U.S. patent application number 13/142969 was filed with the patent office on 2012-01-12 for fast cooling equipment for organic or inorganic vapors.
This patent application is currently assigned to UNIVERSIDAD DE CONCEPCION. Invention is credited to Igor Wilkomirsky Fuica.
Application Number | 20120006051 13/142969 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44226210 |
Filed Date | 2012-01-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120006051 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wilkomirsky Fuica; Igor |
January 12, 2012 |
FAST COOLING EQUIPMENT FOR ORGANIC OR INORGANIC VAPORS
Abstract
A fast cooling equipment for organic or inorganic vapors that
comprises a vertical double-truncated-cone body joined by the apex
of both cones, provided with an external refrigeration jacket along
its entire length; an upper coverlid placed at the base of the
upper inverted truncated cone, provided with a central entrance for
the vapors to be condensed with a thermal insulating layer; an
annular chamber provided with two or more openings or nozzles from
which a cold gas is blown; an annular chamber located below the
cold gas chamber; an inner central cone located inside the lower
section of the condenser body, provided in turn with an internal
cooling system and deflecting baffles located at one or more cone
levels and in mutually opposing directions between each successive
level; and a lower accumulation section for liquids or other
condensable materials, provided with a conventional drain system
and a lateral exit for gases and liquids that are separated in a
conventional cyclone system.
Inventors: |
Wilkomirsky Fuica; Igor;
(Concepcion, CL) |
Assignee: |
UNIVERSIDAD DE CONCEPCION
Concepcion
CL
|
Family ID: |
44226210 |
Appl. No.: |
13/142969 |
Filed: |
December 2, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
December 2, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB10/55556 |
371 Date: |
September 27, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/600 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B01D 5/0027 20130101;
F28C 3/02 20130101; F28D 7/106 20130101; F28C 3/06 20130101; C10K
1/04 20130101; B01D 5/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/600 |
International
Class: |
F25J 1/02 20060101
F25J001/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 29, 2009 |
CL |
2227-2009 |
Claims
1. A fast cooling equipment for organic or inorganic vapors
generated in the pyrolysis of organic material or condensation of
vapors of metals or inorganic compounds, wherein said equipment
comprises: a. a vertical double-truncated-cone body joined by the
apex of both cones, provided with an external refrigeration jacket
along its entire length; b. an upper coverlid placed at the base of
the upper inverted truncated cone, provided with a central entrance
for the vapors to be condensed with a thermal insulating layer; an
annular chamber provided with two or more openings or nozzles from
which a cold gas is blown; an annular chamber located below the
cold gas chamber; c. an inner central cone located inside the lower
section of the condenser body, provided in turn with an internal
cooling system and deflecting baffles located at one or more cone
levels and in mutually opposing directions between each successive
level; d. a lower accumulation section for liquids or other
condensable materials, provided with a conventional drain system
and a lateral exit for gases and liquids that are separated in a
conventional cyclone system.
2. A fast cooling equipment for organic or inorganic vapors
according to claim 1, wherein the cooling equipment uses a combined
system comprising: a gas, preferably at a temperature below
60.degree. C.; a liquid, preferably at a temperature below
60.degree. C.; and a liquid or a gas, preferably water at
60.degree. C. or less that flows inside the external refrigerating
jacket, to condense the vapors.
3. A fast cooling equipment for organic or inorganic vapors
according to claim 1, wherein the vapors to be condensed are,
preferably, vapors produced in distillation or pyrolysis processes
of wood, forestry products, organic materials, coal, petroleum,
metals or inorganic compounds.
4. A fast cooling equipment for organic or inorganic vapors
according to claim 1, wherein the cooling gas is, preferably, a
non-condensable gas from distillation or pyrolysis processes of
wood, forestry products, organic materials, coal, petroleum, metals
or inorganic compounds, or an inert gas such as nitrogen or the
like at a temperature of 60.degree. C. or lower.
5. A fast cooling equipment for organic or inorganic vapors
according to claim 1, wherein the cooling liquid is, preferably, a
biofuel produced in distillation or pyrolysis processes of wood,
forestry products, organic materials, coal, petroleum, or other
inorganic or organic liquid at a temperature of 60.degree. C. or
lower.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The condensation of organic or inorganic vapors generated in
operations such as distillation of wood (pyrolysis), coal,
petroleum or other organic materials, as well as in operations
involving metal vapors such as magnesium or cadmium vapors, or
volatile inorganic compounds such as titanium tetrachloride
(TiCl.sub.4) and the like, requires in a major part of the cases a
high cooling rate for these vapors to avoid problems related to
undesirable side reactions that could occur if the cooling rate is
not fast enough.
