Simulation of power and cooling generation via heat recovery from a ventilation air methane abatement unit

Nadaraju, F.J.; Maddocks, Andrew; Zanganeh, Jafar; Moghtaderi, Behdad

doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2019.03.077

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 14 publications

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“…Over the past two decades, many efforts have been made to develop technologies for CH 4 removal from VAM [5][6][7]. Most of these technologies-for instance, those based on thermal oxidation-operate at temperatures between 650 • C and 1100 • C, which are well above the auto-ignition temperature of CH 4 [7][8][9][10][11]. High operating temperatures in mines pose safety risks and increase system complexity and costs in capital and operation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Point Source Capture of Methane Using Ionic Liquids in Packed Bed Absorbers/Strippers: Experimental and Modelling

Rahimpour,

Zanganeh,

Moghtaderi

2024

Processes

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Fugitive methane emissions from the mining industry, particularly so-called ventilation air methane (VAM) emissions, are considered among the largest sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. VAM emissions not only contribute to the global warming but also pose a significant hazard to mining safety due to the risk of accidental fires and explosions. This research presents a novel approach that investigates the capture of CH4 in a controlled environment using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide [BMIM][TF2N] ionic liquid (IL), which is an environmentally friendly solvent. The experimental and modelling results confirm that CH4 absorption in [BMIM][TF2N], in a packed column, can be a promising technique for capturing CH4 from point sources, particularly the outlet streams of ventilation shafts in underground coal mines, which typically accounts for <1% v/v of the flow. This study assessed the effectiveness of CH4 removal in a packed bed column by testing various factors such as absorption temperature, liquid and gas flow rates, flow pattern, packing size, desorption temperature, and desorption pressure. According to the optimisation results, the following parameters can be used to achieve a CH4 removal efficiency of 23.8%: a gas flow rate of 0.1 L/min, a liquid flow rate of 0.5 L/min, a packing diameter of 6 mm, and absorption and desorption temperatures of 303 K and 403.15 K, respectively. Additionally, the experimental results indicated that ILs could concentrate CH4 in the simulated VAM stream by approximately 4 fold. It is important to note that the efficiency of CH4 removal was determined to be 3.5-fold higher compared to that of N2. Consequently, even though the VAM stream primarily contains N2, the IL used in the same stream shows a notably superior capacity for removing CH4 compared to N2. Furthermore, CH4 absorption with [BMIM][TF2N] is based on physical interactions, leading to reduced energy requirements for regeneration. These findings validate the method’s effectiveness in mitigating CH4 emissions within the mining sector and enabling the concentration of VAM through a secure and energy-efficient procedure.

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