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Steele, Philip H.

Publications and source records attributed to Steele, Philip H..

7 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Composition and methods for improved fuel production

Certain embodiments of the present invention are configured to produce boiler and transportation fuels. A first phase of the method may include oxidation and/or hyper-acidification of bio-oil to produce an intermediate product. A second phase of the method may include catalytic deoxygenation, esterification, or olefination/esterification of the intermediate product under pressurized syngas. The composition of the resulting product--e.g., a boiler fuel--produced by these methods may be used directly or further upgraded to a transportation fuel. Certain embodiments of the present invention also include catalytic compositions configured for use in the method embodiments.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Comparison of reduced and sulfided C o M o/γ‐ A l 2 O 3 catalyst on hydroprocessing of pretreated bio‐oil in a continuous packed‐bed reactor

Pretreated bio‐oil was hydroprocessed with conventional sulfided CoMo/γ‐Al 2 O 3 catalyst in a continuous packed‐bed reactor. Hydroprocessing experiments were performed at a temperature of 350 to 400°C, 1500 psig hydrogen pressure, using a hydrogen flow rate of 500 mL/min at a liquid hourly space velocity of 0.2 h −1 . The results from sulfided catalytic experiments were compared with our prior studies on hydroprocessing pretreated bio‐oil with reduced CoMo/γ‐Al 2 O 3 catalyst. sulfided CoMo/γ‐Al 2 O 3 catalyst demonstrated higher catalytic activity and resulted in increased hydrocarbon fraction yields. Moreover, the quality of the hydrocarbon fraction, as determined by the acid value, higher heating value, and water content analysis, also improved. Sulfided CoMo/γ‐Al 2 O 3 catalyst produced a hydrocarbon fraction having a higher heating value of 44.4 MJ/kg, acid value of 0.5 mg KOH/g oil, and a total water content of 0.1%. Use of sulfided catalyst for hydroprocessing pretreated bio‐oil decreased the oxygen content from 47.8 wt % in the pretreated bio‐oil to nondetectable limits (∼0 wt %) in the hydrocarbon fraction. The hydrocarbon fraction was also analyzed by detailed hydrocarbon analysis and simulated distillation. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 34: 1174–1179, 2015

Parapati, Divya R.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Addition of gaseous olefin to produce boiler fuel and stability studies

As a renewable liquid fuel, bio‐oil produced from fast pyrolysis of biomass is receiving increasing attention. However, bio‐oil has some negative properties, such as polymerization over time, high water content, high viscosity, and low energy value. It must be upgraded to be used as a fuel. The objective of this study was to develop an upgrading method by esterification and olefination reactions to produce bio‐oil with lower water content and higher energy value for combustion as a boiler fuel. Loblolly pine wood was pyrolyzed at a feed rate of ∼7 kg/h in a Mississippi State University proprietary auger reactor to produce bio‐oil with 65% yield. Upgrading reactions were performed in a high‐pressure batch autoclave. Bio‐oil was reacted with alcohols and gaseous olefins in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst to produce upgraded bio‐oil. The influence of reaction conditions such as reaction time, reaction temperature, and catalyst content were evaluated. Physical and chemical properties such as acid value, higher heating value, water content, and optimal conditions were identified. The result of olefination shows improved bio‐oil quality and increased energy density. Accelerated aging tests were also performed. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2014 34: 933–941, 2015

Tao, Jingming↗