Model-Based Analysis of Feedback Control Strategies in Aerobic Biotrickling Filters for Biogas Desulfurization

Biotrickling filters are one of the most widely used biological technologies to perform biogas desulfurization. Their industrial application has been hampered due to the difficulty to achieve a robust and reliable operation of this bioreactor. Specifically, biotrickling filters process performance is affected mostly by fluctuations in the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) loading rate due to changes in the gas inlet concentration or in the volumetric gas flowrate. The process can be controlled by means of the regulation of the air flowrate (AFR) to control the oxygen (O2) gas outlet concentration ([O2]out) and the trickling liquid velocity (TLV) to control the H2S gas outlet concentration ([H2S]out). In this work, efforts were placed towards the understanding and development of control strategies in biological H2S removal in a biotrickling filter under aerobic conditions. Classical proportional and proportional-integral feedback controllers were applied in a model of an aerobic biotrickling filter for biogas desulfurization. Two different control loops were studied: (i) AFR Closed-Loop based on AFR regulation to control the [O2]out, and (ii) TLV Closed-Loop based on TLV regulation to control the [H2S]out. AFR regulation span was limited to values so that corresponds to biogas dilution factors that would give a biogas mixture with a minimum methane content in air, far from those values required to obtain an explosive mixture. A minimum TLV of 5.9 m h−1 was applied to provide the nutrients and moisture to the packed bed and a maximum TLV of 28.3 m h−1 was set to prevent biotrickling filter (BTF) flooding. Control loops were evaluated with a stepwise increase from 2000 ppmv until 6000 ppmv and with changes in the biogas flowrate using stepwise increments from 61.5 L h−1 (EBRT = 118 s) to 184.5 L h−1 (EBRT = 48.4 s). Controller parameters were determined based on time-integral criteria and simple criteria such as stability and oscillatory controller response. Before implementing the control strategies, two different mass transfer correlations were evaluated to study the effect of the manipulable variables. Open-loop behavior was also studied to determine the impact of control strategies on process performance variables such as removal efficiency, sulfate and sulfur selectivity, and oxygen consumption. AFR regulation efficiently controlled [O2]out; however, the impact on process performance parameters was not as great as when TLV was regulated to control [H2S]out. This model-based analysis provided valuable information about the controllability limits of each strategy and the impact that each strategy can have on the process performance.

On-line fault diagnosis model for rigid ceramic filters based on outlet concentration and dynamic pressure

Sudden fractures in rigid ceramic filter tubes hinder the stable long-term operation of advanced power-generation processes. In this study, Time difference of arrival (TDOA) of dynamic pressure in the inner wall of filter during pulse jet cleaning process and outlet concentration with diameter of leakage during filtration and pulse jet cleaning process are investigated using high frequency sensors and optical particle spectrometry. The outlet concentrations measured under different leakage agreed with the theoretical values, with the peak outlet concentration being 2.5 times greater than stable outlet concentration. There is a linear relationship between leakage aperture and theoretical outlet concentration in leaking ceramic filter tubes. A positioning model that can precisely locate the leaking ceramic filter tube using the time difference in the dynamic pressure as measured at different positions is established. This research can quickly and accurately determine whether a ceramic filter tube is broken and location of breakage.

Determination and Application of Improved Kinetic Parameters for Simulation of Maleic Anhydride Synthesis in Industrial Fixed- Bed Reactor

The aims of this study were to determine improved kineticparameters in five kinetic models for oxidation of n-butane intomaleic anhydride in an industrial fixed-bed reactor, and tosimulate the reactor performance. On the basis of the measuredprocess parameters, inlet and outlet concentrations of n-butanewere calculated and then used to fit the kinetic models. Theindustrial fixed-bed reactor was approximated by 10 continuousstirred tank reactors (CSTR) connected in series. Based on thecalculated outlet concentration of n-butane from the industrialreactor, the outlet concentration of n-butane from thepenultimate reactor was calculated. Then the concentrations ofn-butane were calculated until the inlet concentration of nbutanein the first reactor was obtained. Kinetic parameterswere determined by comparing the inlet concentrations of nbutanein the first reactor with the inlet concentration of nbutaneobtained on the basis of the measured processparameters in the industrial fixed-bed reactor. Kinetic modelswith improved kinetic parameters showed better simulationresults compared to kinetic models with the existing kineticparameters. The best agreement of simulation results andmeasured values was achieved with application of the kineticmodel 2 (Equations (2a-c)). The smallest deviations ofnumerical simulation in comparison with measured values of theoutlet pressure of reaction mixture were 0.45, 0.75 and 0.75%for application of the kinetic model 3 (Equations (3a-c)). Thepercentage deviations of numerical simulation with improvedkinetic parameters and the existing kinetic parameters incomparison with measured values of inside reactor temperaturewere in the range 0.90-5.36% and in the range 4.17-9.78%(kinetic model 2, Equations (2a-c)), respectively.

