10 research outputs found
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Design, Construction and Operation Of A High Pressure Flow Loop Reactor For Carbon Sequestration
The Department of Energy’s Albany Research Center has been exploring the possibility of direct mineral carbonation as a means of sequestering carbon dioxide. As part of this research, a three-phase flow through reactor capable of operating at 200°C and 2500 psia was built. The reactor is a plug flow reactor with continuous and complete recycle. The results from this reactor may be used to design a larger and truly continuous flow reactor. This paper describes the design, construction and operation of this reactor. The extent of reaction, pressure drop across the pump and static mixers were measured at various test conditions. The extent of reaction was then compared to the results achievable in an autoclave
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Carbon dioxide sequestration by aqueous mineral carbonation of magnesium silicate minerals
The dramatic increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide since the Industrial Revolution has caused concerns about global warming. Fossil-fuel-fired power plants contribute approximately one third of the total human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide. Increased efficiency of these power plants will have a large impact on carbon dioxide emissions, but additional measures will be needed to slow or stop the projected increase in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. By accelerating the naturally occurring carbonation of magnesium silicate minerals it is possible to sequester carbon dioxide in the geologically stable mineral magnesite (MgCO3). The carbonation of two classes of magnesium silicate minerals, olivine (Mg2SiO4) and serpentine (Mg3Si2O5(OH)4), was investigated in an aqueous process. The slow natural geologic process that converts both of these minerals to magnesite can be accelerated by increasing the surface area, increasing the activity of carbon dioxide in the solution, introducing imperfections into the crystal lattice by high-energy attrition grinding, and in the case of serpentine, by thermally activating the mineral by removing the chemically bound water. The effect of temperature is complex because it affects both the solubility of carbon dioxide and the rate of mineral dissolution in opposing fashions. Thus an optimum temperature for carbonation of olivine is approximately 185 degrees C and 155 degrees C for serpentine. This paper will elucidate the interaction of these variables and use kinetic studies to propose a process for the sequestration of the carbon dioxide
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Laboratory tests of mafic, ultra-mafic, and sedimentary rock types for in-situ applications for carbon dioxide sequestration
Recent tests conducted at the Albany Research Center have addressed the possibility of in-situ storage of carbon dioxide in geological formations, particularly in deep brackish to saline non-potable aquifers, and the formation of secondary carbonate minerals over time within these aquifers. Various rock types including Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) drill core samples, blocks of ultra-mafic rock and sandstone were used. A solution formulated from aquifer data, a bicarbonate salt solution, and distilled water were tested. Pressure and temperature regimens were used to mimic existing in-situ conditions, higher temperatures were used to simulate longer time frames, and higher pressures were used to simulate enhanced oil recovery (EOR) pressure. Results are encouraging, indicating mineral dissolution with an increase of desirable ions (Ca, Fe2+, Mg) in solution that can form the carbonate minerals, calcite (CaCO3), siderite (FeCO3), and magnesite (MgCO3)
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Factors affecting ex-situ aqueous mineral carbonation using calcium and magnesium silicate minerals
Carbonation of magnesium- and calcium-silicate minerals to form their respective carbonates is one method to sequester carbon dioxide. Process development studies have identified reactor design as a key component affecting both the capital and operating costs of ex-situ mineral sequestration. Results from mineral carbonation studies conducted in a batch autoclave were utilized to design and construct a unique continuous pipe reactor with 100% recycle (flow-loop reactor). Results from the flow-loop reactor are consistent with batch autoclave tests, and are being used to derive engineering data necessary to design a bench-scale continuous pipeline reactor
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Ex-situ and in-situ mineral carbonation as a means to sequester carbon dioxide
