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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Deconstructed Plastic Substrate Preferences Of Microbial Populations From The Natural Environment, Lindsay I. Putman, Laura G. Schaerer, Ruochen Wu, Daniel G. Kulas, Ali Zolghadr, Rebecca Ong, David Shonnard, Stephen Techtmann Jun 2023

Deconstructed Plastic Substrate Preferences Of Microbial Populations From The Natural Environment, Lindsay I. Putman, Laura G. Schaerer, Ruochen Wu, Daniel G. Kulas, Ali Zolghadr, Rebecca Ong, David Shonnard, Stephen Techtmann

Michigan Tech Publications

Over half of the world's plastic waste is landfilled, where it is estimated to take hundreds of years to degrade. Given the continued use and disposal of plastic products, it is vital that we develop fast and effective ways to utilize plastic waste. Here, we explore the potential of tandem chemical and biological processing to process various plastics quickly and effectively. Four samples of compost or sediment were used to set up enrichment cultures grown on mixtures of compounds, including disodium terephthalate and terephthalic acid (monomers of polyethylene terephthalate), compounds derived from the chemical deconstruction of polycarbonate, and pyrolysis oil …


Date-Leaf Carbon Particles For Green Enhanced Oil Recovery, Bashirul Haq, Md Abdul Aziz, Dhafer Al Shehri, Nasiru Salahu Muhammed, Shaik Inayath Basha, Abbas Saeed Hakeem, Mohammed Ameen Ahmed Qasem, Mohammed Lardhi, Stefan Iglauer Apr 2022

Date-Leaf Carbon Particles For Green Enhanced Oil Recovery, Bashirul Haq, Md Abdul Aziz, Dhafer Al Shehri, Nasiru Salahu Muhammed, Shaik Inayath Basha, Abbas Saeed Hakeem, Mohammed Ameen Ahmed Qasem, Mohammed Lardhi, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Green enhanced oil recovery (GEOR) is an environmentally friendly enhanced oil recovery (EOR) process involving the injection of green fluids to improve macroscopic and microscopic sweep efficiencies while boosting tertiary oil production. Carbon nanomaterials such as graphene, carbon nanotube (CNT), and carbon dots have gained interest for their superior ability to increase oil recovery. These particles have been successfully tested in EOR, although they are expensive and do not extend to GEOR. In addition, the application of carbon particles in the GEOR method is not well understood yet, requiring thorough documentation. The goals of this work are to develop carbon …


Application Of Compositional Data Analysis To Determine The Effects Of Heating Mode, Moisture Status And Plant Species On Pyrolysates, David R. Weise, Thomas H. Fletcher, Mohammad-Saeed Safdari, Elham Amini, Javier Palarea-Albaladejo Jun 2021

Application Of Compositional Data Analysis To Determine The Effects Of Heating Mode, Moisture Status And Plant Species On Pyrolysates, David R. Weise, Thomas H. Fletcher, Mohammad-Saeed Safdari, Elham Amini, Javier Palarea-Albaladejo

Faculty Publications

Pyrolysate gas mixtures are multivariate and relative in nature. Statistical techniques applied to these data generally ignore their relative nature. Published data for permanent gases (CO, CO2, H2, CH4) and tars produced by pyrolysing 15 wildland fuels were reanalysed using compositional data analysis techniques. Mass and mole fractions were compositionally equivalent. Plant species, moisture status and heating mode effects on compositional balances formed from subsets of pyrolysates were tested. Plant species affected the amount of phenol, primary and secondary/tertiary tars relative to permanent gases and relative amounts of single- and multi-ring compounds. Plant moisture status affected the amount of CO …


Pyrolysis Kinetics Of Wildland Vegetation Using Model-Fitting Methods, Ellie Amini, Mohammad-Saeed Safdari, Nathan Johnson Brigham, David R. Weise, Thomas H. Fletcher May 2021

Pyrolysis Kinetics Of Wildland Vegetation Using Model-Fitting Methods, Ellie Amini, Mohammad-Saeed Safdari, Nathan Johnson Brigham, David R. Weise, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