[0002] One of the central problems occurring when cooling organic
or inorganic vapors at high temperature is related to the removal
of the major part of heat from these vapors in a time as short as
possible, which implies the sensible heat contained in these vapors
(which is a function of their mass and specific heat) as well as
the latent heat of condensation, which is generally one order of
magnitude larger than the sensible heat by unit of vapor mass.
[0003] These conditions therefore require contacting the hot vapors
with another gas, a liquid or a surface at lower temperatures for a
short period of time, generally only seconds, to cool the vapors
down to their condensation temperature of less. This problem is
particularly important when cooling down vapors produced in
processes such as pyrolysis of organic products, e.g. wood, tree
bark, forestry wastes, etc., which require a high cooling rate to
bring their temperature down from 350-600.degree. C. to
40-60.degree. C. in one or two seconds to avoid degradation of
biofuels produced by condensation of these vapors.
[0004] A large variety of fast cooling methods have been proposed
and assayed to rapidly cool down organic and inorganic vapors.
However, more than 95% of these processes or equipment use cold
surfaces (heat exchangers) such as walls, tubes, tube racks,
concentric tubes or double-walled tubes. The cooling element,
almost without exception, is water (approximately under 30.degree.
C.). In exceptional cases, indirect cooling liquids such as
ammonia, Freon and others have been used, and also liquid nitrogen
at -196.degree. C. has been proposed to be used, but in most cases
these liquids dilute or alter the composition of the biofuel or the
produced condensate.
STATE OF THE ART
[0005] A search of the state of the art has been performed at the
main Invention Patent Offices in the world and at national level.
Some found documents that are related to the present technology are
detailed in the following paragraphs.
1. US Patent Application US2009085234 (A1), 2009: "Method and
Apparatus for Cooling Pyrolysis Effluent".
[0006] This patent application claims a process and apparatus for
cooling gaseous effluents from hydrocarbon pyrolysis furnace. The
apparatus comprises: an internal wall to contact the effluent,
including an opening along the perimeter of a gap; an external wall
coaxial to the internal wall; an annular cavity external to the
internal wall, which comprises at least one part of the external
wall, connected to the opening portion of the perimeter; and
peripheral extended channel around the perimeter of the internal
wall, this channel providing a route that fluidly connects said
cavity with the opening of the perimeter ring connected along the
perimeter of the internal wall; and a cooling liquid.
2. US Patent Application US200US2007007175, 2007: "Method for
Processing Hydrocarbon Pyrolysis Effluent".
[0007] This technology protects a method to treat effluents from
hydrocarbon pyrolysis process units, with heat recovery and tar
removal. The method comprises passing the gaseous effluents for at
least one heat exchanger to cool the gaseous effluents and generate
high-pressure steam. Then, the effluent is conducted through at
least one secondary heat exchanger with an exchange surface at such
a temperature to cause part of the effluent to condense in situ,
and so the remaining gaseous effluent further condenses too. The
condensed tar is removed from the effluent in at least one
separator.
3. Utility Model Presented at the Chinese Patent Office
CN2814300(Y), 2006: "Fast Cooling Boiler with New Structure".
[0008] This technology is directed to a cooling equipment
comprising: a manifold; a lower and an upper tube plate; a deposit
body; and a connecting duct for the pyrolysis gas outlet from the
lower section to the upper section. The manifold is a cylindrical
body with a transition inverted cone section, the entrance of which
is connected to the lower tube plate. This system has low pyrolysis
gas residence times and fast cooling, avoids vortexes, is capable
of a large heat exchange, presents low gas pressure drop, has low
material consumption, has a simple structure, saves space and has
low cost, further restricting pyrolysis gas secondary
reactions.
4. US Invention Patent U.S. Pat. No. 7,101,463 (B1), 2006:
"Condensation and Recovery of Oil from Pyrolysis Gas".
