Professor Dianne Wiley
Dean of Engineering
School of Engineering
- Email:dianne.wiley@newcastle.edu.au
- Phone:(02) 4921 6202
Career Summary
Biography
Professor Dianne Wiley is a Chemical Engineer with a strong track record of fundamental and applied research. She is a recognised world leader in the development of membrane systems for water and wastewater treatment and other applications, and, in the assessment of a broad range of technologies for carbon capture and storage across the whole process chain.
Professor Dianne Wiley was appointed to the University as Dean of Engineering in February 2022. Prior to this she was Head of School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Sydney, a position she held from 2016. Her other leadership roles have included Deputy Director of the UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology at the University of New South Wales as well as Capture Program Manager and Economics Leader at the CO2CRC.
In her current role, Dianne is working with colleagues and industry partners to position the University as the regional leader of engineering-led research and education to address some of the most pressing problems facing our society including food and water security, climate change resilience, information protection and access, supply of energy and resources, infrastructure design and management, and, promoting healthy and interconnected lifestyles.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of New South Wales
- Bachelor of Applied Science - Distinction, Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education
- Graduate Diploma in Education, Armidale College of Advanced Education
Keywords
- carbon capture and storage
- environmental assessment
- membrane science and technology
- separation processes
- technoeconomics
Fields of Research
Code | Description | Percentage |
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400411 | Water treatment processes | 30 |
400401 | Carbon capture engineering (excl. sequestration) | 40 |
380105 | Environment and resource economics | 30 |
Professional Experience
UON Appointment
Title | Organisation / Department |
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Dean of Engineering | University of Newcastle College of Engineering, Science and Environment Australia |
Academic appointment
Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
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1/2/2016 - 17/2/2022 | Head of School | The University of Sydney School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Australia |
1/2/1990 - 31/1/2016 | Lecturer - Professor | UNSW Australia |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Chapter (2 outputs)
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2016 |
Ho MT, Wiley DE, 'Liquid absorbent-based post-combustion CO Industrial sources account for almost 30% of global CO2 emissions, and are emitted due to the combustion of fossil fuels used for process heat and steam, and from process chemistr... [more] Industrial sources account for almost 30% of global CO2 emissions, and are emitted due to the combustion of fossil fuels used for process heat and steam, and from process chemistry. To address these emissions, application of carbon capture and storage (CCS) is vital. In the near term, post-combustion capture using chemical absorption is seen as the most likely option. This chapter summarizes the state-of-the-art chemical absorption technology currently being investigated at industrial emission sources. The sources evaluated cover energy-intensive industries such as cement manufacture, iron and steel production, oil refineries, aluminum smelters, and chemical production (such as hydrogen production for refineries, ammonia, and methanol, as well as gas-to-liquid facilities).
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2005 |
Leamon G, Allinson G, Wiley DE, 'The economics of CO This chapter illustrates that greenhouse gas emission sources produce mixed gases. It analyzes the cost of separating a gas mixture from a power station flue gas stream followed b... [more] This chapter illustrates that greenhouse gas emission sources produce mixed gases. It analyzes the cost of separating a gas mixture from a power station flue gas stream followed by offshore sub-surface storage. It also examines the use of gas membrane separation as well as chemical absorption to achieve varying concentrations of CO2, in the gas mixtures sequestered. The results indicate that, using a gas membrane separation system, the lowest sequestration cost per ton of CO2 avoided occurs when a mixed gas with a CO2 content of about 60% is sequestered. Lower costs and higher tonnages of CO2 avoided can be achieved using an amine based absorption separation system. The results also confirm that at the lowest cost point, and over most of the range of cases studied, the cost of separation is significantly greater than the cost of storage. However, this would depend on the source of the CO2, the distance between the source and the injection site, and, the reservoir into which CO2 is injected. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Journal article (123 outputs)
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2023 |
Liang W, Noor MZM, Lewis W, Macmillan A, Zhang X, Tang R, et al., 'Design of an ocu-Metal-Organic Framework for a Photocatalysis Reaction', ChemPhotoChem, 7 (2023) [C1] Empowered by reticular chemistry, an ocu-metal-organic framework (MOF) catalyst has been created for the first time. The catalyst, SYD-1, was rationally designed and successfully ... [more] Empowered by reticular chemistry, an ocu-metal-organic framework (MOF) catalyst has been created for the first time. The catalyst, SYD-1, was rationally designed and successfully synthesised by assembling 8-c prismatic zirconium oxo-clusters and 6-c octahedral Ru(bpy)32+-based metalloligands into a three-dimensional structure. Catalytically active metal sites were then attached to the coordinatively unsaturated sites on the Zr oxo-clusters postsynthetically via a sequential practice of solvent-assisted ligand exchange and metalation processes, giving rise to SYD-1-CuNi. SYD-1-CuNi was thoroughly characterised via an array of X-ray diffraction, 77 K N2 sorption experiments, nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, microscopic analysis, optical absorption spectra analysis and electrochemical measurements to demonstrate the successful synthesis of the targeted SYD-1-CuNi and its potential in photocatalysis. The photocatalytic performance of SYD-1-CuNi was illustrated by driving a model reaction, namely photocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (yield of CH4 19.2 µmol g-1 h-1)/hydrogen evolution reaction (yield of H2 200.4 µmol g-1 h-1) concomitantly with oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde (286.6 µmol g-1 h-1). The present work highlights the power and potential of reticular chemistry in the at-will synthesis of MOF materials for a specific application.
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2023 |
Liang W, Wang X, Yang W, Zhao S, Wiley D, Haynes BS, et al., 'Tailoring and Identifying Brønsted Acid Sites on Metal Oxo-Clusters of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Catalytic Transformation', ACS Central Science, 9 27-35 (2023) [C1] Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with Brønsted acidity are an alternative solid acid catalyst for many important chemical and fuel processes. However, the nature of the Brønsted ac... [more] Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with Brønsted acidity are an alternative solid acid catalyst for many important chemical and fuel processes. However, the nature of the Brønsted acidity on the MOF¿s metal cluster or center is underexplored. To design and optimize the acid strength and density in these MOFs, it is important to understand the origin of their acidity at the molecular level. In the present work, isoreticular MOFs, ZrNDI and HfNDI (NDI = N,N'-bis(5-isophthalate)naphthalenediimide), were prepared as a prototypical system to unravel and compare their Brønsted and Lewis acid sites through an array of spectroscopic, computational, and catalytic characterization techniques. With the aid of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and density functional calculations, Hf6 oxo-clusters on HfNDI are quantitatively proved to possess a higher density Brønsted acid site, while ZrNDI-based MOFs display stronger and higher-population Lewis acidity. HfNDI-based MOFs exhibit a superior catalytic performance in activating dihydroxyacetone (DHA) and converting DHA to ethyl lactate, with 71.1% selectivity at 54.7% conversion after 6 h. The turnover frequency of BAS-dominated Hf-MOF in DHA conversion is over 50 times higher than that of ZSM-5, a strong BAS-based zeolite. It is worth noting that HfNDI is reported for the first time in the literature, which is an alternative platform catalyst for biorefining and green chemistry. The present study furthermore highlights the uniqueness of Hf-based MOFs in this important biomass-to-chemical transformation.
