Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
COMPACT THERMAL PROCESSING EQUIPMENT FOR TREATING A FEED MATERIAL,
METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING THE EQUIPMENTS, THERMAL PROCESSES FOR
PRODUCING LIQUID FUELS USING THE EQUIPMENT AND USES OF THE LIQUID FUELS
THEREBY PRODUCED
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a compact equipment for performing pyrolysis of a
feed material and for
recovering valuable fuels. The invention also relates to methods the
manufacturing of compact equipment
of the invention.
The invention also relates to a thermal process using the compact equipment of
the invention wherein
pyrolysis reaction takes place and for producing liquid fuels from a feed
material that is preferably selected
in the group constituted by oily feeds and/or by hydrocarbon feeds and/or by
organic material submitted to
a pyrolysis treatment.
The invention further concerns to uses of the processes of the invention for
treating various material, even
for treating those material with a variable composition, such as municipal
waste material, biomass, plastic
and/or tires.
Additionally, the invention relates to managing systems allowing continuous
optimisation of the processes
of the invention when producing fuel from waste hydrocarbon and/or from
organic material.
Finally, the invention also relates to the adaptative use of the recovered
liquid fuels in numerous
applications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When submitting oils or other hydrocarbons to thermal cracking in a reactor
several, major problems occur
due to the production of coke during the process. When submitting oils or
other hydrocarbons to thermal
cracking in an indirectly fired rotating kiln there are also several major
problems.
One such problem is keeping the coke, formed in the cracking reactions, from
coating the reactor walls and
internals thus impeding heat transfer from the heat source to the inside of
the kiln. Often charges of sand or
metal are added to the kiln to scrape the walls of the kiln as it rotates.
Coke rarely deposits in a uniform
layer. An uneven coke layer can result in hot spots and in eventual failure of
the kiln shell.
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The second problem is getting the required heat from its source to the
reaction site. Typically, in a kiln, the
heat transfer area in contact with the reactants is a small portion on the
kiln shell. Further, charges added to
the kiln without being previously heated outside of the kiln will form a
resistance to heat transfer.
When the relatively cold oil or hydrocarbon feed is projected directly against
the reactor shell, the resulting
thermal shock can cause failure of the reactor shell.
In thermal cracking oils, the reaction temperature (and pressure) must be kept
in a narrow operating range.
If the temperature at the reaction site is too cold, the reaction will take
longer and the feed rate will have to
be reduced. If the temperature is too high, product quality and quantities are
compromised. Therefore, for a
given feedstock, reactor size and pressure, the temperature at the reaction
site must be closely measured and
controlled. This is difficult when the reactor wall cokes up or when the metal
charge has trapped the coke
within it.
Finally, once the coke has been released, either when the reaction takes place
or after it has been scraped
off the surface it was attached to (i.e. on the charge or on the reactor
walls), the coke must exit the reactor
without plugging the exit from the reactor thereby causing pressure surges and
failure of the reactor seals,
often resulting in fires.
Rotating kilns, both directly fired (heat source or flame(s) inside the kiln)
and indirectly fired (heat source
or flame outside the kiln) have been used in various applications for more
than 100 years. When
hydrocarbons are being treated in a rotating kiln to make a specific slate of
oil products, an indirectly fired
kiln is used.
One of the earliest applications for indirectly fired kilns was the production
of coal oil and gas by thermal
cracking and vaporization of coal.
At present, no fully satisfying solution has been identified in response to
the numerous technical difficulties
encountered by the following prior equipment and/or processes.
Holighaus et al. (CA 1 221 047) mentions that to avoid coke deposits building
up on the inside of the walls
.. of the drum, the latter contained steel balls that remove deposits from the
walls by attrition as the drum
revolved. The kiln is slanted toward the exit end, where a stationary box is
located. A screen, attached to
the kiln, keeps the metal charge in the kiln. The box has two exits, one for
the hydrocarbon vapours at the
top and a pipe at the bottom of the box for the solids.
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Bernt (CA 1 129 195) suggests that chains, attached to spoons, are effective
in removing coke deposits from
the walls of a rotating kiln.
Musha and Maeda (US 4 014 643) describe a similar apparatus with chains
attached to lifters to break down
the coke on the kiln walls as the kiln rotates.
Klaus (CA 1 334 129) mentions that the solid pyrolysed coke is removed from
the reactor walls by the
grinding bodies and the resulting small particles are directed to the centre
of the kiln with spiral fins and
continuously removed from the reactor through ports in the reactor walls. The
ports open into a stationary
ring around the kiln. Vapours exit through the top of the ring, while the fine
solids exit through the bottom
of the ring. Screens keep the grinding bodies in the kiln.
Taciuk et al. (CA 2,186,658) describes a charge of ceramic balls or coarse
granular solids provided within
the vessel chamber. As the vessel rotates, the ceramic balls or the granular
solids scour the vessel's internal
surface and comminute the coke into fine solids. The coke is directed to one
end of the kiln with spiral fins
continuously welded to the reactor wall. A spiral chute with a screen at its
entrance transports the coke up
to the exit pipe. The exit pipe, at the centre of the exit end of the kiln,
has a screw conveyor to take the coke
out of the reactor.
These beds of solids constitute a resistance to heat transfer, especially when
coke is captive in the interstices
between the solids forming the charge.
Indirectly fired rotating kilns are not very efficient in transferring heat to
the hydrocarbons to be cracked
and/or vaporized through the shell. Some use a stream of solids circulating
between two kilns: The process
kiln, where the solids release the heat they contain to the hydrocarbon to be
treated, and another kiln where
the coke that deposited on the solids is burned off, heating the solids, which
are then returned to the first
kiln.
Taciuk et al., CA 1 120 418, suggest the use of a stream of sand to carry heat
from an outer kiln, where the
burner is situated, to the inner kiln, where the tar sands is vaporized and/or
thermally cracked.
Raymond and McKenny, CA 2 151 792, suggest the use of a stream of ceramic or
Pyrex glass balls
circulating between an indirectly fired rotating kiln where a coal and oil
mixture are pyrolyzed, and a directly
fired kiln where the coke is burned off the balls, cleaning and heating them.
The hot balls are then returned
to the first kiln, where they release some of the heat required for the
process.
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In a similar process, Taylor, US 5 423 891 mentions a heat carrying solid
(HCS) such as iron oxide,
aluminium oxide, refractory inert, fine mesh sand, or retorted residue from
the starting waste material,
circulating between a dryer, where the coke is burned off and the HCS is
heated, and the thermal cracking
kiln where the "gasification" of solid waste material takes place.
These prior art processes involve significant material handling difficulties
encountered in the conveyance
of large amounts of hot solids.
Others suggest the use of fins attached to the kiln walls in an effort to
enhance heat transfer from the heat
source through the reactor walls.
Peterson and Wilson, (CA 1 316 344), describe a plurality of fins extending
from the inner wall and
transmitting heat from the inner wall to the particulate material.
Kram et al. (US 4 131 418) mention heat exchange fins on the inside of cooling
tubes to enhance the cooling
of solids particulates.
Hogan (US 4 872 954) mentions fins affixed to the exterior surface of the drum
of a retort for treating waste.
Fins continuously welded to the wall of a kiln can cause stress and failure of
the kiln wall due to the
differential expansions of the wall and of the fins. Also, fins inside the
kilns are surfaces that are easily
covered in coke causing hot and cool spots furthermore, they are difficult to
clean.
Lifters and mixers in rotating kilns are mentioned in several patents, usually
to enhance the mixing of
material within a directly fired kiln (i.e. the flame is inside the kiln along
with the material to be dried,
burned, incinerated, calcined and/or decoked).
Tyler (US 4 47 ,886), Leca (GB 1 534 302), Ellis (GB 2 150 271), Schoof (WO
1997/046843), Hojou (JP
2007 040615), Omiya (JP 2006 0309565) and Doeksen (CA 2315774) all describe
lifters or mixers, attached
to the kiln wall and protruding trough the ceramic lining of a directly fired
kiln. Vering (US 3 807 936)
describes blade lifters to be used in kilns treating abrasive materials such
as in cement clinkers.
Twyman (CA 1 099 507) mentions curved lifters, attached to the kiln wall, as
mixing paddles in a directly
heated kiln with flue gas as the source of heat. In a similar kiln, Musha et
al. (US 4 014 643) mentions
attaching chains and spoons to the end of each mixing paddle to scrape the
kiln walls and the lifter below
clean of coke or other deposits in kilns used as dryers for slurries before
they are fed to incinerators.
