Economic and Operational Evaluation of the Use of Drag Reducing Agents in a Pipeline

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Henrique S. Amorim ◽  
Luis Fernando G. Pires ◽  
Ivan Menezes ◽  
António Filipe F. Montalvão ◽  
Fábio M. Limeira
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Transport ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Reducing Agents ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Friction Reduction ◽  
The Other ◽  
Application Performance ◽  
Polymer Volume ◽  
Pump Stations

The use of drag reduction agents (DRA) can be a decisive factor in determining the technical and economic feasibility of new pipelines projects, meeting the demands not foreseen and seasonality accommodation without large investments in infrastructure. Knowing the friction reduction mechanism and its impact on the operating procedure of existing products is essential in order to have the guarantee of the benefit for your application. Most of the works published report field experiences obtained from its application, seeking to determine the influence that internal and external factors have on the polymer. Knowing these effects is essential for better application performance. However, few authors have sought to identify the best way to operate an existing pipeline with DRA, with either an increase in capacity or an energy reduction. Operationally, the use of drag reducing agents may decrease the currently used arrangement of pumps, or even the complete shutdown of a pumping station. In this context, the use of drag reducers may be a suitable solution for decreasing power consumption in fluid transport pipelines of petroleum and derivatives. This paper presents a case study of the application of drag reducing agents in a Brazilian high-energy pipeline. It features five intermediate pumping stations and three withdrawal points along its nearly one thousand kilometer stretch. With the aid of a computer simulation software, it is proposed a methodology to evaluate the best application condition, minimizing pump costs, polymer volume and meeting the scheduled demand of the month. This methodology first sought to validate the computational model of the pipeline. It was made a historical survey and inserted into the simulator, in order to reproduce faithfully a monthly operation. A sensitivity analysis is performed to determine which pump stations are most relevant. It was established an initial concentration of polymer to be injected in the sending refinery, aiming the reduction of arrangement or total shutdown of the subsequent station and keeping volume delivered on all points. The other bases remain working according to the operation of the month. This procedure is then repeated for the other bases, resulting in a combined and continuous injection, minimizing the operating costs. An economic evaluation is finally performed to quantify the benefits of this application. A reduction in energy consumption of 49% was noticed, and considering the costs with DRA, the monthly movement had a 35% drop in the total costs of operation.

scholarly journals Sulfur Recovery from Syngas in Pulp Mills with Integrated Black Liquor Gasification

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1173
Author(s):  
Michal Hruška ◽  
Miroslav Variny ◽  
Juma Haydary ◽  
Ján Janošovský
Keyword(s):  
Black Liquor ◽  
Operation Time ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
The Other ◽  
Operating Costs ◽  
Sulfur Recovery ◽  
Operational Costs ◽  
Whole Plant ◽  
Syngas Cleaning

Research Highlights: As to fill the current knowledge gap and to deliver important findings to the scientific community, efficient sulfur recovery from black liquor gasifier syngas, comprising both gas cleaning and returning sulfur to the pulping process, was modeled and assessed from a techno-economic viewpoint. This manuscript proves that the associated investment and operational costs cannot be neglected and that they impact the black liquor gasification feasibility significantly. To prove its gasification as a sustainable and more efficient processing route over its combustion in recovery boilers, a substantial process efficiency improvement and operating costs reduction must be targeted in future research. Background and Objectives: Sulfur compounds found in black liquor partly turn into hydrogen sulfide during gasification and exit the gasifier in the syngas. Their efficient recovery in their sulfidic form to the pulping process is of utmost importance. Current studies focus on black liquor gasifier syngas desulfurization only. Materials and Methods: A mathematical model of two H2S absorption units from a 66.7 tDS/h (1600 tons dry solids per day) black liquor gasification process to 20 ppm H2S content in cleaned syngas using either white liquor plus NaOH or N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) was created using the Aspen Plus simulation software. Results: The results show that CO2 co-absorption significantly increases the lime kiln load: +20% in the MDEA alternative and +100% in the other one. The MDEA alternative requires almost the same investment costs but by around USD 9.7 million (>50%) lower annual operating costs compared to the other one. Economic evaluation was based on the assumed discount rate of 5% and on the expected plant operation time of 25 years. The estimated total investment cost of the whole plant is around USD 170 million for both alternatives. The whole plant including this alternative exhibits a positive net present value (over USD 19 million), an internal rate of return of 5% and a profitability index of 1.12, whereas that with the other alternative is economically infeasible. Conclusions: The MDEA-based syngas cleaning technology represents a more efficient and economically feasible option of sulfur recovery. A major drawback of both modeled syngas cleaning technologies is that their estimated annual operating costs significantly reduce the expected profit margin of gasification over the traditional black liquor combustion in a recovery boiler. Syngas cleaning and sulfur recovery have to be further optimized to reach a significant cut down in operational costs to improve the economic feasibility of black liquor gasification.

