Characterization and Catalytic Cracking of Tar Obtained in Coal
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University of North Dakota UND Scholarly Commons Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects January 2015 Characterization And Catalytic Cracking Of Tar Obtained In Coal / Biomass / Municipal Solid Waste Gasification: The seU Of Basic Mineral Catalysts And Miscibility, Properties, And Corrosivity Of Petroleum-Biofuel Oils And Blends For Application In Oil-Fired Power Stations Stacy Joan Bjorgaard Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.und.edu/theses Recommended Citation Bjorgaard, Stacy Joan, "Characterization And Catalytic Cracking Of Tar Obtained In Coal / Biomass / Municipal Solid Waste Gasification: The sU e Of Basic Mineral Catalysts And Miscibility, Properties, And Corrosivity Of Petroleum-Biofuel Oils And Blends For Application In Oil-Fired Power Stations" (2015). Theses and Dissertations. 1744. https://commons.und.edu/theses/1744 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects at UND Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UND Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CHARACTERIZATION AND CATALYTIC CRACKING OF TAR OBTAINED IN COAL / BIOMASS / MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE GASIFICATION: THE USE OF BASIC MINERAL CATALYSTS AND MISCIBILITY, PROPERTIES, AND CORROSIVITY OF PETROLEUM-BIOFUEL OILS AND BLENDS FOR APPLICATION IN OIL-FIRED POWER STATIONS by Stacy Joan Bjorgaard Bachelor of Science, University of North Dakota, 2010 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of North Dakota in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Grand Forks, North Dakota August 2015 Copyright 2015 Stacy Bjorgaard ii iii PERMISSION Title Characterization and Catalytic Cracking of Tar Obtained in Coal / Biomass / Municipal Solid Waste Gasification: The Use of Basic Mineral Catalysts and Miscibility, Properties, and Corrosivity of Petroleum-Biofuel Oils and Blends for Application in Oil-Fired Power Stations Department Chemical Engineering Degree Doctor of Philosophy In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree from the University of North Dakota, I agree that the library of this University shall make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for extensive copying for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor who supervised my dissertation work, or in his absence, by the Chairperson of the department or the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. It is understood that any copying or publication or other use of this dissertation or part thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of North Dakota in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my dissertation. Stacy Joan Bjorgaard 30 July 2015 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................... xvii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. xix ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... xxi CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................1 1.1 Gasification ................................................................................3 1.2 Biofuel Production .....................................................................7 1.3 Hypotheses ...............................................................................10 II. LITERATURE REVIEW – TAR CRACKING ........................................13 2.1 World Energy and Liquid Fuel Overview ...............................13 2.2 Gasification and Tar Production ..............................................17 2.3 Metal-based Catalysts ..............................................................22 2.4 Mineral-based Catalysts ...........................................................26 2.5 Combinations of Metal- and Mineral-based Catalysts ............29 2.6 Other Catalysts .........................................................................30 2.7 Summary ..................................................................................31 III. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS AND MATERIALS – TAR CRACKING ...............................................................................................32 3.1 Laboratory-Scale Updraft Gasifier and Tar Cracking Reactor ...........................................................................................32 3.2 Bench-Scale Tar Cracking Reactor ..........................................38 v IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – TAR CRACKING ..............................53 4.1 Laboratory-Scale Updraft Gasifier and Tar Cracking Reactor ...........................................................................................53 4.2 Bench-Scale Tar Cracking Reactor ..........................................60 4.2.1 Catalyst Characterizations ........................................60 4.2.2 Reacted Tar Characterizations and Conversions ......60 4.3 Summary ..................................................................................86 4.3.1 Laboratory-Scale Updraft Gasifier and Tar Cracking Reactor ...............................................................86 4.3.2. Bench-Scale Tar Cracking Reactor ..........................87 V. LITERATURE REVIEW – BIOFUELS ...................................................89 5.1 Bio-oil and Biodiesel Sources ..................................................89 5.2 Quick Assessment Tools for Biofuels......................................91 5.2.1 Critical Fuel Properties Impacting Performance in Power Production ...........................................................91 5.2.2 Screening Methods for Fuel Quality Assessment .....94 5.3 Key Temperature Parameters for Fuels ...................................99 5.4 Fuel Corrosivity .....................................................................101 5.5 Summary ................................................................................102 VI. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS – BIOFUELS .......................................104 6.1 Fuels Tested ...........................................................................104 6.2 Miscibility Testing .................................................................104 6.3 Characterization of Individual Fuels and Fuel Blends ...........106 6.4 Corrosion Testing...................................................................106 vi VII. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – BIOFUELS .......................................108 7.1 Miscibility Test Results .........................................................108 7.1.1 Oils Blended at 75°F ...............................................108 7.1.2 Oils Blended at 170°F .............................................121 7.1.3 Oils Blended at 220°F .............................................132 7.1.4 Cooling Oil Blends from 170°F to 75°F .................144 7.1.5 Cooling Oil Blends from 220°F to 75°F .................158 7.1.6 Aggregate Photos of Oil Blends .............................172 7.2 Characterization of Pure Fuels and Fuel Blends ....................191 7.2.1 Pour Points ..............................................................191 7.2.2 Flash Points .............................................................192 7.2.3 Cloud Points ............................................................192 7.2.4 Proximate and Ultimate Analysis ...........................193 7.3 Corrosion Test Results ...........................................................194 VIII. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK ..............................................247 8.1 Conclusions ............................................................................247 8.1.1 Tar Cracking ...........................................................247 8.1.1.1 Laboratory-Scale Updraft Gasifier and Tar Cracking Reactor ...........................................247 8.1.1.2 Bench-Scale Tar Cracking Reactor ..........249 8.1.2 Biofuels ...................................................................250 8.1.2.1 Overall Blend Acceptability ....................250 8.1.2.2 Characterization of Oils and Oil Blends ..................................................................250 vii 8.1.2.3 Corrosion Testing.....................................251 8.2 Future Work ...........................................................................253 8.2.1 Tar Cracking ...........................................................253 8.2.1.1 Laboratory-Scale Updraft Gasifier and Tar Cracking Reactor ...........................................253 8.2.1.2 Bench-Scale Tar Cracking Reactor ..........254 8.2.2 Biofuels ...................................................................254 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................256 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1-1. United States greenhouse gas emissions, current as of 2014 ................................. 2 2-1. Expected growth in world electric power generation and total energy consumption, 1990-2014 .....................................................................................