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2022 |
Fimbres Weihs GA, Jones JS, Ho M, Malik RH, Abbas A, Meka W, et al., 'Life cycle assessment of co-firing coal and wood waste for bio-energy with carbon capture and storage New South Wales study', Energy Conversion and Management, 273 (2022) [C1] Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) is an emerging energy conversion technology with the potential to deliver ¿negative emissions¿, a net removal of CO2 from the at... [more] Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) is an emerging energy conversion technology with the potential to deliver ¿negative emissions¿, a net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere that may be necessary to achieve the net-zero targets adopted in the Glasgow Climate Pact at COP26. This paper uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to investigate the environmental impacts of co-firing dry waste biomass (wood and paper waste) while implementing CCS technology (i.e., BECCS) in a conventional black coal-fired power plant. The LCA covers CO2 emissions and trace contaminants, determined via combustion modelling coupled with chemical-equilibrium-based ash-forming element and trace element calculations. As a case study, the context of New South Wales, Australia, is analysed to assesses the viability and discuss policy implications of waste co-firing BECCS as a future energy source for coal-reliant regions. An increase in co-firing ratio is found to decrease emission intensity. At current typical efficiencies, BECCS with a 10 % co-firing ratio can reduce emission intensity from 938 to 181 kgCO2/MWh. At 20 % to 25 % co-firing, the emission intensity of BECCS is comparable with other renewable technologies, and negative emissions are achievable above 30 %, although waste availability in NSW is insufficient to achieve these levels. Moreover, BECCS increases environmental impact in all categories except for global warming potential (GWP), land use, and terrestrial acidification. Nonetheless, when aggregating all impacts, the large reduction in GWP drives an endpoint score reduction, indicating that co-fired BECCS may be preferred over sub-critical black (bituminous) coal-fired power without or with CCS, or other higher emission intensity coal-fired power generation. Therefore, policy makers should consider incentivising waste co-firing BECCS as part of future energy policies towards achieving the net-zero targets, weighing its benefits against other environmental impacts, waste availability and competition with recycling initiatives.
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2022 |
Ding J, Khan HJ, Vahedi Sarrigani G, Fitzgerald P, Ebrahimi Ghadi A, Lefebvre O, et al., 'Enhancing the active site accessibility of cobalt-silica catalysts for improved Fenton-like performance', Chemical Engineering Journal, 432 (2022) [C1] The narrow pore channels of cobalt-silica (CoSi) catalyst generated by conventional sol¿gel process limited the active site accessibility. In this work, mesoporous CoSi catalysts ... [more] The narrow pore channels of cobalt-silica (CoSi) catalyst generated by conventional sol¿gel process limited the active site accessibility. In this work, mesoporous CoSi catalysts containing highly dispersed Co sites were synthesized by a facile sol¿gel derived soft-templating technique and tested for the Fenton-like oxidation of dyes and antibiotics. By controlling the concentration of triblock polymer Pluronic F127 template, the textural and chemical properties of CoSi catalysts were fine-tuned to improve the accessibility of their active sites. The CoSi catalyst achieved ~ 96% removal of acid orange 7 (AO7) within 15 min using a low catalyst loading (50 mg L-1) and H2O2 dosage (11 mM) at pH of 7¿8. Moreover, thin-film CoSi coated on Al2O3 foam, as a monolithic catalyst prepared by the washcoating method, maintained high oxidation activity (~99% removal for AO7) over 10 days, demonstrating excellent operational stability and process intensification for practical wastewater treatment applications.
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2022 |
Fimbres Weihs GA, Ho M, Kambanis J, Wiley DE, 'Scoping study of the economics of CO The main source of CO2 emissions in an integrated steel manufacturing plant comes from the need to use a carbon source, often coal, in the steel making process. Amongst the pathwa... [more] The main source of CO2 emissions in an integrated steel manufacturing plant comes from the need to use a carbon source, often coal, in the steel making process. Amongst the pathways for reducing CO2 emissions is the application of carbon capture, transport and storage (CCS) technologies. This paper presents a scoping-level economic evaluation of transport and storage location options for CO2 captured from an iron and steel plant located in Port Kembla, NSW, Australia. Pipeline (single and hub) and ship transport of CO2, and two injection locations are considered. Estimated costs are lowest for the hub transport case injecting at the Gippsland basin (~35% lower than for single source cases) and highest for the shipping case. For the single-source cases, transport via pipeline to the Darling basin is slightly more attractive in terms of unit costs. The hub transport cases were between two-thirds and half of the cost of the shipping case. Although the shipping transport option presented the highest cost of the cases considered, there is still a case to be made for ship transport if the project duration is short.
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2022 |
Sarrigani GV, Ding J, Ghadi AE, Alam D, Fitzgerald P, Wiley DE, Wang DK, 'Interfacially-confined polyetherimide tubular membranes for H2, CO2 and N2 separations', JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE, 655 (2022) [C1]
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2021 |
Wang Y, Liu Y, Wiley D, Zhao S, Tang Z, 'Recent advances in electrocatalytic chloride oxidation for chlorine gas production', JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A, 9 18974-18993 (2021) [C1]
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2021 |
Fei J, Lyu Y, Zhong X, Wiley DE, Liu Z, She Q, 'Calcium phosphate scaling in osmotically driven membrane processes: Limiting flux behavior and its implications for scaling mitigation', Journal of Membrane Science, 631 (2021) [C1] Calcium phosphate scaling, a typical inorganic scaling, has been identified as a challenging issue in the operation of osmotically driven membrane processes (ODMPs) especially in ... [more] Calcium phosphate scaling, a typical inorganic scaling, has been identified as a challenging issue in the operation of osmotically driven membrane processes (ODMPs) especially in pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) mode where membrane porous substrate faces against the impaired feed solution (FS). During scaling in PRO mode, it has been observed that flux declines to a pseudo-stable level - limiting flux, after which further flux decline is negligible. However, the underlying mechanisms of limiting flux and its potential impact on practical PRO processes is poorly understood and necessitate systematic exploration. Herein, in this study, the behavior of limiting flux was examined during calcium phosphate scaling under various solution conditions and the associated mechanisms were elaborated. Experimental results show that for a given membrane and a given water source (a fixed FS composition), an increase in the concentration of the draw solution (DS) has an insignificant impact on the final limiting flux. In contrast, an increase in the concentration of dominant scaling precursor ions (i.e., Ca2+ and PO43- in this study) in the FS significantly decreases the stabilized limiting flux. Therefore, scaling mitigation via adjusting FS pH and adding chelating agent EDTA was investigated. This was demonstrated to be effective in retarding flux decline by lowering the concentration of dominant scaling precursors, leading to an increase in the stabilized limiting flux. Physical cleaning including osmotic backwash (OBW) and surface flushing after scaling was also conducted and compared. While OBW is generally more effective than surface flushing to restore the water flux, it is less effective for scaling dominated by surface crystallization compared to that by bulk crystallization. Finally, we emphasize the significance of limiting flux for optimizing practical PRO performance and we identify other knowledge gaps that should be investigated to further improve PRO performance.
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2021 |
Ding J, Sarrigani GV, Qu J, Ebrahimi A, Zhong X, Hou W-C, et al., 'Designing Co3O4/silica catalysts and intensified ultrafiltration membrane-catalysis process for wastewater treatment', CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL, 419 (2021) [C1]
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2020 |
Liang YY, Fimbres Weihs GA, Wiley DE, 'Comparison of oscillating flow and slip velocity mass transfer enhancement in spacer-filled membrane channels: CFD analysis and validation', Journal of Membrane Science, 593 (2020) [C1] Unsteady shear methods have the potential to generate flow perturbations near the membrane surface, which play an important role in reducing concentration polarisation and fouling... [more] Unsteady shear methods have the potential to generate flow perturbations near the membrane surface, which play an important role in reducing concentration polarisation and fouling tendency. In general, there are two main approaches for generating time-varying flow perturbations: 1) generating oscillations in the bulk flow; or 2) forcing a slip velocity near the membrane surface. This paper presents a detailed comparison study of both approaches by means of two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The results show that both approaches result in significant increases in flux and maximum wall shear at the same disturbance resonant frequency and Reynolds number. This suggests that the mechanism by which the flow perturbations are generated is not as important as the perturbation frequency, in terms of increasing wall shear and permeate flux. However, it is more important to perturb flow near the membrane surface because it reduces energy consumption compared to oscillating flow approach. In addition, this paper confirms that a white noise perturbation can be used to simplify the approach for maximising vortex-shedding-induced mass transfer enhancement, without the need to identify the peak/resonant frequency for the flow in spacer-filled membrane channels at the expense of a higher pressure loss.
