High-Pressure Oxy-Firing (HiPrOx) of Fuels with Water for the Purpose of Direct Contact Steam Generation

High-pressure oxy-fired direct contact steam generation (HiPrOx/DCSG) can be achieved by the oxy-combustion of fuels in the presence of water. This process is capable of producing flue gas streams containing approximately 90% steam with a balance of primarily CO2. The product flue gas is suitable fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energy & fuels 2015-07, Vol.29 (7), p.4522-4533
Main Authors: Cairns, Paul E. C, Clements, Bruce R, Hughes, Robin, Herage, Ted, Zheng, Ligang, Macchi, Arturo, Anthony, Edward J
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:High-pressure oxy-fired direct contact steam generation (HiPrOx/DCSG) can be achieved by the oxy-combustion of fuels in the presence of water. This process is capable of producing flue gas streams containing approximately 90% steam with a balance of primarily CO2. The product flue gas is suitable for processes where the purity of the steam is less important, such as the steam-assisted gravity drainage process used for in situ production of bitumen within the Canadian oil sands. This study had three primary objectives: (1) To show that high-moisture HiPrOx/DCSG can be achieved with hydrocarbon fuels. For this purpose, n-butanol was used because of its high volatility and ease of handling. (2) To see if this technology could be applied to fuels with lower volatilities. This was studied by attempting to combust a graphite–water slurry as well as mixtures of graphite–water slurry and butanol. (3) To determine the effects of different fuel mixtures, oxygen-to-fuel ratios, and water inputs on process stability and H2O partial pressure in the product gas. This paper describes pilot-scale combustion testing and process modeling of n-butanol, graphite–water slurry, and their mixtures in an atmosphere consisting of oxygen and water at a pressure of 1.5 MPa­(g). Graphite/butanol mixtures were selected because certain combinations could represent the range of fixed carbon/volatiles ratios of waste fuels and indicate whether low-volatile fuels will ignite in the high-water moderator environment. Over the butanol test periods, a steam content of around 90 mol % at saturation was achievable; the O2 in the combustion products was between 0.08 and 3.57 mol % (wet) with an average of 1.13 mol % (wet). The CO emissions were low (
ISSN:0887-0624
1520-5029
DOI:10.1021/ef502754h