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All these mixers and lifters are suggested as means to turn over the material
to be treated and show more of
the untreated material to the source of heat.
CA 2 799 751 describes a reactor and its internals used for the thermal
processing of a liquid mixture. The
reactor comprises plates and at least part of the surface of said plates is
used to perform the thermal
processing. The reactor and its internals are used for the thermal processing
of various liquid mixtures
containing organic compounds. The processes, for thermal processing the
mixture comprising organic
compounds, comprising the steps of feeding the reactor and its internals and
being useful for treating wastes
oils and/or for destroying hazardous and/or toxic products; and/or for reusing
waste products in an
environmentally acceptable form and/or way, and/or for cleaning contaminated
soils or beaches, and/or
cleaning tar pits, and/or use in coal-oil co-processing, and/or recovering oil
from oil spills, and/or PCB free
transformed oils. A process for fabricating the reactor and its internals is
also proposed.
US 4 411 074 relates to a process and apparatus for drying oil well cuttings.
More particularly, the present
invention relates to the direct thermal treatment of oil well drill cuttings
whereby the cuttings will be freed
from any excess liquid and removed for storage or disposal on site or bagging.
JPH05138053 describes a wet ash grinding and drying apparatus 5 grinding and
drying the wet ash
discharged from a stoker type incinerator burning up waste refuse or sludge, a
rotary kiln main body 17
having many scraping-up blades 18 provided to the inner wall surface divided
by a partition wall 19 having
many through hole 19a.; The upstream space of the partition wall 19 is set to
a wet ash grinding part 20 and
the downstream space thereof is set to an ash drying part 22 and impact rigid
bodies 21 are arranged to the
wet ash grinding part 20 while drying gas C is supplied from the downstream
side thereof and the scraping-
up and falling of the impact rigid bodies 21 and ash due to the scraping-up
blades 18 are repeated to
simultaneously perform the grinding and drying of wet ash.
US 2009 114567 describes a continuous process and apparatus for treating
feedstocks containing
carbonaceous materials involves heating bodies to heat the feedstock to
vaporize and crack hydrocarbons
and carbon formed on heating bodies is removed through direct contact to a
flame heater.
CA 2 938 502 (Al) describes a mobile plant, for thermally treating a feed
stream, comprising a first unit
designed for heating the feed oil (Unit I); ii. a second unit comprising a
rotating reactor designed to perform
the thermal processing (pyrolyzing) of the feed oil and a vapor solid
separator (Unit II); and iii. a third unit
(Unit III) that is a product separation unit and that is preferably configured
for recycling at least part of the
treated feed stream (heavy oil), recovered in Unit III, into Unit I. The first
unit and/or the second unit is
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(are) configured for injecting a sweep gas in the feed oil and/or in the
rotating reactor, and/or the second
unit is configured in a way that the rotating reactor may work under positive
pressure.
There was therefore a need for reactors allowing the thermal processing of
various mixtures but free of at
least one of the drawbacks of prior art known reactors and/or processes, and
preferably all of them..
There was also a need for reactors allowing the thermal processing of various
mixtures but compact and
easy to transport on a site wherein collect has been performed, thus
minimizing inter alia the environment
risk associated with transportation of huge amount of contaminated oils on a
long distance and transportation
of regenerated oils thereby obtained also on long distances.
There was also a need for a process allowing treatment of small amount of
contaminated oil, there was
therefore a need for a new compact equipment with high efficiency and
occupying a limited volume on the
site.
There was a further need for the recovering of valuable products and/or of by-
products during the process,
and preferably for the recovery, in an environmental and in acceptable way, of
usable products and/or
reusable by-products.
There was also a need for a new equipment with an easy and fast a maintenance,
that may be advantageously
be performed on the side and advantageously a maintenance of the plug and play
type.
There was also a need for new uses for products recovered by thermal
treatment.
SUMMARY
Compact equipment, for performing pyrolysis of a feed material for recovering
a comprising an enclosure
at least one reaction's support preferably positioned inside the enclosure and
for performing pyrolysis on at
least part of the surface of the reaction's support, the reaction surface
having at least a partially a conic shape
and being static or rotating. A process for producing liquid fuels from a
starting material, by using an
equipment of the invention. Use of the process for producing liquid fuel from
a feed stream preferably
originated from municipal waste material. Use of the luidiid fuel obtained in
various fields of application.
Managing system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1: is a Block flow diagram representing a summary of an embodiment of
the process of the present
invention.
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Figure 2: is a top view, in perspective, of a first embodiment of the compact
equipment of the invention, of
its external isolating walls and of its fixing and supporting means.
Figure 3: is a cross-sectional front perspective view (A-A') of the compact
equipment, of its external
isolating walls and fixing means represented on Figure 2.
Figure 4: is a cross-sectional view (A-A') of the vertical cross-sectional
front view of the compact
equipment, of its external isolating walls and fixing and supporting means as
represented on Figure 2.
Figure 5: is a top view of the compact equipment, of its external isolating
walls and fixing and supporting
means represented on Figure 2.
Figure 6: is a horizontal cross-sectional view (B-B') of the compact
equipment, of its external isolating
walls and fixing means represented on Figure 2.
Figure 7: is a cross-sectional schematic view (A-A') of the compact equipment
on Figure 2 and with a first
series of components of the compact equipment identified.
Figure 7': is a cross-sectional view of the vertical cross-sectional front
view (D-D') of the compact
equipment on Figure 2 and with a second series of components of the compact
equipment identified.
Figure 7": is a cross-sectional view of the vertical cross-sectional front
view (D-D') of the compact
equipment on Figure 2 and with a third series of the components of the compact
equipment identified.
Figure 8: is a horizontal cross-sectional view (E-E') of the compact equipment
represented on Figure 2.
Figure 9: is a horizontal cross-sectional view (F-F') of the compact equipment
represented on Figure 2.
Figure 10: is a vertical cross-sectional view of a pair of conic reaction's
surface and of means for connecting
to a rotating shaft.
Figure 11: is a front view of a modular and disassembled compact equipment
according to a second
embodiment of the invention.
Figure 12: is a front view of a modular and assembled compact equipment
according to the second
embodiment of the invention as represented on Figure 11 and with a first
series of component of the compact
equipment identified.
Figure 12': is a front view of a modular and assembled compact equipment
according to the second
embodiment of the invention as represented on Figure 11 and with a second
series of component of the
compact equipment identified.
Figure 13: is a front view of a modular and disassembled compact equipment
according to a third
embodiment of the invention and of the attached rails access and with the non-
concentric exit on the top of
the compact equipment and with a third series of component of compact
equipment identified.
Figure I3': is a front view of a modular and disassembled compact equipment
according to a third
embodiment of the invention and of the attached rails access and with the non-
concentric exit on the top of
the compact equipment and with a second series of component of compact
equipment identified.
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Figure 13": is a front view of a modular and disassembled compact equipment
according to a third
embodiment of the invention and of the attached rails access and with the non-
concentric exit on the top of
the compact equipment and with a third series of component of compact
equipment identified.
Figure 14: is a front view of a modular and disassembled compact equipment
according to a third
embodiment of the invention and of the attached rails access and with the non-
concentric exit on the top of
the compact equipment and with a first series of components of compact
equipment identified. With 2 lateral
nestable sub-unit including heating means and cleaning means and feeding means
laterally nestable.
Figure 14': is a front view of a modular and disassembled compact equipment
according to a third
embodiment of the invention and of the attached rails access and with the non-
concentric exit on the top of
the compact equipment and with a second series of components of compact
equipment identified.
Figure 14": is a front view of a modular and disassembled compact equipment
according to a third
embodiment of the invention and of the attached rails access and with the non-
concentric exit on the top of
the compact equipment and with a third series of components of compact
equipment identified.
Figure 15: is a schematic perspective representation of a fourth embodiment of
the compact equipment of
the invention and with a single conic reaction support, the edge of the conic
reaction's support being above
the basis of the conic reaction's support.
Figure 16: is a schematic perspective representation of a fifth embodiment of
the compact equipment of
the invention and with a single conic reaction support, the edge of the conic
reaction's support being under
the basis of the conic reaction's support.
Figure 17: is a schematic perspective representation of a seventh embodiment
of the compact equipment of
the invention and with a pair of parallel conic reaction support, the edge of
the conic reaction's support
being above the basis of the conic reaction's support.
Figure 18: is a schematic perspective representation of a eight embodiment of
the compact equipment of
the invention and with a single conic reaction support, the edge of the conic
reaction's support being under
the basis of the conic reaction's support.
