Does Good Mean White?: Understanding the Complexities of Refugee Resettlement in Bowling Green, Kentucky

Bowling Green, Kentucky is a relatively small town comparable to its counterparts across the South. However, Bowling Green has a significant population of refugee inhabitants that have resettled in waves since the late 1970s. This paper describes the lived experience of refugees resettling by analyzing community action and troubles faced while working for independence in their new homes. Some factors explored are access to affordable housing, language barriers, and trouble in education. In addition, this paper contextualizes their lived experiences with other resettlement communities across the United States to understand how Bowling Green fits into patterns of societal xenophobia, racism, and religious prejudice that exist across communities and legal codes for new residents. This paper utilizes newspapers and oral histories, in addition to surveys conducted by other researchers of the resettled population of Bowling Green, to understand those experiences

Effects of repetitive pulsing on multi-kHz planar laser-induced incandescence imaging in laminar and turbulent flames

Planar laser-induced incandescence (LII) imaging is reported at repetition rates up to 100 kHz using a burst-mode laser system to enable studies of soot formation dynamics in highly turbulent flames. To quantify the accuracy and uncertainty of relative soot volume fraction measurements, the temporal evolution of the LII field in laminar and turbulent flames is examined at various laser operating conditions. Under high-speed repetitive probing, it is found that LII signals are sensitive to changes in soot physical characteristics when operating at high laser fluences within the soot vaporization regime. For these laser conditions, strong planar LII signals are observed at measurement rates up to 100 kHz but are primarily useful for qualitative tracking of soot structure dynamics. However, LII signals collected at lower fluences allow sequential planar measurements of the relative soot volume fraction with a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio at repetition rates of 10-50 kHz. Guidelines for identifying and avoiding the onset of repetitive probe effects in the LII signals are discussed, along with other potential sources of measurement error and uncertainty

Soot properties and species measurements in a two-meter diameter JP-8 pool fire.

A tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy probe was used to measure in situ soot properties and species concentrations in two-meter diameter JP-8 pool fires. Twelve tests were performed at the Lurance Canyon Bum Site operated by Sandia in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Seven of the tests were conducted with the probe positioned close to the centerline at heights above the pool surface ranging from 0.5 m to 2.0 mm in 0.25 m increments. For the remaining five tests, the probe was positioned at two heights 0.3 m from the centerline and at three heights 0.5 m from the centerline. Soot concentration was determined using a soot absorption measurement based on the transmission of a solid-state red laser (635 nm) through the 3.7 cm long probe volume. Soot temperature and a second estimate of soot concentration were measured using two-color optical pyrometry at 850 nm and la00 nm. The effective data rate for these measurements was 10 Mz. Finally, tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy was used to qualitatively estimate water concentration at a rate of 1 kHz. To improve signal-to-noise, these data were averaged to an effective rate of 2 Hz. The results presented include the statistics, probability density functions, and spectral density functions of soot concentration, soot temperature, and approximate water concentrations at the different measurement locations throughout the fire

Soot properties and species measurements in a two-meter diameter JP-8 pool fire : 2003 test series.

A tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy probe was used to measure in situ soot properties and species concentrations in a two-meter diameter JP-8 pool fire. Thirty-five tests were performed at the Lurance Canyon Burn Site operated by Sandia in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The axial profile of the fire was characterized with a series of tests with the probe located on the centerline at heights ranging from 0.5 m to 2.0 m in 0.25 m increments. The radial profile of the fire was characterized with a series of tests with the probe 1.0 m above the fuel surface at radial positions ranging from 0.0 m to 0.6 m, in 0.1 m increments. Experiments were also performed with variation of the air flow into the facility. Soot concentration was determined using a light extinction measurement based on the transmission of a solid-state red laser (635 nm) through the 3.7 cm long probe volume. Soot temperature and a second estimate of soot concentration were measured using two-color optical pyrometry at 850 nm and 1000 nm. The effective data rate for these measurements was 10 kHz. Finally, tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy was used to estimate the concentrations of water vapor, acetylene, and methane. The results presented include the statistics, probability density functions, and spectral density functions of soot concentration, soot temperature, and approximate species concentrations at the different measurement locations throughout the fire

Efecto del co2 en la velocidad de combustión de semicoques de carbón en aplicaciones de oxi-combustión