[0009] This invention claims a system and a process for the
recovery of oils from pyrolysis of hydrocarbon-containing materials
as well as from tires. The system uses a pair of packed columns
sequentially located to recover at least 95% of the oil contained
in the pyrolysis gases. The first tower operates over the dew point
of the pyrolysis gases to ensure that no water is condensed and to
obtain primarily an oil fraction with a high flash point, which is
close or higher than 60.degree. C., and a primary steam fraction
containing additional oils, combustible gases and water vapor. The
vapor fraction is fed into a second column operating below the
steam dew point, wherein the oil has a flash point of 34.degree. C.
or less; a secondary steam fraction containing combustible gases is
further provided.
5. Invention Patent WO0056841 (A1), with US Priority
(US19990275846): "Quenching Apparatus".
[0010] This invention protects an apparatus for gas cooling and a
cooling section associated to a gas stream from a pyrolysis
furnace. Said apparatus comprises: a first conductor means to
conduct the gas from the upper outlet to a lower location; a flow
obstructing means located inside said conductor means to form a low
pressure section; a second conductor means that intercepts the
first conductor means tangentially at the same angle, said second
conductor being adapted to inject a cooling liquid into said hot
gas flow at a pressure sufficient to cause a circular flow around
the inner surface of the first conductor means, fill the low
pressure zone and contacting the lower face of said obstruction
means; and an interface means on said lower face of the obstruction
means to provide an interface between the hot gas stream and the
cooling liquid.
6. Invention Patent WO9312200 (A1), with US Priority
(US19910805229): "Method for Simplifying Quench and Tar Removal
Facilities in Steam Crackers".
[0011] A method is disclosed for quenching the effluent from
hydrocarbon pyrolysis units and removing heavy oils and tars to
prevent their accumulation in the recycled quench water. Gaseous
pyrolysis effluent is initially cooled to a target temperature
close to or at the dew point of water at the pressure in the
effluent stream; the effluent is then conducted into a separation
vessel to remove some heavy oils and condensed tars. After the
initial cooling, the effluent is conducted into a conventional
cooling tower and its temperature is reduced until the effluent is
chemically stable, which is performed by direct contact with the
cooling liquid (water) introduced in this section.
7. Japanese Invention Patent JP62223294, 1987: "Apparatus for
Cooling Pyrolysis Gas".
[0012] An apparatus is disclosed for cooling pyrolysis gases that
includes a first inlet duct to conduct pyrolysis gases directly
into each tube of a multiple-tube hydrocarbon pyrolysis furnace;
the gas is inserted into the central part of the inlet duct; a
second pyrolysis gas is placed in the outer section of the first
pyrolysis gas inlet duct concentric to said inlet duct; and the
refrigeration gas is incorporated between the first and the second
inlet of the pyrolysis gas. The second gas inlet duct is connected
to the first inlet at its upper section and is provided at its
lower section of a cooled pyrolysis gas outlet section.
8. US Invention Patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,109 (A), 1987: "Gas
Cooling with Heat Recovery".
[0013] This patent protects a fast gas cooling process with
simultaneous heat recovery that is carried out by directly
contacting the gas with finely divided solids, and then heat is
recovered by passing said solids through at least two tanks wherein
solids are kept as a fluidized bed. The pyrolysis effluent at a
temperature higher than 1200.degree. F. can be rapidly cooled and
an effective heat recovery is simultaneously provided. Heat from
the solids is recovered in at least two steam generation
sections.
9. Spanish Invention Patent ES8204155A1 with US priority
US19790106060, 1979: "Un procedimiento para recuperar calor del
efluente de un reactor de pirolisis de hidrocarburos" ("Procedure
to Recover Heat from the Effluent of a Hydrocarbon Pyrolysis
Reactor").
[0014] The invention discloses a procedure to rapidly and
indirectly cool an effluent in a first cooler down to at least
540.degree. C.; passing the effluent into a second cooler that
comprises a direct fast cooling modeler section in communication
with an indirect fast cooling section to provide heat to water by
contacting the first effluent in the modeler section with a cooling
liquid to produce a mixture at 400.degree. C. or more; then rapidly
and indirectly cooling said mixture in the second cooler with
simultaneous production of high pressure steam, and producing a
mixture at 370.degree. C. or more; and passing said mixture through
a fractionated distillation section; then separating said mixture
and passing said mixture through a heat exchanger; recovering the
heat from the extraction stream; producing a cooler extraction
stream; and finally recycling at least part of the cooler
extraction stream back to the distillation section.