Figure 19: is a schematic view of a truncated conic reaction support showing
the angles and dimensions
used to calculate the surface of the truncated conic reaction surface,
Figure 20: is a schematic front view of the 4 scenarios of relative movement
of the reaction's support versus
the cleaning and heating means.
Figure 21: is a schematic front view of a compact equipment according to an
embodiment of the invention
wherein heating means are flams/burners that may use liquid and or vapours
exiting the enclosure.
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GENERAL DEFINITION OF THE INVENTION
A first object of the present application is constituted by compact equipment
for performing pyrolysis (that
is preferably of the flash type pyrolysis) of a feed material. The feed
material is preferably selected in the
group constituted by oily feeds and/or by hydrocarbon feeds and/or by organic
material advantageously in
.. the form of agglomerates. The performing of the pyrolysis with the compact
equipment of the invention
results in the efficient recovering a fuel (that is advantageously liquid and
preferably a biodiesel or a diesel),
said equipment comprising:
- an enclosure having a lateral part substantially vertical, a
bottom part and a superior part,
said enclosure comprising at least:
o feeding means, preferably of the feeding line type, positioned in the
lateral and/or in
the bottom part and/or in the upper part of the enclosure, for feeding
enclosure with
the feed material that is preferably mainly liquid or in form particulates,
preferably
having a maximum average size of 3 mm;
o a vapour exit positioned preferably in the superior part of the enclosure
and for
evacuating vapours generated during the pyrolysis and/or added steam and/or
added
inert gas;
o a solid exit positioned preferably in the bottom part of the enclosure
and for
evacuating solid produced during pyrolysis,
o at least one reaction's support preferably positioned inside the
enclosure and for
performing pyrolysis on at least part of the surface of the reaction's
support, said
reaction surface having at least partially a conic shape, the edge of a conic
shape
being preferably at the top or at the bottom of the conic shape,
o direct and/or indirect cleaning means, preferably a scraping device,
being positioned
inside the enclosure and preferably configured to be in contact with at least
part of the
surface of the reaction's support wherein feed material is sprayed and wherein
the
pyrolysis reaction take place, for cleaning at least part of the surface of
the reaction's
support after the pyrolysis reaction has been taking place, and
o internal and/or external heating means configured for heating at least
part of the
reaction support and /or without inducing overheating of the reaction surface,
and
- wherein the reaction's support and the heating means are preferably closely
positioned;
- wherein a relative movement is initiated between the cleaning means and the
reaction's support: and
- wherein the reaction's support is stationary and the cleaning means are
moving relatively to the reaction
support that is stationary; and/or
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- wherein the reaction's support is moving and the scraping device is
stationary; or
- wherein the reaction support and the cleaning means are moving according to
identical or different speeds
and/or according to identical or different rotation direction and/or according
to different and/ or according
to parallel trajectories, and
- wherein said compact equipment is optionally configured in order the
pyrolysis being performed in the
enclosure with an atmosphere containing at least one inert gas and/or in
atmosphere with a low oxygen
content.
In the compact equipment of the invention, the reaction support is
advantageously made of a plurality of at
least n partially conic surfaces. The number n being an integer preferably
ranging from 1 to 20, more
preferably ranging from 2 to 10, and more advantageously the integer n is 3,
4, 5, 6 or 7. Advantageously,
the reaction support is made of a plurality of at least partially conic
surfaces, those conic surfaces being thus
preferably substantially planar.
Advantageously, the reaction support is made of a plurality of at least
partially conic surfaces having an
external surface and/or an internal surface with a limited number of bumps
and/or with a limited number of
cavities. In the case wherein cavities are present in the reaction support,
they are preferably statistically
distributed, and more advantageously they have about the same size that is
preferably slightly narrower than
the size of a drop of feed material arriving in contact for performing flash
pyrolysis. Preferably, the reaction
support is made of a plurality of at least partially and /or of preferably
truncated conic surfaces that are
advantageously about identical, preferably about parallel, more preferably
about concentrically, and more
advantageously that are mounted on a common central axis positioned about
vertically inside the enclosure
and preferably centrally.
The reaction support is advantageously made of a plurality of at least
partially conic surfaces being
positioned relatively one to each other in a way that two adjacent conic
surfaces are at least partially in a
face to face configuration and with an overlapping ratio of their respective
surface ranging from 0 to 100
%, this ratio being preferably of more than 80 %, and more advantageously
ranging from 90 to 95 %.
According to a preferred embodiment, the angle (k) apparent on Figure 19
measured at the top of a conic
surface is advantageously lower than 150 degrees, and ranges preferably from
130 to 70 degrees, and the
angle (X) is more advantageously about 120 degrees.
According to another preferred embodiment, the truncated surface, in a conic
reaction's surface of an
equipment of the invention, represents less than 50 % of the total surface of
the reaction support and
represents preferably between 10 and 45 %, and more advantageously represents
about 33 %.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the compact equipment of the
invention, the reaction
support and the cleaning means are moving in opposite direction; the moving
speed of each of the cleaning
CA 3005593 2018-05-22
means and of a reaction support ranges from 1 to 100 rpm, preferably the
moving speeds ranges from 3 to
30, is more advantageously about 10 rpm.
According to another preferred embodiment of the equipment of the invention,
the reaction's support is
stationary and the speed of the cleaning means relative to the static reaction
support ranges from 1 to 200
rpm.
According to another preferred embodiment of the equipment of the invention,
the reaction's support is
stationary and the speed of the cleaning means relative to the static reaction
support ranges from 6 to 60
rpm. Advantageously, the reaction's support is stationary and the speed of the
cleaning means relative to
the static reaction support is about 20 rpm.
According to a further embodiment of the compact equipment of the invention,
the speed of the reaction's
support relative to the static scraping device ranges from 1 to 200 rpm.
Advantageously, the speed of the reaction's support, relative to the static
scraping device, ranges from 6 to
60 rpm and is more preferably about 20 rpm.
According to another preferred embodiment of the equipment of the invention,
the reaction's support's axis
of the conic reaction surfaces is positioned substantially centrally in the
enclosure.
According to a further embodiment of the compact equipment of the invention,
the scrapping device
comprises scrapping element(s) and is configured in order scrapping element(s)
being in contact of the
reaction surfaces when in need to be cleaned, said scrapping element(s) being
preferably made of a plurality
of scraping items. Advantageously, the scrapping items being a plurality of
brushes and/or of blades". The
scrapping items are preferably positioned substantially symmetrically inside
the enclosure.
According to another preferred embodiment of the compact equipment of the
invention, the total surface of
the reaction support for performing pyrolysis of the feed material, represents
between 70 and 250 %,
preferably from 90 to 180 %, more preferably about 125 % of the total internal
surface of the
enclosure of the compact equipment.
According to a specific example wherein pyrolysis is performed in a compact
equipment with
several conic reactions support, the corresponding truncated conic surface of
a single conic
reaction's support, wherein the angle a at the basis of a cone being of about
30 degrees with a cone
truncated for a radius at the top of 0,25m (0,144338m below the summit of the
cone) and a base
radius of 0,95m (0,548483m below the summit or 0,4041m below the truncated
portion), the
corresponding reaction surface is 3,05m2. This number may be used to
recalculated the ratio that
will be necessarily greater and more interesting.
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The surface relation to volume is the following full cone is Pi X radius (R) X
Side of the cone (L) the
enclosure volume is Pi X radius square (le) X by the height of the cylinder
(H). L = h X cos (angle/2) thus
the reaction surface divided to volume (S/V) = cos(top angle/2)/R if it is a
truncated cone the amount is (L-
1) cos (angle/2). In the rotating drum the surface divided by volume is 2 x Pi
xRx h/ 4/ Pi xRxRxh this
is equal to 1/ 2R. Example = L=1m, Angle=120 degrees thus h= 0.5m R= lm thus
the Cone ratio= .5 mi
According to a further embodiment of the compact equipment of the invention,
as previously defined, the
enclosure has preferably a cylindrical body, a quadratic body or a triangular
body and has advantageously
a top part having a conic form or a pyramidal form with the edge of the
pyramidal form, or with the edge of
he conic form, being at the edge of the enclosure and with the bottom part of
the enclosure having preferably
a conic form or a pyramidal form.
Advantageously, the enclosure has triangular body and has advantageously a top
part having a conic form
or a pyramidal form, with the edge of the conic or of the pyramidal form being
at the edge of the enclosure.
Preferably, the bottom part of the enclosure has a conic form or a pyramidal
form, with the edge of the form
being positioned under the base of the form identified by reference number p
on Figure 19.
