Team 14: GRE-cycle
May 5, 2015
The Team
Left to right: Colton Walker, Ben Guilfoyle, Hannah Albers, Melanie Thelen
1/10
Introduction
• Need for renewable fuels
• Waste product feed
• No ethical implications
• Full-scale production
• 9.5 million gallons/year
• Proof of concept
Introduction Process Pre-Treatment Reactor
https://dieselgreenfuels.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/biodiesel-pump.jpeg
Simulation
Economics Takeaways
2/10
Process Flow Diagram
NaOH
Introduction Process Pre-Treatment Reactor
Simulation
Economics Takeaways
3/10
Pre-Treatment
▪ Restaurant grease modeled
as soybean oil with 29% free
fatty acids (FFA)
▪ FFA esterified to biodiesel
– Plug-flow reactor
– 3.5 m3
– 1% FFA
▪ Membrane filtration
▪ Methanol recovery via
distillation
Introduction Process Pre-Treatment Reactor
Simulation
Economics Takeaways
4/10
Pre-Treatment Reactor Volume
Effect of Pre-Treatment Reactor Volume on FFA Composition
2.5%
wt % FFA
2.0%
1.5%
1.0%
0.5%
0.0%
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
Reactor Volume (m^3)
Introduction Process Pre-Treatment Reactor
Simulation
Economics Takeaways
5/10
Distillation Tower
▪ Key Specs
– 9 trays
– 1.5 reflux ratio
Introduction Process Pre-Treatment Reactor
Simulation
Economics Takeaways
6/10
Main Reactor
Batch Time (min)
0
5
10
15
20
25
1
0.9
– NaOH catalyst
0.8
Conversion
▪ Plug-flow via Polymath and
UNISIM
– 96% soybean oil conversion
0.7
0.6
– 1.5 m3
1500 L PFR with 13 min
residence time
0.5
0.4
0.3
▪ 2 membrane filters and
setting tank
4000 L Batch with 25 min
reaction time
0.2
0.1
0
0
300
600
900
1200
PFR Reactor Volume (L)
1500
▪ >99% methanol recovery
http://www.coe.or.th/coe/main/coeHome.php?aMenu=701012&aSubj=98&aMajid=7
Introduction Process Pre-Treatment Reactor
Simulation
Economics Takeaways
7/10
Simulation
UniSim
SuperPro Designer
•
UniSim (continuous process)
•
SuperPro Designer (batch)
•
Polymath (kinetics)
Pretreatment Reactor
Introduction Process Pre-Treatment Reactor
Reactor
Type
Batch
PFR
%
Conversion
90.31
95.19
Volume (m3)
5.32
3.50
Agitation
Yes
No
Cost
$18,145
$7,520
Simulation
Economics Takeaways
8/10
Economics
• Guthrie analysis used to estimate costs
• 10% rate of return
• Economic advantage over competitors
• $3.41/gallon
• Not profitable without gov’t subsidy
Introduction Process Pre-Treatment Reactor
Total Capital Costs
Total Hourly Costs
Total Hourly Income
Total Hourly Profit
Total Yearly Profit
Simulation
$
$
$
$
$
9,279,005.80
4,994.53
6,068.95
1,074.42
8,595,353.28
Economics Takeaways
9/10
Takeaways
• Data not always readily available
• Not one “right” answer
• Communication
• Simulation does not equal reality
• Alternative energy still needs improvement
Introduction Process Pre-Treatment Reactor
Simulation
Economics Takeaways
10/10
Acknowledgments
• Professor Jeremy VanAntwerp
• Randy Elenbaas
• Doug Elenbaas
• Calvin Dining Services
• Professor Baker
• Professor Looyenga
Questions
Back-Up Slides
Pre-Treatment Reactor
Effect of Pre-Treatment Reactor Volume on FFA Composition
2.5%
2.0%
1.5%
1.0%
0.5%
0.0%
1.00
Introduction
Process
1.50
2.00
Pre-Treatment
2.50
3.00
Reactor
3.50
Simulation
4.00
Economics
5/7
Vessel
Materials of Construction
MOC
Feed Storage Tank
Carbon Steel
Methanol 1 Storage Tank
Carbon Steel
Sulfuric Acid Storage Tank
Stainless Steel 316
NaOH Storage Tank
Rubber lined Carbon Steel
Methanol 2 Storage Tank
Carbon Steel
Biodiesel Storage Tank
Carbon Steel
Glycerin Storage Tank
Carbon Steel
Mixer-100
Carbon Steel
Mixer-101
Stainless Steel Lined Carbon Steel
Mixer-102
Carbon Steel
Mixer-103
Carbon Steel
Distillation Column
Stainless Steel 316
Membrane 1
Stainless Steel Lined Carbon Steel
Membrane 2
Carbon Steel
3-Phase Separator
Carbon Steel
Pre-Treatment Reactor
Stainless Steel Lined Carbon Steel
Transesterification Reactor
Carbon Steel
Feed Composition
1
0.9
Triglyceride Conversion
0.8
Jatrophas
0.7
Soybean
0.6
0.5
0.4
Fatty Acids
WCO
Soybean Oil
Sunflower oil
Jatrophas
Oil
Linseed
Oil
Linoleic Acid
43.85%
43-56%
44-75%
19-41%
17-24%
0.2
Linolenic Acid
4.65%
5-11%
--
--
35-60%
Oleic Acid
33.75%
22-34%
14-35%
37-63%
12-34%
0.1
Palmitic Acid
13.62%
7-11%
3-6%
12-17%
4-7%
Stearic Acid
4.14%
2-6%
1-3%
5-9.5%
2-5%
0.3
0
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
PFR Reactor Volume
http://www.chempro.in/fattyacid.htm
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cjce.21848/full#cjce21848-note-0001
Type
Description
Batch
tank with agitation
Plug-Flow (PFR)
tubular reactor with no
radial dispersion
Packed Bed (PBR)
Continuous stirred tank (CSTR)
Membrane
Micro-reactor
PFR with smaller channels
Type
Cavitational
Oscillatory Baffled (OBR)
Reactive Distillation
increased conversion with agitation
low capital costs
Simple
high conversion
compatible with liquid catalysts
less complex control system
Simple
Disadvantages
long total reaction time
complex control system
higher volume reactor is necessary
compatible with CaO, heterogeneous catalysts not compatible with liquid catalyst
tubular reactor with solid
Simple
long tube lengths
catalyst
long residence time required
requires catalyst regeneration
vessel with agitation;
several reactors in series needed for high
simple
continuous
conversion
membrane selectively
permeable to methanol
and biodiesel product
Microwave
Advantages
handles variable feed compositions
eases downstream separations
membrane must be occasionally replaced
variable materials of construction
low operating costs
handles variable FFA content
long reaction time
made from plastic resins to mitigate corrosion lower FFA content required
high conversion with shorter reaction times
batch process that heats high conversion with shorter reaction times
reactants through
microwave radiation
Description
Advantages
continuous reactors that lower methanol:oil ratio; easier downstream
separation
generate cavities that
increased mass transfer; high conversion
grow and collapse to
create emulsions
compatible with homogeneous and
PFRs with evenly spaced heterogeneous catalysts
baffles and oscillating
increased mass transfer; high conversion
flow throughput
some have built-in methanol recovery system
Eases downstream separations
reaction and methanol
average conversion
separation take place in
difficult to scale up to industrial size
difficult kinetic modeling
Disadvantages
difficult to scale up to industrial size
higher energy requirement
higher operating cost
higher energy requirement
higher operating/maintenance costs
complex control system
high operating/maintenance costs
high energy requirements
Transesterification Kinetics