Slow-heating pyrolysis experiments of 14 plant species native to forests in the southern United States were conducted in a TGA to find the kinetic parameters for slow pyrolysis of all live and air-dried plant samples. Kinetic coefficients were determined from the data using model-fitting methods, resulting in single kinetic parameters for the entire pyrolysis process which can be used by wildland fire modelers. The model forms explored here are a simple one-step model and single and multiple reaction distributed activation energy (DAE) models. The mass loss and derivative mass loss data were fitted simultaneously at heating rates of 10, 20, …


Comparison Of Pyrolysis Of Live Wildland Fuels Heated By Radiation Vs. Convection, Mohammad-Saeed Safdari, Elham Amini, David R. Weise, Thomas H. Fletcher Jan 2020

Comparison Of Pyrolysis Of Live Wildland Fuels Heated By Radiation Vs. Convection, Mohammad-Saeed Safdari, Elham Amini, David R. Weise, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

During wildland fires, which include both planned (prescribed fire) and unplanned (wildfire) fires, live and dead plants may be subject to both radiative and convective heat transfer mechanisms. In this study, the pyrolysis of 14 live plant species native to the forests of the southern United States was investigated using a flat-flame burner (FFB) apparatus under three heating modes in order to mimic pyrolysis of plants during wildland fires. The heating modes were: (1) radiation-only, where the plants were pyrolyzed under a moderate heating rate of 4 °C s−1 (radiative flux of 50 kW m−2); (2) convection-only, where the FFB …


A Review Of 30 Years Of Research Using The Cpd Model, Thomas H. Fletcher Nov 2019

A Review Of 30 Years Of Research Using The Cpd Model, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

The chemical percolation devolatilization (CPD) model for coal pyrolysis was first published in 1989, and a completed version that included the vapor–liquid equilibrium model and cross-linking model was published in 1992. The CPD model was one of three pyrolysis models developed using a lattice model to account for the chemical structure of the coal and was directly based on solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements of the coal structure. A correlation of coal structure parameters measured by NMR spectroscopy was performed to permit use of the CPD model to determine pyrolysis rates and yields of tars and light …


Correlations Of The Elemental Compositions Of Primary Coal Tar And Char, Andrew P. Richards, Colson Johnson, Thomas H. Fletcher Jan 2019

Correlations Of The Elemental Compositions Of Primary Coal Tar And Char, Andrew P. Richards, Colson Johnson, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

Simulations of large-scale coal combustors rely on accurate submodels to describe the chemical and physical changes in coal during reaction. Typically, simplified empirical submodels are tuned to experimental data to reduce the computational complexity. When data are not readily available, simplifying assumptions are used, which can create inaccuracies and biases in a large simulation. One such simplifying assumption in coal research is how to describe the elemental composition of primary pyrolysis products. This paper explores several different empirical model forms to predict the dry, ash-free fractions of C, H, O, N, and S in both the char and tar, using …


Pyrolysis Kinetics Of Live And Dead Wildland Vegetation From The Southern United States, Elham Amini, Mohammad-Saeed Safdari, David R. Weise, Thomas H. Fletcher Jan 2019

Pyrolysis Kinetics Of Live And Dead Wildland Vegetation From The Southern United States, Elham Amini, Mohammad-Saeed Safdari, David R. Weise, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

The fundamental combustion behavior of live wildland vegetation is not fully understood. Since the combustion process during wildland fire starts with pyrolysis, there is a need for better understanding of pyrolysis to develop improved wildland fire models. The kinetics of pyrolysis of live and dead wildland vegetation has not been explored in detail. In this study, the pyrolysis kinetics were determined for 14 different plant species (live and dead) which are all native to the forests in the southern United States. Pyrolysis experiments were carried out in a Thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) under inert conditions at 5 different heating rates ranged …


Effects Of Water Content And Particle Size On Yield And Reactivity Of Lignite Chars Derived From Pyrolysis And Gasification, Yong Huang, Yonggang Wang, Hao Zhou, Yaxuan Gao, Deliang Xu, Lei Bai, Shu Zhang Jan 2018

Effects Of Water Content And Particle Size On Yield And Reactivity Of Lignite Chars Derived From Pyrolysis And Gasification, Yong Huang, Yonggang Wang, Hao Zhou, Yaxuan Gao, Deliang Xu, Lei Bai, Shu Zhang