According to another preferred embodiment of the equipment of the invention,
the enclosure has a square
central body and has a top part having preferably a pyramidal form and the
bottom part of the enclosure has
preferably a pyramidal form.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, as previously defined, the
compact equipment is
configured for performing flash pyrolysis of the feed material, on the surface
of the reaction's support
rapidly heated to 450 ¨ 600 degrees Celsius and advantageously in presence of
a limited amount of oxygen.
Preferably, the equipment of the invention is configured for performing flash
pyrolysis of the feed material
in the presence of an inert gas that is preferably steam and/or azote.
According to another preferred embodiment of the equipment of the invention,
the compact equipment, as
previously defined, is configured in order the contact time between feed
material and the heated reaction's
support is less than 3 seconds, preferably less than 2 seconds and more
preferably less than 1 second.
According to a further embodiment of the compact equipment of the invention,
as previously defined, the
surface(s) of the reaction's support(s), wherein pyrolysis take place, are
heated by one or several heating
means that are preferably induction means, IR and hot gases and
advantageously, the heating means are
positioned inside the enclosure.
Advantageously, those heating means are positioned inside the enclosure and in
a zone of the enclosure
having a reduced oxygen content that is preferably less than 1 % oxygen and/or
in a zone of the enclosure
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CA 3005593 2018-05-22
being traversed by an inert gas. The heating means may be a burner producing a
heating flame by using a
liquid or gas fraction produced in the compact equipment, see on Figure21,
burners 1, 2, 3 and 4..
Preferably, the surface of a reaction supports is heated by heating means that
are induction and IR means.
Advantageously, the compact equipment has at least 2 overlapping conic
reaction's supports (the inferior
support and the superior support) , for performing pyrolysis, and the heating
means are positioned inside
the volume defined by the external surface of the lower conic reaction's
support and by the internal surface
of the superior conic reaction support; in such a configuration, pyrolysis
reaction takes place on at least part
of the heated external surface of the superior conic reaction support and on
at least part of the heated internal
surface of the inferior conic reaction support.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention compact equipment,
as previously defined, the
equipment has at least one conic reaction's support non-overlapping with
another adjacent conic reaction's
support, for performing pyrolysis, and at least one heating means is
positioned close to the opposite side of
the surface of the cone wherein pyrolysis reaction take place. Advantageously,
at least one heating means
is positioned close to the opposite side of the cone wherein pyrolysis
reaction takes place and in at least part
of the conic surface of the opposite side of the cone wherein pyrolysis
reaction take place. Preferably, at
least one heating means is positioned close to the opposite side of the cone
wherein pyrolysis reaction take
place and about all around the opposite side of the cone wherein pyrolysis
reaction takes place.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, as previously defined, the
surface of the reaction
support of the compact equipment, cleaning means are positioned at least
temporally in contact with the
superior surface of the reactions supports.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention compact, the
compact equipment, as previously
defined, has cleaning means configured to clean at least part of the surface
of the moving or rotating
reaction's supports wherein pyrolysis reaction takes place.
These cleaning means preferably comprises:
- at least one rake in permanent, or temporally, in contact with at least part
of the surface of a
reaction's supports wherein pyrolysis takes place; and/or
- at least one rotating flair chain in permanent or in temporally contact with
at least part of the
surface of of the reaction's support means wherein pyrolysis takes place;
and/or
- at least one ultrasonic means in permanent or in temporally contact with at
least part of the surface
of the reaction's support means in contact with part of the surface of a
reaction's supports wherein
pyrolysis takes place; and/or
- at least one directed blow means blowing air, with low content in oxygen, or
in an inert gas in
permanent or in temporally contact with at least part of the surface of a
reaction's support wherein
pyrolysis takes place.
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According to a further embodiment of the invention, feeding means of the
compact equipment is a feeding
line mounted with spray nozzle's. Advantageously, those feeding means is a
feeding line mounted with
spray nozzles of the liquid feed type, solid feed in form of small
particulates type; or of the feeding stream
liquid but containing solid particulates.
Preferably, the spray nozzle sprays, on the surface of the reaction's support,
drops of the liquid feeding oily
stream having an average drop's size of less than 10 mm, preferably of less
than 5 mm, and more
advantageously lower than 2 mm.
Advantageously, the spray nozzles are configured to spray, on the surface of
the reaction's support,
particulates having an average size of less than 3 mm, preferably of less than
2 mm, more advantageously
the average size ranges from 0,5 to 1,5 mm.
Preferably, the spray nozzle being configured to spray, on the surface of the
reaction's support, a mixture
of liquid and particulates with a ratio particulates/liquid ranging, in weight
percent, from 5 to 95 %,
preferably ranging from 15 to 75 %.
According to a preferred embodiment of the equipment of the invention, feeding
means is a feeding line
mounted with spray nozzle's, spray nozzles being:
- positioned to spray feeding oily feed material essentially on the
superior and/or the inferior
surface of a reaction's support; or
- configured for spraying, on demand, a specific amount of feeding
material, in order
substantially, or in order no liquid film would be able to form from the
individual drops
reaching the surface of the reaction's supports.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the compact equipment, as
previously defined, has a
heating device that is configured to heat the surface of the reaction's
support at a temperature ranging:
- in the case of particulates, from 350 to 570 Celsius Degrees, preferably
from 400 to 500 Celsius
degrees, more advantageously about 450 Celsius degrees; and
- in the case of a liquid feed, advantageously from 300 to 450 Celsius
Degrees, preferably ranging
from 325 to 425 Celsius Degrees, and more advantageously at a temperature
about 400 degrees
Celsius.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the compact equipment is
configured to heat the
surface of the reaction's support at a temperature superior to the cracking
temperature of the feeding
material; the reaction's support temperature being then advantageously
superior for preferably at least from
about 5 to about 20 %, but more preferably for between 5 to 10 %, to the
cracking temperature of the feed
material.
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According to a further embodiment of invention, the compact equipment, as
previously defined, has a
reaction support that is attached to a central rotating axle and, preferably,
the lower end of the conical shape
is supported on a bracket attached to the inner wall of the central body.
According to a preferred embodiment of the equipment of the invention, the
means used for bringing the
solids outside the reactor is (are) entrainment with the product gas,
scoop(s), screw conveyors and/or
gravity. Preferably, the means for bringing the solid outside the said
reactors comprises an exit hopper
arrangement attached to the solids exit tube. Advantageously, the equipment
has two opposite exits: one
for the solids and one for the gas/vapours and entrained solids obtained.
The second object of the present application relates to processes for
producing liquid fuels from a starting
material, that is preferably selected in the group constituted by oily feeds
and/or by hydrocarbon feeds and/or
by organic material at least partially in the form of agglomerates.
Advantageously, the agglomerates of the
starting material have a reduced content in water, metal, glass and/or rocks;
the agglomerates are preferably
thermally liquefied and further dewatered and the thereby obtained liquid
fraction is thereafter submitted to
a pyrolysis (preferably to a flash pyrolysis) treatment, performed in a
compact equipment, as defined in
the first object of the present, and resulting in a solid-gas fraction exiting
the compact equipment, said solid
gas fraction allowing, after a controlled liquid solid separation treatment,
the recovering of liquid fuels.
Advantageously, the agglomerates, after drying and filtering, have at least
one of the following features:
- a humidity content lower than 75 %;
- a content in metal and/or stones and/or glass representing together less
than 25 % weight percent
of the total amount of agglomerates; and
- a total carbon content comprised between 30 % and 75 %.
The feed material may be advantageously in the form of pellets, granules
and/or powder. Preferably, the
agglomerates, when sprayed, are in the form of pellets with an average weight
ranging from 1 to 500 grams,
less than 3 grams, preferably less than 1 gram, more preferably about 0,5
grams. More advantageously, the
agglomerates are in the form of pellets with a humidity content of less than
60 %, this humidity content
preferably ranges from 5 to 65 %.
According to a preferred embodiment, the recovered liquid fuels have a low
sulphur content that ranges,
according to ASTM D7544 - 12, from 0 a 5 %, preferably of about 0,03 % weight
percent. More
advantageously, the sulphur content is lower than 0,05 %, more preferably
lower than 0,03 %, and is
advantageously lower than 0,01 %.
