Thomas D. Wheelock
University Professor Emeritus
3157 Sweeney Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2230
Phone (515)294-5226
Fax (515)294-2689
wheel
iastate.edu
Education
B.S., ChE, Iowa State University, 1949
Ph.D., ChE, Iowa State University, 1958
Honors and Awards
Margaret Ellen White Graduate Faculty Award, 1999
University Professor, 1994
Governor’s Science Medal for Science Achievement, 1990
Fellow of Iowa Academy of Science, 1988
Fellow of AIChE, 1987
MASUA Honors Lecturer, 1980-81
Faculty Citation, ISU Alumni Association, 1974
Research Interests
Specific problems of environmental pollution have been addressed through the development of improved methods for removing sulfur and ash-forming mineral matter from coal and by the development of a method for regenerating calcium-based sorbents that are used to remove sulfur compounds from the products of coal gasification or coal combustion. This effort is being extended to the development of a combined catalyst and sorbent for use in steam reforming hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen.The research effort is based on an extensive background of experience gained by studying a number of potentially useful methods for cleaning and/or utilizing coal. These methods have included both chemical leaching and particle separation processes as well as coal gasification by means of a unique electrothermal fluidized bed reactor. The present effort is also based on experience gained in developing an unusual cyclic process for decomposing calcium sulfate in a two-zone fluidized bed reactor whereby the material is exposed alternately and repeatedly to reduction and oxidation at high temperature.
Other Information
Chair, Engineering Honors & Awards Committee, 2005-present
Member of Editorial Board for Coal Preparation journal, 1993-present
Chair, ISU Safety Committee, 1991-95
Co-editor, Processing and Utilization of High-Sulfur Coals III, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1990
Co-chair, Third International Conference on Processing and Utilization of High-Sulfur Coals, 1989
Chair, ISU Committee for Graduate Minor in Mineral Resources, 1978-88
President, Iowa State University Chapter of Sigma Xi, 1980-81
Editor, Coal Desulfurization, Chemical and Physical Methods, ACS Symposium Series 64, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C., 1977
Co-editor, Fluidized Bed Fundamentals and Applications, AIChE Symposium Series 128, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York, 1973
Holder of 15 patents
Research Projects
A Calcium-Based Sorbent and a Combined Catalyst and Sorbent
Calcium oxide is an effective sorbent at high temperature for several gases including CO2, COS and H2S. However, a highly active form of the sorbent has relatively little mechanical strength. This problem has been overcome by encapsulating the sorbent in a porous protective shell made largely of alumina. The resulting core-in-shell pellets have good mechanical strength as well as being a good sorbent. In addition, the porous alumina shell has been found to be a good support for a nickel catalyst. Consequently, the combined catalyst and sorbent has proved highly suitable for steam reforming hydrocarbons to produce H2 and CO2 which are immediately separated by selective absorption of the CO2. Furthermore, the core-in-shell pellets without the catalyst have proved highly effective for desulfurizing a hot gas containing H2S such as would be produced by coal gasification. The sulfided sorbent can be regenerated by a unique process which has also been demonstrated.
Ultrafine Particle Separation Methods
Various methods of separating ultrafine size particles have been investigated for the separation of coal from its associated mineral matter and for the separation of unburned carbon particles from fly ash produced by coal combustion. These methods have included froth flotation, selective oil agglomeration, and selective gas agglomeration. In all of these methods, the ultrafine-size particles are suspended in water, and the more hydrophobic carbonaceous particles are removed either by attachment to gas bubbles or by agglomeration with oil or by agglomeration with submicroscopic gas bubbles or gas nuclei. Among these methods, the selective agglomeration of ultrafine coal particles with submicroscopic gas bubbles has proved highly promising as has the froth flotation removal of unburned carbon particles from fly ash.
Selected Publications
J. A. Satrio, B. H. Shanks, and T. D. Wheelock, “Development of a Novel Combined Catalyst and Sorbent for Hydrocarbon Reforming,” Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 44, 3901-3911 (2005).
J. Drzymala, J. T. Gorke, and T. D. Wheelock, “A Flotation Collector for the Separation of Unburned Carbon from Fly Ash,” Coal Preparation, 25, 67-80 (2005).
T. D. Wheelock and T. T. Akiti, Jr., "Core-in-Shell Sorbent for Hot Coal Gas Desulfurization," U.S. Patent 6,689,714, February 10, 2004.
T. D. Wheelock and Meiyu Shen, "Coal Beneficiation by Gas Agglomeration," U.S. Patent 6,632,258 B1, October 14, 2003.
D. J. L. Hasler, L. K. Doraiswamy, and T. D. Wheelock, "A Plausible Model for the Sulfidation of a Calcium-Based Core-in-Shell Sorbent," Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 42, 2644-2653 (2003).
T. T. Akiti, Jr., K. P. Constant, L. K. Doraiswamy, and T. D. Wheelock, "A Regenerable Calcium-Based Core-in-Shell Sorbent for Desulfurizing Hot Coal Gas," Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 41, 587-597 (2002).
J. A. B. Satrio, S. B. Jagtap, and T. D. Wheelock, "Utilization of Sulfur Oxides for the Production of Sodium Sulfate," Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 41, 3540-3547 (2002).
T. T. Akiti, Jr., K. P. Constant, L. K. Doraiswamy, and T. D. Wheelock, "Development of an advanced calcium-based sorbent for desulfurizing hot coal gas," Advances in Environmental Research, 5, 31-38 (2001).
M. Shen and T. D. Wheelock, "Development and scale-up of a gas-promoted oil agglomeration process for coal beneficiation," Minerals and Metallurgical Processing, 18, No. 2, 87-94 (2001).
T. D. Wheelock, "Gas Distribution System for a Two-Zone Fluidized Bed Reactor," U.S. Patent 6,197,265 B1, March 6, 2001.
M. Shen and T. D. Wheelock, "Coal Agglomeration with Microbubbles," Coal Preparation, 21, 277-298 (2000).