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2019 |
Li H, Deng Y, Liu Y, Zeng X, Wiley D, Huang J, 'Carbon quantum dots and carbon layer double protected cuprous oxide for efficient visible light CO We designed a composite of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with a carbon layer (CL) covering Cu2O nanocatalysts (CL@CQDs/Cu2O), which exhibited better photocatalytic performance than p... [more] We designed a composite of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with a carbon layer (CL) covering Cu2O nanocatalysts (CL@CQDs/Cu2O), which exhibited better photocatalytic performance than pure Cu2O and CQDs/Cu2O particles with good stability and efficiency for CO2 conversion.
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2019 |
Ho MT, Garcia-Calvo Conde E, Moioli S, Wiley DE, 'The effect of different process configurations on the performance and cost of potassium taurate solvent absorption', International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 81 1-10 (2019) [C1] The main method of capture of CO2 in industry is the use of solvents for CO2 absorption in post-combustion capture and the benchmark solvent is monoethanolamine (MEA). However, it... [more] The main method of capture of CO2 in industry is the use of solvents for CO2 absorption in post-combustion capture and the benchmark solvent is monoethanolamine (MEA). However, it presents a few disadvantages such as having a high energy requirement while also being corrosive and toxic. Potassium taurate (K-Tau) is a solvent with the potential to replace MEA because it has similar reaction rates, high cyclic loading, degradation resistant and most importantly, low energy requirement. The objective of this study was to compare and evaluate the effect of different process configurations on the reboiler duty for the precipitating potassium solvent absorption process. Utilising a baseline potassium taurate process, different process configurations were developed in Aspen Plus. These include a cold rich bypass (CRB) of the rich solvent stream to the stripper and a solid-liquid separator. The results show that the modified configurations reduce the reboiler duty of the potassium taurate process by approximately 12% through the reduction in sensible heat and vaporization duty.
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2019 |
Guandalini G, Romano MC, Ho M, Wiley D, Rubin ES, Abanades JC, 'A sequential approach for the economic evaluation of new CO This paper describes a simplified method to estimate the cost of CO2 avoided for a power plant with a novel CO2 capture system based on only a limited number of fundamental input ... [more] This paper describes a simplified method to estimate the cost of CO2 avoided for a power plant with a novel CO2 capture system based on only a limited number of fundamental input parameters used to establish basic mass and energy flows for the plant. The cost calculation method follows a sequential approach, estimating first the cost and efficiency penalty impacts of those elements of the plant that are standard and well characterized. We then define the cost gap allowed for the novel elements to break even against a benchmark plant. This method allows one to estimate: (i) the maximum cost reduction potential that a novel CO2 capture technology can achieve with respect to a benchmark technology, and (ii) target breakeven costs for technology developers in the form of combinations of CAPEX and OPEX for a novel capture technology needed to make the technology competitive with the benchmark system. Case studies are presented applying the proposed method to post-combustion and oxy-combustion capture systems, showing that: (i) a clear relationship exists between the breakeven costs and the efficiency penalty caused by the CO2 capture process, mainly because of its effect on the specific capital cost ($/kWe) of the conventional power plant components; and (ii) the minimum cost of CO2 avoided is closely related to the capture system efficiency penalty. For the case study assumptions, avoidance costs vary from ~20 $/tCO2 to ~60 $/tCO2 for efficiency penalties ranging from 2.7% pts to 11% pts, respectively.
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2019 |
Moioli S, Ho MT, Wiley DE, Pellegrini LA, 'Assessment of carbon dioxide capture by precipitating potassium taurate solvent', International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 87 159-169 (2019) [C1] One of the most mature technologies for removal of carbon dioxide from gaseous streams is chemical absorption. Among these, aqueous solutions of amino acids have been considered b... [more] One of the most mature technologies for removal of carbon dioxide from gaseous streams is chemical absorption. Among these, aqueous solutions of amino acids have been considered because of the advantages associated with their being precipitating solvents. This paper presents detailed analyses of the performance of the potassium taurate absorption system by means of a rigorous simulation in a commercial process software (ASPEN Plus®). The profiles of temperature, heat transfer, compositions, and molar flows of carbon dioxide and water have been examined. The operating line and the equilibrium curve for different lean loadings of the solvent are reported and show that the minimium reboiler duty occurs at a lean loading of 0.27. Examination of the influence of the solid-liquid separator on the reboiler duty shows that a recycle split fraction of 0.2 results in the lowest reboiler duty. Different minimum temperature approaches in the lean-rich cross heat exchanger have also been investigated.
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2019 |
Moioli S, Ho MT, Pellegrini LA, Wiley DE, 'Application of absorption by potassium taurate solutions to post-combustion CO Climate change issues have led many countries to actively participate to international conventions, with the aim of reducing the impact of human activities on the environment. In ... [more] Climate change issues have led many countries to actively participate to international conventions, with the aim of reducing the impact of human activities on the environment. In this framework the Paris Agreement has established to keep the temperature rise below 2°C above the pre-industrial level. One suitable mitigation option is to remove carbon dioxide, before it is emitted into the atmosphere. Several technologies are available, including chemical processes where acid gases are absorbed by aqueous alkanolamines solutions. Although this process is already widely used in industry, these solvents are characterized by high energy requirements, in addition to other disadvantages such as corrosion and degradation. Recently, alternative solvents are being studied as possible substitutes for traditional amine solutions. Precipitating solvents are considered in chemical absorption processes because of their characteristic of forming a solid phase, which allows the removal of one reaction product from the liquid solution, therefore shifting the equilibrium of the reaction and so enhancing the mass transfer of the CO2 from the vapor phase to the liquid phase. One class of precipitating solvents are amino acids, with several different types which can be used in aqueous solution. Previous studies have identified the most suitable types for the capture of carbon dioxide and have highlighted the additional advantages of low corrosion and high stability towards degradation, in particular for the amino acid species containing a sulfonic group, such as taurine. This work focuses on the use of potassium taurate aqueous solutions for the removal of carbon dioxide from flue gases from natural gas and coal-fired power plants. The aim is to evaluate changes in the solvent performance arising from changes in the flue gases composition and flowrates. The obtained results confirm the possible application of the potassium taurate aqueous solution for CO2 removal both in coal-fired and in NGCC power plants, with different energy requirements.
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2019 |
Moioli S, Pellegrini LA, Ho MT, Wiley DE, 'A comparison between amino acid based solvent and traditional amine solvent processes for CO2 removal', CHEMICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH & DESIGN, 146 509-517 (2019) [C1]
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2018 |
Moioli S, Ho MT, Wiley DE, Pellegrini LA, 'Thermodynamic modeling of the system of CO Absorption of carbon dioxide from gaseous sources such as flue gases from power plants is accomplished for environmental reasons with the aim to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas... [more] Absorption of carbon dioxide from gaseous sources such as flue gases from power plants is accomplished for environmental reasons with the aim to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Generally, aqueous solutions of alkanolamines are employed with Monoethanolamine (MEA) considered the benchmark solvent. However, it has drawbacks, primarily its volatility and toxicity, and the need for a lot of energy for regeneration. Recently, new solvents such as amino acid aqueous solutions have started to be considered as alternatives to traditional amines. This paper is focused on the development of a model for the simulation of the absorption and regeneration system using potassium taurate for the capture of carbon dioxide. Detailed modelling of this system is currently limited by the lack of thermodynamic parameters for use in simulations. ASPEN Plus® has been chosen as the framework for developing the model. Species not present by default in the database have been added and appropriate parameters have been determined for obtaining a reliable description of the Vapor¿Liquid¿Solid Equilibrium by means of the Electrolyte-NRTL method.