CA 3005593 2018-05-22
A third object of the present invention, are those processes for producing
liquid fuels from a starting
material, that are waste hydrocarbons and/or organics material or a mixture of
the two, said processes
include:
a) an optional preliminary dewatering step wherein water content of the
starting material is reduced
preferably to a value lower than 55 % and/or wherein particulate size of the
starting material has
been reduced to a size ranging from 3 mm to 0,1 mm;
b) a thermal step wherein at least partial liquifying and at least partial
dewatering of the starting
material, eventually obtained in previous steps a) occurs, is performed and
wherein starting
material is heated under:
- a pressure that preferably ranges from 0,3 to 1 atmosphere and this pressure
is more
preferably about 0,5 atmospheres, and
- at a temperature that is preferably lower than 250 degrees Celsius;
c) a recovering step of the liquid fraction, resulting from step b), that may
contain solid matters in
suspension;
d) a pyrolysis step (preferably a flash pyrolysis step) wherein:
- liquid fraction obtained in step b) and/or c), is treated in the compact
equipment, preferably
under positive pressure and/or preferably in the presence of a sweep gas, that
is
advantageously an inert gas, and
- reaction and straight run products are recovered from the compact equipment,
as defined
in the first object of the present invention, as solids and as a solid-gas
mixture; and
e) preferably, a post treatment step wherein the solid-gas mixture exiting the
compact equipment is
submitted to a solid-gas separation allowing the recovering of substantially
clean vapours and of solids;
and
f) optionally, a condensation and/or a fractionation step to obtain liquid
fuel and gas, and
wherein at least part of the liquid fraction recovered from step c), is added
to the feeding stream, preferably
in order to adjust solid/liquid ratio in the liquid feed stream entering the
compact equipment.
A fourth object of the present invention are those processes for producing
liquid fuels from starting
materials, that are waste hydrocarbons and/or organics material or that are a
mixture of the two, those
processes include:
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CA 3005593 2018-05-22
a) an optional preliminary dewatering step wherein water content of the
starting material is reduced
preferably to a value lower than 55 % and/or wherein stone and/or metallic
content is reduced;
b) a thermal step wherein at least partial liquifying and at least partial
dewatering of the starting
material eventually obtained in previous steps a), occurs and wherein starting
material is heated
under:
- a pressure that is preferably ranging from 0,1 to 1 atmosphere and more
preferably this
pressure is about 0,5 atmospheres, and
- at a temperature that is preferably lower than 270 degrees Celsius;
c) recovering of the liquid fraction resulting from step b);
d) recovering unliquified solid fraction from step b) and submitting said
solid fraction to grinding in
order to obtained particle with an average size preferably lower or equal to 4
mm, preferably ranging
from 0,1 to 3 mm;
e) mixing the fluid fraction obtained in step b) and the solid fraction
resulting from grinding in a
proportion that does not substantially affect the thermodynamic properties of
the liquid fraction, the
mixing results in a liquid containing solids in suspension;
f) a pyrolysis (preferably a flash pyrolysis step) step wherein:
- liquid obtained in step c) or e), is treated in a compact equipment,
according to anyone of
claims 1 to 49, preferably under positive pressure and/or preferably in the
presence of a
sweep gas, that is advantageously an inert gas, and
- reaction and straight run products are recovered from the rotating kiln as
solids and as a
solid-gas mixture; and
g) preferably, a post treatment step wherein solid-gas mixture exiting the
rotating kiln is submitted to a
solid-gas separation allowing the recovering of substantially clean vapours
and substantially free of
solids; and
h) a condensation and/or fractionation step to obtain liquid fuel and gas from
the mixture exiting the
above part of the enclosure, and
- wherein, in the case wherein liquefaction in step c) is incomplete, the
remaining unliquified solid fraction
is incorporated in the liquid obtained in step c) and this preferably before
entering the compact equipment
and at concentration and/or particle size that does not affect significantly
the physico-dynamic properties of
the liquid entering the compact equipment; and
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CA 3005593 2018-05-22
- wherein heavy hydrocarbon and/or heavy bio-oil fraction (biodiesel is non-
petroleum-based diesel fuel
derived from vegetable or animal fats. Ethanol is the most common form of
biodiesel, based on
corn in the US or sugar cane in Brazil, though other forms that utilize pig
waste, algae or
switchgrass are being developed) recovered from pyrolysis step is incorporated
in liquid fraction
resulting from step c), preferably in order to adjust the solid-liquid ratio
in the liquid feed stream entering
the compact equipment.
A fifth object of the present invention are pprocesses for producing liquid
fuels from starting material, that
are waste hydrocarbons and/or organics material or a mixture of the two, in a
form of agglomerates, said
processes include:
a) a pre-treatment step wherein agglomerates, such as pellets and/or powder,
are made from the
starting material;
b) an optional drying step, wherein agglomerates, obtained in the pre-
treatment step a) or coming
from the market and/or from waste collection, are dried to a water content
lower than 55% weight
percent;
c) a thermal step wherein at least partial liquefying and at least partial
dewatering of the
agglomerates, obtained in previous steps a) and/or b), is performed,
d) a pyrolysis step wherein:
- liquid obtained in step c), is treated in a compact equipment as defined in
any of claims 1 to
49, preferably under positive pressure and/or preferably in the presence of a
sweep gas, that is
preferably an inert gas, and
- reaction and straight run products are recovered from the rotating kiln as
solids and as a solid-
gas mixture;
e) a post treatment step wherein solid-gas mixture exiting the rotating kiln
is submitted to a solid-gas
separation allowing the recovering of substantially clean vapours and allowing
the recovering of
solids; and
f) a condensation and/or fractionation step to obtain liquid fuel and gas from
the substantially clean
vapour obtained in step e), and
wherein, in the case wherein liquefaction in step c) is incomplete, the
remaining unliquified solid fraction
is incorporated in the liquid obtained in step c), preferably before entering
the compact equipment and at
concentration and/or at particle size that does not affect significantly
physico-dynamic properties, such as
the viscosity, of the flow of the complex feed entering the compact equipment.
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CA 3005593 2018-05-22
According to a preferred embodiment of the processes as previously defined in
the second, third, fourth and
fifth objects of the invention, at least one of the following pre-treatments
is performed before feed material
enters the compact equipment:
- solids present in the starting material are broken into small pieces below
20 mm; and/or
- agglomerates are made of at least 75% by weight of organics or hydrocarbons
mixed with
water; and/or
- metals and rocks have been sorted out from the agglomerate, preferably by
gravity and/or
by magnetic separation; and/or
-the water content in the starting material is in weight less than 87% since
during the
(agglomeration) pelletizing part the water was taken out; and/or
- the solid content of the agglomerates (preferably pellets) has been,
preferably before
entering the second stage of the drying/liquefying step (step b), increased up
to 15 to 30 %,
preferably by using a dry "Hammermi II" that is for example of the Wackerbauer
type);
and/or
- the solid content has been further increased, in a screw press, up to 50 to
60 % and
eventually, with special system, such as separation mill, turbo dryer, high
efficiency dryer,
press, raised up to 85%; and/or
- dewatering is done with drum dryers or belt dryers to get to a lower water
content.
Advantageously, in step c) of the processes of the invention, the partially
dewatered and pre-treated
feedstock is heated, preferably in a vessel, at conditions of temperature and
pressure allowing to:
- evaporate part of the water still present; and
- liquefy more than 50 % of the heavier hydrocarbons and/or organics
present in the starting
material,
while managing control cracking of the feedstock under treatment.
Preferably, in step c): the water and lighter materials include cracked
material, such as proteins, fats and/or
plastics, that are separated from the heavier portion that is at a liquid
stage at operating temperature, allowing
to eliminate water and to recover lighter material which can be further
separated into gas and liquid with
low solid content and used in a previous or, in a subsequent step(s), to
further dry and or crack the feed
stock and/or as fuel of any heating system and/or to be sold in a liquid form
as a liquid fuel.
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CA 3005593 2018-05-22
More preferably, in step c), the thermal separation treatment is performed in
a vessel, at temperature to
liquefy the most (this mean more than 70 %) of the hydrocarbons and/or
organics and at a pressure that is
preferably below the atmospheric pressure. In a particularly advantageous
embodiment, in step c, the
recovered lighter material is separated in two fractions:
- the first fraction that is a heavy diesel or bio diesel (biodiesel is non-
petroleum-based diesel
fuel derived from vegetable or animal fats. Ethanol is the most common form of
biodiesel,
based on corn in the US or sugar cane in Brazil, though other forms that
utilize pig waste,
algae or switchgrass are being developed) fraction that falls back in the
vessel; and
- the remaining fraction, that is the light fraction of the lighter material,
is also separated in 2 liquids
(with remaining solid) and gaseous or in at least 3 sub fractions:
respectively in a liquid, solid,
gaseous fractions.
