Investigating Efficient Tar Management for Deployable Waste-to-Energy Systems

WP-2236

Objective

The objective of this project is to test two tar reformation technologies and a novel method of capturing tar for direct use in a generator engine. This effort enables future development of deployable waste-to-energy (WTE) systems that meet Department of Defense (DoD) needs for efficiency, footprint, and reliability.

While waste materials could be a valuable energy resource at forward operating bases (FOBs), these materials are currently not being used to produce energy. Today no deployable WTE technology meets DoD’s top requirements, including zero waste sorting, high energy conversion efficiency, and nonhazardous byproducts. Development of efficient, robust, and compact tar reformation or capture technology would enable development of WTE systems that meet DoD’s needs.

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Technical Approach

Lockheed Martin will conduct laboratory-scale testing of three candidate tar reformation technologies.

  1. Low energy non-thermal plasma (NTP) tar catalysis to demonstrate the conversion of heavy tars into lower molecular weight constituents compatible with a military generator set.
  2. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)-developed sulfur-tolerant, regenerable tar reformation catalyst to demonstrate the conversion of heavy tars into lower molecular weight constituents compatible with a military generator set.

Tar and particulate scrubbing using JP-8 logistics fuel to dissolve tars in the liquid phase for subsequent use in a military generator set. Lockheed Martin is using intellectual property developed at its own expense in this approach.

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Benefits

An optimal tar reformation or capture technology will enable DoD to use inherently reliable gasification technologies suited to waste feedstock. An optimal tar reformation solution will do the following:

  1. Reform tars using less energy, thereby reducing the system parasitic load of the gasification process.
  2. Reform tars to light volatile organic compounds (VOCs), thereby delivering a higher energy density synthesis gas (syngas) relative to typical CO/H2 syngas, to the generator set to increase gross energy output.
  3. Reduce the amount of N2 and CO2 in the syngas, thereby reducing the derating of the generator set and increasing gross energy output.
  4. Capture tars in JP-8 for injection to enable combustion in the engine where useful work is produced.

The project will test and document the effectiveness of these technologies, independently and together, for their suitability to deployable WTE converters, resulting in significant advancements in understanding and reducing risk for industry and government. By performing this research and development effort, the project team intends to improve energy conversion efficiency, without losing the capability for zero-waste sorting and the nonhazardous by-products. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2013)

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Points of Contact

Principal Investigator

Mr. Patrick Scott

Lockheed Martin

Phone: 607-751-3540

Fax: 607-751-3727

Program Manager

Weapons Systems and Platforms

SERDP and ESTCP

Document Types

  • Fact Sheet - Brief project summary with links to related documents and points of contact.
  • Final Report - Comprehensive report for every completed SERDP and ESTCP project that contains all technical results.
  • Cost & Performance Report - Overview of ESTCP demonstration activities, results, and conclusions, standardized to facilitate implementation decisions.
  • Technical Report - Additional interim reports, laboratory reports, demonstration reports, and technology survey reports.
  • Guidance - Instructional information on technical topics such as protocols and user’s guides.
  • Workshop Report - Summary of workshop discussion and findings.
  • Multimedia - On demand videos, animations, and webcasts highlighting featured initiatives or technologies.
  • Model/Software - Computer programs and applications available for download.
  • Database - Digitally organized collection of data available to search and access.