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2018 |
Lim SY, Liang YY, Fimbres Weihs GA, Wiley DE, Fletcher DF, 'A CFD study on the effect of membrane permeance on permeate flux enhancement generated by unsteady slip velocity', Journal of Membrane Science, 556 138-145 (2018) [C1] One of the most noteworthy achievements in reverse osmosis (RO) efficiency is the improvement in membrane permeance. Although current membranes offer higher permeance (and flux) t... [more] One of the most noteworthy achievements in reverse osmosis (RO) efficiency is the improvement in membrane permeance. Although current membranes offer higher permeance (and flux) than older RO membranes, increases in permeate flux are limited by concentration polarisation (CP) and fouling. Therefore, innovation is needed to reduce CP to further increase permeate flux. An unsteady forced slip velocity can disrupt the boundary layer, thus reducing CP. This paper uses Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to analyse the effect of membrane permeance on the resonant frequency for an unsteady forced slip velocity, as well as the resulting mass transfer enhancement. The results show that the resonant frequency of the unsteady forced slip velocity is not affected by the membrane permeance. Although the results show a peak in the mass transfer enhancement factor for permeance values in the range typically used for brackish water, the permeate flux can also be improved for higher membrane permeances (up to 23%) at the expense of a slightly higher pumping energy (5¿7%).
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2018 |
Raksajati A, Ho MT, Wiley DE, 'Comparison of Solvent Development Options for Capture of CO Chemical absorption is widely regarded as the most commercially ready technology for postcombustion CO2 capture from large industrial emission sources. The benchmark solvent is mo... [more] Chemical absorption is widely regarded as the most commercially ready technology for postcombustion CO2 capture from large industrial emission sources. The benchmark solvent is monoethanolamine (MEA). Alternate solvents to MEA have been developed with improved properties such as solvent loading, regeneration energy, and absorption rate. Improvements in solvent properties can be challenging because of possible adverse interactions between solvent properties. Ideally improving all solvent properties and process designs concurrently is desirable to reduce the total cost of CO2 capture. The changes in cost of CO2 capture for postcombustion CO2 capture from a black-coal power plant using absorption are investigated using Monte Carlo simulations, where key solvent parameters are varied simultaneously. Different classes of solvents are considered covering aqueous and phase-change solvents in conventional and encapsulated solvent systems. The results show that it is not necessary for new solvents to have superior values for all properties. There are combinations of solvent properties where low total capture cost can be achieved because improvements in the more significant parameters offset smaller or negative improvement in other parameters. In particular, low total capture cost can be achieved when solvents have the following properties: good stability toward SOx and NOx, a low heat of reaction, a high absorption rate, a low water vaporization rate, and a low price per unit of the solvent. The results also show that regardless of the solvent type, different solvent systems can potentially achieve almost the same lowest capture cost of approximately U.S. $37-39 per tonne of CO2 avoided.
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2018 |
Moioli S, Lodi G, Pellegrini LA, Ho MT, Wiley DE, 'Amino acid based solvent vs. traditional amine solvent: A comparison', Chemical Engineering Transactions, 69 157-162 (2018) [C1] There is an increase in the development of absorption of acid gases by chemical solvents from flue gases of power plants due to the growing attention paid to the capture and stora... [more] There is an increase in the development of absorption of acid gases by chemical solvents from flue gases of power plants due to the growing attention paid to the capture and storage of CO2. With the aim of substituting traditional amines, which at present have many disadvantages such as high energy requirement, corrosion, and toxicity, innovative solvents are being studied. In the last few years, attention has been paid to solvents which form precipitate during the absorption phase. Amino acids belong to this category and, because of their characteristics, allow a further enhancement of the chemical absorption process. Thus, it is possible to perform the removal of CO2 in an amount similar to that of traditional amines, but with lower regeneration energy and costs. In this work, an amino acid solvent of potassium taurate solution (4M potassium hydroxide - 4M taurine) has been considered. The process has been simulated with the commercial software ASPEN Plus® to perform a rigorous calculation. The software had been user customized on the basis of the available experimental data in previous work. Our previous publications reported the modelling of the process and the evaluation of its performance applied to the purification of a flue gas stream. In this work, a techno-economic comparison between the amine scrubbing process and the potassium taurate process is presented, taking into account both the operating costs, mainly affected by the energy consumption, and the capital costs.
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2017 |
Ferrara G, Lanzini A, Leone P, Ho MT, Wiley DE, 'Exergetic and exergoeconomic analysis of post-combustion CO Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has been acknowledged as a technology for CO2 emission reduction. However, developments to lower cost and energy consumption remains an important ... [more] Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has been acknowledged as a technology for CO2 emission reduction. However, developments to lower cost and energy consumption remains an important challenge. Exergetic and exergoeconomic analyses are methods which could be applied to optimize the energy consumption of CO2 capture technologies. An exergetic analysis reveals the locations and causes of inefficiency in an energy conversion process and provides options for improvements. An exergoeconomic analysis establishes the process of cost formation of different streams, including products, within energy systems based on exergy and economic cost balances. This paper aims to develop an exergy-based analysis of a post-combustion CO2 capture process using chemical absorption. A comprehensive flowsheet model has been built for an MEA-solvent chemical absorption, using ASPEN PlusTM Version 8.6 for a coal-fired power plant with a capture rate of 90%. Results have shown the highest irreversibilities to occur in the units related to the chemical capture of CO2 (77% of total losses) and in the CO2 pipeline compressor (9% of total losses). An improvement in the design of the plant reduces the unit cost of carbon capture from 35.0 US$/tonCO2 in the baseline case to of 31.8 US$/tonCO2.
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2017 |
Raksajati A, Ho MT, Wiley DE, 'Techno-economic Evaluation of CO Encapsulated solvents are a solvent system for CO2 capture, where the operating solvent fluid is enclosed in a thin membrane capsule with a diameter of 100-600 µm. The encapsulati... [more] Encapsulated solvents are a solvent system for CO2 capture, where the operating solvent fluid is enclosed in a thin membrane capsule with a diameter of 100-600 µm. The encapsulation provides a significantly higher surface area compared to conventional packings, which potentially reduces the absorber dimensions. In this paper, a high-level assessment of costs for postcombustion CO2 capture using encapsulated solvent systems is carried out to identify key areas for future development. Two process configurations for an encapsulated solvent system are assessed. In the first process configuration, multiple fixed-bed columns are used as the absorber and regenerator. In the second process configuration, a circulating fluidized-bed absorber and a bubbling fluidized-bed regenerator are used. For each system, possible cost reductions through improvements in the capsule properties are investigated. Key design and operational challenges for these systems are also evaluated. The capture costs for using an encapsulated MEA 30% wt. solvent system are found to be 60% to 2 times higher than a conventional MEA solvent system. Higher capture cost is due to the extra membrane resistance in the encapsulated system which increases the regeneration energy required, coupled with higher equipment and capital cost. To reduce cost, future developments for an encapsulated solvent system should consider implementing a suitable heat recovery scheme within the process, using novel absorber and/or regenerator column designs and using solvents encased in very thin capsules. The performance of the encapsulated system could also be improved by using solvents other than MEA with more favorable properties.
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2017 |
Turi DM, Ho M, Ferrari MC, Chiesa P, Wiley DE, Romano MC, 'CO This paper performs a techno-economic analysis of natural gas-fired combined cycle (NGCC) power plants integrated with CO2 selective membranes for post-combustion CO2 capture. The... [more] This paper performs a techno-economic analysis of natural gas-fired combined cycle (NGCC) power plants integrated with CO2 selective membranes for post-combustion CO2 capture. The configuration assessed is based on a two-membrane system: a CO2 capture membrane that separates the CO2 for final sequestration and a CO2 recycle membrane that selectively recycles CO2 to the gas turbine compressor inlet in order to increase the CO2 concentration in the gas turbine flue gas. Three different membrane technologies with different permeability and selectivity have been investigated. The mass and energy balances are calculated by integrating a power plant model, a membrane model and a CO2 purification unit model. An economic model is then used to estimate the cost of electricity and of CO2 avoided. A sensitivity analysis on the main process parameters and economic assumptions is also performed. It was found that a combination of a high permeability membrane with moderate selectivity as a recycle membrane and a very high selectivity membrane with high permeability used for the capture membrane resulted in the lowest CO2 avoided cost of 75¿US$/tCO2. This plant features a feed pressure of 1.5¿bar and a permeate pressure of 0.2¿bar for the capture membrane. This result suggests that membrane systems can be competitive for CO2 capture from NGCC power plants when compared with MEA absorption. However, to achieve significant advantages with respect to benchmark MEA capture, better membrane permeability and lower costs are needed with respect to the state of the art technology. In addition, due to the selective recycle, the gas turbine operates with a working fluid highly enriched with CO2. This requires redesigning gas turbine components, which may represent a major challenge for commercial deployment.
