PAGMaWPlasma Arc Gasification of Municipal Solid Waste

Thesis PresentationApril 2, 2014Celerick StephensMasters Management (Marketing)Masters Engineering Science (Sustainability)

PAGMaW Plasma gasification process overview Benefits of plasma gasification of waste Application and benefits of technology Modeling the process Next steps

Agenda

What is plasma Fourth state of matter

Ionized gas in which the number of free electrons nearly equals the number of free ions

Electric arcs Neon bulbs Lightning

Overview

What is Plasma Gasification Gasification is the process of changing one

state of matter into a useful gas Plasma gasification is applying high-energy

gas (plasma) to gasify any solid Plasma gasification

Severs molecular bonds of solids Releases elemental gases and solids Vitrifies precipitate solids Allows for high temperature recombination of

gases

Overview

Plasma Gasification of Waste Reduces/eliminates need for solid waste

disposal Vitrified waste is reduced (>90%) Produces low-heating value “natural” gas

(syngas) useful for power/heat production Reduces carbon footprint Reduces release of harmful products

Dioxins nearly eliminated Vitrified wastes make harmful agents inert

Benefits of Waste Gasification

Plasma Process In Real-World Usage

13 commissioned sites worldwide Europe Japan United States

Hawaii* Proven energy

production exceeds energy requirements

Application of Technology

Scaling the Technology Unique application of technology

on a smaller scale From 250 tons/day to 7 tons/day (or smaller)

Community Waste Disposal Reduces waste transport

energy Reduces electrical transmission

waste Reduces cost of operation Reduces electrical consumption Supplements community

heating

Fast Facts Americans generate 4 lbs trash/day

60% of MSW is landfilled (145 million tons) We can bury Rhode Island each year We use 1.5 billion gallons of fuel/yr to haul

trash (1.4 million average daily drivers)

10% of the power produced is wasted in delivery (400 million MW-hrs/year) US Line loss can power

NYC for 35 yrs or France for 1 year (10th largest consumer of

electrical power in the world)

Application of Technology

The Future Need Economists show the

United States as the Middle Class Model

Trends indicate unsustainable nature in energy consumption

Power cannot be created fast enough to match demand

Waste cannot be disposed fast enough to match demand

Application of Technology

Scaled Plasma Gasification of Community Waste

Modeling the Process

Waste stream

Plasma process

Power process

Heat recovery

Functional Basis

Gasification ProcessChemical equilibrium evaluation

Molecular decomposition of the waste stream Proximate analysis Ultimate analysis

Mass Balance Molecular balance of constituents

Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Soot (metals/glass) Water (moisture content)

Heat Balance Heat capacities Heats of formation HHV refuse derived fuel

Products of equilibrium is syngas CO, CO2, H20, H2, CH4

Thermochemical Analysis

𝐶𝐻 𝑥𝑂𝑦+𝑤𝐻2𝑂+3.76𝑚𝑁 2+𝑚𝑂2≜𝑛1𝐻2+𝑛2𝐶𝑂+𝑛3𝐶𝑂2+𝑛4𝐻2𝑂+𝑛5𝐶𝐻 4+𝑛6𝑁 2 .

𝐶𝑂+3𝐻2=𝐶𝐻4+𝐻2𝑂

𝐶𝑂+𝐻 2𝑂=𝐶𝑂2+𝐻 2

𝐶+𝐻 2𝑂=𝐶𝑂+𝐻2

Results

Process independent of gasification temperature

Process scalable to waste stream input Optimized waste recycling content apparent

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 0

0.000001

0.000002

0.000003

0.000004

0.000005

0.000006Hydrogen Output Based Upon Energy Input

Energy Input - 1200 K

Energy Input - 1250 K

Energy Input - 1300 K

Energy Input - 1400 K

Energy Input (kJ/kg of input waste stream)

Hydro

gen P

roducti

on (

kg/s

)

Gasification Modeling

ResultsGasification Modeling

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%0.0E+00

1.0E-06

2.0E-06

3.0E-06

4.0E-06

5.0E-06

6.0E-06

Hydrogen Gas Content (Mass) based upon Re-cycled Waste Stream Content

OrganicsPaperPlasticTextilesWoodGlassMetals

Percentage of Constituents in Waste Stream

H2 (

kg/s

)

Scaled-Distributed Plasma Gasification of Community Waste

Waste stream

Plasma process

Power process

Heat recovery

Facility Modeling

Next Steps Complete energy

cycle analysis H2 Fuel Cell

Integration Waste stream size

to support facility (net zero)

Waste stream size to support community (net zero)

Document challenges Facility complexity

Noise Location Maintenance

Complexity of byproduct recycling High temperature

materials discharge Waste gas reuse Sour gas elimination

Completing the Analysis