CHAPTER 4: CONCEPTUAL PROCESS DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF MICROALGAE OIL
4.7 OVERALL MATERIAL BALANCE
95
96
Table 13: Generated mass balance from the simulation
Aviation Fuel from Algae Oil
Stream ID 1 2 3 8 9 12 14 15 16 17 19
From B2 B4 B1 B7 B10 B16 B9 B9
To B1 B4 B6 B10 B9 B16 B2 B16 B9 B4
Phase LIQUID LIQUID LIQUID LIQUID LIQUID LIQUID LIQUID LIQUID LIQUID LIQUID LIQUID
Substream: MIXED
Mole Flow kmol/sec
H2O .0137057 .0125157 .0255376 .0137057 3.93719E-3 .0137057 .0125157 0.0 .0138771 4.79281E-3 .0130218
CO2 7.01303E-4 6.40409E-4 1.23749E-3 7.01303E-4 1.61168E-3 7.01303E-4 6.40409E-4 0.0 6.31173E-4 1.64579E-3 5.97078E-4
CHLOROFO 0.0 2.32659E-4 2.32659E-4 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.32659E-4 2.32690E-4 0.0 0.0 0.0 METHANOL 0.0 8.66802E-4 8.66802E-4 0.0 0.0 0.0 8.66802E-4 8.66913E-4 0.0 0.0 0.0
Mass Flow kg/sec
H2O .2469136 .2254742 .4600671 .2469136 .0709296 .2469136 .2254742 0.0 .2500000 .0863437 .2345930
CO2 .0308642 .0281842 .0544615 .0308642 .0709296 .0308642 .0281842 0.0 .0277777 .0724310 .0262772
CHLOROFO 0.0 .0277742 .0277742 0.0 0.0 0.0 .0277742 .0277777 0.0 0.0 0.0 METHANOL 0.0 .0277742 .0277742 0.0 0.0 0.0 .0277742 .0277777 0.0 0.0 0.0 Total Flow kmol/sec .0144070 .0142555 .0278745 .0144070 5.54887E-3 .0144070 .0142555 1.09960E-3 .0145082 6.43860E-3 .0136189 Total Flow kg/sec .2777778 .3092068 .5700771 .2777778 .1418593 .2777778 .3092068 .0555555 .2777778 .1587748 .2608703 Total Flow cum/sec 2.73365E-4 3.02735E-4 5.59951E-4 2.73365E-4 1.74572E-4 2.73365E-4 3.02735E-4 5.25589E-5 2.75387E-4 1.82387E-4 2.58620E-4 Temperature K 298.1500 298.1500 298.1500 298.1500 423.1500 298.1500 298.1500 298.1500 303.1500 405.9879 303.2596 Pressure N/sqm 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 Vapor Frac 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Liquid Frac 1.000000 1.000000 1.000000 1.000000 1.000000 1.000000 1.000000 1.000000 1.000000 1.000000 1.000000 Solid Frac 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Enthalpy J/kmol -2.9118E+8 -2.8542E+8 -2.8797E+8 -2.9118E+8 -3.0852E+8 -2.9118E+8 -2.8542E+8 -2.1649E+8 -2.9014E+8 -3.0593E+8 -2.9017E+8 Enthalpy J/kg -1.5102E+7 -1.3159E+7 -1.4080E+7 -1.5102E+7 -1.2068E+7 -1.5102E+7 -1.3159E+7 -4.2850E+6 -1.5154E+7 -1.2406E+7 -1.5149E+7 Enthalpy Watt -4.1951E+6 -4.0688E+6 -8.0269E+6 -4.1951E+6 -1.7120E+6 -4.1951E+6 -4.0688E+6 -2.3806E+5 -4.2095E+6 -1.9698E+6 -3.9518E+6 Entropy J/kmol-K -1.5552E+5 -1.5891E+5 -1.5735E+5 -1.5552E+5 -1.0127E+5 -1.5552E+5 -1.5891E+5 -2.2871E+5 -1.5478E+5 -1.0775E+5 -1.5469E+5 Entropy J/kg-K -8066.178 -7326.200 -7693.954 -8066.178 -3961.154 -8066.178 -7326.200 -4526.852 -8084.095 -4369.474 -8075.766 Density kmol/cum 52.70279 47.08939 49.78032 52.70279 31.78558 52.70279 47.08939 20.92136 52.68323 35.30184 52.66025 Density kg/cum 1016.143 1021.379 1018.083 1016.143 812.6120 1016.143 1021.379 1057.016 1008.681 870.5375 1008.703 Average MW 19.28063 21.69022 20.45152 19.28063 25.56543 19.28063 21.69022 50.52329 19.14615 24.65984 19.15492 Liq Vol 60F cum/sec 2.84950E-4 3.13900E-4 5.80923E-4 2.84950E-4 1.57384E-4 2.84950E-4 3.13900E-4 5.36992E-5 2.84286E-4 1.74655E-4 2.67023E-4 Substream: $T OTAL
Total Flow kg/sec .2777778 .3092068 .5700771 .2777778 .1418593 .2777778 .3092068 .0555555 .2777778 .1587748 .2608703 Enthalpy Watt -4.1951E+6 -4.0688E+6 -8.0269E+6 -4.1951E+6 -1.7120E+6 -4.1951E+6 -4.0688E+6 -2.3806E+5 -4.2095E+6 -1.9698E+6 -3.9518E+6 Substream: CISOLID