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2017 |
Qader A, Webley PA, Stevens GW, Hooper B, Harkin T, Wiley DE, et al., 'Learnings from CO2CRC Capture Pilot Plant Testing - Assessing Technology Development', Energy Procedia, 114 5855-5868 (2017) [C1] There have been many field carbon capture test facilities operated around the world over the last decade or so with a view to technology development and demonstrating and reducing... [more] There have been many field carbon capture test facilities operated around the world over the last decade or so with a view to technology development and demonstrating and reducing capture cost to make CCS cost effective. A wide range of conventional and emerging technologies are undergoing tests by CO2CRC Limited (CO2CRC), using real feed gas from a variety of processes. Although learning by doing is the main motive for most of these tests, some went through systematic programs to step up the TRL ladder towards commercial readiness. This paper reports the results of each test facility to show the extent of learnings.
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2017 |
Raksajati A, Ho MT, Wiley DE, 'Comparison of Design Options for Encapsulated Solvent Processes for CO2 capture', 13TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GREENHOUSE GAS CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES, GHGT-13, 114 764-770 (2017) [C1]
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2017 |
Ferrarra G, Ho MT, Lanzini A, Leone P, Wiley DE, 'Exergetic and Exergoeconomic Analysis of Three Different Technologies for Post-combustion CO2 Capture', 13TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GREENHOUSE GAS CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES, GHGT-13, 114 6455-6464 (2017) [C1]
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2017 |
Moioli S, Ho MT, Wiley DE, 'Simulation of CO2 removal by potassium taurate solution', Chemical Engineering Transactions, 57 1213-1218 (2017) [C1] The removal of carbon dioxide from gaseous sources such as flue gases from power plants traditionally uses aqueous solutions of alkanolamines; with monoethanolamine (MEA) consider... [more] The removal of carbon dioxide from gaseous sources such as flue gases from power plants traditionally uses aqueous solutions of alkanolamines; with monoethanolamine (MEA) considered the benchmark solvent. However, in order to overcome some of the main disadvantages associated with MEA, such as high volatility and toxicity, and high thermal requirements for regeneration; in recent years alternative solvents have started to be studied for CO2 removal. Taurine is an amino acid which can be dissolved in aqueous solution with potassium hydroxide and can be used for absorption of carbon dioxide. Compared to MEA, this solvent is considered to be more environmentally friendly because of its lower toxicity, higher biodegradability, negligible volatility and good stability towards degradation. Reactions with carbon dioxide are less exothermic than with MEA, therefore a lower amount of heat is required to reverse them in the regeneration column. Moreover, during absorption the zwitterionic form of the amino acid may precipitate, thus increasing the absorption capacity of the salt solution at equilibrium. This work describes the development of a simulation of the potassium taurate solvent system for carbon dioxide removal using ASPEN Plus®. New ionic species due to the dissolution of solid taurine in water and KOH and due to the reactions of the components in the liquid solution with carbon dioxide have been introduced into the simulation. Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium in the presence of precipitating salt has been described by means of the Electrolyte-NRTL method, for which appropriate parameters have been determined and a rate-based simulation of the columns involved in the process (absorption and regeneration) has been performed. The model has been validated by comparison with data of vapor-liquid-(solid) equilibrium from the literature and can be used for further assessment of this process in the future.
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2017 |
Neal PR, Ho MT, Weihs GAF, Wiley DE, 'From Building Blocks to Case Studies: Estimating the Costs of Transport and Storage for East Coast Australia', 13TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GREENHOUSE GAS CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES, GHGT-13, 114 6411-6417 (2017) [C1]
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2016 |
Liang YY, Fimbres Weihs G, Setiawan R, Wiley D, 'CFD modelling of unsteady electro-osmotic permeate flux enhancement in membrane systems', Chemical Engineering Science, 146 189-198 (2016) [C1] Electro-osmotic flow (EOF) perturbations induced near the membrane surface are a promising approach to increase wall shear, which in turn has the potential to slow the onset of fo... [more] Electro-osmotic flow (EOF) perturbations induced near the membrane surface are a promising approach to increase wall shear, which in turn has the potential to slow the onset of fouling for nanofiltration and reverse osmosis processes. As such, it is important to understand the mechanisms that increase wall shear and mass transfer resulting from time-varying EOF perturbations. In this paper, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model is used to simulate spatially-uniform unsteady EOF with permeation inside a 2D unobstructed empty membrane channel. Time-averaged permeate flux is used to measure productivity and maximum shear rate is used as a proxy measure for fouling reduction/prevention. The dependencies of solute concentration amplitude and maximum wall stress on slip velocity amplitude are shown to be linear, both in terms of homogeneity and additivity. This implies that time-averaged hydrodynamics and mass transfer do not vary significantly regardless of changes in the frequency and amplitude of the slip velocity, because the effect is cancelled within the time oscillation period. Nevertheless, there are still advantages for this type of perturbation, as larger slip velocity frequency and amplitude increase the maximum wall stress with a negligible change in time-averaged pressure drop, which may have advantages for limiting concentration polarisation and fouling.
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2016 |
Ratnayake P, Setiawan R, Bao J, Fimbres-Weihs G, Wiley DE, 'Spatio-temporal frequency response analysis of forced slip velocity effect on solute concentration oscillations in a reverse osmosis membrane channel', Computers and Chemical Engineering, 84 151-161 (2016) [C1] A spatio-temporal frequency response analysis is developed based on the multi-dimensional Fourier transform, which decomposes spatio-temporal input and output signals into travell... [more] A spatio-temporal frequency response analysis is developed based on the multi-dimensional Fourier transform, which decomposes spatio-temporal input and output signals into travelling waves of different spatial wavenumbers and temporal frequencies. A spatio-temporal pulse test is also developed to allow for simultaneous input of multiple wavenumber-frequency combinations. This analysis is applied to a membrane channel, where the input is an effective streamwise fluid velocity at the wall that varies along the membrane length and in time. The combined effect of the temporal frequencies and spatial wavenumbers of the slip velocity on the resulting solute concentration oscillations, which have the potential for reducing the susceptibility of the membrane to fouling, is analysed at Reynolds numbers of 280 and 560, and Schmidt numbers of 600 and 1200. Frequencies up to 800Hz and wavenumbers up to 500m-1 are studied. It is found that for each wavenumber there is a corresponding temporal frequency that results in a maximum amplitude ratio. Developing a spatio-temporal frequency response profile for such a system helps the design of control input profiles that decrease fouling in membrane systems.
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2016 |
Liang YY, Fimbres Weihs GA, Wiley DE, 'CFD modelling of electro-osmotic permeate flux enhancement in spacer-filled membrane channels', Journal of Membrane Science, 507 107-118 (2016) [C1] Electro-osmosis has the potential to reduce concentration polarisation (CP) because it induces the movement of fluid in the vicinity of membrane, thus improving mixing within the ... [more] Electro-osmosis has the potential to reduce concentration polarisation (CP) because it induces the movement of fluid in the vicinity of membrane, thus improving mixing within the boundary layer and enhancing mass transfer. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is used to simulate steady and unsteady electro-osmotic flow (EOF) in 2D spacer-filled channels, using the Helmholtz-Schmoluchowski slip velocity approximation. The results show that mass transfer enhancement due to EOF is larger in spacer-filled channel than in empty channels. For the steady EOF, the simulation results show that uniform slip velocity reduces the development of stagnant and high concentration regions near spacer filaments when the slip velocity direction is away from the spacer. For unsteady EOF in spacer-filled channels, the simulation results show that an oscillating slip velocity has the potential to induce vortex shedding. This occurs when a resonant slip velocity frequency is used for Reynolds numbers near the transition from steady to unsteady flow. EOF induced vortex shedding due to the resonant slip velocity results in significant increase in maximum wall shear stress along the membrane, therefore potentially delaying the onset of fouling. The data also shows that at the same permeate flux, EOF at the resonant slip velocity frequency results in a significantly lower Power number (a proxy for pumping energy) than the case without EOF.
