U.S. patent application number 11/862378 was filed with the patent office on 2008-03-27 for piggybacked pyrolyzer and thermal oxidizer.
This patent application is currently assigned to INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Cameron Cole, Toby L. Cole, Michael Scott Sorrell, Raul de la Torres, Dan Watts.
Application Number | 20080072805 11/862378 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38802119 |
Filed Date | 2008-03-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080072805 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cole; Cameron ; et
al. |
March 27, 2008 |
Piggybacked Pyrolyzer and Thermal Oxidizer
Abstract
A pyrolysis waste treatment system having a pyrolyzer and a
thermal oxidizer that are aligned in a partially or completely
piggybacked fashion, and heat from the exhaust gas of the thermal
oxidizer is shunted back to the pyrolyzer to help sustain
pyrolysis. Such conduits can have any suitable configuration,
including for example where the conduit extends from sides (as
opposed to the ends) of each of the pyrolyzer and the thermal
oxidizer. Contemplated pyrolyzers and the thermal oxidizers can
have any suitable dimensions, but are preferably at least 5 meters
long, and have a cross sectional area of at least 10 m.sup.2. In
most contemplated embodiments, the thermal oxidizer has a length
within 20% of the length of the pyrolyzer.
Inventors: |
Cole; Cameron; (Rainbow,
CA) ; Cole; Toby L.; (Temecula, CA) ; Watts;
Dan; (Surfside, CA) ; Torres; Raul de la;
(Bell Gardens, CA) ; Sorrell; Michael Scott; (San
Jacinto, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FISH & ASSOCIATES, PC;ROBERT D. FISH
2603 Main Street
Suite 1050
Irvine
CA
92614-6232
US
|
Assignee: |
INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL
SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
25685 Sherman Road
Romoland
CA
92585
|
Family ID: |
38802119 |
Appl. No.: |
11/862378 |
Filed: |
September 27, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11757189 |
Jun 1, 2007 |
|
|
|
11862378 |
Sep 27, 2007 |
|
|
|
60810382 |
Jun 1, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
110/229 ;
110/346 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F23G 5/16 20130101; F23G
2201/303 20130101; F23G 5/027 20130101; F23G 5/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
110/229 ;
110/346 |
International
Class: |
F23G 5/027 20060101
F23G005/027 |
Claims
1. A device for pyrolytically treating waste, comprising: a
pyrolyzer having an inner chamber that carries a waste stream, an
outer chamber that provides heat to the inner chamber to sustain
pyrolysis, and a outlet for release of syngas produced during
pyrolysis; a thermal oxidizer that produces hot exhaust gases from
oxidation of at least some of the syngas; a conduit that passes at
least some of the exhaust gases to the outer chamber of the
pyrolyzer; and wherein the pyrolyzer and the thermal oxidizer each
have a bottom and the bottom of one is at least elevated 2 meters
relative to the bottom of the other.
2. The device of claim 1, further comprising the pyrolyzer and
thermal oxidizer disposed such that a vertical line exists that
passes through at least some portion of the pyrolyzer and at least
some portion of the thermal oxidizer.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the pyrolyzer and thermal
oxidizer are at least 5 meters long.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the thermal oxidizer has a length
within 20% of a length of the pyrolyzer.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the pyrolyzer is distanced from
the thermal oxidizer by less than 2 meters.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the conduit extends from sides of
each of the pyrolyzer and the thermal oxidizer.
8. The device of claim 1, further comprising a saddle disposed
between the pyrolyzer and the thermal oxidizer.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S.
application Ser. No. 11/757,189, filed Jun. 1, 2007, which claims
the benefit of U.S. Provisional App. No. 60/810,382, filed Jun. 1,
2006.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The field of the invention is furnaces, and especially
furnaces involved with liberating gas from solid fuel. (Class
110/229).
BACKGROUND
[0003] Pyrolysis employs high temperatures in a relatively oxygen
free environment to remove volatiles from solid fuels, as well as
gases that can be released at high temperature from breaking down a
feedstock. Depending on the feedstock, the volatiles can then be
burned to produce usable energy.
[0004] It is known to pyrolyze innumerable different types of
fuels, including trash, old tires, and other municipal wastes. As
discussed in commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.
10/517,023 to Walker, which is a national phase entry of
PCT/US02/20362, filed Jun. 26, 2002, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,214 to
Walker (September 2003), a typical waste treatment system utilizing
pyrolysis includes: (a) an input structure for introducing waste;
(b) a pyrolytic converter for breaking down a feedstock and
generating waste gases; and (c) a thermal oxidizer that burns the
waste gases (also referred to herein as "syngas" or "syn gases").
In preferred embodiments a portion of the heated gases can be
transported back into an outer chamber of the pyrolyzer to help
sustain continued pyrolysis of the feedstock.
