03 Gaseous fuels (sources, properties, recovery, treatment)

repeatedly and the results of those tests proved that the recovery efficiency 97lO1009 Procedure and apparatus for processing of nitro-
of the plastics suitable for liquefaction came to 90% and the liquefaction gen-containing natural gas
ratio of the suitable plastics came to 65%. Hobler, A. et al. Ger. Offen. DE IY, 538. 614 (Cl. CIOL3/10). I4 Nov
1996. Appl. 19, 538, 614, 17 Ott 1995, IO pp. (In German)
Details a procedure for the processing of natural gas containing NL 40-90
97lO1004 Wood pyrolysis oil for diesel engines mol%, S, and higher hydrocarbons. The separated Nz is useful as a flushing
Jay, D. C. er al. ICE (Am. Sm. Mech. Eng.). 1995, 25 (Proceedings of the gas or for preparation of an inert atmosphere. A glycol is injected as a
17th Annual Fall Technical Conference of the ASME Internal Combustion hydrate inhibitor between the steps I and 2 to prevent freezing out water.
Engine Division, 1995, 3) 51-59. The separated S compounds are used for S recovery.
Considers the use of wood pyrolysis oil (WPO). WPO has been identified as
the most competitive biofuel product which can he produced from biomass.
97/01010 Process for separating tar and dust from coal
The fuel is produced by a fast pyrolysis technique, using wood chippings or
pyrolysis gases
sawdust. The process can be applied to other recycling products such as
Ikeda, Y. et al. Jpn. Kokai Tokkyo Koho JP 08, 259, Y63 [96, 259. 963) (Cl.
automotive tyres, and disposable plastic items. The use of WPO as a diesel
ClOJ3/46), 8 Ott 1996, Appl. 95160, 502. 20 Mar 1995.5 pp (In Japanese).
power plant fuel has been studied, and a fuel specification has been
The process described involves the removal of dust from high-temperature
developed. The fuel characteristics have been analysed. There are several
gases generated from coal pyrolysis by wet separating in a Venturi scrubber
fuel properties addressed in the paper which have had to be overcome. New
to form mist-type tar, then removing mist-type tar in a condenser for
materials have been used in the fuel injection system. The fuel injection
recovery.
system development has progressed from a pump-line-pipe system to a
common rail system. The fuel requires a pilot fuel oil injection to initiate
combustion. The combustion characteristics from both a small 80 mm bore
engine initially, and then later with a single cylinder test of a 320 mm bore
Wartsila engine, have been evaluated. The heat release, engine perfor- Transport, Storage
mance and emission characteristics have been reviewed. The overall
objective of the project is to develop an operational system for a 4R32
diesel engine power plant.
97lO1011 Research on methods for metering pipeline coal-
gas flow rate
Huang, N. et al. Huogong Zidonghuo Ji Yihiao, 1996, 23, (I), 47-49. (In
Chinese)
Three types of meters for metering pipeline coal-gas flow rate (cleanable
notched plate-type flow meter, street vortex-type flow meter and thermal-
type gas mass flow meter) were analysed and compared. The thermal-type
gas mass flow meter has advantages of simple configuration, easy
03 GASEOUS FUELS maintenance,
reproducibility.
wide dynamic range (0.1-50 m/s), and high accuracy and