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2016 |
Raksajati A, Ho MT, Wiley DE, 'Understanding the Impact of Process Design on the Cost of CO There has been increasing interest in the development of solvents for CO2 capture including solvents that involve precipitation during CO2 absorption. On the basis of Le Chatelier... [more] There has been increasing interest in the development of solvents for CO2 capture including solvents that involve precipitation during CO2 absorption. On the basis of Le Chatelier's principle, the CO2 absorption equilibrium can be shifted by removing one of the reaction products, resulting in a higher absorption capacity. Two phase-change solvents are investigated: promoted potassium carbonate (where the CO2 is incorporated in the solid phase) and potassium taurate (where the CO2 is incorporated in the liquid phase). A high-level assessment is performed with the two phase-change solvents in order to identify key areas in solvent system design for possible cost reduction. The impacts of absorption contactor type, the addition of a solid-liquid separator, and heat integration opportunities on capture cost and total heat duty are investigated. For both phase-change solvents, the lowest capture cost is found when the CO2 absorption is operated in a packed column and advanced heat exchanger integration is used in which the dissolution heat exchanger duty is supplied without consuming low pressure (LP) steam for the power plant. For the cases investigated, there is little difference in capture cost between the two phase-change solvents.
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2016 |
Ho MT, Wiley DE, 'Flexible strategies to facilitate carbon capture deployment at pulverised coal power plants', International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 48 290-299 (2016) [C1] This paper assesses operational strategies for deploying flexible CO2 capture at three generic black coal fired power plants with distinct dispatch profiles. Flexible operating mo... [more] This paper assesses operational strategies for deploying flexible CO2 capture at three generic black coal fired power plants with distinct dispatch profiles. Flexible operating modes involving constant partial CO2 capture, part-time capture, and variable capture are examined in conjunction with seasonal effects of summer and winter. The three generic dispatch profiles are selected to represent typical black coal base load power plants in Australia and black coal power plants in Germany and perhaps future UK base load power plants in 2011. The results show that for a generic 700 MW subcritical power plant, operating under variable capture mode results in the highest amount of CO2 captured and avoided and thus the lowest cost. The estimated cost of CO2 avoided ranges from about $70 to $150 per tonne of CO2 avoided using variable capture, increasing to $186 to $226 per tonne of CO2 avoided for constant partial capture. The flexible capture modes investigated can reduce the overall CO2 emissions of a power plant by up to 50%.
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2016 |
Khorshidi Z, Florin NH, Ho MT, Wiley DE, 'Techno-economic evaluation of co-firing biomass gas with natural gas in existing NGCC plants with and without CO Natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants have emission intensities a half to a third that of current coal-fired power plants. To meet more stringent emission targets, it is ... [more] Natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants have emission intensities a half to a third that of current coal-fired power plants. To meet more stringent emission targets, it is essential to reduce the emissions of these plants to an even lower level. Co-firing gasified biomass with natural gas (NG) reduces the plant emissions while allowing continued use of existing assets. If CO2 capture and storage are also applied, negative emissions may result which could provide additional CO2 credits to reduce the overall cost of decarbonising electricity generation. This paper investigates the impact of biomass gas quantity and quality on the performance and economics of a 547 MWe NGCC plant retrofitted with biomass gas co-firing. The analysis considers co-firing with and without CO2 capture. Three co-firing levels (5%, 20%, 40%) and three biomass gasification technologies (atmospheric air-blown gasification, pressurized oxygen-blown gasification and atmospheric indirectly heated gasification) are evaluated. Compared to the baseline NGCC power plant, at low co-firing levels, the type of gasification technology does not significantly affect the overall thermal efficiency, CO2 emission intensity or cost of electricity (COE). However, at higher levels of co-firing, the overall thermal efficiency increases by up to 2.5% LHV for the atmospheric air-blown gasifier but decreases by about 0.4% LHV for the pressurized oxygen-blown gasification and 2.5% for atmospheric indirectly heated gasification technologies. The CO2 emission intensity also changes by up to 0.16-0.18 t/MWh at co-firing levels of 40% for all three gasification technologies, while the COE increases by 0.12-0.18 $/MWh. The analysis also shows that the increase in the fuel flow rate is more significant for BGs with lower heating values. The increase in the fuel flow rate can increase the topping cycle efficiency but requires more modifications to the gas turbine. Thus, co-firing BGs with lower heating value might be less suited to retrofit scenarios. By applying capture to co-firing plants, negative emissions are achieved at medium and high co-firing levels with 7-18% increase in the cost of electricity relative to NGCC with capture. An evaluation of the effect of incentive schemes shows that relatively modest incentives (carbon price > 27 $/t CO2 and REC > 10 $/MWh or combination of both at lower levels) are required to make co-firing cost competitive, while higher incentives are required for co-firing coupled with capture (carbon price > 46 $/t CO2 and REC > 78 $/MWh or combination of both at lower levels). As the co-firing level increases, lower incentives are needed to achieve economic feasibility.
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2016 |
Wang Z, Fimbres Weihs GA, Neal PR, Wiley DE, 'Effects of pipeline distance, injectivity and capacity on CO Optimising CO2 transport and injection is a challenging issue in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), not only because of the complexity of the problem, but also because of timing ef... [more] Optimising CO2 transport and injection is a challenging issue in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), not only because of the complexity of the problem, but also because of timing effects when introducing new sources and/or sinks into the CO2 transport infrastructure. In particular, the effects of storage capacity, injection site location and reservoir properties can propagate to capture and transport costs, affecting the design of the CO2 pipelines. For example, if an injection site does not have enough capacity to store the total amount of CO2 from a capture project, decision makers would need to consider whether to use a larger capacity site, or use the site with small capacity and later switch to a larger capacity site or use both sites.This paper considers the effects of storage capacity, injectivity and distance to source of two sinks on optimal CO2 transport infrastructure design and a static supply of CO2. Optimal pipeline configurations and sink selection were determined under different combinations of CO2 flow rate, pipeline length and storage site properties. In one scenario, two sinks both have infinite capacity but different injectivities and distances to the emission source. In the other scenario, one sink is relatively small but has a better injectivity or proximity to the emission source.A decision tree approach was developed to provide a quick method for high-level sink selection and pipeline routing for the two scenarios based on the key project parameters including sink capacity, injectivities, pipeline distances and well cost. The scenarios where the decision trees may be useful for simplifying the design of large-scale CO2 pipeline networks have also been analysed.
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2016 |
Scholes CA, Ho MT, Wiley DE, 'Membrane-Cryogenic Post-Combustion Carbon Capture of Flue Gases from NGCC', Technologies, 4 (2016) Membrane gas separation for carbon capture has traditionally been focused on high pressure applications, such as pre-combustion capture and natural gas sweetening. Recently a memb... [more] Membrane gas separation for carbon capture has traditionally been focused on high pressure applications, such as pre-combustion capture and natural gas sweetening. Recently a membrane-cryogenic combined process has been shown to be cost competitive for post-combustion capture from coal fired power stations. Here, the membrane-cryogenic combined process is investigated for application to post-combustion carbon capture from the flue gas of a Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC) process. This process involves a three-membrane process, where the combustion air is used as the sweep gas on the second membrane stage to recycle CO2 through the turbine. This ensures high CO2 recovery and also increases the CO2 partial pressure in the flue gas. The three-CO2-selective membrane process with liquefaction and O2-enrichment was found to have a cost of capture higher than the corresponding process for coal post-combustion capture. This was attributed to the large size and energy duty of the gas handling equipment, especially the feed blower, because of the high gas throughput in the system caused by significant CO2 recycling. In addition, the economics were uncompetitive compared to a modelled solvent absorption processes for NGCC.