[0005] It is known to dispose the pyrolyzer and thermal oxidizer in
end-to-end configurations (see e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,855 to
Eshleman (December 1996); U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,183 to Hansen et al.
(August 1997); U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,150 to Ballantine et al. (July
2004)), and in side-by-side configurations (see e.g., U.S. Pat. No.
6,701,855 to Barba (March 2004); U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,707 to Suzuki
et al. (June 2004)).
[0006] One advantage of the side-by-side configuration is that one
can readily transfer heat from the thermal oxidizer to the
pyrolyzer. Barba '855, for example, teaches combusting the syn
gases in a thermal oxidizer, and then transferring a portion of the
exhaust gas from the oxidizer back into the pyrolyzer.
[0007] It is also known to dispose the pyrolyzer and thermal
oxidizer in a piggyback configuration, where the pyrolyzer is
disposed below the thermal oxidizer. The piggybacking can take
within a common housing (see e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,521 to
Herbold et al. (April 1978), U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,714 to Wu et al.
(May 1995)), or without a common housing (see e.g., U.S. Pat. No.
4,802,424 to McGinnis et al. (February 1989))
[0008] Interestingly, however, no one seems to have appreciated
that it can be advantageous to transfer heat from the thermal
oxidizer to the pyrolyzer with a piggyback configuration. In two
piggyback configurations using a common housing, Herbold '521 and
Wu '714, syngas produced in an inner chamber of the pyrolyzer is
shunted back to an outer chamber of the pyrolyzer for burning. But
that is not the same as burning the syngas in a thermal oxidizer,
and then transferring the heat back to the pyrolyzer, for example
by shunting the exhaust gas from the thermal oxidizer to the
pyrolyzer. In a piggyback configuration without a common housing,
McGinnis '424, there is no teaching at all of diverting anything
back from the thermal oxidizer to the pyrolyzer.
[0009] Walker, Eshleman, Hansen, Ballantine, Barba, Suzuki,
Herbold, Wu, and McGinnis, and all other extrinsic materials
discussed herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is
inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided
herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the
definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
[0010] Thus, there is still a need for systems, methods and
apparatus that decrease the space requirements for a waste
treatment system having a pyrolyzer and a thermal oxidizer, while
still retaining efficient heat transfer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The present invention provides apparatus, systems and
methods in which a pyrolyzer and a thermal oxidizer of a waste
treatment system are aligned in a partially or completely
piggybacked fashion, and heat from the exhaust gas of the thermal
oxidizer is shunted back to the pyrolyzer. Such configurations can
advantageously decrease the floor space needed in a waste treatment
facility, while still providing excellent energy efficiency.
[0012] As used herein, the terms "piggyback", "piggybacking" and
the like should be interpreted broadly as applied to a pyrolyzer
and the thermal oxidizer combination, to include all situations
where a vertical line would pass through portions of both the
pyrolyzer and the thermal oxidizer. Thus, all configurations where
the thermal oxidizer or the pyrolyzer lies directly over the other
are considered piggybacked, as are configurations where the
alignment is more askew, but one of the pyrolyzer and the thermal
oxidizer is still at least partially over the other. In preferred
embodiments, one of the pyrolyzer and the thermal oxidizer is
elevated relative to one another by at least 2 meters (m). In
preferred embodiments the pyrolyzer is also distanced from the
thermal oxidizer by less than 2 meters, and a saddle is disposed
between the pyrolyzer and the thermal oxidizer to prevent heat
transfer.
[0013] Preferred pyrolyzers have an inner chamber that carries a
waste stream, an outer chamber that provides heat to the inner
chamber to sustain pyrolysis, and an outlet for release of syngas
produced during pyrolysis.
[0014] Preferred thermal oxidizers burn at least a portion of the
syn gases in a hot flame from a natural gas burner, thereby
producing hot exhaust gases. Thermal oxidizers also preferably have
a conduit that transports a portion of the hot exhaust gases back
to the outer chamber of the pyrolyzer, which conducts heat to a
waste stream in the inner chamber of the pyrolyzer to help sustain
pyrolysis. Such conduits can have any suitable configuration,
including for example where the conduit extends from sides (as
opposed to the ends) of each of the pyrolyzer and the thermal
oxidizer.
[0015] The pyrolyzer and the thermal oxidizer can have any suitable
dimensions, but preferably the pyrolyzer and the thermal oxidizer
are at least 5 meters long, and have a cross sectional area of at
least 10 m.sup.2. In most contemplated embodiments, the thermal
oxidizer has a length within 20% of the length of the
pyrolyzer.
[0016] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the
inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the
following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with
the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like
components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pyrolyzer and a thermal
oxidizer in a piggyback configuration.
[0018] FIG. 2A comprises a vertical end view of the piggyback
configuration of FIG. 1.
