4 replies to this topic

[phy6geek]

hi everyone..im a newbie here in che resurces... I am tasked to look for a possible plant design topic which I will be working on this semester. I am eyeing on a design which can be developed by four students and preferably something that will focus on Green Technology, wastewater or alternative fuels. If you have something in mind or if you know a site that has any discussion on this stuff, kindly post the link here. thank you so much

[Zauberberg]

I don't know how much "green" you need this project to be, but here are my hints and you can find a lot of information by just Google-ing around:

- CO2 sequestration/re-injection in gas plants
- Recycling/re-processing of refinery wastewater streams
- Claus plant

CO2 sequestration/re-injection to depleted reservoirs is one of the hot topics during last decade. Essentially - depending on final solution - the CO2 plant is quite simple: it can consist solely of compression, cooling, dehydration, or it can include some form of CO2 purification and liquefaction/storage.

[riven]

I don't know how much "green" you need this project to be, but here are my hints and you can find a lot of information by just Google-ing around:

- CO2 sequestration/re-injection in gas plants
- Recycling/re-processing of refinery wastewater streams
- Claus plant

CO2 sequestration/re-injection to depleted reservoirs is one of the hot topics during last decade. Essentially - depending on final solution - the CO2 plant is quite simple: it can consist solely of compression, cooling, dehydration, or it can include some form of CO2 purification and liquefaction/storage.

Remember biorefining and biofuels; ethanol production is well covered.

Also how far could you stretch the 'plant' definition. Essentially a wind farm could be considered a green power plant.


Off topic
I do not agree that CO2 seq is a green technology. I am still awaiting proof from or guys that can conclude that the CO2 will not seep back out of the area that it is being placed.

Furthermore it must be classed as a disposal technology (not green technology). When a resoource is used in a certain way way and the point of green technology is to reduce or even deactivate the waste i.e. green chemistry. With CO2 seq we are simply re-disposing it back into the resevoirs where it came from A green technology would allow us to keep the CO2 down in the point of extraction (kind of difficult to visualise for coal or oil but no so for natural gas (though from an engineering point, difficult).

[gvdlans]

Off topic
I do not agree that CO2 seq is a green technology. I am still awaiting proof from or guys that can conclude that the CO2 will not seep back out of the area that it is being placed.

Isn't the fact that the natural gas has been there for millions of years (without "seeping back out of the area") proof enough?

[Zauberberg]

I would agree with both of you. Riven is right in the sense it's not actually a "green technology", and I support Guido's arguments as well.

We can look into CO2 sequestration in a simple way - instead of being vented to atmosphere, CO2 can be safely disposed deep beneath the surface. The atmosphere will not see it - at least in a milleniums from now, or perhaps even never.

Thanks,