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Show 120 more journal articles |
Conference (20 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
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2021 |
Jones JS, Fimbres Weihs GA, Ho M, Fennell PS, Meka W, Wiley DE, 'Delivering negative emissions with BECCS - A Life Cycle Assessment of coal-waste co-firing with CO Coal-fired power plants are a major source of the anthropogenic CO2 emissions that drive climate change and associated environmental impacts. Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and St... [more] Coal-fired power plants are a major source of the anthropogenic CO2 emissions that drive climate change and associated environmental impacts. Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) has been identified as a renewable technology with the potential to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, as it refers to power generation through combusting biomass and capturing CO2 in the flue-gas using carbon capture storage (CCS). Wood and paper wastes have gained popularity as biofuels, due in part to their potential benefits as they do not directly compete with other industries for agricultural land and can significantly reduce the quantity of waste diverted to landfills. This study assesses the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction capability of retrofitting biomass co-firing and CCS technologies to an existing coal-fired power plant, using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. The biomass considered in this study is wood-based waste, including paper, cardboard, palletised wood, chipboard, and furniture. The LCA utilises a ¿cradle-to-grave¿ approach, incorporating emissions associated with coal mining, procurement, treatment, combustion, and ash disposal. The system boundary excludes upstream emissions from the manufacture of the waste products, as these were considered ¿avoided products¿. Thus, avoided landfill emissions from the disposal of wood-wastes were included as negative emissions. The life cycle GHG emissions of six different scenarios are considered (co-firing ratios of 0%, 5%, and 10%, each with and without CCS). Power-plant characteristics, waste transportation and pipeline transportation distances were based on existing coal-fired power plants at Mt. Piper, Bayswater, and Eraring, in NSW, Australia. Without CCS, co-firing waste at 5% and 10% without CCS only slightly reduced overall emissions (around 1% and 2% respectively) relative to the current coal-fired power arrangement (no co-firing without CCS). On the other hand, implementing BECCS with 10% co-firing can reduce life cycle CO2emissions by around 80%, and negative life-cycle CO2 emissions are achievable at co-firing ratios above 30%. The life cycle GHG emissions are most sensitive to the energy penalty imposed by CCS on the power plant. At co-firing ratios of 15%, life-cycle CO2 emissions of BECCS are comparable to those of solar PV energy generation. Moreover, at co-firing ratios around 25%, BECCS life-cycle CO2 emissions are competitive with those of nuclear, wind and hydroelectric generation. This highlights how CCS has the ability to make biomass co-firing compare favourably with other renewable or low-emissions alternatives. Although those technologies possess a lower emission intensity than BECCS at co-firing ratios below 15%, if improvements in boiler efficiency and resource recovery continue then this will allow operation at higher co-firing ratios, lowering emissions intensity further. To determine if BECCS should form part of future plans to meet emissions reduction targets, further research into additional sources of suitable waste biomass is recommended.
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2021 |
Moioli S, Pellegrini LA, Weihs GF, Wiley DE, 'Flexible operation of the potassium taurate solvent absorption section for CO To reduce global warming effects due to the increase of the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, CO2 can be removed from large emitting industrial sources as power prod... [more] To reduce global warming effects due to the increase of the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, CO2 can be removed from large emitting industrial sources as power production stations with several available technologies. Among these, the most common one is chemical absorption with aqueous amines. The benchmark solvent is MonoEthanolAmine (MEA), though presenting a few disadvantages such as being corrosive and toxic and requiring large amounts of energy for its regeneration. An aqueous solution of potassium taurate has the potential to replace MEA because of degradation resistance, low toxicity and low energy requirements. In addition, at specific conditions, it can enhance the chemical absorption of carbon dioxide by precipitating and forming a slurry with presence of solid taurine. The considered process scheme is similar to the one for the MEA system (basically composed of absorption column and stripping or distillation column), with the addition of a heat exchanger for the dissolution of any solid particle present in the system before being fed to the regeneration section. When applied to a power plant, CO2 removal decreases the revenues from the sale of electricity. Indeed, the requirement of thermal energy for running the reboiler of the regeneration section and of electrical energy for compressing the separated CO2 are some of the main drawbacks of the application of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and may result in a significant decrease in the power output and profit. Operating the CO2 removal section in flexible mode significantly reduces effects on the profit and CO2 emissions. The research reported here focuses on determining the best operating conditions for the potassium taurate solvent absorption section with the aim of limiting the impact of the CO2 capture operation and maintaining a substantial reduction of CO2 emissions in a coal-fired power plant. The process of post-combustion scrubbing is well-suited for operation in flexible mode because it is located downstream of the power production system. For simulating the process, a tool previously developed and based on the commercial software ASPEN Plus® has been employed. The process simulator had been user customized for the representation of the chemical reacting system of carbon dioxide with potassium taurate, which is not present by default in the database. The Vapor-Liquid-Solid Equilibrium (VLSE) is considered in the thermodynamic model and rate-based simulations, also taking into account the kinetics, have been performed. An in-house tool, taking as input the data for electricity demand and price and the result of simulations in ASPEN Plus®, has been then used for analyzing the flexible operation of the plant. The study of a flexible solution for carbon dioxide removal has been carried out in this work, considering the amount of electricity sold during the day for which data are available from the Italian national service institution. |
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2021 |
Azhar M, Weihs GAF, Wiley DE, 'Statistical analysis of flow rate for the design optimisation of a proposed CO Coal power plants produce about 38% of the electricity around the world and are a major source of CO2. The CO2 emitted by these plants has to be captured and transported to a stor... [more] Coal power plants produce about 38% of the electricity around the world and are a major source of CO2. The CO2 emitted by these plants has to be captured and transported to a storage site as part of the CO2 mitigation strategy defined by Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). The most economical method for long-term onshore CO2 transport is by pipeline, and it is recognised that the CO2 flow rate assumed for pipeline design has an impact on transport costs. Therefore, it is important to investigate the impact of the variability of flow rate in a CO2 pipeline network on its design and economics. CO2 flow rate is a strong function of power plant load. The latter is affected by seasonal and diurnal changes, rarer events such as a global recession, variations in coal prices and climate change, which can impact the demand. Besides plant load, the instantaneous CO2 flow rate is also a function of capture rate and emission intensity. The combination of all these factors makes power plant load behaviour complex and random, making it a candidate for stochastic treatment. Several studies have been conducted for CO2 pipeline optimisation but none of these investigate the randomness in behaviour of CO2 flow rate. Therefore, this paper presents a stochastic analysis of the flow rates used for the optimisation of the design of a proposed CO2 pipeline network. The CO2 sources considered for this analysis are the black coal-fired power plants located in NSW, Australia. These plants use bituminous coal as fuel, which has a high HHV/LHV, i.e. the amount of heat released by unit mass or volume of fuel (initially at 25 °C) once it is combusted and the products have returned to a temperature of 25 °C. Therefore, these power plants are good candidates for CCS, having high mitigation potential. The analysis in this work is applicable to the expected range of CO2 flow rates around the world, as the CO2 sources have a rated capacity ranging from 1,320 MW to 3,000 MW, equivalent to CO2 flow rates of 1 to 20 Mtpa. The load data is investigated for a period of two consecutive years, spaced over 5-minute intervals, to observe the trends in the flow behaviour such as seasonality and diurnal patterns. For real cases, the CO2 flow is expected to change with time as the power plant load varies, which necessitates a dynamic flow analysis. However, if the variation in load is gradual, the dynamic state can also be treated as quasi-steady. Therefore, this analysis is conducted assuming quasi-steady state conditions. The approach used involves fitting multi-modal probability models to the distribution of flow rate of CO2 captured from the power plant. Three distributions types are evaluated; Normal, Logistic-normal and Gamma, which are used to model the cumulative probability distribution of the flow in terms of time. The load data are compared using goodness of fit measures to observe their conformance with analytical probability distribution behaviour. The probability distribution with the best goodness of fit to the actual plant data is then chosen for predicting the percentage of time the flow rate takes a specific range of values, and this information is used in the design of the CO2 pipeline network. The probability distribution of flow rates is then used to determine the probability distribution of the operating costs of the pipeline network. Depending on the flow rate chosen for pipeline design, the pipeline may be over or under designed over a given time period and this impacts the annual operating costs. For example, if the average flow rate is chosen as the design flow rate, then the pipeline will be under designed for the times when flow rate is higher, and vice versa. During the time when operating flow rate exceeds the design flow rate, the operating costs will be higher than estimated. However, there is a tradeoff between the operating costs and the time for which the pipeline is under-utilized (over-designed) or under-designed. This analysis helps t... |