In a more advantageous embodiment, in step c): the water and the lighter
materials are separated from the
heavier portion allowing to eliminate water and to recover lighter products
which can be further separated
and used as fuel.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes of the invention,
as previously defined, the
transformation condition in the compact equipment are at least one of the
followings:
- the temperature ranges from 300 to 750 degrees Celsius;
- the pressure is lower than 2 atmospheres, preferably about 1,1 atmospheres;
- the residence times ranges from 2 seconds to 2 hours, preferably from 5
seconds to 10 minutes,
preferably about 3 minutes;
- the relative speed rotation of the reaction support and of the cleaning
device ranges from 0.1 to
200 t/minutes;
- the size of sprayed drops ranges advantageously from 0,1 to 4 mm, preferably
is about 2 mm, and
more preferably is about 1 mm;
- the amount of feeding material sprayed on the reaction surface
advantageously ranges from 50
to100 per square meter and per hour, preferably this value is of about 250 kg
per square meter and
per hour;
- the heating capacity per square meter of reaction's support ranges from 50
to 600, preferably from
100 to 3 000, more preferably is about 200 KW per square meter and more
preferably is about 100
CA 3005593 2018-05-22
KW in the case of cellulose and in the case of heavy oi or in the case of a
mixture of cellulose and
of heavy oil;
- the temperature of a drop is, before being sprayed on the reacting surface,
lower than its cracking
temperature but is higher than 110 degrees.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes of the invention
as previously defined, in step
e),
- the post treatment module is configured to perform the solid-gas
separation, substantially without
any condensation of the gas present in the solid gas-mixture exiting the
central module; and/or
- the post treatment module has preferably at least one cyclone and
preferably two cyclones; and/or
- solids are further separated in a self-refluxing condenser; and/or
- finally, the vapours are condensed and separated either in a
distillation column and/or in multiple
condensers.
According to another further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the thereby
obtained liquid fuel presents at least one of the following feature that are
dependent upon the kind of
upgrading (hydrodeoxygenation, use of catalysts, etc.) performed on the bio-
oil:
- viscosity below 40 cSt @ 40 C, more preferably below 20 cSt @ 40 C, more
preferably below
10 cSt @40 C, more preferably below 5 cSt @ 40 C, more preferably below 3 cSt
@ 40 C;
- flash point over 40 C for light fraction (preferably after
fractionation);
- flash point over 55 C for medium fraction (preferably after
fractionation); and
- water content below 25%, preferably below 15%, more preferably below 5%
after fractionation of
the bio-oil thereby obtained.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, bio-diesel and/or heavy
hydrocarbon and/or heavy bio-oil fraction recovered from the solid vapour
fraction exiting the pyrolysis
step, is added to the feeding stream before entering the compact equipment.
Advantageously, bio-diesel is
added in the feed material resulting from step b) or from step c) at a rate
ranging from 0 to 90 % of the feed
mass flow rate entering the enclosure of the compact equipment.
Advantageously less than 50 % of the feed mass flow rate enters the compact
enclosure, preferably less than
25%, more advantageously from 10 to 20 % of the feed mass flow rate enters the
enclosure.
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According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, when cellulosic material
is present in the feed material, a weak organic acid is added in the feeding
stream, before entering the
enclosure and/or wherein solid fraction is recovered from step c). This
preliminary treatment is applied in
order to at least partially destructurized cellulose present in said recovered
solid fraction. Advantageously,
a weak organic acid, that is preferably a carboxylic acid such as a formic
acid and/or carboxylic acid, is used
in the preliminary treatment. The duration of the preliminary treatment is
preferably comprised between 0,1
and 50 seconds, more preferably at a temperature ranging preferably from 5 to
25 degrees. More preferably,
the amount of weak acid added in the feeding stream represents from 5 to 25
weight percent of the feed
material.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the feeding stream is
submitted to a physical and/or microwave and/or to a chemical treatment
allowing, before the feeding stream
to be spread on the surface of at least one reaction's support of the compact
equipment, in order to at least
partially destructurized cellulosic material present in the feed stream.
According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the temperature of the
feeding stream used in the pyrolysis step is adjusted to a value ranging from
80 to 400 degrees Celsius,
advantageously before entering the enclosure, more preferably this temperature
ranges from 100 to 300
degrees Celsius, more preferably is about 260 or is preferably about 180
degrees Celsius.
Any process of the present invention may be performed in a continuous, semi-
continuous or batch mode.
According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, at least one of the
following components: the gaseous and /or the liquid fraction, recovered at
the exit of the enclosure of the
equipment of the invention in operation, is used to reduce solid content in
the feed stream. Advantageously,
fraction thereby recovered is the heavy oil fraction. Preferably, thermal
processing of a mixture is being
performed on at least 1%, preferably on at least 5%, more preferably on 10% of
the surface of the reaction's
support and/or on at least 5%, preferably on at least 10% of the reaction's
support in the enclosure of the
compact equipment.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the reaction support
contributes to avoid damageable spraying, for example of cold mixtures. on the
heated walls of said
enclosure.
According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the means for bringing
the mixture to be thermal processed on the surface of at least part of the
reaction's support, brings the said
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mixture on the surface of at least more than 10% of the reaction support,
preferably on the surface of at least
more than 30% of the reaction support, and more advantageously on the surface
of about 50% of the
reaction's support in said enclosure.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the feeding stream is
liquid and/or gas and/or solid and/or is a mixture of at least two of these.
Advantageously, the feeding stream
comprises mostly organic compounds and/or hydrocarbon that may be transformed
by thermal processing.
Preferably, the feeding stream comprises at least 80%, preferably at least
90%, and more preferably about
95% of organic compounds that may be transformed by thermal processing.
Advantageously, the feeding stream may comprise other components that are not
organic compounds and/or
that may not be transformed by thermal processing. Preferably, the other
components are selected among,
water, steam, ash, nitrogen, sand, earths, shale, metals, inorganic salts,
inorganic acids, lime, organic gas
that won't be transformed in the reactor and mixtures of at least two of these
components.
According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the feeding stream is
composed of organic compounds that may be transformed by thermal processing
in: a liquid phase, a
gaseous phase, a solid phase, or in a combination of at least two of these
phases. Advantageously, the
feeding stream is mostly composed of organic compounds that may be transformed
by thermal processing,
in at least a liquid phase, a gaseous phase and a solid phase. Preferably, the
walls of said enclosure are
directly and/or indirectly heated.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the inside of the enclosure
is directly and/or indirectly heated. Advantageously, the heat source used for
this operation is generated by
electricity, a hot oil and/or bio-oil and/or gas stream, or obtained from the
combustion of gas, naphtha, other
oily streams, coke, coal, or organic waste or by a mixture of at least two of
these. Preferably, the inside of
the reactor is indirectly heated by an electromagnetic field.
According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the inside of the reactor
is directly heated by a hot gas, liquid or solid stream, electricity or
partial combustion of the feedstock, coke,
products or by-products.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the heating means
comprises at least one heating system external to the walls of the enclosure,
for example in a case of an
indirectly heated walls of the compact equipment. Advantageously, the external
walls of the enclosure are
at least partially surrounded by one or more burners and/or exposed to
combustion gas and/or hot solid.
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According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the walls of said enclosure
are surrounded by a fire box, which is heated at a temperature preferably
higher than the dew point of the
vapors. The fire box is preferably stationary and contains one or more
burners.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the means for bringing
the feeding stream in contact with at least part of the surfaces of the
reaction support are spraying means
and/or a conveyor.
Advantageously, the means for bringing the mixture in contact with at least
part of the surfaces of the
reaction support are spray nozzles that spray the mixture onto the surface of
the reaction support when the
feed stream is liquid and/or is a mixture of liquid and/or of gas and/or of
entrained solids and optionally an
inert gas is injected in the space between two adjacent reaction's supports.
The gas/vapours produced during flash cracking in the context of the processes
of the invention may
contain(s) entrained solids.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the reactor is equipped
with means for avoiding accumulation of solid in the reactor and/or for
plugging of any of the exits.
Advantageously, the means for avoiding accumulation are a screw conveyor in
the solids exit tube, or a
slanted solid exit tube.
According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the enclosure is a cylinder,
or a cylinder with two conic extremities, or two cones attached by their
basis, or a sphere. Advantageously,
the enclosure is a cylinder having a length to radius ratio ranging from 0,5
to 20, and preferably ranging
.. from 2 to 15, more preferably this ratio is about 5.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the exit of the solids is
on the bottom of the enclosure and preferably is at equal distance of each
lateral wall of the compact
equipment.
