Assessment of black liquor hydrothermal treatment under sub- and supercritical conditions: Products distribution and economic perspectives

Brownstock washing is a complex, dynamic process in which dirty wash water or weak black liquor (dissolved organic and inorganic material obtained from the pulp cooking process) is separated from pulp fibers. The use of material balance techniques is of great importance to identify potential problems and determine how well the system is operating. The kraft pulping industry was the first known to combine pulp washing with the recovery of materials used and produced in the wood cooking process. The motivation behind materials recovery is economic, and more recently, environmentally driven. The chemicals used in the kraft process are expensive as compared to those used in the sulfite process. For the kraft process to be economically viable, it is imperative that a very high percentage of the cooking chemicals be recovered. To reach such high efficiency, a variety of washing systems and monitoring parameters have been developed. Antifoam additives and processing aids have also played an important role in increasing washing effectiveness. Antifoam materials help attain washing effectiveness by preventing entrapped air from forming in the system, which allows for an easier, unimpeded flow of filtrate through the screens and washers.

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Could biomass-fueled boilers be operated at higher steam temperatures? Part 3: Initial analysis of costs and benefits

TAPPI Journal ◽

10.32964/tj13.8.65 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 65-78 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

W.B.A. (SANDY) SHARP ◽

W.J. JIM FREDERICK ◽

JAMES R. KEISER ◽

DOUGLAS L. SINGBEIL

Keyword(s):

Flue Gas ◽

Power Plants ◽

Superheated Steam ◽

Black Liquor ◽

Simulation Software ◽

Operating Conditions ◽

Costs And Benefits ◽

Steam Generation ◽

Fireside Corrosion ◽

Corrosion Resistant

The efficiencies of biomass-fueled power plants are much lower than those of coal-fueled plants because they restrict their exit steam temperatures to inhibit fireside corrosion of superheater tubes. However, restricting the temperature of a given mass of steam produced by a biomass boiler decreases the amount of power that can be generated from this steam in the turbine generator. This paper examines the relationship between the temperature of superheated steam produced by a boiler and the quantity of power that it can generate. The thermodynamic basis for this relationship is presented, and the value of the additional power that could be generated by operating with higher superheated steam temperatures is estimated. Calculations are presented for five plants that produce both steam and power. Two are powered by black liquor recovery boilers and three by wood-fired boilers. Steam generation parameters for these plants were supplied by industrial partners. Calculations using thermodynamics-based plant simulation software show that the value of the increased power that could be generated in these units by increasing superheated steam temperatures 100°C above current operating conditions ranges between US$2,410,000 and US$11,180,000 per year. The costs and benefits of achieving higher superheated steam conditions in an individual boiler depend on local plant conditions and the price of power. However, the magnitude of the increased power that can be generated by increasing superheated steam temperatures is so great that it appears to justify the cost of corrosion-mitigation methods such as installing corrosion-resistant materials costing far more than current superheater alloys; redesigning biomassfueled boilers to remove the superheater from the flue gas path; or adding chemicals to remove corrosive constituents from the flue gas. The most economic pathways to higher steam temperatures will very likely involve combinations of these methods. Particularly attractive approaches include installing more corrosion-resistant alloys in the hottest superheater locations, and relocating the superheater from the flue gas path to an externally-fired location or to the loop seal of a circulating fluidized bed boiler.

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Biorefinery implementation for recovery debottlenecking at existing pulp mills- Part II: Techno-economic evaluation

TAPPI Journal ◽

10.32964/tj11.8.17 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 17-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

HAKIM GHEZZAZ ◽

LUC PELLETIER ◽

PAUL R. STUART

Keyword(s):

Cost Estimation ◽

Process Model ◽

Black Liquor ◽

Pulp Mill ◽

Value Added ◽

Economic Assessment ◽

Extraction Process ◽

Estimation Methods ◽

Precipitation Process

The evaluation and process risk assessment of (a) lignin precipitation from black liquor, and (b) the near-neutral hemicellulose pre-extraction for recovery boiler debottlenecking in an existing pulp mill is presented in Part I of this paper, which was published in the July 2012 issue of TAPPI Journal. In Part II, the economic assessment of the two biorefinery process options is presented and interpreted. A mill process model was developed using WinGEMS software and used for calculating the mass and energy balances. Investment costs, operating costs, and profitability of the two biorefinery options have been calculated using standard cost estimation methods. The results show that the two biorefinery options are profitable for the case study mill and effective at process debottlenecking. The after-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of the lignin precipitation process option was estimated to be 95%, while that of the hemicellulose pre-extraction process option was 28%. Sensitivity analysis showed that the after tax-IRR of the lignin precipitation process remains higher than that of the hemicellulose pre-extraction process option, for all changes in the selected sensitivity parameters. If we consider the after-tax IRR, as well as capital cost, as selection criteria, the results show that for the case study mill, the lignin precipitation process is more promising than the near-neutral hemicellulose pre-extraction process. However, the comparison between the two biorefinery options should include long-term evaluation criteria. The potential of high value-added products that could be produced from lignin in the case of the lignin precipitation process, or from ethanol and acetic acid in the case of the hemicellulose pre-extraction process, should also be considered in the selection of the most promising process option.

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Modeling fine particles and alkali metal compound behavior in a kraft recovery boiler

TAPPI Journal ◽

10.32964/tj11.7.9 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 9-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

AINO LEPPÄNEN ◽

ERKKI VÄLIMÄKI ◽

ANTTI OKSANEN

Keyword(s):

Alkali Metal ◽

Computational Models ◽

Fine Particles ◽

Black Liquor ◽

Melting Behavior ◽

Metal Compound ◽

Effect Of Temperature ◽

Particle Model ◽

Boiler Furnace ◽

Recovery Boiler

Under certain conditions, ash in black liquor forms a locally corrosive environment in a kraft recovery boiler. The ash also might cause efficiency losses and even boiler shutdown because of plugging of the flue gas passages. The most troublesome compounds in a fuel such as black liquor are potassium and chlorine because they change the melting behavior of the ash. Fouling and corrosion of the kraft recovery boiler have been researched extensively, but few computational models have been developed to deal with the subject. This report describes a computational fluid dynamics-based method for modeling the reactions between alkali metal compounds and for the formation of fine fume particles in a kraft recovery boiler furnace. The modeling method is developed from ANSYS/FLUENT software and its Fine Particle Model extension. We used the method to examine gaseous alkali metal compound and fine fume particle distributions in a kraft recovery boiler furnace. The effect of temperature and the boiler design on these variables, for example, can be predicted with the model. We also present some preliminary results obtained with the model. When the model is developed further, it can be extended to the superheater area of the kraft recovery boiler. This will give new insight into the variables that increase or decrease fouling and corrosion

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