Modular Systems for Fossil FuelsDarren Mollot1, Regis Conrad1, Bhima Sastri1
1 United States Department of Energy, Germantown, USA
FE Program at US DOE
June 13, 2016
Program Manager, Advanced Energy Systems
Dr. Bhima Sastri
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Outline
• The Opportunity
• White Space
• Path Forward
I wish to thank Dr Dane Boysen, former ARPA-e Program Director, with whom I worked on this idea of Process Intensification/Modular Concepts and who provided me real world insights reflected in the slides that he shared with me that I present here.
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Syngas Routes to fuels and chemicals
Source: http://www.netl.doe.gov/
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F-T Process
Syngas
generation
Gas
cleaning
Synthesis gas
production
Coal/Bio/
Gas
Feed
Product
recovery
Syngas-
to-syncrude
Fuels
and
Chemicals
Synthesis
(gas loop)
Oil
refining
Synthetic product
refining
Water
refining
[2] Aron de Klerk, U of Albany, 2011
Example: Fischer Tropsch gas-to-liquids
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Gas-To-Liquid Economics
[3] A. de Klerk. Gas-to-liquid conversion. ARPA-E natural gas conversion technologies workshop. Houston TX, January 13, 2012.
[4] Pearl GTL - an overview. Shell, 2012. http://www.shell.com/home/content/aboutshell/our_strategy/major_projects_2/pearl/overview/
[5] B. Reddall. Cost of delayed Chevron Nigeria plant now $8.4 bln. Thomson Reuters. 24 Feb 2011.
• Payback = $150,000/bpd $80/boe = 5 years
GTL Facility Company Capacity Capital Cost[5]
Pearl Shell 140,000 bpd[3] ~ $110,000/bpd
Escravos Sasol-Chevron 33,000 bpd[4] ~ $180,000/bpd
Sasol I expansion Sasol --- ~ $200,000/bpd
bpd = barrels per day
boe = barrels of oil equivalent
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Mega-project economics
The RAND Corporation Study– 52 mega-projects
– $0.5B and $10B (1984 dollars)
– Over budget average 90%
Shell Pearl GTL Facility, Qatar
[6] E.W. Merrow. Understanding the outcomes of megaprojects: a quantitative analysis of very large
civilian projects, The RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, 1988.
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Market timing RiskMetal Commodities Price Index (percent vs. year)
100%
2011
Oil Price ($/bbl vs. year)
1850
20111970
140
0
project
construction
Source: The Economist, Thomson Reuters, 2012
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Economic sensitivity
Economics of GTL are most sensitive to the product price
Net Present Value
GTL Product Price, $/bbl
Feed Gas Price, $/MSCF
Capital Cost, k$/bpd
Design Capacity, kbpd
Catalyst Cost, $/bbl 10
90 80
7 3
14070
3
28658
0 Base
[7] R. Motal. Commercialization Considerations for Gas Conversion Technology Development. ARPA-E
natural gas conversion technologies workshop. Houston TX, January 13, 2012.
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We Need Different Thinking!Why do reactors have to be made up of cylinders and spheres?
Why do we react coal as if it’s a homogenous fuel, when it’s not?
Why must we remove excess carbon from coal when it’s mixed up with other gases, and then pump it underground?
What if multiphase models could become powerful enough to help us manipulate coal to unprecedented levels?
Is bigger always better?
Engineered Modular Systems can convert coal in
new ways with Advanced Manufacturing,
sophisticated modeling and simulation, and
reaction and process intensification
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Economies of scale
[9] PJA Tijm. Gas to liquids, Fischer-Tropsch, advanced energy technology, future's pathway. Feb 2010.
Pearl
Escravos
GTL Cost vs. Capacity[9]
m =-0.50
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Experience Learning curves
-30%
[12] A Kelkar, R Roth, J Clark. Automobile Bodies: Can Aluminum Be an Economical Alternative to Steel? JOM 53(8):28-32.2001
-50%
Total Production Costs of Midsize Cars[12]
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The Opportunity
Small-scale, modular syngas-to-liquid reactors
– Less upfront capital
– Quicker response to market changes
– Faster innovation through more players
– Lower complexity, better integration
– Beach head markets
– New learning curves
Minimizes
Financial
Risk
Not “bigger is better”, but “more is better”
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outline
• The Opportunity
• White Space
• Path Forward
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NeedsNeed clear definition of modular
Need to identify metrics for evaluating modular systems (e.g. $/kW, $/tpd, $/kg, GHSV)
Modular practices in industry already there. How do we harness them?
