PAGMaW
Plasma Arc Gasification of
Municipal Solid Waste
Thesis Presentation
April 2, 2014
Celerick Stephens
Masters Management (Marketing)
Masters Engineering Science (Sustainability)
Agenda
PAGMaW
 Plasma
gasification process overview
 Benefits of plasma gasification of waste
 Application and benefits of technology
 Modeling the process
 Next steps
Overview
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
Benefits of Waste Gasification
Plasma Gasification of Waste
 Reduces/eliminates
disposal


need for solid waste
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
Application of Technology
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
Modeling the Process
Scaled Plasma Gasification of
Community Waste
Functional Basis

Waste stream

Plasma process

Power process

Heat recovery
Thermochemical Analysis
Gasification Process
Chemical equilibrium evaluation

Molecular decomposition of the
waste stream


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Proximate analysis
Ultimate analysis
Mass Balance

Molecular balance of
constituents

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Heat Balance

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

Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen,
Soot (metals/glass)
Water (moisture content)
Heat capacities
Heats of formation
HHV refuse derived fuel
Products of equilibrium is syngas

CO, CO2, H20, H2, CH4
𝐶𝐻𝑥 𝑂𝑦 + 𝑤𝐻2 𝑂 + 3.76𝑚𝑁2 + 𝑚𝑂2
≜ 𝑛1 𝐻2 + 𝑛2 𝐶𝑂 + 𝑛3 𝐶𝑂2 + 𝑛4 𝐻2 𝑂 + 𝑛5 𝐶𝐻4
+ 𝑛6 𝑁2 .
𝐶𝑂 + 3𝐻2 = 𝐶𝐻4 + 𝐻2 𝑂
𝐶𝑂 + 𝐻2 𝑂 = 𝐶𝑂2 + 𝐻2
𝐶 + 𝐻2 𝑂 = 𝐶𝑂 + 𝐻2
Gasification Modeling
Results
Hydrogen Output Based Upon Energy Input
0.000006
Energy Input - 1200 K
Hydrogen Production (kg/s)
0.000005
Energy Input - 1250 K
Energy Input - 1300 K
0.000004
Energy Input - 1400 K
0.000003
0.000002
0.000001
0
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
Energy Input (kJ/kg of input waste stream)
 Process
independent of gasification temperature
 Process scalable to waste stream input
 Optimized waste recycling content apparent
Gasification Modeling
Results
Hydrogen Gas Content (Mass) based upon Recycled
Waste Stream Content
6.0E-06
5.0E-06
4.0E-06
H2 (kg/s)
Organics
Paper
Plastic
3.0E-06
Textiles
Wood
Glass
2.0E-06
Metals
1.0E-06
0.0E+00
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Percentage of Constituents in Waste Stream
80%
90%
100%
Facility Modeling
Scaled-Distributed Plasma
Gasification of Community
Waste

Waste stream

Plasma process

Power process

Heat recovery
Completing the Analysis
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

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Noise
Location
Maintenance
Complexity of
byproduct recycling



High temperature
materials discharge
Waste gas reuse
Sour gas elimination