-transfer studies of solid-base catalyst-aided CO_(2) absorption and solid-acid catalyst-aided CO_(2) desorption for CO_(2) capture in a pilot plant using aqueous solutions of MEA and blends of MEA-MDEA and BEA-AMP

Mass-transfer studies of catalyst-aided CO_(2) absorption and desorption were performed in a full-cycle,bench-scale pilot plant to improve CO_(2) absorption using 5M MEA,5M MEA-2M MDEA and 2M BEA-2M AMP.A solid-base catalyst,K/MgO,and an acid catalyst,HZSM-5,were used to facilitate absorption and desorption,respectively.Absorption and desorption mass-transfer performance was presented in terms of the overall mass-transfer coefficient of the gas side(KGav)and liquid side(K_(L)a_(v)),respectively.For non-catalytic runs,the highest K_(G)a_(V) and K_(L)a_(V) were 0.086 Kmol m^(3).kPa.hr and 0.7851 hr for 2M BEA-2M AMP solvent.The results showed 38.7% KGav and 23.6% K_(L)a_(v) increase for 2M BEA-2M AMP with only HZSM-5 catalyst in desorber and a 95% K_(G)a_(V) and 45% K_(L)a_(V) increase for both K/MgO catalyst and HZSM-5 catalyst.This was attributed to the role of K/MgO in bonding loosely with CO_(2) and making it available for the amine reaction.

Predictions of equilibrium solubility and mass transfer coefficient for CO_(2) absorption into aqueous solutions of 4-diethylamino-2-butanol using artificial neural networks

In the present work,artificial neuron network(ANN)based models for predicting equilibrium solubility and mass transfer coefficient of CO_(2) absorption into aqueous solutions of high performance alternative 4-diethylamino-2-butanol(DEAB)solvent were successfully developed.The ANN models show an outstanding predictive performance over the predictive correlations proposed in the literature.In order to predict the equilibrium solubility,the ANN model were developed based on three input parameters of operating temperature,concentration of DEAB and partial pressure of CO_(2).An outstanding prediction performance of 2.4%average absolute deviation(AAD)can be obtained(comparing with 7.1–8.3%AAD from the literature).Additionally,a significant improvement on predicting mass transfer coefficient can also be achieved through the developed ANN model with 3.1%AAD(comparing with 14.5%AAD from the existing semi-empirical model).The mass transfer coefficient is considered to be a function of liquid flow rate,liquid inlet temperature,concentration of DEAB,inlet CO_(2) loading,outlet CO_(2) loading,concentration of CO_(2) along the height of the column.