Biomass and Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) continue to be great feedstocks for conversion to fuels and chemicals through the use of gasification, followed by the Fischer Tropsch process. However, three issues hamper further development in gasification technology. These issues are: Low operating pressure in the gasifier Oxygen supply FT products upgrading Low Pressure … [Read more...]
Simulating a Divided Wall Column with CHEMCAD
ChemCad Simulation of Divided Wall Column Simulating a Divided Wall Column with various column configurations can be easily achieved when developed within ChemCad. Why would one consider a divided wall column in the first place? Divided wall columns offer savings in capital costs and operating costs but more specifically, energy costs! Traditionally, if you have n … [Read more...]
CHEMCAD Dynamics for Operator Training
CHEMCAD Dynamics is a remarkable tool for operator training. The example shown is a distillation column that looks like a Piping & Instrument Diagram. Each control loop can be modified by changing the proportion, integral and derivative values. The model responds similarly to a plant distillation column. Liquid holdup in the column, heat exchangers and even piping can be … [Read more...]
Eliminating Fouling Reboilers in Continuous and Batch Distillation
Continuous Distillation with a Fouling Reboiler A large chemical plant operates a fouling reboiler with forced circulation on a distillation column. When allowing boiling in the tubes, the operation suffers from severe fouling of the exchanger. Suppressing the evaporation in the tubes by installing a throttle plate in the reboiler outlet did not inhibit fouling. The … [Read more...]
Biogas Production from Dairy Cattle Manure
In 2007, COSTELLO provided engineering services to the Microgy biogas plant in Stephenville, Texas. This plant was the largest plant in the United States to produce pipeline grade biomethane from dairy cow manure. The Microgy plant converted dairy cow manure and other organic matter into biogas using an anaerobic process. The bacteria were thermophilic. The biogas … [Read more...]