 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Abstracts for In-Plant Energy Conservation and Optimization
Day 1: October 9, 2006
Hamid Arastoopour, Dean Armour College of Engineering Illinois Institute of Technology Energy and Sustainability - A Challenge to the Engineering Community
PRESENTATION SLIDES
Mark Pruitt University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Research Center Changes & Trends in the Energy Industry:
Regulatory Energy Updates and ImpactsIn January of 2007, major energy de-regulation will take place. This paper will discuss the changes and potential impacts on the energy industry and end users. The UIC/ERC serves as the local US Department of Energy Industrial Assessment Area through its center of excellence, "The Energy Resource Center"
Andrew Sheaffer University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Resources Center No/ Low Cost Savings: Identifying and fixing often and
easily overlooked energy losses.
PRESENTATION SLIDESOver the years, the US Department of Energy has identified many energy improvements with short payback periods with little to no cost. The UIC Industrial Assessment Center will share its' considerable experience serving as USDOE representative numerous industrial energy audits and improvement projects. What to look for and how to make the changes necessary to reduce energy consumption and improve the bottom line.
Mark Hamann ComEd/Exelon Energy Successful Capital Projects: Our Electric Utility's Eye
Look at energy Savings Case StudiesAs our premier provider of electric power and related service, ComEd/Exelon will share its experience gleaned over the years in developing and participating in numerous major industrial energy projects. Case studies will illustrate specific projects and cost savings.
Chandan Rao, PE Effective Energy Management Practices: Creating a Top Level Energy Management Program
PRESENTATION SLIDESABSTRACT:
You have identified the low hanging fruit and programmed major energy capital expenses, but how do you keep energy improvement from being a one-time "program of the year"? This presentation, by an international energy consultant firm will describe their methodology to create a permanent structure in management for continuous improvement in plant energy utilization. Envinta is an international energy management corporation specializing in top-level industrial management solutions.BIO:
Chandan Rao is the President of Graphet Inc - an Energy Data Mining and Analysis company. He has over 25 years of experience in energy conservation for industrial process and institutional facilities systems. Graphet Inc provides niche expertise for supporting sustainable energy conservation, from energy management benchmarking, setting of key performance indicators and accountabilities, to niche technical expertise, implementation and tracking metrics that demonstrate results. EnVinta & Graphet Inc have a strategic alliance to promote sustainable processes for energy efficiency improvements. Mr Rao's expertise is in facilitating energy teams and developing creative long-term solutions for achieving sustainable energy conservation. He focuses on a phased implementation approach, moving projects from concept through implementation with accountability for results. He is experienced in the evaluation and optimization of compressed air systems, industrial ventilation systems and process cooling systems.
Peter Brown Energy Planning Associates Lighting: Selecting and Engineering Efficient Lighting Systems
PRESENTATION SLIDESChoosing lighting is an activity rarely practiced by plant engineers. However, light fixtures tend to have long lifetimes, so the proper selection will have great effect on the bottom line. This paper will examine advanced lighting fixtures, energy consumption, aesthetic considerations and cost.
Mark Hamann ComEd/Exelon Energy Motors & Drives: Selecting and Engineering Efficient Motor and Drives
In industrial facilities, motor systems can account for half to two thirds of the total electricity use. By implementing strategies to replace inefficient motor designs with premium efficiency ones, or installing variable speed drives to align system load versus motor speed, energy consumption will be reduced. This presentation will provide an overview on how to select the right motor and when variable speed drives make sense. The presentation will also review motor management practices and how procedural changes can yield substantial savings.
Mark Wizniak ComEd/Exelon Energy Boiler & Steam Systems: Evaluation
This presentation will address the process and equipment associated with the generation and distribution of industrial plant steam. The steam system fundamentals will be reviewed that highlight areas where opportunities exist to improve steam system efficiency and reduce operating cost.
Andrew Sheaffer University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Research Center Compressed Air Systems: Compressed Air Program Evaluation
PRESENTATION SLIDESThis utility is often a set it and forget it item. Many plants use air for valve operators, breathing, welding, etc. Leaks and inefficiencies easily overlooked in otherwise functioning systems add significant operational cost. This paper will look at design and operational considerations as well as energy recovery options.