scholarly journals Processing Methodologies of Wet Microalga Biomass Toward Oil Separation: An Overview

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 641
Author(s):  
Vânia Pôjo ◽  
Tânia Tavares ◽  
Francisco Xavier Malcata
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Lipid Extraction ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Microalgal Biomass ◽  
Energy Demands ◽  
Chemical Profiles ◽  
System Sustainability ◽  
Industrial Level

One of the main goals of Mankind is to ensure food system sustainability—including management of land, soil, water, and biodiversity. Microalgae accordingly appear as an innovative and scalable alternative source in view of the richness of their chemical profiles. In what concerns lipids in particular, microalgae can synthesize and accumulate significant amounts of fatty acids, a great fraction of which are polyunsaturated; this makes them excellent candidates within the framework of production and exploitation of lipids by various industrial and health sectors, either as bulk products or fine chemicals. Conventional lipid extraction methodologies require previous dehydration of microalgal biomass, which hampers economic feasibility due to the high energy demands thereof. Therefore, extraction of lipids directly from wet biomass would be a plus in this endeavor. Supporting processes and methodologies are still limited, and most approaches are empirical in nature—so a deeper mechanistic elucidation is a must, in order to facilitate rational optimization of the extraction processes. Besides circumventing the current high energy demands by dehydration, an ideal extraction method should be selective, sustainable, efficient, harmless, and feasible for upscale to industrial level. This review presents and discusses several pretreatments incurred in lipid extraction from wet microalga biomass, namely recent developments and integrated processes. Unfortunately, most such developments have been proven at bench-scale only—so demonstration in large facilities is still needed to confirm whether they can turn into competitive alternatives.

scholarly journals Techno-economic feasibility analysis of a 3-kW PV system installation in Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramhari Poudyal ◽  
Pavel Loskot ◽  
Ranjan Parajuli
Keyword(s):  
Net Present Value ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Performance Ratio ◽  
Energy Output ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Economic Returns ◽  
Pv System

AbstractThis study investigates the techno-economic feasibility of installing a 3-kilowatt-peak (kWp) photovoltaic (PV) system in Kathmandu, Nepal. The study also analyses the importance of scaling up the share of solar energy to contribute to the country's overall energy generation mix. The technical viability of the designed PV system is assessed using PVsyst and Meteonorm simulation software. The performance indicators adopted in our study are the electric energy output, performance ratio, and the economic returns including the levelised cost and the net present value of energy production. The key parameters used in simulations are site-specific meteorological data, solar irradiance, PV capacity factor, and the price of electricity. The achieved PV system efficiency and the performance ratio are 17% and 84%, respectively. The demand–supply gap has been estimated assuming the load profile of a typical household in Kathmandu under the enhanced use of electric appliances. Our results show that the 3-kWp PV system can generate 100% of electricity consumed by a typical residential household in Kathmandu. The calculated levelised cost of energy for the PV system considered is 0.06 $/kWh, and the corresponding rate of investment is 87%. The payback period is estimated to be 8.6 years. The installation of the designed solar PV system could save 10.33 tons of CO2 emission over its lifetime. Overall, the PV systems with 3 kWp capacity appear to be a viable solution to secure a sufficient amount of electricity for most households in Kathmandu city.

Comparison of Stratification in a Water Tank and a PCM-Water Tank

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Castell ◽  
C. Sole´ ◽  
M. Medrano ◽  
M. Nogue´s ◽  
L. F. Cabeza
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Temperature Change ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
The Other ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Water Tank ◽  
Charging And Discharging Processes ◽  
Change Material

Most of the storage systems available on the market use water as storage medium. Enhancing the storage performance is necessary to increase the performance of most systems. The stratification phenomenon is employed to improve the efficiency of storage tanks. Heat at an intermediate temperature, not high enough to heat up the top layer, can still be used to heat the lower, colder layers. There are a lot of parameters to study the stratification in a water tank such as the Mix Number and the Richardson Number among others. The idea studied here was to use these stratification parameters to compare two tanks with the same dimensions during charging and discharging processes. One of them is a traditional water tank and the other is a PCM-water (a water tank with a Phase Change Material). A PCM is good because it has high energy density if there is a small temperature change, since then the latent heat is much larger than the sensible heat. On the other hand, the temperature change in the top layer of a hot water store with stratification is usually small as it is held as close as possible at or above the temperature for usage. In the system studied the Phase Change Material is placed at the top of the tank, therefore the advantages of the stratification still remain. The aim of this work is to demonstrate that the use of PCM in the upper part of a water tank holds or improves the benefit of the stratification phenomenon.