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Water inside coal particles could potentially enhance the interior char–steam reactions during pyrolysis and gasification. This study aims to examine the effects of water contents on the char conversion during the pyrolysis and gasification of Shengli lignite. The ex-situ reactivities of chars were further analyzed by a thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA). Under the pyrolysis condition, the increase in water contents has monotonically decreased the char yields only when the coal particles were small (μm). In contrast, the water in only large coal particles (0.9–2.0 mm) has clearly favored the increase in char conversion during the gasification condition where 50% steam …


Characterization Of Pyrolysis Products From Fast Pyrolysis Of Live And Dead Vegetation Native To The Southern United States, Mohammad-Saeed Safdari, Mahmood Rahmati, Elham Amini, Joel E. Howarth, Jansen P. Berryhill, Mark Dietenberger, David R. Weise, Thomas H. Fletcher Jan 2018

Characterization Of Pyrolysis Products From Fast Pyrolysis Of Live And Dead Vegetation Native To The Southern United States, Mohammad-Saeed Safdari, Mahmood Rahmati, Elham Amini, Joel E. Howarth, Jansen P. Berryhill, Mark Dietenberger, David R. Weise, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

Prescribed burning (controlled burning) is used to decrease accumulation of combustible materials and reduce impact of uncontrolled wildland fires. Prescribed fires are often used to burn undergrowth in Southern forests of the United States. In order to improve prescribed fire application, accomplish desired fire effects, and limit potential runaway fires, an improved understanding of the fundamental processes related to combustion of heterogeneous fuel beds of live and dead fuels is needed. The initial processes of combustion involve pyrolysis and ignition. During this research, fast pyrolysis of 14 live and dead (biomass) plant species which are native to the Southern United …


Model For The Evolution Of Pore Structure In A Lignite Particle During Pyrolysis. 2. Influence Of Cross-Linking Reactions, Molten Metaplast, And Molten Ash On Particle Surface Area, He Yang, Thomas H. Fletcher, Sufen Li, Haoquan Hu, Lijun Li Jan 2017

Model For The Evolution Of Pore Structure In A Lignite Particle During Pyrolysis. 2. Influence Of Cross-Linking Reactions, Molten Metaplast, And Molten Ash On Particle Surface Area, He Yang, Thomas H. Fletcher, Sufen Li, Haoquan Hu, Lijun Li

Faculty Publications

A model for the evolution of the pore structure in a lignite particle during pyrolysis was established previously based on the chemical percolation devolatilization (CPD) model, using coal polymer network parameters to calculate the surface area and porosity of the particle. In this paper, to get the accurate surface area of coal particle at high pyrolysis temperature, the previous model was improved by considering the effects of cross-linking reactions, molten Metaplast, and ash. The good agreement of the predicted surface area with experiments at temperature below 1200 K in the previous model is maintained, and model accuracy is improved at …


Integrating Batch Pyrolysis And Fractional Condensation (2d Mfr) To Get High-Value Products From Biomass, Mohammad Hossain, Chiara Barbiero, Ian Scott, Franco Berruti, Cedric Briens Jun 2016

Integrating Batch Pyrolysis And Fractional Condensation (2d Mfr) To Get High-Value Products From Biomass, Mohammad Hossain, Chiara Barbiero, Ian Scott, Franco Berruti, Cedric Briens

5th International Congress on Green Process Engineering (GPE 2016)

Agricultural crop residues are a source of inexpensive biomass to convert into bioproducts. The recovery of valuable chemicals from plant waste would partly solve the disposal issue and offer a more environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic chemical production. One approach to separate and concentrate valuable chemicals from biomass is pyrolysis using a batch reactor process. A mechanically fluidized reactor (MFR) was developed to pyrolyze biomass from ambient to temperatures near 600 °C, forming gases that are then condensed in an ice-chilled condenser to form a bio-oil. The bio-oil produced by the MFR can be separated within temperature ranges, termed one-dimensional …


Adhesives From Biomass Pyrolysis, Dongbing Li, Franco Berruti, Cedric Briens Jun 2016