According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the part of the mixture
.. that will be thermally processed in the compact equipment is the heavy part
of the mixture and may
eventually contain additives commonly used in this field and their degradation
by-products.
Advantageously, the feeding stream comprises organic compounds having the
following thermodynamic
and physical features: a specific gravity as per ASTM D-4052 range from 0,5 to
2,0, and/or distillation
temperatures comprised between 20 C and 950 C as per ASTM D-1160.
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According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the average residence
time in the enclosure of the compact equipment ranges from 5 seconds to 10
hours, preferably from 30
seconds to 2 hours, and more preferably is comprised between 90 seconds and 10
minutes.
According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the heating temperature
in the enclosure ranges from 350 C to 750 C. Advantageously, the heating
temperature in the reactor ranges
from 390 C to 525 C, more preferably from 420 C to 500 C and, more
advantageously, is about 480 C
particularly when MSW combined with used lube oils are treated.
Advantageously, the heating temperature
in the enclosure ranges from 500 C to 520 C, and is preferably about 505 C and
is more preferably about
510 C.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the rotation speed of the
reacting support ranges from 0.5 rpm to 10 rpm. Advantageously, the rotation
speed of the rotating reaction
support depending on the size of the enclosure and on the process
requirements, may advantageously ranges
from 1 rpm to 10 rpm, preferably from 2 to 5 rpm from and is more
advantageously about 3 rpm, for example
in the case of a compact equipment of the invention design for treating 400
barrels of organic waste per day.
According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the compact equipment
used for pyrolysis treatment comprises:
a) a central module, that is the compact equipment, as defined in any
embodiment presented in the
first object of the present invention, for thermal conversion of the feed
material into a solid-gas
mixture; and
b) a post-treatment module for performing a solid-gas separation on the solid-
gas mixture exiting
the central module,
wherein the post treatment module is configured to perform the solid-gas
separation, substantially without
any condensation of the gas present in the solid gas-mixture exiting the
central module.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the compact equipment
used for the thermal conversion of the feed material into useful products,
comprising:
a) a pre-treatment module for preparing, from the feed material, a feedstock
that will be liquid or
at least partially solid and/or at least partially heterogenic and/or at least
partially dewatered
and/or heated;
b) a central module, that is the compact equipment as defined in the first
object of the present
invention, for thermal conversion of the pre-treated feedstock into a solid-
gas mixture; and
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c) a post-treatment module for performing a solid-gas separation on the solid-
gas mixture exiting
the central module,
wherein the post-treatment module is configured to perform the solid-gas
separation, substantially
without any condensation of the gas present in the solid gas-mixture exiting
the central module.
Advantageously, the post-treatment module is configured for keeping the solid-
gas mixture at a
temperature about the temperature of the gas at the exit of the central
module, or at a temperature that is
above the temperature at the exit of the central module but inferior to the
cracking temperature of the gas
present in the solid-gas mixture; preferably, the temperature of the solid-gas
mixture in the post treatment
module is lower than the temperature of the solid-gas mixture at the exit of
the central module by no more
than 5 degrees Celsius or is preferably greater than the temperature of the
solid-gas mixture at the exit of
the central module. The difference between the temperature in the post-
treatment module and the
temperature at the exit of the central module advantageously ranges from 0 to
+ or - 10 degrees Celsius.
According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the compact equipment
comprises means for injecting steam inside the feed material and/or inside the
feedstock, and/or inside the
pre-treatment module and/or inside the central module.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the post-treatment
module is positioned close to the exit of the central module.
According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the thermal conversion
is to be performed with a residence time ranging from 2 seconds to 10 minutes.
post-treatment module comprises a transit line, directly connected to the gas-
solid mixture exit of the central
module, for bringing the gas-solid mixture into the also heated post-treatment
module.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the compact equipment
is equipped with:
- a transit line connecting the two heated enclosures constituting of the
central module and of the
post-treatment module; and/or
- an extension, of the central heated enclosure, having the function of
assuring the connection with
an end of the transit line, said extension being also kept at or above the
reactor outlet temperature.
The transit line between the two heated enclosures is also advantageously kept
at a temperature slightly
above or below the temperature of the gas at the exit of the central module.
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According to another preferred embodiment:
- the line between the two heated enclosures is equipped with an automatic or
manual cleanout
device, such as a door, provided on this line to remove deposits for example
when the plant is shut
down; and
- the sealing of the connection between the extension of the Central module
and the end of the
connection line being preferably assumed by a ring (preferably a metallic
ring) and by a seal
(preferably of the graphite type and of the asbestos's type).
The transit line is advantageously in the form of a cylinder, has a length L
and an internal diameter D and
the Ratio L/D is advantageously lower or equal to 2. The length of the transit
line is lower or equal to 10
meters.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the central module
comports a first zone placed in a heated enclosure and a second zone that is
outside the heated enclosure but
insulated internally to keep the solid-gas mixture, produced in the first
zone, hot until entering a solid-gas
separation equipment.
According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the central module
comports a first zone placed in a heated enclosure and a second zone that is
outside the heated enclosure but
insulated internally to keep the reactor products at a temperature higher that
the temperature inside the first
zone.
The solids resulting from the thermal processing in the central module are
advantageously separated from
the vapours in gas-solids separation equipment, preferably in a box and/or in
a cyclone, situated inside the
enclosure and/or in a secondary heated enclosure placed upstream to the
central module.
The temperature of the products at the exit of the separating equipment is
advantageously kept at or above
the enclosure exit temperature.
The clean vapours exiting from the post treatment module are condensed and
separated into products such
.. as Wide Range Bio-Diesel being defined by reference to Number 1 to Number 6
diesels, and by reference
to marine oil specifications and/or to heating oil specifications. Preferably,
the separating equipment is
configured to be connected with an equipment of the distillation column type.
The vapours, exiting the gas-
solids separating equipment are advantageously routed to an equipment of the
flash drum type, said
equipment of the flash drum type having preferably a self-refluxing condenser
mounted above it to scrub
the reactor products and to remove residual solids. The clean vapours exiting
from the post treatment
module, are advantageously condensed and separated in an equipment of the
distillation column type.
According to another preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the average residence
time in the enclosure ranges from 2 seconds to 2 hours, advantageously from 3
seconds to 15 minutes,
preferably from 40 seconds to 10 minutes, and more preferably from 90 seconds
to 8 minutes.
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Advantageously, the heating temperature in the enclosure ranges from 350 C to
550 C, preferably from
390 C to 460 C, more preferably from 420 C and 455 C and, more advantageously,
is about 425 C.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the processes, previously
defined, the various fractions
generated by the cracking are recovered as follow:
- the liquid fraction is recovered by distillation;
- the gaseous fraction is recovered by distillation and/or condensation; and
- the solid fraction is recovered in cyclones.
Advantageously, the amount of the recovered liquid fraction represents between
30% and 90% weight of
the reactor feed; and/or
- the amount of the recovered gaseous fraction represents between 2% weight
and 30% weight of the
reactor feed; and/or
- the amount of the recovered solid fraction represents between 1% weight
and 40% weight, and
when applied to plastic:
- the amount of the recovered liquid fraction, preferably, of the recovered
diesel represents
between 70 % and 90 % weight of the reactor feed; and/or
- the amount of the recovered gaseous fraction i.e. of the recovered vapours
represents between 2
to 10 % weight and the amount of the recovered naphtha represents between 2
and 15 % weight of
the reactor feed; and/or
- the amount of the recovered solid fraction i.e. of recovered coke represents
between 2 and 40 %
weight.
According to a further preferred embodiment, the compact equipment has at it
exit an extension that is
configured to be at least partially heated and to constitute the exit of the
solid-gas mixtures produced in the
compact equipment.
Advantageously, the compact equipment is configured in a way that the
extension is connectable with a
transit line that is advantageously heated and configured to bring solid-gas
mixtures exiting the compact
equipment to a post-treatment module configured to separate gas and solids
present in the solid-gas mixture.
According to a preferred embodiment of the processes of the invention, the
various fractions generated by
the thermal processing are recovered as follow:
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- the liquid fraction is recovered by distillation
- the gaseous fraction is recovered by distillation; and
- the solid fraction is recovered for example in cyclones, a solids recovery
box, a scrubber, and/or a
self refluxing condenser and/or a dephlegmator.
