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Production of diesel from biomass and wind power – Energy storage by the use of the Fischer-Tropsch process

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Abstract

An increasing share of power production from sun and wind energy in Europe led to an increasing interest in novel energy storage technologies. The production of hydrogen from electricity via electrolysis enables the conversion of electrical energy into chemical energy, which can be stored with high energy density, if further process steps are applied. The Fischer-Tropsch process is well-known for the production of diesel fuel from different fuel types. Within the present work, results of an experimental campaign with a laboratory-scale Fischer-Tropsch plant are illustrated. The described experimental campaign was executed to determine the performance of a diesel fuel production from biomass. Furthermore, the investigation included the integration of hydrogen from wind power promoting a combined power-to-gas and biomass-to-liquid process. As a result, the investigated process is aiming at the storage of wind energy by the use of a chemical process enabling high energy density. Therefore, extensive measurement data was collected illustrating the influence of load changes on the operated laboratory-scale Fischer-Tropsch plant. The experimental campaign showed that an increased gas stream feed, enabled by the addition of hydrogen from wind power, leads to an increased output of Fischer-Tropsch products. Furthermore, the executed experimental campaign proved the suitability of different catalysts with respect to fluctuating load changes.

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Abbreviations

BtL :

Biomass to liquid

DVGW:

German Association for Gas and Water (Deutscher Verein des Gas- and Wasserfachs)

FTsynthesis:

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

HP reactor:

Heat pipe reactor

PtG:

Power-to-Gas

PtL:

Power-to-Liquid

RME:

Rapeseed methyl ester

RWGS:

Reverse water-gas-shift reaction

SNG:

Synthetic natural gas

SSD:

Soft shut down

UNFCCC:

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

α :

Anderson-Schulz-Flory product distribution [−]

C5–C9 :

Gasoline/naphta fraction [kg/h]

C10–C19 :

Diesel fraction [kg/h]

C20–C60 :

Wax fraction [kg/h]

H2/CO ratio:

Ratio between hydrogen and carbon monoxide [−]

n :

Variable number for polymerization reaction [−]

n.CO.out:

Carbon monoxide entering slurry reactor [mol/h]

n.CO.in:

Carbon monoxide exiting slurry reactor [mol/h]

m :

Chain length number [−]

W m :

Fraction share with specific chain length [−]

X CO :

Carbon monoxide conversion [%]

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Funding

The authors acknowledge financial support by the Austrian government through the “Klima- und Energiefonds” financed project Winddiesel_klienIF within the “e!Mission.at” funding scheme. The project Winddiesel_klienIF is executed in cooperation with Energie Burgenland AG, Bilfinger SE, Güssing Energy Technologies GmbH, REPOTEC GmbH & Co KG, Energy & Chemical Engineering GmbH, and the Institute of Chemical Engineering from TU WIEN.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Energy & Chemical Engineering GmbH, Pappelstraße 13, 1140, Vienna, Austria

    S. Müller & M. Fuchs

  2. Institute for Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering - Future Energy Technology, TU WIEN, Getreidemarkt 9/166, 1060, Vienna, Austria

    P. Groß, R. Rauch & H. Hofbauer

  3. Güssing Energy Technologies GmbH, Wiener Straße 49, 7540, Güssing, Austria

    R. Zweiler

  4. REPOTEC GmbH & Co KG, Nordbahnstrasse 36/3, 1020, Vienna, Austria

    C. Aichernig

Authors
  1. S. Müller
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  2. P. Groß
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  3. R. Rauch
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  4. R. Zweiler
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  5. C. Aichernig
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  6. M. Fuchs
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  7. H. Hofbauer
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Correspondence to S. Müller.

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Müller, S., Groß, P., Rauch, R. et al. Production of diesel from biomass and wind power – Energy storage by the use of the Fischer-Tropsch process. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 8, 275–282 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-017-0287-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-017-0287-1

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