Clean and High-Efficiency Natural Gas Furnace with Advanced Acidic Gas Trap Technology

Zhiming Gao, Kyle Gluesenkamp, Dino Sulejmanovic, Tim J. LaClair, Anthony Gehl, Josh Pihl, Mingkan Zhang, Lingshi Wang, Xiaobing Liu, Ayyoub Momen, Van D. Baxter

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

Current natural gas condensing furnaces generate substantial acidic condensate and SOx/NOx/CO/HC/methane emissions, causing long-term environment issues related to air, water and soil. Acidic condensate occurs when flue gases within the furnaces cool down below the dew points of acidic gases, which upon condensation, combine with water vapor to produce acidic solutions. The acidic condensate causes serious corrosion and fouling problems in natural gas condensing furnaces. This paper presents a novel solution to use an advanced adsorption technology based on monolithic acidic gas trap (AGT) adsorbers for SOx trapping, NOx redox, and formic acid/CO/HC/methane oxidation, enabling a new condensing natural gas furnace with ultra-clean flue gas and neutral condensate. When the AGT adsorber is appropriately integrated with natural gas furnaces, the acidic gases of SOx, NOx and formic gas/CO/HC will be continuously adsorbed, redoxed or oxidized, respectively, from the flue gas during a regular heating season, except for occasional regeneration activities for SOx trapping. In the paper, we present results from a prototype furnace employing the novel AGT component, which enables a pH of the condensate =7, NOx emissions of 1-2 nanograms/joule and an annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) of 96%, providing a cost-effective technology for condensing furnaces that is eco-friendly to the environment.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationASHRAE Virtual Annual Conference, ASHRAE 2021
PublisherASHRAE
Pages382-390
Number of pages9
ISBN (Electronic)9781955516006
StatePublished - 2021
Event2021 ASHRAE Virtual Annual Conference, ASHRAE 2021 - Virtual, Online
Duration: Jun 28 2021 → Jun 30 2021

Publication series

NameASHRAE Transactions
Volume127
ISSN (Print)0001-2505

Conference

Conference2021 ASHRAE Virtual Annual Conference, ASHRAE 2021
CityVirtual, Online
Period06/28/21 → 06/30/21

Funding

This work was sponsored by the U.S. DOE Building Technologies Office, with Antonio Bouza as a program manager. This research used resources at the Building Technologies Research and Integration Center, a DOE Office of Science User Facility operated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We also thank ORNL colleagues and ASHRAE reviewers, who provided help with the manuscript preparation and suggestions for improving the paper. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan). This work was sponsored by the U.S. DOE Building Technologies Office, with Antonio Bouza as a program manager. This research used resources at the Building Technologies Research and Integration Center, a DOE Office of Science User Facility operated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We also thank ORNL colleagues and ASHRAE reviewers, who provided help with the manuscript preparation and suggestions for improving the paper. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan).

FundersFunder number
DOE Public Access Plan
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Science
Oak Ridge National LaboratoryDE-AC05-00OR22725
Building Technologies Office

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