Xin (Frank) Zhu and Keith Couch UOP LLC Combined Heat & Power Systems: CHP and COGEN Global Overview
Plant wide energy optimization requires integrating global resources. This paper will look at tying together process and utility energy sources and sinks to extract maximum value and cost effectiveness. This will include co-generation as well as basic heat recovery. The author will describe his "Pinch Technology" approach and energy hub concept to assure global system energy optimization in real world plant settings as applied by one of the worlds' largest developer and of petroleum refining technology.
Mike Chimack (1) and Todd Thornburg (2) University of Illinois at Chicago Energy Research Center (1)
ComEd/Exelon (2)How to Internally Sell Energy Projects: Compressed Air Program Evaluation
The best technical ideas and proposals remain only good intentions when value is not effectively communicated to decision makers. Understating and anticipating the criteria and concerns of financial and managerial decision makers will improve the chances of success. This presentation will tie everything together and take a serious but light-hearted look at lessons learned from the perspective of these two long time energy veterans.
Michael Roberts, Joseph Rabovitser, Richard Knight, Dmitri Boulanov, and Serguei Nester Gas Technology Institute Illinois Coal Gasification/Reforming Using Low-Temperature Plasma:
Research Opportunities in Stationary Power Generation and New Energy CarriersA GTI led team is developing a novel gasification technology, low-temperature Plasma Assisted Reforming (PAR), for co-production of hydrogen, syngas, substitute natural gas (SNG) and electricity from coal. In the PAR process, micronized coal is converted to product gas at temperatures of 500 to 700°C. The product gas is fed into a warm gas cleanup unit for removal of sulfur, mercury and other contaminants and then into a purification unit for gas separation and CO2 capture. Based on GTI’s proof-of-concept studies (already conducted), PAR can exceed performance targets of traditional high-temperature gasification for efficiency, costs, and emissions.
In a Phase I project funded by ICCI in 2005, GTI started evaluation of the suitability of the PAR process for low-temperature gasification of Illinois coal for four prospective applications: production of hydrogen, fuel gas for gas turbines, syngas for Fisher-Tropsch synthesis, and SNG for natural gas markets. Two Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma test units located at GTI’s Combustion Lab in Des Plaines, IL are being utilized in the project. A laboratory scale semi-batch 200-W DBD reactor is used for characterization of the coal reactivity in a fixed bed arrangement. Scale up studies in a continuous flow pilot scale 3-kW DBD reactor focus on process optimization, and economic and environmental evaluation. A system analysis is being conducted to identify projected markets for Illinois coal, to prepare a process database and to develop a technology plan. Experimental data collected to date indicate the technical feasibility of the PAR-based gasification of Illinois coal. Preliminary modeling results show a 25% cost reduction and at least 10% efficiency increase of the PAR technology compared to traditional gasification.
Based on Phase I proof-of-feasibility results, the Team plans to initiate Phase II development of the PAR technology for Illinois coal: to conduct process characterization studies and produce PAR operation parameters for scale up of the technology to the MW-scale pilot level. The goal of the Phase II effort is to characterize and optimize the PAR-based gasification of Illinois coal for four prospective markets: hydrogen, fuel gas, syngas, and SNG. The effort will include: (1) Evaluation and selection of required process parameters for four applications; (2) Experimental study of coal preparation for the PAR process; (3) Development of the BDB gasifier; (4) Experimental study of the PAR in a DBD gasifier; and (5) Development of detailed specifications for a Phase III MW-scale pilot plant.
John Aycock, Senior Engineering Associate Eastman Chemical Company Chemicals and Power Co-Production by Gasification of Illinois Coal The U.S. chemical industry is highly dependent on raw materials derived from petroleum or natural gas. Escalating prices and increased volatility in recent years have magnified the risk of this lack of raw material diversification. Coal has the potential to be a primary source of energy as well as a feedstock for chemicals due to its abundance of supply, relatively low cost and relatively low price volatility as compared to other fossil fuels. As a result, Eastman Gasification Services Company conducted a study for the Illinois Clean Coal Institute to evaluate the feasibility of chemicals production from Illinois coals and help lay the groundwork for chemicals project development in the State of Illinois. Two main process options were evaluated in the course of this work: standalone coal to chemicals based on gasification and syngas processing; and coproduction of chemicals from coal in combination with Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle for power production. Though this review focuses predominantly on methanol (MeOH) as a representative chemical product, in that MeOH is highly versatile with a variety of uses in manufacturing and energy applications, the results can be extrapolated to a number of additional chemicals that may be particularly advantageous to Illinois. All major areas that impact the economic and technical feasibility of a potential coal-to-chemicals project at an Illinois mine mouth site were evaluated including the characteristics and suitability of Illinois coals; marketing issues for chemicals, power, and Illinois coal; optimum process design and configuration; capital and operating costs of each mode of production; and impact of financial structure and assumptions.
