Process for controlling nitrogen dioxide and/or ammonia emissions from geothermal power plants
AssigneeUnion Oil Company of California
InventorDarrell L. Gallup
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The emissions of nitrogen dioxide and ammonia from cooling towers in geothermal power plants are controlled by contacting the steam condensate used as make-up water for the cooling tower with a zeolite or other molecular sieve to remove ammonia and/or ammonium ions from the condensate before it is passed into the cooling tower.
Claims26
A process for controlling the emissions of ammonia and nitrogen dioxide in a system in which the flow of ammonia-containing steam is used to generate electric power, said system including (i) at least one steam turbine, (ii) at least one steam condenser downstream of said turbine in which at least some of the ammonia-containing steam is condensed to steam condensate containing dissolved ammonia and ammonium ions and (iii) at least one cooling tower for cooling the condensate, the cooling tower being open to the atmosphere and having associated therewith a condensate catch basin from which cooled condensate is passed to said condenser to condense said ammonia-containing steam, said process comprising the step of contacting said condensate prior to its introduction into said cooling tower with a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite under conditions such that sufficient ammonia and ammonium ions are removed from said condensate so that the emissions of nitrogen dioxide and ammonia from said cooling tower are reduced, wherein the source of said ammonia-containing steam is a geothermal fluid.
A process for controlling the emissions of ammonia and nitrogen dioxide from a system for handling the flow of steam condensate condensed from a geothermal fluid and containing ammonia and ammonium ions, which process comprises contacting said condensate with a molecular sieve to remove at least a portion of said ammonia and said ammonium ions so that the emissions of ammonia and nitrogen dioxide from said system are reduced.
A process for reducing ammonia and nitrogen dioxide emissions from a cooling tower into which an aqueous stream containing ammonia and ammonium ions is passed, wherein said aqueous steam is condensed from a geothermal fluid, which process comprises contacting said aqueous stream with a molecular sieve to remove at least a portion of said ammonia and said ammonium ions prior to passing said stream into said cooling tower.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.