10. US Invention Patent U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,661, 1973: "Process and
Apparatus for Quenching Unstable Gas".
[0015] This technology is related to a process for cooling
pyrolysis products at a temperature higher than 1400.degree. F., by
passing them through a cooling (quenching) section until the liquid
is introduced as a fine film onto the wall of the cooling section,
to decrease its temperature below 700.degree. F. where the product
is stable. The patent also discloses an apparatus that includes a
cylindrical cooling section with means suitable to introduce a
cooling liquid onto the walls thereof to form an abrupt liquid
film.
11. US Invention Patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,217 (A) with Japanese
Priority JP19720066321: "Method of Cooling Cracked Gases of Low
Boiling Hydrocarbons".
[0016] This invention is directed to avoid the formation and
accumulation of coke and other products derived from olefins
produced by hydrocarbon pyrolysis. This is carried out by keeping a
transference section extending from the outlet section of a
pyrolysis reaction duct of a multiple-tube device at a temperature
below 450.degree. C. This technique is especially suitable for the
manufacture of olefins by hydrocarbon pyrolysis that are gaseous at
room temperature and atmospheric pressure or liquid hydrocarbons
having an average volumetric boiling point under 90.degree. C., at
temperatures between 750-900.degree. C., followed by cooling in a
multi-tube cooling apparatus.
[0017] The previously cited documents do not interfere nor
reproduce completely the technology disclosed herein, and therefore
do not affect the novelty and inventive step requisites
thereof.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The present disclosure is directed to a fast (flash) vapor
cooling equipment that uses a combined cooling system comprising:
[0019] a cold gas, preferably a non-condensable gas obtained from
pyrolysis of organic products, specifically from wood, forestry
wastes or organic products, coal, petroleum, metals or inorganic
compounds, or an inert gas such as nitrogen and the like, at a
temperature of 60.degree. C. or lower; [0020] a liquid, preferably
a biofuel obtained from pyrolysis of organic compounds, wood or
forestry wastes; [0021] water or other liquid or gaseous cooling
agent to be circulated along refrigerated walls.
[0022] This combination of cooling mechanisms generate a synergism
between each other manifested in the form in which each mechanism
acts: the cold gas (under 60.degree. C.) decreases almost
instantaneously the temperature of vapors when mixed with them. In
the case of vapor from pyrolysis of wood, organic products or
forestry wastes, this allows decreasing the temperature from
350-800.degree. C. to 80-300.degree. C., preferably to
100-150.degree. C., which then condensate at a temperature ranging
from 15 to 60.degree. C. on a cold liquid film that flows on the
condenser walls on a time not longer than 5 seconds.
[0023] On one hand, the specific heat of vapors to be condensed
generally ranges from 0.05 to 0.2 cal/g .degree. C., whereas for
liquids such as biofuels, the specific heat ranges from 0.2 to 0.8
cal/g .degree. C. On the other hand, the latent heat of
condensation of vapors can vary from 3 to 5 cal/g .degree. C.,
which is over two magnitude orders higher than the specific heat of
the gas or one magnitude order higher than the specific heat of the
liquid.
[0024] Therefore, this requires continuously removing a large
amount of heat from the cooling element that absorbs the condensed
product (liquid), which is obtained using walls externally cooled
with water, other liquid or gas, which efficiently transfer heat
from the liquid film that flows inside the condenser.
[0025] In what follows, a detailed description of the technology is
presented with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0026] In FIG. 1, the fast cooling equipment is schematized, which
comprises an upper body 1 that is formed by an inverted truncated
cone joined by its apex or throat 14 with a lower truncated-conic
body 2, thus forming a double cone similar to so-called Venturi
equipment generally used to scrub gases in the industry.
[0027] The entire body of the fast cooling equipment is provided of
an outer cooling jacket 28, inside which a cooling liquid such as
water at a temperature lower than 60.degree. C. flows.