Bruce G. Bryan, P. Vann Bush, Rachid B. Slimane,
Larry G. Felix, and Michael RobertsGasification & Gas Processing Center, Gas Technology Institute (GTI) GTI’s Flex-Fuel Test Facility – An Overview of Recent and Ongoing Projects and Accomplishments
PRESENTATION SLIDESTo support the development and commercialization of its gasification technologies and provide a cost-effective platform for evaluating emerging syngas end-use applications, GTI has designed, constructed, and commissioned a state-of-the-art pilot-scale gasification facility, the Henry R. Linden Flex-Fuel Test Facility. Built with support from the natural gas industry and the State of Illinois, the test facility was successfully commissioned in early 2004 and has since been used in the performance of three projects. The first project focused on the evaluation of the gasification characteristics of a high-ash Indian coal with the goal of qualifying this fuel as a suitable candidate for IGCC. The second project involved feasibility demonstration tests of the Novel Gas Cleaning “filter-reactor” Process, a syngas ultra-cleaning technology that is being developed jointly with Siemens Power Generation. The NGC Process concept turns barrier filters into chemical reactors when they collect fine sorbent particles injected into the syngas stream. A NGC Process section, comprising two Siemens barrier filters, three sorbent injection systems, a bulk sulfur removal system, and other equipment, was designed, integrated with the facility, and operated. The facility was also fitted with innovative sample extraction and conditioning systems and state-of-the-art instrumentation that enable comprehensive, real-time assessment of NGC Process performance with syngas derived from gasification of three different coals, including a North Dakota Lignite. In the third project, the gasifier was operated as a fluid-bed biomass gasifier with pelletized wood to evaluate the tar-cracking ability of alumina and sintered olivine bed materials and establish tar-cracking performance benchmarks for comparison with a new class of catalytically-active bed materials under development at GTI. The real-time sampling systems in place at the facility were used to assess the tar-cracking performance of these bed materials.
The capabilities of the Flex-Fuel facility are continually being expanded. In one ongoing project, a pilot-scale gas/liquid contactor is being relocated from Texas and will be integrated into the facility for conducting conventional syngas cleanup and CO2 capture research based on the Morphysorb® physical solvent technology for upgrading subquality natural gas, which has been commercialized by GTI and Uhde. In another project, GTI is beginning work with Headwaters Technology Innovation (HTI) Group, Inc. in pilot-scale testing of HTI’s iron-based catalysts for the production of high-hydrogen content Fischer-Tropsch (FT) liquid products. In another effort, GTI is a key participant in the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne/DOE advanced single-stage gasifier development program for high-efficiency and low-cost production of synthesis gas. A pilot-scale version of PWR’s advanced coal gasifier will be installed and operated at GTI, with significant additions to the facility including advanced coal feeding and gas cooling systems, a high-pressure oxygen supply system, and a hot gas filter fines lockhopper discharge system. An overview of these recent and ongoing activities will be provided in this paper, with a focus on results and accomplishments.
Robert J. Finley Illinois State Geological Survey Recent Research on Carbon Sequestration and Plans for FutureGen In the Illinois Basin The Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) has been investigating the potential for carbon sequestration in the Illinois Basin since October 2003. Results to date have shown the geology to be potentially suitable for carbon dioxide (CO2) storage, and a series of pilot tests is now underway. While this work has been in progress, the ISGS also provided the geological and carbon sequestration reservoir analysis for the proposals that netted Illinois two of the four semifinal sites being considered for the FutureGen power plant project, as announced by the U.S. Department of Energy and the FutureGen Industrial Alliance on July 25, 2006. The sites are located near Tuscola and Mattoon, Illinois. Seven states offered twelve sites in the first round of the competition; the other two semifinal sites are in Texas. ISGS researchers have defined the geology and engineering characteristics of the subsurface reservoirs that could handle up to 1 million metric tons of CO2 per year over the life of a FutureGen facility, defined the seismic stability of potential sites, helped define pipeline corridors potentially needed to move the CO2, and provided base maps and aerial photographs of the sites to support site evaluation. In addition, ISGS staff attended public meetings in these communities to explain CO2 sequestration and helped to explain the entire project to the public, as well as to increase awareness of the role of greenhouse gases like CO2 and the potential for climate change. Regardless of the outcome of the FutureGen competition, the Illinois Basin remains a prime area for coal gasification project development both because of the coal resources available and because of the suitability of the geologic framework for carbon sequestration.