A rapid tool for emission outlet concentration simulation of scrubber and make-up air unit at different inlet concentrations

Currently in the cleanroom-related industries, both the air quality of indoors intake and outdoors emission should be controlled at a certain level. Wet scrubbers and air washers are the main facilities to clean up air for the process required. However, previous studies have found that these devices typically have lower removal efficiency for low inlet concentration contaminations; little information is available to explain the efficiency deterioration and only on the empirical basis. A theoretical model is proposed, which applies Fick’s second law to derive a rapid efficiency simulating formula. This model is different from the empirical equations of former studies, and is able to describe the relationship between the inlet concentration and removal efficiency of the air washing facilities. Moreover, the calculation time of the nonlinear recurrence equation is effectively lessened by the Euler equation and proven to be practical and concise for the rapid efficiency determination. Confirmation of the simulation formula was conducted by using the experimental data from the previous studies of the wet scrubber and in situ historical record of a make-up air unit. In this article, we describe how an outlet concentration and removal efficiency can be predicted using a generic simulating formula, leading to better design with less effort. The proposed model and equation minimize the design complexity and help to optimize the sizing and operational control of the air washing facilities. This not only decreases the construction and operating costs, but also lead to better energy usage. Practical application: Engineers can use the output of this paper to optimize air washer facility designs instead of intuitively extending the rinsing duration or enlarging the scale of the equipment. The model can be applied to both residential and industrial air washers to predict the efficiency and evaluate the performance. It also allows the quantitative analysis and risk assessment of an abrupt air washer breakdown in the clean manufacturing industries.

Performance Improvement of Capacitive Deionization for Water Desalination Using a Multi-Step Buffered Approach

Due to the increasing demand for clean and potable water stemming from population growth and exacerbated by the scarcity of fresh water resources, more attention has been drawn to different and innovative methods for water desalination. Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a relatively new, low maintenance, and energy efficient technique for desalinating brackish water. In this technique, an electrical field is employed to adsorb ions into a high-porous media. After the saturation of the porous electrodes, their adsorption capacity can be restored through a regeneration process. Various parameters affect the overall performance of CDI. The flow rate at which water is purified in CDI plays an essential role in its ultimate performance. Many studies have shown that desalination percentage decreases as flow rate increases in CDI, since the advection of ions in the flow becomes more dominant than their diffusion toward the electrodes. However, herein, based on a physical model previously developed, we conjecture that for a given amount of time and volume of water, multiple desalination cycles in a high flow rate regime will outperform desalinating in a single cycle at a low flow rate. Moreover, splitting a CDI unit into two sub-units, with the same total length, will lead to higher desalination. Based on these premises, we introduce a new approach aimed at enhancing the overall performance of CDI. An array of CDI cells are sequentially connected to each other with intermediate solutions placed in between them. These intermediate solutions act as buffers to homogenize the outlet concentration of the preceding cell and maintain a constant inlet concentration for the following cell. Desalination tests were conducted to compare the performance of the proposed system, consisting of two CDI units and one intermediate solution buffer, with a two-cascaded-CDI unit system with no intermediate solution. Desalination tests were performed in a high flow rate regime with a low salinity initial solution of NaCl in water. In the buffered arrangement, the concentration of the solution buffer was set at the minimum average outlet concentration of the first CDI test. Experimental data demonstrated the improved performance of the buffered system over the non-buffered system, in terms of desalination percentage and energy consumption. Increasing the number of CDI units and solution buffers in a buffered system, the new proposed method will lead to lower amount of energy consumed per unit volume of the desalinated water.

System Identification and Control of a Biotrickling Filter

This paper studies empirical modeling and control of a biotrickling filter (BTF) used for air pollution control. Step response transfer function (TF) with first-order-plus-time-delay model and steady-state artificial neural network (NN) model were developed for BTF based on input–output (I/O) data obtained from simulation of a rigorous model. These simple models offer fast predictions compared to the rigorous model and render control implementation for BTF feasible. Gas velocity and inlet concentration of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) (target pollutant) were considered as the main process inputs while outlet concentration of H2S was selected as the BTF performance variable (output). The TF and NN models fitted well with the I/O data and the resulting regression coefficient values were above 0.97. Different simulations with the fitted NN model were performed and compared with the rigorous model data at steady state. The NN model perfectly captured the steady-state behavior of the BTF process. Two control strategies were implemented, namely proportional–integral/feedback control and model predictive control, also known as receding-horizon control. The controllers were based on the fitted TF model representation of BTF under study. For the control structure, gas velocity, inlet concentration, and outlet concentration were selected as manipulated, disturbance and controlled variables, respectively. Through set-point and disturbance change tests, it was observed that the model predictive controller offered superior set-point tracking capabilities while the feedback controller showed better control in dealing with disturbances. However, both controllers provided adequate control in general.

Simultaneous Desulfurization and Denitrification by Combined Ozone Oxidation and Alkaline Wastewater: A Case Study

In this paper, we mainly introduced demonstration project of flue gas desulfurization and denitrification achieved by ozone oxidation and alkali wastewater. The System showed high automatization, which performed good adaptability and load tracking capacity on the concentration of SO2, NOXand variation of flue gas. Meanwhile, outlet concentration of the SO2and NOXcould meet the design requirements. The experimental results showed that the overall economy of designed process had certain advantages compared with conventional desulfurization and denitrification technologies.

Intensification of Ammonia Removal from Drinking Water with a Modified Zeolite Biological Filter Reactor

A novel modified zeolite bio-filter reactor was used for ammonia removal from drinking water, and inoculated nitrobacteria was combined with modified zeolite in this bio-filter reactor. The effects of various operation factors on the performance of the modified zeolite bio-filter reactor were investigated. The optimum operation conditions of the modified zeolite bio-filter reactor were obtained as follows: a HLR of 0.9 m3/ (m2.h), the temperature ranged from 15°C to 30°C, and no-aeration. Under these optimal conditions, the outlet concentration of ammonia was less than 0.5 mg/L, even when an initial ammonia concentration of 6 mg/L.