[0028] In the upper section of the upper inverted truncated cone of
the cooling equipment, a cover lid 35 of the equipment is placed,
which has a duct 4 in its central section provided with a thermal
insulation 36, through which high-temperature vapors 5 to be
condensed enter into the equipment. The thermal insulation 36
avoids condensation of products of the high temperature gases
inside duct 4 until said gases contact the cold gas. Hot vapors
emerging from duct 4 are rapidly mixed with cold gas emerging from
a system of two or more openings or nozzles 9 located at the
perimeter around duct 4. This cold gas 6 can be a non-condensable
pyrolysis gas or other gas, and enters into the cooling equipment
through duct 7, flowing toward the annular gas distributor 8 to
emerge through two or more radially located perforations or nozzles
9 in order to mix rapidly and homogeneously with the vapors to be
condensed.
[0029] The mixture of hot vapors and cold gas impacts a dispersion
cone 3 that deflects the gas flow to the periphery of the inner
upper section of the cooling equipment, wherein said gases contact
a liquid layer or film at a temperature of 60.degree. C. or lower,
which can be e.g. a liquid biofuel 10 externally cooled down to a
temperature of 60.degree. C. or lower in a conventional equipment,
which is fed into the cooling equipment through a duct 11 and flows
over an annular dam 12 to form a liquid layer or film 13 that
gravitationally flows down on the internal walls of the equipment,
thus cooling and condensing the vapors and integrating the
condensate into the liquid flowing into the neck 14 of the cooling
equipment, wherein said liquid faces a central cone 15 located
inside the lower truncated cone of the cooling equipment. The cone
15 is provided with deflecting baffles 16 located at two or more
levels and at opposing positions between each level, thus
generating a strong turbulence inside the gas and forcing it to
contact the liquid film 13 that descends on the walls of the cone
and thus completing the condensation of vapors.
[0030] The mixture 21 of non-condensable gases and liquid passes
into a conventional gas-liquid separation system such as a cyclone
22 wherein the liquid 23 is separated from the non-condensable gas
24 that exits the cyclone through the upper cyclone section 25,
which can flow into another additional gas-liquid separation system
if desired.
[0031] All the wall of the cooling equipment, excepting the upper
coverlid 35 and the bottom 34 thereof, are provided with cooling
jackets 28, inside which a liquid such as water or other gas 26
flows at a temperature of 60.degree. C. or lower, which enters into
the lower section 27 and exits at 30 in the upper section 29.
Likewise, the internal lower cone 15 has an admission system 18 for
refrigeration liquid or gas 17, which overflows through its central
inner section into a duct 19, through which the refrigeration
liquid or gasexits at 20. Any residual liquid 31 accumulated in the
lower section of the condenser 34 is extracted at 33 through a
valve 32.
[0032] In FIG. 2, a more detailed schematic view of the upper
section of the cooling equipment is shown. In this Figure, vapors
to be condensed 5 enter into the equipment through a central duct 4
thermally insulated with an insulation layer 36. The vapors 38 face
the flow of a cold gas 6, which enters through a duct 7 into an
upper chamber 40, which is provided with two or more openings or
nozzles 9 to effect the mixture of cold gases 39 and vapors 38,
thus decreasing the temperature thereof, this mixture being
conducted to the periphery of the cooling equipment to contact the
liquid film 13 through a central diffusion cone 3.
[0033] The mixture of vapors and gas 41 enters into contact with a
cold liquid film 13 at 60.degree. C. or less, which can be a
biofuel or other liquid 10 that is cooled out of the cooling
equipment and enters into the cooling equipment through a duct 11
to form a liquid ring 42 that flows over the annular dam 13 at 43
to form a film that gravitationally flows 13 over the inner wall 44
of the cooling equipment, said walls being provided with an
external refrigeration jacket 28 inside which a cooling
refrigerating liquid or gas 45, such as water or the like, flows at
a temperature of 60.degree. C. or lower.
APPLICATION EXAMPLE
[0034] Vapor from fast pyrolysis of radiata pine sawdust at a
temperature of 480.degree. C. was cooled in the fast cooling
equipment for organic or inorganic vapors of the invention.
Previously obtained non-condensable pyrolysis gas in a ratio of 4
volumes of gas at 15.degree. C. per each volume of vapor at
480.degree. C., and bio-oil obtained from a previous operation in a
flow ratio of 1 volume of liquid (bio-oil) per each 20 volumes of
pyrolysis vapor were used. The cooling equipment had external walls
refrigerated with circulating water that entered at 15.degree.
C.
[0035] The condensation efficiency of bio-oil vapors (referred to
the total condensable fraction) was 96.8%.
* * * * *