Adhesives From Biomass Pyrolysis, Dongbing Li, Franco Berruti, Cedric Briens

5th International Congress on Green Process Engineering (GPE 2016)

Fast pyrolysis of waste biomass with high lignin content, such as birch wood, birch bark, hydrolysis lignin, kraft lignin or low-cost digestate from biogas production, provides oils that can be substituted for phenol in phenol-formaldehyde resins. Biomass fast pyrolysis was performed in a dedicated fluidized bed pyrolyzer that incorporated two crucial innovations: a fractional condensation train provided dry bio-oils with ~1% of moisture and much reduced acidity; autothermal pyrolysis with partial oxidation reduces operating and capital costs, as well as increasing the quality of the dry bio-oil. Dry bio-oil obtained from autothermal fast pyrolysis of kraft lignin can be used …


Influence Of Pre-Treatment On Grass Pyrolysis For High Value Products, Chiara Barbiero, Charles Greenhalf, Franco Berruti, Cedric Briens Jun 2016

Influence Of Pre-Treatment On Grass Pyrolysis For High Value Products, Chiara Barbiero, Charles Greenhalf, Franco Berruti, Cedric Briens

5th International Congress on Green Process Engineering (GPE 2016)

Pyrolysis of biomass is a process which yields high quality, clean, and green products like bio-oil and bio-char. Bio-oil has a wide range of applications and also includes liquid fuels and raw chemical products. Therefore, it will be attractive to tailor the bio-oil properties to improve the yields of specific compounds that are economically interesting. In particular, pyrolytic sugar can be used for fermentation while phenolic compounds have an array of industrial applications such as adhesives; moreover, they can substitute petroleum-based phenols. However, it is difficult to achieve high yields of specific chemicals in the bio-oil without adequate biomass pre-treatments. …


A Comparison Of Simple Global Kinetic Models For Coal Devolatilization With The Cpd Model, Andrew Richards, Thomas H. Fletcher Jan 2016

A Comparison Of Simple Global Kinetic Models For Coal Devolatilization With The Cpd Model, Andrew Richards, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

Simulations of coal combustors and gasifiers generally cannot incorporate the complexities of advanced pyrolysis models, and hence there is interest in evaluating simpler models over ranges of temperature and heating rate that are applicable to the furnace of interest. In this paper, six different simple model forms are compared to predictions made by the Chemical Percolation Devolatilization (CPD) model. The model forms included three modified one-step models, a simple two-step model, and two new modified two-step models. These simple model forms were compared over a wide range of heating rates (5000 to 106 K/s) at final temperatures up to …


Modeling Light Gas And Tar Yields From Pyrolysis Of Green River Oil Shale Demineralized Kerogen Using The Chemical Percolation Devolatilization Model, Daniel Barfuss, Ronald J. Pugmire, Thomas H. Fletcher Jan 2015

Modeling Light Gas And Tar Yields From Pyrolysis Of Green River Oil Shale Demineralized Kerogen Using The Chemical Percolation Devolatilization Model, Daniel Barfuss, Ronald J. Pugmire, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

Recent detailed chemical structure analyses of three demineralized kerogens from Green River oil shale samples were used to generate input parameters for the chemical percolation devolatilization (CPD) model. This model uses a lattice network to describe pyrolysis of solid hydrocarbons, such as coal and biomass. It was necessary to modify the formulation of the CPD model to account for the long aliphatic carbon chains found in oil shale, because gases formed from these long chains condense at room temperature and are counted as tar. It was initially assumed that 20% of the aliphatic material was released as light gas during …


Simulation Of The Swelling Of High-Volatile Bituminous Coal During Pyrolysis. Part 2: Influence Of The Maximum Particle Temperature, He Yang, Thomas H. Fletcher, Ming Dong Jan 2015

Simulation Of The Swelling Of High-Volatile Bituminous Coal During Pyrolysis. Part 2: Influence Of The Maximum Particle Temperature, He Yang, Thomas H. Fletcher, Ming Dong