The U. S. Department of Energy's Albany Research Center is investigating mineral carbonation as a method of sequestering CO2 from coal-fired-power plants. Magnesium-silicate minerals such as serpentine [Mg3Si2O5(OH)4] and olivine (Mg2SiO4) react with CO2 to produce magnesite (MgCO3), and the calcium-silicate mineral, wollastonite (CaSiO3), reacts to form calcite (CaCO3). It is possible to carry out these reactions either ex situ (above ground in a traditional chemical processing plant) or in situ (storage underground and subsequent reaction with the host rock to trap CO2 as carbonate minerals). For ex situ mineral carbonation to be economically attractive, the reaction must proceed quickly to near completion. The reaction rate is accelerated by raising the activity of CO2 in solution, heat (but not too much), reducing the particle size, high-intensity grinding to disrupt the crystal structure, and, in the case of serpentine, heat-treatment to remove the chemically bound water. All of these carry energy/economic penalties. An economic study illustrates the impact of mineral availability and process parameters on the cost of ex situ carbon sequestration. In situ carbonation offers economic advantages over ex situ processes, because no chemical plant is required. Knowledge gained from the ex situ work was applied to long-term experiments designed to simulate in situ CO2 storage conditions. The Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG), a multi-layered basaltic lava formation, has potentially favorable mineralogy (up to 25% combined concentration of Ca, Fe2+, and Mg cations) for storage of CO2. However, more information about the interaction of CO2 with aquifers and the host rock is needed. Core samples from the CRBG, as well as samples of olivine, serpentine, and sandstone, were reacted in an autoclave for up to 2000 hours at elevated temperatures and pressures. Changes in core porosity, secondary mineralizations, and both solution and solid chemistry were measured
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Investigation of the liquid/vapor composition of compressed liquid CO2 with N2 and O2 in integrated pollutant removal systems for coal combustion
Accurate prediction of the processes in Integrated Pollutant Removal (IPR) using compression and condensation of coal combustion products requires an understanding of the liquid/vapor ternary CO2/O2/N2 system. At conditions close to the critical point of CO2 the existing equations of state deviate from the sparse measured results available in the literature. Building on existing data and procedures, the USDOE/Albany Research Center has designed an apparatus for examining compositions in this region. The design of the apparatus and planned initial experiments are presented
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Mineral carbonation: energy costs of pretreatment options and insights gained from flow loop reaction studies
Sequestration of carbon as a stable mineral carbonate has been proposed to mitigate environmental concerns that carbon dioxide may with time escape from its sequestered matrix using alternative sequestration technologies. A method has been developed to prepare stable carbonate products by reacting CO2 with magnesium silicate minerals in aqueous bicarbonate/chloride media at high temperature and pressure. Because this approach is inherently expensive due to slow reaction rates and high capital costs, studies were conducted to improve the reaction rates through mineral pretreatment steps and to cut expenses through improved reactor technology. An overview is given for the estimated cost of the process including sensitivity to grinding and heating as pretreatment options for several mineral feedstocks. The energy costs are evaluated for each pretreatment in terms of net carbon avoided. New studies with a high-temperature, high-pressure flow-loop reactor have yielded information on overcoming kinetic barriers experienced with processing in stirred autoclave reactors. Repeated tests with the flow-loop reactor have yielded insights on wear and failure of system components, on challenges to maintain and measure flow, and for better understanding of the reaction mechanism
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Material Resource Considerations for Ex Situ Carbon Sequestration
The conclusions of this report are: (1) There are enough ultramafic resources to sequester all the CO{sub 2} produced by coal-fired powerplants in the US; (2) Sequestering all the CO{sub 2} would require a significant increase in the mining of ultramafic minerals; (3) The increased mining will have an environmental cost; (4) Some man made by product minerals could contribute to CO{sub 2} sequestration although many of these resources are small; and (5) It may be possible in some cases to sequester CO{sub 2} and eliminate hazardous waste in the same ex situ process
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Modeling flow of mineralized carbon dioxide slurry
Direct mineral carbonation was investigated at Albany Research Center (US DOE) as a means to sequester carbon dioxide into stable mineral matrices. Although previous work focused on treating Mg-containing minerals in conventional autoclaves, recent work has been done using pipeline-reactor technology for the high-temperature, high-pressure (HTHP) reaction of the minerals in aqueous/CO2 media. Sequestration of CO2 using above-ground reactors may be uneconomical, but the technology may also be applicable in geological sequestration of CO2. Progress is described in using a prototype HTHP flow-loop reactor to model flow in the dynamic three-phase system to help determine the pumping-energy requirements to optimize reactivity
Ex Situ Aqueous Mineral Carbonation
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) located in Albany, OR (formerly the Albany Research Center) has studied ex situ mineral carbonation as a potential option for carbon dioxide sequestration. Studies focused on the reaction of Ca−, Fe−, and Mg−silicate minerals with gaseous CO2 to form geologically stable, naturally occurring solid carbonate minerals. The research included resource evaluation, kinetic studies, process development, and economic evaluation. An initial cost estimate of ∼54/ton. The scale of ex situ mineral carbonation operations, requiring ∼55 000 tons of mineral to carbonate, the daily CO2 emissions from a 1-GW, coal-fired power plant, may make such operations impractical