Richard D. Doctor and John C. Molburg Argonne National Lab Comparative Economics of Hydrogen and Electricity from Stationary Power Generation
PRESENTATION SLIDESSeveral resources could be used to produce the hydrogen. Leading contenders include fossil, renewable, and nuclear energy. Of course, a combination of these sources is a more likely supply scenario. Each of these routes creates a new set of technical and regulatory challenges.
At present in the U.S., the resource chain for producing hydrogen starts with petroleum products, such as natural gas or naphtha. These feedstocks are converted to hydrogen and carbon dioxide by means of a process called catalytic reforming. Variations on the basic reforming process account for 96 percent of all hydrogen produced today. Worldwide, 63 percent of the hydrogen produced is used for manufacturing ammonia fertilizers, with the remainder used principally in refineries to remove sulfur and nitrogen pollutants from gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The possibility of using hydrogen for automotive transport has been a focus of DOE programs since the "FreedomCar Partnership" was announced in 2002 followed by President Bush's announcement of a hydrogen initiative in the State of the Union Address in 2003. Most near-term hydrogen production will likely continue to be made from natural gas reforming because this is a low-capital investment route.
Carbon dioxide capture technologies combined with Shell integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) power systems producing both hydrogen and electricity could operate on high-sulfur Illinois coals and should be considered. The economics of large scale coal-to-hydrogen look favorable as the current prices for natural gas remain the norm. Comparisons of energy penalties, capital investment, and CO2 emission reductions based on the full energy cycle - including mining, coal transportation, coal preparation, gasification, gas treatment, power generation, infrastructure to transfer power or hydrogen to end users, and pipeline transport of CO2 for sequestration are reasonably certain for the coal route and will be presented. The technical aspects of H2 pipelines and supercritical CO2 pipelines, as well as issues relating to CO2 sequestration in a variety of host reservoirs, will be considered. The largest challenges will be the transport of carbon dioxide and the availability of carbon dioxide sequestration reservoirs. Here the regulatory landscape is still not fully formed.
Emerging technologies for hydrogen production linked to a revitalized nuclear industry using Gen-III+ and high-temperature Gen-IV reactors will also be considered. For the nuclear cases, commercial electrolysis provides a benchmark against which research on thermochemical cycles and high-temperature steam electrolysis must be measured. Even the most-promising of these nuclear routes has not yet been demonstrated at the integrated process scale yet, although this work is on track.
Timothy C. Lindsey, Ph.D. Illinois Waste Management and Research Center Waste Conversion to Biodiesel Biodiesel is now well accepted as a legitimate, diesel fuel alternative offering multiple advantages over petroleum such as renew-ability, energy security, and superior environmental performance. Additionally, the growth of a biodiesel industry can catalyze rural economic development through value-addition and establishment of processing centers. This has spurred many states in the U.S. to promote the use of biodiesel.
In addition to virgin vegetable oil, by-products from vegetable oil processing have attracted attention as a potential feedstock for biodiesel manufacture. Waste grease is collected from grease traps installed in commercial, industrial or municipal sewage facilities that separate grease and oil from wastewater. Commercial vegetable oil producers produce millions of gallons of waste grease annually. However, this type of grease contains a significant amount of water and other contaminants and is considered of very low quality with little monetary value. Some of the grease is used in animal feed but most of it tends to be disposed of as waste.
This presentation will discuss how the Illinois Waste Management and Research Center (WMRC) has converted various vegetable oil by-products to biodiesel and assisted other entities in the conversion. WMRC has worked with large-scale vegetable oil processors to develop a biodiesel conversion process for the oily by-products. Additionally, WMRC has assisted a variety of Illinois interests to convert by-products to biodiesel resulting in reduced waste and fuel cost. Specifically, WMRC has provided assistance a High School (they used biodiesel produced from their rancid cafeteria grease to power a bus), a bussing company, a State agency, a farmer, a landscaping firm and a variety of private citizens.
Refinery Processing and In-Plant Energy Conservation and Optimization |
Chicago Section, American Institute
of Chemical Engineers |