Demonstration units

The demonstration unit was later transported to the CECOS faciHty at Niagara Falls, New York. In tests performed in 1985, approximately 3400 L of a mixed waste containing 2-chlorophenol [95-57-8] nitrobenzene [98-95-3] and 1,1,2-trichloroethane [79-00-5] were processed over 145 operating hours 2-propanol was used as a supplemental fuel the temperature was maintained at 615 to 635°C. Another 95-h test was conducted on a PCB containing transformer waste. Very high destmction efficiencies were achieved for all compounds studied (17). A later bench-scale study, conducted at Smith Kline and French Laboratories in conjunction with Modar (18), showed that simulated chemical and biological wastes, a fermentation broth, and extreme thermophilic bacteria were all completely destroyed within detection limits. 

Scale-Up Principles. Key factors affecting scale-up of reactor performance are nature of reaction zones, specific reaction rates, and mass- and heat-transport rates to and from reaction sites. Where considerable uncertainties exist or large quantities of products are needed for market evaluations, intermediate-sized demonstration units between pilot and industrial plants are usehil. Matching overall fluid flow characteristics within the reactor might determine the operative criteria. Ideally, the smaller reactor acts as a volume segment of the larger one. Elow distributions are not markedly influenced by... 

Deep C t lytic Crocking. This process is a variation of fluid catalytic cracking. It uses heavy petroleum fractions, such as heavy vacuum gas oil, to produce propylene- and butylene-rich gaseous products and an aromatic-rich Hquid product. The Hquid product contains predorninantiy ben2ene, toluene, and xylene (see BTX processing). This process is being developed by SINOPEC in China (42,73). SINOPEC is currentiy converting one of its fluid catalytic units into a demonstration unit with a capacity of 60,000 t/yr of vacuum gas oil feedstock. 

The objeetive of seale-up in reaetor design is to determine a eri-terion or eriteria on whieh to base the transfer of the laboratory seale into a full-seale eommereial unit. Before proeeeding from a laboratory to an industrial seale, additional investigations are required. However, it is diffieult to define these additional steps to gather all the information as promptly as possibe and at minimum eost. The mediodology of proeess development leading to seale-up beeomes die prineipal faetor for die sueeess of die operation. In aehieving diis purpose, experiments are elassified into diree main types laboratory, pilot plant, and demonstration units. 

Experiments at the level of a demonstration unit apply to the eonstruetion of a first industrial unit, but on a modest seale (e.g., one-tenth of full-seale produetion). This step ean be very eostly, but has been proven to be indispensable. 

Despite the fact that OTEC systems have no fuel costs and can produce useful by-products, the initial high cost of building such power plants (up to 5,000 per kilowatt) currently makes OTEC generated electricity up to five times more expensive than conventional alternatives. As such, at the present time OTEC systems are largely restricted to experimental and demonstration units. One of the major facilities for OTEC research is the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority at Keahole Point on the island of Hawaii. An experimental OTEC facility located there has had a maximum net power production of 100 kilowatts, at the same time producing 5 gallons per minute of desalinated water. 

The findings from two long term test runs in the SASOL plant relevant to catalyst life under design conditions in a commercial methane synthesis plant have already been published (3). This paper reports further test results from both demonstration units concerning the effect of certain reaction parameters which are the basis for flexibility and operability of the Lurgi methanation scheme. 

The scheme of the methanation demonstration units is presented in Figure 2. Synthesis gas is heated in heater El and is then mixed with recycle gas. Zinc oxide reactor D1 serves as an emergency catchpot for sulfur breakthrough from the purification plant. The total feed is heated... 

Details are given of a visit by RECOUP to BP Chemical s feedstock recycling demonstration unit in Sunbury. The feedstock recycling technology has been developed by a consortium of companies, and will enable polyolefin rich plastic waste from domestic and commercial sources to be vapourised and then condensed to form a hydrocarbon wax. This can then be used to feed existing petrochemical crackers to produce polymers indistinguishable from virgin material, it is claimed. 

The problem with all such ideas is that they are only ideas. Before they can be tuned into real possibilities, considerable R. D. would have to be undertaken, perhaps lasting 10+ years. If successful, which of course cannot be guaranteed, commercially sized demonstration units would have to be built and operated satisfactorily before the generating industry would be Willing to take the risk of investing in these developments. All this implies that with the possible exception of the modular HTGR, it may be 20.years or more before the first commercial plants come into operation We may well have the time, but ways will have to be found to find the money. 

The differences in behavior between small laboratory beds and larger demonstration units can, in part, be attributed to a switch from porous plate distributors in the small bed to discrete hole or bubble caps in... 

Aroforming A process for making aromatic hydrocarbons from aliphatic hydrocarbons. Based on the Aromizing process. Developed by Salutec, Australia, and IFP, France. A demonstration unit with capacity of 500 bbl/day was being designed in 1994. 

MTO [Methanol to olefins] A catalytic process for converting methanol to olefins, mainly propylenes and butenes. Developed by Mobil Research Development Corporation and first demonstrated in 1985. Another version of this process was developed by UOP and Norsk Hydro and has been ran at a demonstration unit at Porsgrunn, Norway, since June 1995. It is based on fluidized bed technology using a SAPO molecular sieve catalyst. It converts 80 percent of the carbon in the feed to ethylene and propylene. 

WSA-SNOX A combined flue-gas treatment process which converts the sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid and the nitrogen oxides to nitrogen. Developed by Snamprogetti and Haldor Topsoe, based on the WSA process. A large demonstration unit was under construction in 1989. 

British Gas Lurgi Westfield, Scotland 600 TPD/30 MWe Commissioned in 1984 Demonstration unit pressurised dry feed moving bed slagging BGL Gasifier... 

The operating curve for membrane permeability against inlet velocity was constructed from plant data, and curves for each sulphate concentration could be produced from normalised data. The data in Fig. 11.5 show the curve normalised to Ogl-1 of sodium sulphate. This curve illustrates the relationship between the permeability and the velocity across the membrane for the existing demonstration unit. 

Fig. 4.37. El mass spectrum of perfluorotributylamine (mass calibrant FC43) to demonstrate unit resolution of a quadmpole analyzer. The expanded views a-c show peaks separated to almost identical degree.

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