Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Forest Residues As An Alternate Energy Source, John G. Riley, Norman Smith

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Forest residues, in combination with more intensified timber production systems have potential as a substantial source of fuel wood. The extent and availability of this resource is discussed, with particular reference to the energetics and economics of existing and proposed harvesting systems. Utilization of residue wood fuels is considered and recent developments in small scale automatic wood chip burning heating systems for residential and commercial use are described.

Large And Small Applications Of Energy Farming, Oliver C. Sitton, E. A. Kobylinski, J. L. Gaddy

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The collection of solar energy by photosynthesis and the subsequent conversion of crop matter to natural gas can be practiced in farm scale applications or very large installations. This paper discusses the design and economics of these systems.

Systematic Implementation Of Local, State And Federal Regulations To Control Transportation And Land Use Can Reduce Energy Required For Transportation, J. Larry Josey, J. Edwin Clark

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Petroleum is available in limited amounts and the Transportation industry is currently using a giant share of the petroleum based fuel used in America. Ways are explored in this paper to reduce the amount of fuel needed to maintain mobility. Regulations on Transportation and Land Use are shown to be potential tools for fuel savings.

The Current Status Of The Canadian Coal Industry, Philip S. Martin

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Mineable reserves of coal are known to exist right across Canada and some 30 mines are currently operating in five provinces, plus one small mine in the Yukon. Total production in 1977 will a- mount to some 30 million short tons with a value of approximately $700 million, which will be a new record tonnage.

The Opec Oil-Pricing Policies, Vaman Rao

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The capital-theoretic model suggested for determining the price- quantity combinations does not hold in the case of most natural resources, including petroleum, since the inelastic demand function would vitiate the optimal solution. The specification of a dynamic demand function, with necessary, attributes, no doubt, results in a valid optimal solution in period t, but that could be achieved only at the cost of sub-optimal solution in other periods. If the OPEC starts behaving as a discriminating monopoly, instead of as a pure monopoly, the optimal solution is assured in all markets and in all time periods.

Control Of Trace Elements During The Increasing Development Of Coal For Energy, Bobby G. Wixson, Ernst Bolter

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The question of an energy crisis continues as many people in the United States have difficulty and become confused with what seems to be a continuing excess of gasoline, oil products and questionable reporting of price increases and profit margin by energy companies. However, the majority of the scientific and engineering community, knowledgable politicians and the general public realize that the energy crisis is real. Fortunately there still remains time to practice conservation and the development of alternative and new sources of energy if the United States can unite and implement a viable energy plan.

Cost Effectiveness Of Bio-Gas Systems For Dairy Farms, J. C. Oppenlander, E. A. Cassell, R. N. Downer

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Considerable attention has recently been focused on the development of farm management practices that utilize the total resource potential of animal wastes. In addition to the fertilizer value of manure, energy in the form of bio-gas can be generated from manure wastes by an anaerobic digestion process. The purpose of this economic analysis was to evaluate the feasibility of producing energy from the anaerobic digestion of dairy-cow manure. Anaerobic digestion systems were rationally designed for several farm management practices on Vermont dairy farms. These designs were sized to accommodate dairy herds of 20, 50, 100, and 200 cows for both …

Recovery Of Oil From Oil Shale -- An Overall Technological Perspective, Abu Ahmad, Sayeed Hasan

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The hydrocarbon content of oil shale can be converted into liquid oil which is a possible energy resource for the future. Different aspects of shale oil recovery is briefly discussed. The technology of modified in situ oil shale retorting, which is receiving increasing attention for commercialization, is discussed in a little more detail.

Manufacturers' Responses To Fuel Supply Problems, Evelyn R. Rosenthal

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The progress of energy conservation in industry was investigated with the aim of identifying barriers to strong energy conservation efforts. One of these barriers proved to be fuel supply problems as exemplified by the natural gas shortage of 1976-77.

The Political Economy Of Opec, Loring Allen

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a part of the hard reality of the present and future energy position of the U. S. It burst upon the world scene in 1973 in response to long years of shabby treatment by the oil companies and oil-importing countries. Through cooperation in the exercise of their sovereignty over oil deposits, OPEC members have extracted increasing revenues through restricting production and raising price. Although serving its own interests, OPEC benefits also the rest of the world, even though its presence portends a shift in the world balance of power.

An Overview Of Potential Impacts Of Changing Petroleum Energy Prices On Grain Farms, Jean-Paul Chavas, James B. Kliebenstein

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Since the early 1970s world fossil fuel energy prices have risen dramatically. Assuming there is no significant breakthrough in en- ergy technology, the world will see further increases in energy prices. These changes will likely lead to economic adjustments in U. S. agriculture. A firm level linear programming model is used to evaluate what some of these adjustments could be on a Missouri grain farm. To obtain expected energy price affects on production mixes, energy prices are changed parametrically. Potential crop adjustments are from corn to single-crop soybeans to wheat as energy prices increase. Fertilization adjustments are from chemical to …

The Impact Of Regulation Upon The Oil And Gas Industries, Lee Carter

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

It is paradoxical that the oil and gas industries both ask for and resist the idea of regulation. Historic examples are given of how and why this is so. Since the Arab oil crisis of 1973, new and onerous rules for domestic producers have been introduced, first by improvization and more recently by a national energy plan. Both the good and bad features of the 1977 national energy plan are reviewed to generate words of commendation and words of warning about its effect on the oil and gas industries.