[0019] FIG. 2B comprises a vertical end view of an alternative
piggyback configuration of a pyrolyzer and a thermal oxidizer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] FIGS. 1 and 2A generally depict a waste treatment system 100
having a pyrolyzer 110 and a thermal oxidizer 140 in a preferred
piggyback configuration.
[0021] Pyrolyzer 110 generally includes an outer housing 112, an
inner housing 114, a heated outer chamber 112A between the inner
and outer housings, and an inner reaction chamber 114A in which
pyrolysis occurs. Conveyor mechanism 120 is disposed within, and
passes through inner housing 114. Preferably, conveyor mechanism
120 is a screw type conveyor that transports waste input as shown
by arrow 118, through inner reaction chamber 114A as pyrolysis
occurs.
[0022] Waste input 118 can accept any suitable type of waste,
including for example, municipal waste, and especially including
dried waste from sewage, municipal garbage, plastic scraps, scrap
wood, oil impregnated rags and refuse oils, scrap metal, and old
tires and other articles of rubber. Waste processed in the
pyrolyzer exits the inner reaction chamber 114A as char, shown by
arrow 124, via char outlet conduit 122. Processing of the waste
also produces syn gases (pyrolysis waste gases), which exits the
inner reaction chamber 114A via conduit 126, as shown by arrow 128,
and then travels to the thermal oxidizer 140.
[0023] Thermal oxidizer 140 generally includes an input of syngas
from conduit 126, a burner 142, an exhaust gas return conduit 144,
and an exhaust gas outlet 148. The composition of the syngas can
vary greatly as a function of the waste being pyrolyzed, with
syngas from pyrolysis of municipal waste, for example, typically
including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and lower molecular
weight hydrocarbons, as well as nitrogen and carbon dioxide. A hot
flame from a natural gas burner 142 is preferably used to initiate
combustion of the syn gases 128, thereby producing hot exhaust
gases 145.
[0024] Exhaust gas return conduit 144 shunts a portion of hot
exhaust gases 145 back to outer chamber 112A of pyrolyzer 110.
Outer chamber 112A of pyrolyzer 110 conducts heat to a stream of
waste in inner reaction chamber 114A of pyrolyzer 110 to help
sustain pyrolysis. Exhaust gas return conduit 144 can have any
suitable configuration, including for example where the conduit
extends from sides (as opposed to the ends) of each of the
pyrolyzer 110 and the thermal oxidizer 140. Any portion of hot
exhaust gases 145 not shunted to pyrolyzer 110 are carried out of
thermal oxidizer 140 by exhaust gas conduit 148.
[0025] Pyrolyzer 110 and thermal oxidizer 140 can have any suitable
dimensions, but preferably pyrolyzer 110 and thermal oxidizer 140
are at least 3, 5, 6, or 7 meters long, and have a cross sectional
area of at least 8, 9, 10, or 12 m.sup.2. In most contemplated
embodiments, the thermal oxidizer has a length within 20%, 15%, or
more preferably 10% of the length of the pyrolyzer. Also, as shown
in FIG. 2A, pyrolyzer 110 is distanced from thermal oxidizer 140 by
less than 2, 1.5, 1 or even 0.5 meters, as shown by distance
132.
[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A, pyrolyzer 110 and thermal
oxidizer 140 have a piggyback configuration. It is contemplated
that the piggyback configuration includes all situations where
vertical line 170 (see FIG. 2A) passes through portions of both
pyrolyzer 110 and thermal oxidizer 140. Thus, all configurations
where thermal oxidizer 140 or pyrolyzer 110 lies directly over the
other are considered piggybacked. Pyrolyzer 110 and thermal
oxidizer 140 each have a bottom 116 and 146 respectively, and in
preferred embodiments, the bottom of one is elevated at least 2, 3,
4, or even 5 meters relative to the bottom of the other. FIG. 2B
generally depicts an alternative piggyback configuration that is
slightly askew, but one where the thermal oxidizer 240 is only
partially disposed over the pyrolyzer 210 such that a vertical line
270 exists that passes through portions of both the pyrolyzer 210
and the thermal oxidizer 240.
[0027] FIGS. 1 and 2A also depict saddles 130A that support
pyrolyzer 110 and saddles 130B disposed between pyrolyzer 110 and
thermal oxidizer 140. The saddle 130A, 130B allow expansion and
contraction of the chambers as temperature changes, particularly
along its length, without causing the chambers to buckle such as by
bending, warping, or crumpling. Ceramic saddles are particularly
desirably under the pyrolyzer 110 because they have a relatively
low coefficient of thermal conductivity, and would tend to inhibit
the flow of heat out of the pyrolyzer 110.
[0028] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many
more modifications besides those already described are possible
without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive
subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the
spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the
specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in
the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In
particular, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" should be
interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a
non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements,
components, or steps can be present, or utilized, or combined with
other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly
referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at least one
of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . .
and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element
from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.
* * * * *