Faculty Publications

A model was established previously to predict the swelling ratio of high-volatile bituminous coal during pyrolysis based on the assumption that the structure of bubble distribution in the particle at the beginning of the plastic stage is a central bubble surrounded by many surrounding bubbles. The initial number and size of the bubbles when the particles become plastic are calculated by the pressure in the particle, and the chemical percolation devolatilization (CPD) model is used to describe pyrolysis. In this paper, to obtain accurate results at low pyrolysis temperatures, the previous model is improved and the following parts in the …


Model For The Evolution Of Pore Structure In A Lignite Particle During Pyrolysis, Sufen Li, He Yang, Thomas H. Fletcher, Ming Dong Jan 2015

Model For The Evolution Of Pore Structure In A Lignite Particle During Pyrolysis, Sufen Li, He Yang, Thomas H. Fletcher, Ming Dong

Faculty Publications

In this paper, on the basis of the chemical percolation devolatilization (CPD) model and using the coal polymer network parameters to calculate the surface area and porosity of the particle, a model for the evolution of pore structure in a lignite particle during pyrolysis is established. The model connects the polymer network structure and the pore structure, and it may extend the application range of network statistical devolatilization models. Model predictions agree with experimentally observed trends reported in the literature for porosity and internal surface area with increasing mass release. Particle porosity increases during pyrolysis because of mass release and …


Characterization Of Macromolecular Structure Elements From A Green River Oil Shale, I. Extracts, Mark S. Solum, Charles L. Mayne, Anita M. Orendt, Ronald J. Pugmire, Jacob Adams, Thomas H. Fletcher Jan 2014

Characterization Of Macromolecular Structure Elements From A Green River Oil Shale, I. Extracts, Mark S. Solum, Charles L. Mayne, Anita M. Orendt, Ronald J. Pugmire, Jacob Adams, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

This paper is the first of two associated papers describing the structural details of three sections of an oil shale core taken at the Skyline 16 mine in the Utah Uinta Basin. Bitumen was extracted from the shale using methanol/dichloromethane. Kerogen was isolated from the shale, using a nine-step extraction procedure using HCl and HF. Bitumen samples from the three cores were analyzed using high-resolution 13C NMR liquid-state spectroscopy, showing carbon aromaticities of 7%−11%. Aliphatic carbons were dominated by methylene structures, with average aliphatic chain lengths of 24 carbons. The three parent shales and the demineralized kerogens were each …


Characterization Of Macromolecular Structure Elements From A Green River Oil Shale, Ii. Characterization Of Pyrolysis Products By 13c Nmr, Gc/Ms, And Ftir, Thomas H. Fletcher, Ryan Gillis, Jacob Adams, Trent Hall Jan 2014

Characterization Of Macromolecular Structure Elements From A Green River Oil Shale, Ii. Characterization Of Pyrolysis Products By 13c Nmr, Gc/Ms, And Ftir, Thomas H. Fletcher, Ryan Gillis, Jacob Adams, Trent Hall

Faculty Publications

This paper is Part II of a study of the chemical structural components of the organic matter of oil shale in the Green River formation. Three sections of a well-characterized oil shale core from the Utah Green River formation were demineralized, and the resulting kerogen was pyrolyzed at 10 °C/min in nitrogen at atmospheric pressure at temperatures up to 525 °C. The pyrolysis products (light gas, tar, and char) were analyzed using 13C NMR, GC/MS, and (FTIR). Pyrolysis yields of 80% (daf basis) were achieved at these conditions, with 60% daf tar yield at the highest temperature. The solid-state …


Simulation Of The Swelling Of High-Volatile Bituminous Coal During Pyrolysis, He Yang, Sufen Li, Thomas H. Fletcher, Ming Dong Jan 2014

Simulation Of The Swelling Of High-Volatile Bituminous Coal During Pyrolysis, He Yang, Sufen Li, Thomas H. Fletcher, Ming Dong

Faculty Publications

In this paper, a model is established to predict the swelling ratio of high-volatile bituminous coal during pyrolysis, based on the assumption that the structure of bubble distribution in the particle at the beginning of the plastic stage is a central bubble surrounded by many surrounding bubbles. The initial number and size of the bubbles when the particles become plastic are calculated by the pressure in the particle. The chemical percolation devolatilization (CPD) model is used to describe pyrolysis. The pyrolysis of eight types of high-volatile bituminous coals is simulated, and the results are compared with experimental results to verify …