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2021 |
Fimbres Weihs GA, Ho M, Wiley DE, 'Scoping study of the economics of CO The main source of CO2 emissions in an integrated steel manufacturing plant comes from the need to use a carbon source, often coal, in the steel making process. Among the pathways... [more] The main source of CO2 emissions in an integrated steel manufacturing plant comes from the need to use a carbon source, often coal, in the steel making process. Among the pathways for reducing CO2 emissions is the application of carbon capture, transport and storage (CCS) technologies. This study undertakes a scoping-level evaluation of the economic viability of transport and storage location options for CO2 captured from an iron and steel plant located in Port Kembla, NSW, situated on the eastern coast of Australia. Both pipeline and ship transport of CO2 are considered, as well as two injection locations: the Darling Basin in NSW and the Gippsland Basin in the state of Victoria, Australia. The cost of CO2 transport and storage are estimated for four specific transport and storage options in south-east Australia, including the cost of pipelines/shipping, boosters, wells, other facilities, monitoring, energy and on-costs. The cases consider either a single CO2 source (emissions from Port Kembla) to a single pipeline or shipping port, or the contribution by the CO2 source from Port Kembla to a collection of CO2 sources including other CO2 sources in NSW, into a pipeline network. The sensitivity of the results to several economic and design parameters, such as flow rate, and project lifetime, is also assessed. Scoping level cost estimates for transport and storage of the CO2 are lowest for the hub transport case injecting at the Gippsland basin and highest for the case involving shipping with injection in the Gippsland basin. For the single-source cases, transport via pipeline to the Darling basin is a slightly more attractive option in terms of unit costs. Although pipeline transport to both the Darling and Gippsland basins are very close in terms of transport and storage costs (less than 0.2% difference), the cost of transporting to the Darling basin is less sensitive to variations of the cost parameters explored in this study. The lowest transport and storage costs found in this study were for the pipeline hub transport cases, more than 35% lower on average than for the single source cases. Regardless of the sensitivity scenario, the hub transport cases were between two-thirds and half of the cost of the shipping case. This highlights the importance of economies of scale in CO2 transport, achieved by employing larger diameter pipelines. This leads to decreases in both the unit capital costs by allowing larger capacities of transport, as well as in operating expenses by decreasing pressure losses along the pipelines, thus requiring less energy for compression. Although the shipping transport option presented the highest cost of the cases considered, there is still a case to be made for ship transport if the project duration is short. As ship transport is less CAPEX intensive (35% of total cost), this mode of transport becomes competitive with pipeline transport if the project duration is decreased, or if the discount rate is increased. Further, shipping also becomes more competitive for longer transport distances. For example, if the hub transport options would take several years to implement, a case could be made for utilising ship transport for a few years while the hub pipeline is constructed, and then transporting via the hub once it is available. |
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2020 |
Moioli S, Ho MT, Pellegrini LA, Wiley DE, 'Parameters Influencing the Rate-based Simulation of CO2 Removal units by Potassium Taurate Solvent', Milano, Italy (2020) [E1]
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2018 |
Raksajati A, Ho M, Wiley D, 'Solvent Development for Post-Combustion CO
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2018 |
Guandalini G, Romano MC, Ho M, Wiley D, Abanades C, 'A novel approach for the economic evaluation of new CO This paper presents a novel approach for assessing the economic performance of novel CO2 capture technologies for power plants. The method consists in three main steps: (i) defini... [more] This paper presents a novel approach for assessing the economic performance of novel CO2 capture technologies for power plants. The method consists in three main steps: (i) definition of the carbon and energy balances with a simplified approach using few fundamental data on the novel capture technique, (ii) calculation of the CAPEX and OPEX of the conventional unit operations of the power plant integrating the novel technology and (iii) calculation of the minimum theoretical cost of CO2 avoided (CCA) and of the breakeven CAPEX and OPEX of the novel capture technology making it competitive with the benchmark capture technology. The proposed methodology has been applied to selected technologies showing that: (i) a clear relationship exists between the breakeven cost and the efficiency penalty which mainly affects the specific cost (in $/kWe) of the conventional components of the power plant; (ii) ideal minimum CCA is closely related to the efficiency penalty and range between ~20 $/tCO2 for efficiency penalties of 2.7% pts. and ~60 $/tCO2 for efficiency penalties of 11% pts. Significant reductions in the ideal minimum CCA may only be obtained through technologies allowing consistent economic savings by the removal of major components of the conventional power plant. |
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2018 |
Hu H, Xu R, Ho MT, Wiley DE, Jiang P, 'Investigation of Dynamic Phase Changes in High-pressure Pipelines during Flexible CO High-pressure CO2 pipeline transport is an important component in the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) system. With changes in market demand caused particularly by the growing uti... [more] High-pressure CO2 pipeline transport is an important component in the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) system. With changes in market demand caused particularly by the growing utilization of renewable energy, variations in and intermittency of CO2 supply from capture plants at large scale fossil fuel power plants are inevitable. During power plant load variations, the fluctuations in the CO2 flow rate may subsequently cause pressure and temperature instabilities, and two-phase flow may occur when the pressure and temperature drop. This will require significant improvement in the operational flexibility during CO2 transport in order to maintain proper control of the CO2 flowing in the pipeline. Load variation is a complex problem because the transition between one- and two-phase flow is a dynamic process, and the effect of flow rate, pressure and temperature fluctuations on the phase transition is not clear. Based on these considerations, this paper presents results from a small-scale experiment and large-scale simulations on dynamic phase changes in pipelines during flexible CO2 transport under high-pressure. The results show potential phase change can occur inside the pipe and put potential threat to pipeline operation, thus the simulation can be a promising tool to optimize the operating conditions and make the pipeline system more flexible. |
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2018 | Ho MT, Terenzi A, Leone P, Wiley DE, 'The effect of heat transfer on the costs of transport networks for Australia', GHGT 2018 - 14th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (2018) | |||||||
Show 17 more conferences |
Grants and Funding
Summary
Number of grants | 2 |
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Total funding | $246,950 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20222 grants / $246,950
Decision Support Tools for Life Cycle Management of Water Infrastructure Assets $156,950
Funding body: SmartCrete CRC
Funding body | SmartCrete CRC |
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Project Team | Professor Dianne Wiley, Associate Professor Marjorie Valix |
Scheme | Project Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2022 |
Funding Finish | 2025 |
GNo | G2200967 |
Type Of Funding | CRC - Cooperative Research Centre |
Category | 4CRC |
UON | Y |
Sustainable and Fit for Purpose Concrete Materials for Construction of Assets$90,000
Funding body: SmartCrete CRC
Funding body | SmartCrete CRC |
---|---|
Project Team | Professor Dianne Wiley, Associate Professor Marjorie Valix |
Scheme | Project Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2022 |
Funding Finish | 2025 |
GNo | G2200956 |
Type Of Funding | CRC - Cooperative Research Centre |
Category | 4CRC |
UON | Y |
Professor Dianne Wiley
Position
Dean of Engineering
School of Engineering
School of Engineering
College of Engineering, Science and Environment
Contact Details
dianne.wiley@newcastle.edu.au | |
Phone | (02) 4921 6202 |
Office
Room | EA-G03a |
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Building | Engineering A |
Location | Callaghan University Drive Callaghan, NSW 2308 Australia |