Growth of Transition Metal Films on AL(110) Surfaces

1995 ◽  
Vol 399 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Smith ◽  
Adli A. Saleh ◽  
V. Shutthanandan ◽  
N.R. Shivaparan ◽  
V. Krasemann
Keyword(s):  
High Energy ◽  
Metal Films ◽  
Surface Strain ◽  
The Other ◽  
Photoemission Spectroscopy ◽  
Alloy Formation ◽  
Ion Scattering ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Photoelectron Diffraction ◽  
Ti Films

ABSTRACTThe growth of thin Pd, Ni, Fe and Ti films on Al(110) surfaces has been studied using high-energy ion scattering (HEIS), x-ray photoemission spectroscopy and photoelectron diffraction techniques. Of these four metals, only Ti grows as an epitaxial overlayer, while the other metals mix with the substrate to form surface alloys. In the HEIS experiments the backscattered ion yield from Al surface atoms is measured as a function of metal coverage on the Al surface. A decrease in the Al scattering is observed for Ti deposition while the other metals result in increased Al scattering, attributed to alloy formation. An explanation for the exceptional growth behavior of Ti on Al is provided using a model of surface strain associated with aluminide formation.

scholarly journals Economic Feasibility of Energy Supply by Small Modular Nuclear Reactors on Small Islands: Case Studies of Jeju, Tasmania and Tenerife

Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanghyun Hong ◽  
Barry Brook
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Nuclear Reactors ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
System Level ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Small Islands ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Generation Cost ◽  
Electricity Grids

Small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) offer the promise of providing carbon-free electricity and heat to small islands or isolated electricity grids. However, the economic feasibility of SMRs is highly system-dependent and has not been studied in this context. We selected three case-study islands for such an evaluation: Jeju, Tasmania and Tenerife based on their system complexity. We generated 100,000 electricity-mix cases stochastically for each island and examined the system-level generation-cost changes by incrementing the average generation cost of SMRs from USD$60 to 200 MWh−1. SMRs were found to be economically viable when average generation cost was <$100 MWh−1 for Jeju and <$140 MWh−1 for Tenerife. For Tasmania the situation was complex; hydroelectric power is an established competitor, but SMRs might be complementary in a future “battery of the nation” scenario where most of the island’s hydro capacity was exported to meet peak power demand on the mainland grid. The higher average generation cost of SMRs makes it difficult for them to compete economically with a fossil fuel/renewable mix in many contexts. However, we have demonstrated that SMRs can be an economically viable carbon-free option for a small island with a limited land area and high energy demand.

scholarly journals Sticky coffee hull silage on the feeding of growing and finishing pigs

2011 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 343-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Levi de Oliveira Carvalho ◽  
Ivan Moreira ◽  
Antonio Claudio Furlan ◽  
Diovani Paiano ◽  
Liliane Maria Piano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
The Other ◽  
Finishing Pigs ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Plasma Urea ◽  
Price Relationship ◽  
Stomach Weight ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Crossbred Pigs

Two experiments were carried out with the objective of evaluating the performance and carcass traits of growing and finishing pigs fed rations with sticky coffee hull silage. In experiment 1, the coffee hulls were ground through a 4-mm screen and ensiled with 30% water and enzymatic-bacterial inoculant and evaluated in digestibility trial with 15 crossbred pigs distributed in a completely randomised design. Overall, the ensiling process did not improve the digestibility of the sticky coffee hulls. In experiment 2, it was used 60 pigs (32.52 to 59.58 kg) in the growing phase and 55 pigs (61.70 to 90.27 kg) in the finishing phase, distributed in a completely randomised design with five diets (0, 4, 8, 12 and 16% of sticky coffee hull silage) and six replicates. In the growing and finishing phase, inclusion of levels of sticky coffee hull silage did not affect feed intake, weight gain, and plasma urea nitrogen. However, in the finishing phase, feed conversion improved as the levels of sticky coffee hull silage increased. Responses by backfat thickness and marbling were quadratic, whereas empty stomach weight increased linearly when sticky coffee hull silage was included in the diet. Sticky coffee hull silage has good nutritional value and if used in levels up to 16% of the diet, it does not impair performance of pigs in the growing and finishing phases and it results in leaner carcasses. However, the economic feasibility of its use depends on the price relationship of this by-product with the other feedstuffs.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Cost of Solar Biomass Hybrid Dryer Systems for Cashew Drying of Nuts in India