Theoretical And Experimental Investigation Of Oil Recovery By The Electrothermic Technique, Samy Abdel-Hakeem El-Feky

Doctoral Dissertations

"This work investigates the feasibility of increasing oil recovery from petroleum reservoirs by the electrothermic technique. A mathematical model was developed for the prediction of reservoir response to heating by alternating electric current flow through the oil-bearing formations. The mathematical model was programmed in FORTRAN for solution on the IBM 370/168. The model used the finite difference technique to represent the differential equations that describe the system, and the sets of difference equations were solved by the Strongly Implicit Procedure (SIP) and Successive Overrelaxation (SOR).

In order to verify the mathematical model, a set of experiments was conducted to determine …

Direct Solution Of The Isothermal Gibbs‐Duhem Equation By An Iterative Method For Binary Systems, J. A. Martinez‐Ortiz, David B. Manley

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Laser Doppler Velocimetry Studies Of Early Turbulence, J. L. Zakin, C. C. Ni, R. J. Hansen, M. M. Reischman

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Laser Doppler anemometry is employed to measure the mean velocity and turbulence intensity in the early turbulence regime of the flow of a dilute polymer solution through a small-diameter tube. (This regime is initiated at an onset Reynolds number in the subcritical range, above which the polymer additive increases drag, and continues through the transitional Reynolds number range, where a continuous transition to turbulent flow with reduced drag is observed.) When the onset flow rate for early turbulence is exceeded, the mean velocity profile becomes progressively flatter with increasing flow rate. That is, a gradual transition from a laminar profile …

Turbulence Structure In Drag Reducing Polymer Solutions, Gary Kent Patterson, Jack Chosnek, J. L. Zakin

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Longitudinal turbulence intensifies measured by split-film anemometry in degraded polymer solutions in pipe flow peaked much farther from the wall than longitudinal turbulence intensities in a Newtonian oil at the same Reynolds numbers. The peak values were at about the same level for the degraded solutions as for the oil but were higher and nearer the wall for fresh polymer solutions. Radial turbulence intensities were lower for the polymer solutions at all locations under all conditions. Drag reduction for the polymer solutions ranged from 1 to 21% based on Newtonian fluid of equal viscosity. For the fresh solutions the Reynolds …

Optimization Of Methanol Process By Flowsheet Simulation, S. H. Ballman, J. L. Gaddy

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Optimization of large complex chemical processes is a necessary step in economic design of these systems. Flowsheet simulation models afford an ideal mechanism for detailed optimization of these processes. The methanol process offers several interesting optimization variables (reformer temperature, pressure, and steam and carbon dioxide to hydrocarbon ratios; synthesis loop pressure, temperature, purge rate, and conversion) which require detailed models of the reaction kinetics. This paper presents the results of optimization of the intermediate pressure process using the PROPS model and the adaptive random search routine. The costs associated with performing such a detailed process optimization study are easily justified …

Synthesis Of Heat Exchange Networks By Mixed Integer Optimization, R. C. Kelahan, J. L. Gaddy

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Process synthesis involves manipulation of the process arrangement, while studying the variables of each arrangement, to arrive at the optimal process. If each process arrangement is treated as a discrete variable, process synthesis becomes a mixed integer optimization problem. This paper examines the synthesis of heat exchanger networks using the adaptive random search procedure, which can be used to search continuous and discrete independent variables simultaneously. The means of handling the heat exchanger arrangement as a discrete variable is discussed, and the incorporation of various synthesis heuristics is presented. The results of synthesis of 2 x 2, 2 x 3, …

Agricultural Crop Drying And Space Heating Using A Solar Energy Intensifier, M. A. Hellickson, W. H. Peterson, S. E. Saienga, J. L. Julson

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

A solar energy-intensifier-thermal energy storage system was developed and tested under actual climatic conditions in South Dakota. Performance characteristics of the system are presented for its use in drying shelled corn and for agricultural space heating. Comparisons between solar and conventional drying between solar supplemented and conventional heating are reported.

Energy Conservation In Ammonia Production, Yash P. Gupta, Donald B. Wilson

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The Federal Energy Administration currently is considering energy conservation goals for the industry. This paper presents methods for chemical/petroleum industry to conserve energy. Ammonia Production is used as an example.