Simulation Of The Evolution Of Pressure In A Lignite Particle During Pyrolysis, He Yang, Sufen Li, Thomas H. Fletcher, Ming Dong, Weishi Zhou Jan 2014

Simulation Of The Evolution Of Pressure In A Lignite Particle During Pyrolysis, He Yang, Sufen Li, Thomas H. Fletcher, Ming Dong, Weishi Zhou

Faculty Publications

The evolution of pressure in a lignite particle during pyrolysis was simulated on the basis of the gas motion equation in porous media and considering the Klinkenberg effect. The chemical percolation devolatilization (CPD) model was used to describe pyrolysis. The pore diameter in the particle is close to the average free path of volatile gas molecules; therefore, the solid phase restrains the movement of gas. Because flow out of the particle is restricted, the internal pressure rises. The internal pressure first increases and then decreases during pyrolysis, and the evolution is influenced by heating conditions. The pressure rise is larger …


On Electric Conduction Of Amorphous Silicon Carbonitride Derived From A Polymeric Precursor, Yaohan Chen, Fuqian Yang, Linan An Jun 2013

On Electric Conduction Of Amorphous Silicon Carbonitride Derived From A Polymeric Precursor, Yaohan Chen, Fuqian Yang, Linan An

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

A long-existing problem that the conductivity of amorphous silicon carbonitrides derived from polymeric precursor increases significantly with pyrolysis temperature is investigated. We show that the conductivity exhibited an Arrhenius dependence on pyrolysis temperature, with the activation energy of ∼3.41 eV. Structural analysis using Raman spectroscopy reveals that the free carbon within the material undergoes a sp3-to-sp2 transition as pyrolysis temperature increases, with the activation energy of ∼3.6 eV. We conclude that the pyrolysis-temperature induced increase in the conductivity is mainly due to the increase in the conductivity of the free carbon. A simple model is proposed to …


Characterization Of Macromolecular Structure Of Pyrolysis Products From A Colorado Green River Oil Shale, James L. Hillier, Thomas H. Fletcher, Mark S. Solum, Ronald J. Pugmire Jan 2013

Characterization Of Macromolecular Structure Of Pyrolysis Products From A Colorado Green River Oil Shale, James L. Hillier, Thomas H. Fletcher, Mark S. Solum, Ronald J. Pugmire

Faculty Publications

Volatile products from an oil shale from the Colorado Green River formation were studied by several methods. The oil shale was demineralized, and the resulting kerogen was also chemically analyzed. Both the oil shale and the demineralized kerogen were pyrolyzed at 10 K/min, and the pyrolysis products (light gas, tar, and char) were analyzed using 13C NMR, XPS, GC/MS, and FTIR. Low temperature ashing was performed in order to compare pyrolysis yields of oil shale and demineralized kerogen on a dry ash-free basis. Volatile yields of approximately 75% were achieved in an oil shale retort and 79% in the kerogen …


Prediction Of Sawdust Pyrolysis Yields From A Flat-Flame Burner Using The Cpd Model, Aaron D. Lewis, Thomas H. Fletcher Jan 2013

Prediction Of Sawdust Pyrolysis Yields From A Flat-Flame Burner Using The Cpd Model, Aaron D. Lewis, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

High heating rate pyrolysis experiments were performed on a softwood sawdust in a flat-flame burner reactor at temperatures from 1163 to 1433 K with particle residence times ranging from 23 to 102 ms at atmospheric pressure. Volatile yields of the 45−75 μm sawdust were measured and are believed to be similar to those that would occur in an industrial entrained-flow combustor or gasifier. A refractory tar yield near 1.5 wt % (dry, ash-free) was measured. A high percentage of the fully pyrolyzed sawdust char was spherical, having lost the original sawdust structure. It is suggested that the morphology of sawdust …


Prediction Of Tar And Light Gas During Pyrolysis Of Black Liquor And Biomass, Thomas H. Fletcher, Harland R. Pond, Jarom Webster, Judson Wooters, Larry L. Baxter Jan 2012

Prediction Of Tar And Light Gas During Pyrolysis Of Black Liquor And Biomass, Thomas H. Fletcher, Harland R. Pond, Jarom Webster, Judson Wooters, Larry L. Baxter

