Biogas upgrading by a Spinning Fluids Reactor

Robert Aranowski

BEIC Seminar on Biogas Upgrading, Malmö 14th August 2018

1

Principles of SFR operation

2

Reactor Head

Reactor Body

Inner Porous Partition

LIQUID INLET

GAS INLET

Liquid flow in SFR

Miller, J,D,, J, Hupka, and R, Aranowski, Spinning fluids reactor, 2012, Patent US 20110223091 A1; WO 2010014918 A3

Mechanism of bubble generation in

stagnant liquid

3

wFF

gNd

r ggc

p

k )(6

2

3

3

)(12

gN

rd

ggc

kp

Bubble generation in stagnant liquid

Where: rk - radius of capillary, - surface tension, dp - diameter of bubble,

c - density of liquid, g - density of gas, g - gravitational acceleration, Ng - dimensionless centripetal acceleration

Mechanism of bubble generation in SFR

4

ow FFF

42

22

bc

o

duF

2

16

u

rd

c

kb

4

1

32

24

c

kp

f

r

ud

Bubble generation in flow liquid

Where: db, dp - diameter of bubble, u - linear liquid velocity, - resistance coefficient depended from Reynolds's number,

- viscosity, f - friction factor

Laminar flow Turbulent flow

Inner porous partition

5

Pictures of the air bubbles

generated in SFR 5

0 L

/min

Water 5 ppm MIBC

30

L/m

in

70

L/m

in

Wate

r flow

rate

As the Inner porous partition can be used porous

materials or fine screens

Bubble size generated in SFR

6

Bubble size distribution for QW = 20 dm3/min, QG= 25 m3/h

Bubble size distribution for QW = 20 dm3/min, QG= 35 m3/h

Bubble size distribution for QW = 20 dm3/min, QG= 55 m3/h

Bubble size distribution for QW = 30 dm3/min, QG= 45 m3/h

Ab

un

dan

ce (

%)

Ab

un

dan

ce (

%)

Ab

un

dan

ce (

%)

Ab

un

dan

ce (

%)

Diameter (mm) Diameter (mm)

Diameter (mm) Diameter (mm)

Residence time of liquid in SFR

7

Porous Partition -

Perforated Plate

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

1,0

Re

sid

en

ce

Tim

e (

s)

Gas flow (m3/h)

Liquid flow (dm3/min)

37.5

56.3

75.0

7 m

0,7 m

0,40 m

0,24 m

Comparison of absorption column

size vs, SFR system

8

Typical interfacial area in absorption column is 60-440 m2/m3

Interfacial area in SFR system is up to 20 000 m2/m3

Ajay Mandal, Gautam Kundu* and Dibyendu Mukherjee, Interfacial Area and Liquid-Side Volumetric Mass Transfer Coefficient in a Downflow Bubble

Column, The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Volume 81, April 2003, 215-219

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

Inte

rfe

cia

l a

rea

(m

2/m

3)

Gas flow (m3/h)

Liquid flow (dm3/min)

18.7

37.5

56.3

75.0

Block diagram of biogas

upgrading process

ABSORPTION I

ABSORPTION II

ABSORPTION III

HEAT RECOVERY

HEATING

DESORPTION COOLING

BIOGAS

CO2

CH4 RICH AMINE

LEAN AMINE

9

CO2-DGA absorption – desorption equilibrium

10

0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Ciś

nie

nie

(kP

a)

nCO2/nDGA (-)

40st.C

100st.C

280 300 320 340 360 380

0

20

40

60

80

100

Prę

żn

ość (

kP

a)

Temperatura (K)

Dane eksperymentalne

Aproksymacja P(T)=Aexp(T/B)+To

Partial pressure of carbon dioxide vs, temperature in

60% solution of DGA

Partial pressure of carbon dioxide vs, CO2

concentration in 60% solution of DGA

Diglicolamine was selected due to sufficient CO2

absorption capacity and high reaction rate

required for SFR - very short residence time

Most common solvents used in biogas upgrading process are

mainly primary or secondary amines (monoethanolamine,

diethanolamine, diglycolamine),

NH2

O OH

Diglycolamine

Pa

rtia

l pre

ssu

re (

kP

a)

Pa

rtia

l pre

ssu

re (

kP

a)

Temperature (K)

Lay-out of biogas upgrading system

ABSORPTION UNIT DESORPTION UNIT HEAT RECOVERY AND MAKE UP UNIT

BIOGAS FEED UNIT HEAT RECOVERY AND MAKE UP UNIT

DESORPTION UNIT ABSORPTION UNIT

11

Design of SFR absorption module

BIOGAS

BIOGAS UPGRADED

LEAN AMINE

RICH AMINE

LEAN AMINE

RICH AMINE

BIOGAS

BIOGAS UPGRADED

12

Control system

13

Fully automatic control Automatic start-up an hold-up Recording all of measured and set parameters

View of container modules of upgrading

biogas system

14

View of absorption unit of upgrading

biogas system

15

View of heat recovery and make up unit (on left) and

desorption unit (on right) of upgrading biogas system

16

Methane concentration in biogas before

and after upgrading process

17

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

24:00

Bio

ga

s flo

w r

ate

(N

m3/h

)

Time (h)8:30

0

20

40

60

80

100

Methane concentration

beforea upgrading process

fter upgrading process

Co

nce

ntr

atio

n (

%)

Carbone dioxide concentration in biogas

before and after upgrading process

18

95

100

105

110

De

so

rptio

n te

mp

era

tura

(d

eg

C)

Time (h)

0

20

40

60

80

100

Carbon dioxide concentration

before upgrading process

after upgrading process

8:30 24:00

H2S concentration in biogas before and

after upgrading process

19

0

2

4

6

8

10

Pre

ssu

re d

rop

(kP

a)

Time (h)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

C

on

ce

ntr

atio

n (

pp

m)

H2S concentration

before upgrading process

after upgrading process

8:30 24:00

Energy consumption and operation

cost to remove 1kg of CO2

Factor Quantity/1kgCO2 Quantity/year Unit

Electricity 0.234 163 987 kWh

Soft water 0.014 9811 dm3

DGA 0.003 1598 dm3

Thermal oil 0,0034 103 dm3

Diethyl glycol 0,0016 49 dm3

20

21

This work was founded by The National Center for Research and Development under Strategic Program of Research and Development titled Advanced Technology of Energy Production, task no, 4 and by ENERGA S,A, Company,

Acknowledgements

Jan Hupka, Bartosz Dębski, Kacper Kamienicki,

Łukasz Banach, Przemysław Wojewódka

Chemical Faculty, Department of Chemical Technology

Gdansk University of Technology

Thank you for your attention