Un reactor de flujo de arrastre equipado con un equipo que permite la medición del tamaño y temperatura de las partículas de carbón se utilizó para determinar la cinética de combustión de semicoques de carbón pulverizado oxidados en mezclas en mezclas con distintas concentraciones de oxígeno en ambiente de N2 o CO2. Esta información es importante para entender y simular la combustión de carbón en ambiente enriquecido de oxígeno y con recirculado de gases de combustión, tecnología promisoria para capturar dióxido de carbono y mitigar el efecto invernadero y el cambio climático. En los experimentos se analizaron dos carbones (bituminoso y subbituminoso) de los Estados Unidos. La concentración de oxígeno fue 12, 24 y 36% molar y la temperatura del gas varió entre 1600 y 1750 K. Para los dos carbones, las velocidades de combustión, representada como temperatura de partícula, es menor en un ambiente de CO2. Análisis de los datos experimentales sugiere que la cinética de reacción no se ve afectada considerablemente en la presencia de CO2 con respecto a N2. Esto sugiere que diferencias en las propiedades físicas de los gases (de transporte y termodinámicas) son responsables por la menor velocidad de combustión en CO2. Se encontraron conclusiones contradictorias sobre la causa para la menor velocidad de reacción en CO2 dependiendo del uso de un modelo de película individual o con reacción en capa límite

Development of efficient, integrated cellulosic biorefineries : LDRD final report.

Cellulosic ethanol, generated from lignocellulosic biomass sources such as grasses and trees, is a promising alternative to conventional starch- and sugar-based ethanol production in terms of potential production quantities, CO{sub 2} impact, and economic competitiveness. In addition, cellulosic ethanol can be generated (at least in principle) without competing with food production. However, approximately 1/3 of the lignocellulosic biomass material (including all of the lignin) cannot be converted to ethanol through biochemical means and must be extracted at some point in the biochemical process. In this project we gathered basic information on the prospects for utilizing this lignin residue material in thermochemical conversion processes to improve the overall energy efficiency or liquid fuel production capacity of cellulosic biorefineries. Two existing pretreatment approaches, soaking in aqueous ammonia (SAA) and the Arkenol (strong sulfuric acid) process, were implemented at Sandia and used to generated suitable quantities of residue material from corn stover and eucalyptus feedstocks for subsequent thermochemical research. A third, novel technique, using ionic liquids (IL) was investigated by Sandia researchers at the Joint Bioenergy Institute (JBEI), but was not successful in isolating sufficient lignin residue. Additional residue material for thermochemical research was supplied from the dilute-acid simultaneous saccharification/fermentation (SSF) pilot-scale process at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The high-temperature volatiles yields of the different residues were measured, as were the char combustion reactivities. The residue chars showed slightly lower reactivity than raw biomass char, except for the SSF residue, which had substantially lower reactivity. Exergy analysis was applied to the NREL standard process design model for thermochemical ethanol production and from a prototypical dedicated biochemical process, with process data supplied by a recent report from the National Research Council (NRC). The thermochemical system analysis revealed that most of the system inefficiency is associated with the gasification process and subsequent tar reforming step. For the biochemical process, the steam generation from residue combustion, providing the requisite heating for the conventional pretreatment and alcohol distillation processes, was shown to dominate the exergy loss. An overall energy balance with different potential distillation energy requirements shows that as much as 30% of the biomass energy content may be available in the future as a feedstock for thermochemical production of liquid fuels

Mineral matter effects on char structural evolution and oxidation kinetics during coal char combustion

The authors report on recent investigations of the evolution of char structure during carbon burnout and the role of mineral matter in determining this structure. Char samples collected in a carefully controlled laminar, flame-supported entrained flow reactor have been characterized using a number of microscopy tools. Observations of the inorganic structure of chars produced at a variety of combustion conditions are coupled with in-situ optical measurements of the char particle population with an eye towards identifying the mechanism of mineral interaction and its effects on carbon burnout kinetics during pulverized coal char combustion. Preliminary results show a surprising amount of inorganic mineral in solid solution with the carbonaceous matrix. This intimate mixing of organic and inorganic constituents may affect reactivity by both blocking oxygen access to active carbon sites and influencing the microscopic carbon structure that evolves during combustion

Development of laser diagnostics for in situ measurements of entrained particles in recovery boilers.