Mole Flow kmol/sec
H2O 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
CO2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
CHLOROFO 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 METHANOL 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Mass Flow kg/sec
H2O 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
CO2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
CHLOROFO 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 METHANOL 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Total Flow kmol/sec 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Total Flow kg/sec 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Total Flow cum/sec 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Temperature
Pressure N/sqm 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 1.01325E+5 Vapor Frac
Liquid Frac Solid Frac Enthalpy Enthalpy Enthalpy Entropy Entropy Density Density Average MW Liq Vol 60F
97
CONCLUSIONS
This study has focused on the following aspects:
1. Developing the process to produce microalgae-based jet fuel from the laboratory scale.
2.The adaptability of ASPEN HYSIS V8.8 to simulate the unit processes based on the data gathered from the laboratory steps.
The following are the outcomes:
➢ The unit processes are described as follows: Biomass cultivation, biomass harvesting, physiological modification, bio-oil extraction, hydrocracking, fractionation, reforming, and upgrading. The average cracking temperature in the laboratory experiment is 350
°C; the working pressure for distillation is 1 bar. The same pressure is recorded for the flash vessel collecting some middle-end fractions mixed with the vapor phase. The solvent used is a mixture of chloroform and methanol in a 1/1 ratio. The overall conversion rate is 85%. The data from the laboratory was used to simulate the process including some modifications to run the simulation successfully. The optimization of temperature values for various processes was also completed to enable the simulation and process design.
➢ Domestic wastewater plants or farming facilities using seawater for marine species can be used to provide a cultivation medium to take advantage of nutrients present in both domestic wastewater and seawater. This will also reduce the use of freshwater resources. Carbon dioxide from fossil sources can also be collected and used as a nutrient for microalgae during cultivation.
➢ Physiological modification is a very important aspect for algae-based fuels and needs to be incorporated in the process to increase the species’ lipid content. The growth medium can be either open ponds or a photobioreactor, depending on the available possibilities and the environmental conditions.
Future studies should work on the detailed design and optimization of a sustainable process plant to be used at the commercial level, including details of modelled equipment. They should also focus on sensitivity analysis, costs, and economic aspects related to the conversion processes, life-cycle assessment and fuel sustainability, blending with other fuels, detailed thermodynamics studies, and modeling of parameters involving effectiveness of some unit processes and costs.
98
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors wish to thank their Research Directorate for the support received during the completion of this work.
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