Faculty Publications

A generalized model for describing the pyrolysis behavior of low-grade fuels is being developed for incorporation into larger combustion simulation models. Light gas and tar yields from black liquor or biomass pyrolysis can be predicted using the chemical percolation devolatilization (CPD) model originally developed for coal. The initial approach is to measure the average chemical structures in a black liquor sample using 13C NMR spectroscopy. These chemical structures are then used in pyrolysis model predictions. With few changes from the coal-derived kinetic parameters, the model describes the organic pyrolysis behavior of black liquor samples obtained in a nitrogen-purged furnace. It …


Coal Swelling Model For Pressurized High Particle Heating Rate Pyrolysis Applications, Randy C. Shurtz, Joseph W. Hogge, Kade C. Fowers, Gregory S. Sorensen, Thomas H. Fletcher Jan 2012

Coal Swelling Model For Pressurized High Particle Heating Rate Pyrolysis Applications, Randy C. Shurtz, Joseph W. Hogge, Kade C. Fowers, Gregory S. Sorensen, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

A model was previously developed to describe the decrease in swelling during coal pyrolysis at atmospheric pressure when maximum particle heating rates increase from 104 K/s to 105 K/s. That model included effects of coal type using chemical structure properties. This paper presents results of new experiments to study the effects of elevated pressure and high heating rates on coal pyrolysis. A pressurized flat-flame burner (PFFB) was designed and built to conduct these studies. The pyrolysis experiments reported in this paper were conducted at particle heating rates of ∼105 K/s and maximum gas temperatures of 1700 to 1900 …


Coal Swelling Model For High Heating Rate Pyrolysis Applications, Randy C. Shurtz, Kolbein K. Kolste, Thomas H. Fletcher Jan 2011

Coal Swelling Model For High Heating Rate Pyrolysis Applications, Randy C. Shurtz, Kolbein K. Kolste, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

Thermal swelling of coal during pyrolysis strongly influences combustion and gasification rates. Coal swelling is known to vary strongly with coal rank, heating rate, and total pressure. New experiments confirm and clarify previous observations that maximum swelling occurs for high-rank bituminous coals at heating rates slightly below 104 K/s. Advanced swelling models based on bubble physics yield good qualitative trends at low heating rates, but they fail to predict observed decreases in coal swelling as particle heating rates increase beyond 104 K/s. An empirical swelling correlation for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) applications that correctly describes experimentally observed trends …


Pyrolysis Kinetics Of A Green River Oil Shale Using A Pressurized Tga, James L. Hillier, Thomas H. Fletcher Jan 2011

Pyrolysis Kinetics Of A Green River Oil Shale Using A Pressurized Tga, James L. Hillier, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

Crushed samples of Green River Oil Shale and its kerogen extract were pyrolyzed at heating rates from 1 to 10 K/min at pressures of 1 and 40 bar and temperatures up to 1000 C. Two to four mass release peaks were observed with the major two corresponding to kerogen pyrolysis and carbonate decomposition. The transient pyrolysis data were fit with a first-order model and a Distributed Activation Energy Model (DAEM). An F-test was used to determine confidence regions and compare the kinetic parameters among the oil shale and demineralized samples, between the two pressure levels, and between the models. The …


Characteristics And Kinetics Of Biomass Pylolysis In A Micro Fluidized Bed Reactor, Guangwen Xu, Shiqiu Gao, Jian Yu, Qiang Li, Jianhong Zhu, Zhengkang Duan May 2010

Characteristics And Kinetics Of Biomass Pylolysis In A Micro Fluidized Bed Reactor, Guangwen Xu, Shiqiu Gao, Jian Yu, Qiang Li, Jianhong Zhu, Zhengkang Duan

The 13th International Conference on Fluidization - New Paradigm in Fluidization Engineering

A Micro Fluidized Bed Reactor (MFBR) was developed to enable on-line pulse feeding and isothermal differential reaction of particle reactant. Application of the MFBR to biomass pyrolysis demonstrated that the resulting globe kinetics parameters were 11.77 kJ/mol and 1.45 s-1 on the gas release characteristics, respectively.