As part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) Industries of the Future (IOF) Forest Products research program, two different laser diagnostic techniques have been implemented in pulp mill recovery boilers to provide important information on entrained particles. One technique, based on single-particle scattering of a low-power, continuous-wave (cw) laser source, measures the velocity, concentration, and size distribution of particles within the furnace flow, over a predetermined range of particle sizes. For application to recovery boilers, this technique was designed to measure the range of particle sizes known as intermediate size particles (ISPs), roughly from 2-100 {micro}m in diameter. The other diagnostic technique, known as laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), uses a pulsed, high-power laser beam to create a localized plasma spark in the flow, allowing the measurement of the elemental composition of the entrained particles. This technique is most sensitive for particles less than 10 {micro}m in diameter. Implementing these laser diagnostic techniques in recovery boilers proved to be challenging. For the particle scattering measurement, the use of a narrow aperture for measurement of the forward scattered light was postulated and later confirmed to be effective in minimizing background signals associated with the dense sodium fume in the boilers. For the LIBS measurement, a new water-jacketed optics probe was implemented to allow for measurements with an insertion depth of up to two meters in the furnace. Fume particle deposition on the exposed optics at the end of the LIBS probe was problematic but improved with a redesign of the probe geometry and purge flow. Both diagnostic techniques were employed at two representative recovery boilers. The particle scattering diagnostic demonstrated similar trends in mean ISP concentration, ISP size distribution, and temporal variation of ISP concentration at the two boilers. The LIBS measurements showed the presence of a number of major chemical components as well as trace metal elements in the entrained particles

Characterization of Oxy-combustion Impacts in Existing Coal-fired Boilers

Reaction Engineering International (REI) managed a team of experts from University of Utah, Siemens Energy, Praxair, Vattenfall AB, Sandia National Laboratories, Brigham Young University (BYU) and Corrosion Management Ltd. to perform multi-scale experiments, coupled with mechanism development, process modeling and CFD modeling, for both applied and fundamental investigations. The primary objective of this program was to acquire data and develop tools to characterize and predict impacts of CO{sub 2} flue gas recycle and burner feed design on flame characteristics (burnout, NO{sub x}, SO{sub x}, mercury and fine particle emissions, heat transfer) and operational concerns (fouling, slagging and corrosion) inherent in the retrofit of existing coal-fired boilers for oxy-coal combustion. Experimental work was conducted at Sandia National Laboratories’ Entrained Flow Reactor, the University of Utah Industrial Combustion Research Facility, and Brigham Young University. Process modeling and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling was performed at REI. Successful completion of the project objectives resulted in the following key deliverables: 1) Multi-scale test data from 0.1 kW bench-scale, 100 kW and 200 kW laboratory-scale, and 1 MW semi-industrial scale combustors that describe differences in flame characteristics, fouling, slagging and corrosion for coal combustion under air-firing and oxygen-firing conditions, including sensitivity to oxy-burner design and flue gas recycle composition. 2) Validated mechanisms developed from test data that describe fouling, slagging, waterwall corrosion, heat transfer, char burnout and sooting under coal oxy-combustion conditions. The mechanisms were presented in a form suitable for inclusion in CFD models or process models. 3) Principles to guide design of pilot-scale and full-scale coal oxy-firing systems and flue gas recycle configurations, such that boiler operational impacts from oxy-combustion retrofits are minimized. 4) Assessment of oxy-combustion impacts in two full-scale coal-fired utility boiler retrofits based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of air-fired and oxygen-fired operation. This research determined that it is technically feasible to retrofit the combustion system in an air-fired boiler for oxy-fired operation. The impacts of CO{sub 2} flue gas recycle and burner design on flame characteristics (burnout, NO{sub x}, SO{sub x}, mercury and fine particle emissions, heat transfer) and operational concerns (fouling, slagging and corrosion) were minimal, with the exception of high sulfur levels resulting from untreated flue gas recycle with medium and high-sulfur coals. This work focused on combustion in the radiant and convective sections of the boiler and did not address boiler system integration issues, plant efficiencies, impacts on downstream air pollution control devices, or CO{sub 2} capture and compression. The experimental data, oxy-firing system principles and oxy-combustion process mechanisms provided by this work can be used by electric utilities, boiler OEMs, equipment suppliers, design firms, software vendors, consultants and government agencies to assess retrofit applications of oxy-combustion technologies to existing boilers and to guide development of new designs