Need better process engineering solutionso - incremental so far
Innovations!!oNo major innovations in last 20 years
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Engineering Across Length Scales
nm μm mm cm m
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Engineering Across Capacity Scales
m cm
1500 MW 10MW
- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Big_Bend_Power_Station.jpg
- http://www.mwm.net/mwm-chp-gas-engines-gensets-cogeneration/distributed-power-plants/modular-power-plant/
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Modeling and Research
• Multi-phase simulation and advanced computing on NETL Joule supercomputer.
• Packaged, real-time fiber optic gas analysis for control and feedstock flexibility.
• Specialty alloy and refractory development.Joule comprises 24,192 cores with a peak
performance of 503 TFLOPS. Right:
Bubbling pattern in a fluid bed reactor –
used to optimize the reactor operation.
NETL gasifier refractory blocks ,
specialty alloy development, and
application to cardiac stent, DOD armor
Fiber-optic gas analyzer provides
multi-component, real-time
analysis
• Process design & optimization
of integrated systems
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Integrated Systems Engineering
• Several individual systems have already been demonstrated at small scale (1MW).
• Integrated processes– Decrease complexity = efficiency, cost
– Reduce changes in T, P, {Ni}
– Integrate thermal/mass transport operations
– Engineer across length-time scales
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White Space
• Accelerate new developments to reduce size and costs using such capabilities– Minimise changes in T, P, {Ni}
– Maximise production per E, V, m
Example: How do you significantly enhance transport
rates to give every molecule exactly the same processing
experience
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outline
• The Opportunity
• White Space
• Path Forward
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Define Modular..
• What should be the Metrics/ Standards for plug and play systems
• Flex Fuel Feedstocks (Coal/biomass/NG)
• Complete system (includes Balance of Plant) to convert feedstocks to value added products including power
SOFC’s are a great example of what works at a modular scale. Just need to bring down the costs!
Metric Target Units
Prototype capacity 1 L/day
Process intensity > 0.1 bpd/ft3
Cost of materials per capacity
< 100,000 $/bpd
Carbon efficiency > 50 %
Reliability > 1000 h
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Areas of InterestApproach that enables the development of small-scale, modular systems for poly-generation (CHP and chemicals)
• Technology areas
– Multi-functional catalytic approaches
– Catalytic plate heat exchangers
– Rotating disk reactors
• Technology enablers
– Advanced manufacturing of micro-featured reactors
– Computational reactor modeling across length scales
► Catalytic membrane reactors
► Microfluidic reactors
► High-T heat exchangers
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Ideas worth pursuing for coal..• Reduce coal particle sizes – < 10 micron coal to increase
reactivity of bituminous coal at lower temperatures• Use larger molecules available from coal rather than
turning it only into heat + CO + H2. This allows coal to do things that natural gas cannot.
• Alternative energy sources: micro-waves or solar• Greenhouses – can be watered using plant emissions, and
plant growth encouraged with CO2.• To make many chemicals, power and liquid fuels, either
carbon must be removed or hydrogen must be added to obtain the needed ratio– Traditionally, each H2 made results in one CO2 being made– Why not remove excess carbon before it becomes CO2 and turn
it into valuable products like carbon fiber or foam?
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Build prototype systems now with
known technologies – Expensive but
becomes economically viable at the
nth of a kind stage
Use available low cost feedstocks
Go after highest value products
Achieve a revolution by manipulating
feedstocks at the particulate level.
Expand reach to bigger markets.
Supercomputersand expertise on coal
kinetics and reactor
behavior
Modeling gas-particulate
reactions is becoming
increasingly powerful
Existing R&D• Engage companies with Labs in active
R&D
• Find larger-scale targeted technologies
that fit this concept of modularity
• New NETL initiative: Radically
Engineered Modular Systems (REMS)
Ongoing Efforts:Survey of U.S. feedstock conversion needs
Survey of U.S. feedstocks and high value products from
past R&D
Systems Analysis geared up to focus on optimizing
systems that will focus on most compelling needs
Advanced Manufacturing• Reduced reactor and plant capital costs
• Decreased plant down time
• Increased product value
Modular Systems
How DOE plans to Achieve this Goal
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Questions and Discussion