Eventos Anais de eventos
COBEM 2017
24th ABCM International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
VORTEX TUBE EQUIPPED SYSTEM FOR REDUCING EMISSIONS OF HYDROCARBONS IN UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS
Submission Author:
Carlos Augusto de Oliveira Cabral , PR
Co-Authors:
George Stanescu, Carlos Augusto de Oliveira Cabral
Presenter: Carlos Augusto de Oliveira Cabral
doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2017.COB17-2694
Abstract
The emission of hydrocarbon vapors into the atmosphere is one of the major sources of air pollution that is still under no regulation. Besides the environmental problems, the economic impact generated is an unavoidable issue! According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, there is an annual loss of approximately R$ 482 million caused by vaporization of various hydrocarbons and its emission to the atmosphere during small cars refueling. In addition to the environmental and economic factors, the most important of all the problems is human health. The continuous exposure to hydrocarbon vapors can cause various health hazards. For example, a long-term exposure to benzene, one of the hydrocarbons present in gasoline, may alter bone marrow, chromosomes, the immune system and the central nervous system, in addition to various types of cancer. Aiming to contribute to solve this problem, this paper presents a physical configuration of a new device equipped with Vortex Tube to remove, by liquefaction and/or solidification, hydrocarbon vapors from gas mixtures with air. A mathematical model evaluating the capability of this new device for hydrocarbon removal has also been developed and solved numerically when considering the current dependence of the vapor pressure of octane and benzene. The Vortex Tube potential for hydrocarbon (octane and benzene) removal was numerically evaluated between 6.2 – 8.0 grams of hydrocarbons vapors per kilogram of compressed air, when the pressure level at the Vortex Tube inlet was maintained in the range of 3-7 bar.
Keywords
gaseous emissions removal, benzene, octane, Vortex Tube