The Impact Of Solar Central Electric Technology On The Regulated Utility, Donald A. Murry

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The generation of electricity by solar energy in the U.S. is moving from the design stage to the pilot plant stage. Some persons have argued that at least some of the base line technologies are competitors now or are approaching parity with other energy sources, at least when the social costs and benefits are considered. This paper evaluates briefly the institutional framework of the regulated electric utility, the proforma impact of a solar electric plant upon an operational utility. We conclude that under the present regulatory/institutional framework, the solar electric technology will be developed at a date that is slower …

A Method For Ascertaining The Effects Of The "Significant Deterioration Of Air Quality" Regulations On Energy Industries, James A. Crenshaw, Allan G. Pulsipher, Robert C. Shock

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

EPA has issued regulations to "prevent the significant deterioration" of air quality. Problems that states may encounter in implementing these regulations are described and an approach that states and utility systems can use to implement the prevention of significant deterioration regulations efficiently is given. The planning method can also be used to ascertain the economic effects of these regulations upon the energy industries in the state in question.

Economic Implications Of Alternative Property Rights Systems For Geothermal Resources, Thomas D. Crocker

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

A system of property claims in geothermal steam reservoirs is outlined that could cause the economically heat energy of the reservoir to be allocated among claimants and over time in a more efficient fashion. At most, the proposed scheme is second-best. It is nevertheless realistic.

Optimal Fuel Supply Control For Electrical Energy Systems -- A Real Time Computer Technique, J. Derald Morgan, Richard Thomas Smith

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The techniques of linear-integer programming are applied to the problem of supplying coal to power plants. A heuristic technique for optimizing the supply of coal to power companies is created. The optimization minimizes the purchase, transportation, and demurrage costs of coal subject to power system operations, power plant demands, coal purchase supply, power plant coal handling operations, and transport options. A procedure for calculation and analysis of cost sensitivity of optimal solutions to input data perturbations is presented which utilizes the optimizing technique.

The nature of the constraint set developed allows for the inclusion of loading and unloading operations in …

Over One Billion Tons Of Coal In 1985: Can The Railroad Industry Handle It?, Larry C. Peppers

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Any evaluation of our country's resource potential must carefully consider the transport network and the constraints which it places upon future energy development and growth. The federal government has a vague goal of energy independence (or, at least, less energy dependence), but it has not developed a coherent energy plan—a critical element of which is energy transport. The paper analyzes the uncertain coal outlook facing the rail industry, translates these coal scenarios into alternative financial projections for the rail sector, and clarifies the most urgent federal decisions needed in the energy-transport policy matrix. The rail industry is being asked to …

A Total Present Worth Economic Comparison Of Coal And Nuclear Fuel Energy Alternatives, Dennis M. Tulenko, Phillip F. Ostwald, Klaus D. Timmerhaus

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

This paper utilizes the total present worth concept to make an economic comparison for a 500 MWe electrical power generating station operated either with Eastern U.S. coal, Western U.S. coal or nuclear fuel. Arguments are presented to support the use of this concept for comparing the economic desirability of various energy alternatives used for generating electrical power.

On-Site Generation Of Electricity -- An Idea Whose Time Has Come, Thomas R. Casten

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Generation of electricity, on-site, with recapture of waste heat can save many area concerns up to 50% on their total energy costs today and save up to 60% of the total fossil fuel presently used. The very favorable economics result from increased utility costs -- a phenomenon of the past three years. The efficient use of fossil fuel is a feature of on-site power generation. This article traces the history of "total energy" and describes how and where on-site generation of electricity makes sense.

Water And Energy, Frank Ellis

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Energy self-sufficiency or independence from foreign oil imports depends critically on the yet undeveloped domestic fossil fuel resources, particularly for the production of heat, which can be utilized in the conventional and technically feasible thermal energy cycles of steam-electric generators and prime movers, which can easily be replicated. An integral facet of the complex domestic energy development undertaking is the availability of water that may be required to convert the vast domestic coal and oil shale resources into usable energy forms. An orderly utilization of water resources must receive attention if sufficient development of fossil- fuel conversion energy systems is …

Household Demand Responsiveness To Peak Use Pricing: Implications Drawn From Experimental Studies Of Consumer Demand Behavior Of Both Humans And Animals, Raymond C. Battalio, John H. Kagel

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The authors approach the problem of demand responsiveness to peak use pricing from the perspective of experimental economists working in the area of consumer demand behavior. Results from experiments involving both human and laboratory animal consumers are presented suggesting that wide classes of house-_ hold economic activities will be quite responsive to changes in peak use pricing but that the demand for space heating and cooling will be highly inelastic without major changes in capital stocks. The reasons for these differences are discussed along with suggestions of low cost technologies for achieving greater price responsiveness in space heating and cooling …

Regional Impacts Of The Energy Crisis On Agricultural Production, Dan Dvoskin, Earl O. Heady

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

An interregional linear programming model of U.S. agricultural production is used to analyze the regional economic consequences of higher energy prices and a severe energy shortage in 1985.