Sources, Properties, Recovery, Treatment Economics, Business, Marketing, Policy

97/01005 Apparatus and method for removing trace impu- 97101012 A historic review of U.S. coal-bed methane and one
rities from hydrocarbon fuel gases company’s learning experience
Tanagawa, T. Jpn. Kokai Tokkyo Koho JP 08, 283, 756 [96, 283, 7561 (Cl. Yee. D. et al. Proc. Int. Pet. Conf. Exhih.. 1st. lY95, 4. 273-282.
ClOL3/10), 29 Ott 1996, Appl. 95185,687, 11 Apr 1995, 7 pp (In Japanese). Significant coal-bed methane (CBM) production was not reached until
The apparatus detailed in this paper comprises a means for preheating 1989. Amoco was the first company to deliberately drill a CBM well not
hydrocarbon fuel gases and passage through a first fixed bed of adsorbents associated with mining in 1977. It was not until 1980 with the passage of the
for removing trace impurities at upper stream side, means for cooling the alternative fuels tax credit that companies had the incentive to explore for
treated gases and further passage through a second fixed bed of adsorbents CBM reserves. The two dominant U.S. basins producing CBM are the San
for removing the residual impurites at down stream side, and a means for Juan Basin of Colorado/New Mexico and the Black Warrior Basin. Coal-
regenerating the spent adsorbents in a controlled cycle. The apparatus bed methane production is expected to exceed 57 million cubic metresiday
reduces energy consumption and stabilizes fuel gas quality. (2 BCFID) in 1994. Amoco now operates over 900 CBM wells in the San
Juan and Warrior Basins. Production now exceeds 13.3 million cubic
meters/day (470 million cubic feet). Amoco has drilled core holes and/or
97101006 Apparatus for removal of lubricating oils from wells in I2 basins in the U.S. and has commercially developed two basins.
liquefied gases by adsorption
Kawai, T. ef ul. Jpn. Kokai Tokkyo Koho JP 08, 281, 004 [96, 281, 004) (Cl.
97lOlOl3 A historic review of U.S. coal-bed methane and one
BOlD15/00), 29 Ott 1996, Appl. 95/83, 595. 10 Apr 1995, 6 pp (In operational performance comparisons in the gas processing
Japanese).
industry
Details an apparatus in which lubricating oils are removed from liquified
Salahor, G. S. Proc., Annu. Cow. Gas Process. A.ssoc., 1996. 75. 227-233.
gases by contacting these with activated carbon.
Comparison and benchmarking of operational performance measures in the
natural gas processing and gathering industry has helped operators to
identify and prioritize improvement initiatives and has led to direct and
97101007 Fresh tar (from a biomass gasifier) elimination over
tangible improvements in operating efficiency. Ernst & Young has
a commercial steam-reforming catalyst. Kinetics and effect of
developed an analysis framework for gas processing and gathering
different variables of operation operations incorporating such considerations, and conducted a study
Narvaez, I. et al. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 1997, 36, (2), 317-327.
involving North American and international participants for the past four
Studies the upgrading of the raw gas from a biomass gasifier with the
years. The information obtained from this work has revealed a wide range
commercial steam-reforming BASF Gl-25 S nickel-based catalyst. It is
of performance results across plants, and has served to challenge much of
located downstream of the gasifier in a bubbling fluidized bed in which air
the conventional wisdom regarding what levels of performance are
is used as gasifying agent. To increase the catalyst lifetime, a guard bed of a
attainable, and to provide understanding as to how gas processing
calcined dolomite is used. It decreases the load of tar entering the catalytic
operational resource requirements are influenced by technical parameters.
bed to below 2 g tar/m7. This work is focused only on the catalytic bed which
easily decreases the tar content in the gas to only l-2 mg/nm7. Variables
studied include the particle diameter of the catalyst, time-onstream,
temperature of the catalytic bed, and gas and tar compositions. Both tar
and gas compositions in the catalytic reactor depend on the equivalence and Derived Gaseous Fuels
H/C ratios existing in the gasifier and on the operating conditions of the
guard bed of dolomite. A simple kinetic model is used to describe the
overall tar elimination network. Its overall kinetic constant is used as index
of the catalyst activity for tar elimination. Values of this overall kinetic 97lOlO14 Advanced composites recycling
constant are given for very different operating conditions. Unser, J. F. et al. SAMPE J, 1996, 32, (5) 52-57.
The need for a recycling method for advanced composites is becoming a
necessity. Environmental Technology Services recognized this need and has
97101006 Method for removing acid components from a gas developed, with the support of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, a
Adzhiev, A. Y. et al. Russ. RU 2, 053,012 (Cl. BOlDS3/14), 27 Jan 1996, method for recovering valuable constituents from composite materials. The
SU Appl. 4. 755, 252, I Nov 1989. (In Russian) From Izobrefeniya 1996, (3) process converts the polymer matrix to lower-chain hydrocarbons and fuel
164. gas, leaving behind fibres. The test results are presented.

64 Fuel and Energy Abstracts March 1997