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saravanan Dhanushkodi ◽  
Vincent H. Wilson ◽  
Kumarasamy Sudhakar
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Cashew Nut ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Cashew nut farming in India is mostly carried out in small and marginal holdings. Energy consumption in the small scale cashew nut processing industry is very high and is mainly due to the high energy consumption of the drying process. The drying operation provides a lot of scope for energy saving and substitutions of other renewable energy sources. Renewable energy-based drying systems with loading capacity of 40 kg were proposed for application in small scale cashew nut processing industries. The main objective of this work is to perform economic feasibility of substituting solar, biomass and hybrid dryer in place of conventional steam drying for cashew drying. Four economic indicators were used to assess the feasibility of three renewable based drying technologies. The payback time was 1.58 yr. for solar, 1.32 for biomass and 1.99 for the hybrid drying system, whereas as the cost-benefit estimates were 5.23 for solar, 4.15 for biomass and 3.32 for the hybrid system. It was found that it is of paramount importance to develop solar biomass hybrid dryer for small scale processing industries.

Instability Study of Repetitive Nanosecond Pulsed Discharge Plasma in a Plasma Assisted Burner

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeid Zare ◽  
Omid Askari
Keyword(s):  
High Velocity ◽  
Discharge Plasma ◽  
Diffusion Flames ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Discharge Voltage ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Peak Discharge ◽  
The Other ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Point To Point

Abstract High velocity flows, as in aerospace applications require special techniques to stabilize and ignite diffusion flames. Some techniques focus on changing parameters like geometry, conditions of the flow, or fuel composition, but these techniques are usually too expensive or impossible due to major changes in the system. On the other hand, some techniques focus on generating a region of charged/excited species and active radicals upstream of the flame. That can substantially enhance the flame stability even under high strain rate or at lean-limit-flammability conditions. Repetitive nanosecond pulsed (RNP) discharge plasma is a nonthermal plasma technique with some remarkable potential to improve stability and ignitability of high velocity diffusion flames. This technique was used in previous papers in a plasma assisted coaxial inverse diffusion burner and showed some promising results by reducing the lift-off height and delaying detachment and blowout conditions. This burner is prepared to employ the discharges at the burner nozzle and simulate a single element of a multi-element methane burner. However, effectiveness of high-voltage high-frequency RNP plasma was limited by the mode of the discharge. During the tests, three different modes were observed at different combinations of plasma and flow conditions. These three modes are low energy corona, uniformly distributed plasma, and high-energy point-to-point discharge. Among these three, only well-distributed plasma significantly improved the flame. In other cases, plasma deployment was either ineffective or in some cases adversely affected the flame by producing undesirable turbulence advancing blow out. As a result, a comprehensive study of these modes is required. In this work, the transition between these three modes in a jet flame was discussed. It has been expressed as a function of plasma conditions, i.e. peak discharge voltage and discharge frequency. It was shown that increasing flow speed delays increases the voltage and frequency at which transition occurs from low-energy corona discharge to well distributed plasma discharge. Subsequently, the effective plasma conditions are thinned. On the other hand, by increasing the frequency of nanosecond discharges, the chance of unstable point-to-point discharges is decreased. In contrast, the discharge peak voltage causes two different consequences. If it is too low, the pulse intensity is too week that the system will experience no visible plasma discharges or the discharges will not pass the low-energy corona, no matter how high the frequency is. If too high, it will enhance the chance of point-to-point discharges and limits the stabilization outcome of the system. Therefore, an optimal region is found for peak discharge voltage.

Computational Study of Reinforcement Mechanisms of Cuttlefish Bone Inspired Structure for 3D Printing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Bethers ◽  
Yang Yang
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
3D Printing ◽  
Computational Study ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Support Structures ◽  
Common Support ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Manufacturing Techniques ◽  
Traditional Manufacturing

Abstract Cuttlebone, the internal shell structure of a cuttlefish, presents a unique labyrinthian wall-septa design that promotes high energy absorption, porosity, and damage tolerance. This structure offers us an inspiration for the design of lightweight and strong structures for potential applications in mechanical, aerospace and biomedical engineering. However, the complexity of the cuttlebones structural design makes its fabrication by traditional manufacturing techniques not feasible. The advances in additive manufacturing (3D printing) make highly complex structures like cuttlebone possible to manufacture. In this work, the authors sought to establish comparative data between cuttlebone structures and some common support structures used in additive manufacturing. The structures compared to cuttlebone in this work include the cubic, honeycomb and triangular support structures. This was accomplished by using CAD modeling and simulation software. This study found that the cuttlefish structures had higher average stress values than the others but similar average strain values. This leads to a higher modulus of elasticity for the cuttlebone structures. The data suggests that further research into cuttlebone structures could produce future designs that improve upon the current well-established additive manufacturing support structures. Further study will be performed for the 3D printing of cuttlebone inspired structures by using various types of materials, such as soft and rigid polymers, functional ceramics, composites, and metals.

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