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Plasma Technology

Opportunities for a Sustainable Future

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Objective

Present an initiative to produce sustainable energy from waste materials

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Methodology

• Use plasma arc technologies to destroy wastes (biomass, solid waste, hazardous materials)

• Generate fuel gases including hydrogen and carbon monoxide

• Use fuel cells to produce energy in the form of heat and electricity

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What is PLASMA?

• “Fourth State” of matter

• Ionized gas at high temperature capable of conducting electrical current

• Lightning is an example

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Characteristics of Plasma Arc Technology

• Plasma acts as a resistive heating element which cannot melt and fail

• Temperatures 4,000°C to over 7,000°C• Torch power levels from 100kW to 200 MW produce

high energy densities (up to 100 MW/m3)• Torch operates with most gases-not a combustion

process• Elimination of requirement for combustion air

– Reduces gas volume requiring treatment

– Reduces potential for formation of complex organics (I.e., dioxins and furans)

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Ideally suited for waste treatment

• Hazardous & toxic compounds broken down to elemental constituents by high temperatures

• Organic materialsPyrolyzed or volatilized

May be converted to fuel gases

Amenable to conventional off-gas treatment

• Residual materials (radionuclides, heavy metals, etc.) immobilized in a rock-like vitrified mass which is highly resistant to leaching

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Plasma torch in operation

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Plasma Gasification of MSW

SteamNegligible

Gas Heating Value OutputElectricity Input = 4.30

PLASMA

GASIFIERMSW

1 Ton – 9.39 Mbtu33% Moisture

Electricity0.56 MWHr – 1.90 MBtu

Losses1.77 MBtu

Based on data from Resorption Canada, Ltd. 1995(Summarized and converted to English units)

Product Gas

Heating Value = 8.16 MBTU

Gas Heat Energy1.05 MBtu

30,300 SCF

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Solid Residue: 50 tons/day Sell: Aggregate

MetalsBricksOther

Fuel Gases: 3x107 Btu = 10.6 MW

Net 6.5 MW

376 tons/day MSW)

Plasma ArcTorch 4.1 MW

An Ultimate Solution to MSW?

Coke/Limestone

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Experimental Results

The gases measured were H2, O2, N2, CH4, and CO.

Compounds Test 1( with no moisture)

Test 2( with moisture)

Sample2

(30 min)

Sample3(50 min)

Sample6

(110 min)

Sample3

(30 min)

Sample4

(50 min)

CO 16.95% 18.56% 21.65% 17.42% 21.39%

CO2 0.22% 0.24% 0.28% 0.44% 0.53%

CH4 1.72% 2.94% 3.91% 2.06% 1.86%

H2 8.36% 12.10% 18.31% 10.10% 16.31%

H2O 0.16% 0.23% 0.35% 0.37% 0.60%

N2 60.84% 54.74% 49.80% 47.59% 50.52%

O2 7.17% 7.37% 5.42% 8.57% 8.64%

C6H6 0.25% 0.25% 0.25% 0.13% 0.13%

unidentified 4.33% 3.56% 0.03% 13.33% 0.02%

total 95.67% 96.44% 99.97% 86.67% 99.98%

•In addition to benzene, small amounts of methane and benzene and trace amounts of toluene, styrene, ethyl benzene, methyl-ethyl benzene, and benzonitrile were found in the DCM samples.

•The high concentrations of O2 and N2 are due to air leaking into the system prior to the sample point.

PRODUCT GAS DISTRIBUTION

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Cobb County Plasma Arc Waste Processing System

System Components

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Next Steps

• Assembly of the Cobb County Plasma Arc Waste Processing System

• Optimization testing for integration with fuel cells

• Testing of biomass, MSW and other feedstock

• Hydrogen capture and optimization