-- According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the process of
the invention are surprisingly
efficient in that :
- the amount of the recovered liquid fraction represents between 30% and 80%
weight of the organic
reactor feed; and/or
- the amount of the recovered gaseous fraction represents between 30% weight
and 60% weight of the
reactor feed; and/or
- the amount of the recovered solid fraction represents between 0% weight and
20% weight,
when the feedstock is organic waste material.
A sixth object of the present invention is constituted by manufacturing
processes for fabricating compact
-- equipment as defined in the first object of the present, said manufacturing
process involving known
assembling methods such as welding, screwing, sticking.
A seventh object of the present invention is constituted by the uses of a
process of the second object of the
invention for treating: municipal waste material, biomass, plastic and/or
tires.
Those uses are advantageously:
- for treating MSW and/or organic matter and/or used oils and to prepare:
- a fuel, or a component in a blended fuel, such as a home heating oil, a low
sulphur marine
fuel, a diesel engine fuel, a static diesel engine fuel, power generation
fuel, farm machinery
fuel, off road and on road diesel fuel; and/or
- a cetane index enhancer; and/or
- a drilling mud base oil or component; and/or
- a solvent or component of a solvent; and/or
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- a diluent for heavy fuels, bunker or bitumen; and/or
- a light lubricant or component of a lubricating oil; and/or
- a cleaner or a component in oil base cleaners; and/or
- a flotation oil component; and/or
- a wide range diesel; and/or
- a clarified oil; and/or
- a component in asphalt blends; and/or
- a biogas slurry treatment; and/or
- an element for paints and/or food colorants; and/or
- a substitute for lignite; and/or
- a bio-oil for combustion; and/or
- chemicals such as acids, alcohols, aromatics, aldehydes, esters, ketones,
sugars, phenols,
guaiacols, syringols, furans, alkenes; and/or
- a feed for steam reforming.
An eight object of the present invention is constituted by managing system
allowing continuous
optimisation of a process for producing fuel, preferably a liquid fuel, from
waste hydrocarbon and/or organic
material, said system comprising at least one enclosure/compact equipment, as
previously defined, and at
least one captor for measuring at least one of the following parameters:
- humidity in the agglomerates;
- rate of cellulosic material present in the feed stream before entering the
enclosure;
- brix index and/or temperature of the feeding stream in a liquid or in a semi
liquid stage
and/ or heterogeneous state before entering the enclosure;
- temperature and/or pressure in the vessel and/or in the enclosure;
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- a storage unit for storing data collected by sensors of the system; and
- calculation unit configured to adjust solid content present in the feed
stream to the
enclosure, and/or to adjust solid content in the feed stream to the enclosure.
Advantageously, feed stream solid content is adjusted by at least one of the
following means for:
- injecting a weak organic acid in the feed stream;
- injecting a diesel having preferably following feature in the feed stream;
- adjusting pressure at positive or negative value;
and
- adjusting temperature of the feeding stream in the range from 25 to 350
Celsius degrees.
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PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
Following references and numbers are thereafter identified to identify
structural components of the various
compact equipment represented in a schematic way on Figures 1 to 20.
Example 1- First embodiment of the compact equipment of the invention is a one-
piece compact
equipment as illustrated on Figures 1 to 6, 7,7', 7", 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 to 21.
Example 2- second embodiment of the table cylinder type clam shell as
illustrated on Figures 23 to 28
illustrated on Figures 1, 11, 11', 12, 13, 14, 19 and 20.
Ref. Name Function Position Interact Type
of
s with
interaction
example
CE Compact Wherein thermal reaction
equipment (CE) takes place on heated conic
surface
A CE's Feed
stream
Vapour exit Comprises sweep gas,
stream vapours produced from
thermal reactions and solid
material. Solid material is
produced from thermal
reactions and possibly
entrained by the CE liquid
deed stream
Sweep gas feed Figure 13'
stream
32
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Horizontal axis Figure 13'
SC Screw conveyor
solid exit stream
V Vertical axis
Compact
equipment
height
Compact Figure 13'
equipment
internal
diameter
a Angle of a conic Figure 10
reaction's
surface
Angle of a rail Figure 13
Angle at the
basis of a conic
reaction's
surface
Angle at the
edge of a conic
reaction's
support
1 CE feeding tube Feeds the reactor feed stream
to by thermally processed into
the CE
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2 CE exit tube Allows the flow of the
reactor vapour to exit stream
out of the CE and in order to
be further processed
downstream
3 Angled floor Allows solid particles which
are not entrained by the
vapours within the CE to fall
into the solid exit tube
4 Solid exit tube Allows flow of solid out of Attached to the
the CE. Location in which the CE floor
CE screw conveyor is.
Sweep gas Allows flow of sweep gas Attached to the
entrance tube into the CE facilitating the CE solid exit tube.
exit of the vapours out of the
pyrolysis zone and avoid
vapours exit the CE trough
the solid exit tube.
6 Left CE wall enables the closing of the CE Attached to the
and, in a preferred angled CE's floor,
embodiment, is able to to the CE ceiling
detach from the angled and to the right CE
compact equipment floor, the wall.
compact equipment ceiling
and the right compact
equipment wall. Once
detached, equipped with
wheels, the wall can slide on
rails and allow access to the
internals of the CE, including
to the conic reaction's
34
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supports and the rotating
shaft, for maintenance.
7 Right CE wall enables the closing of the CE Attached to the
and allows to detach from the angled CE's floor,
angled compact equipment to the CE's
floor, the compact equipment ceiling and to the
ceiling and the left compact right compact
equipment wall. Once equipment wall
detached, equipped with
wheels, the wall can slide on
rails and allow access to the
internals of the compact
equipment, including the
conic reaction's supports and
to the rotating shaft, for
maintenance.
8 CE ceiling
9 Spray nozzle sprays liquid feed onto the There are three
A10 Sprays liquid
conic reaction's supports in spray nozzles feed (L) on
order for said liquid feed to located at the the surface
of
make contact with the heated extremities of the conic
surface of the conic each feeding tube. reaction's
reaction's supports. Thermal support
reactions occur due to said
contact of liquid feed onto
the surface of the conic
reaction's supports.
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Conical location on which thermal Located along the A, 9, 13,
Reaction's
reaction's processing occurs. Each length of the
shaft. 16 supports
support conic reaction's support is rotate
preferably paired with according to
another conic reaction's the rotation
support such that an of the shaft
inductive heater can be (14).
placed in between them.
Reaction's supports are
heated, and liquid feed
contacts the top surface of
the upper-most reaction's
support of each pair of
reaction's supports and the
bottom surface of the lower-
most reaction's support of
each pair of reaction's
supports. Upon contact with
said reaction's supports, the
liquid feed and reacts to form
pyrolysis vapours and char.
11 Feed spray
12 Screw conveyor turns within the CE solid exit within the CE 4,21
Drives solid
tube to extract solids out of solid exit tube material (21)
the CE. out of the
reactor solid
exit tube (4)
13 Inductive heater heats the surface of the Placed close the
10 with the
reaction's surface within the surface of the surface of
the
CE reaction's support conic
36
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reaction's
support
14 shaft allows the rotation of the located about
10,15 Rotates due
conic reaction's supports. along the reactor to shaft
central motor (15)
symmetrical axis, and drives
the rotation
of the conic
reaction's
support (10)
15 Shaft motor Drives the rotation of the On the upper 14
Drives the
shaft and/on lower rotation of
extremities of the the shaft
(14)
shaft, preferably
outside of the
reactor
16 scraper Scrapes the top surface of the Positioned about 10
Scrapes the
upper-most surface of along an axis top surface
reaction's support or the parallel to the of the upper -
bottom surface of lower-most vertical axis most
surface of a reaction's reaction's
support surface (10)
of a pair of
reactions
supports
17 Shaft seal Prevent vapours from Along the 3,8,14 Contacts
and
escaping the CE at location circumference of seals the
area
wherein the shaft enters said the shaft, wherein between the
CE the shaft enters shaft (14)
the CE through and the CE's
the angled CE's ceiling (8),
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floor and wherein along with
the shaft enters the area
the CE through between the
the CE's ceiling. shaft (14)
and the
angled CE's
floor
18 wheel allows the movement of the attached to the 6,7,19
rotates on the
left and right walls of the CE bottom of the left rail (19),
or right CE's wall allowing the
and resting on the movement of
rail the wall
(6,7)
to which it is
attached
19 rail Provides a surface on which a Connected to the 18
allows
wheel can turn, thus allowing angles CE's floor, rotation of
the movement of the left or leading to the the wheels
right CE'S wall, floor on which the (18)p
CE's base rests
20 Scraper base Base to which a scraper is Accessible from
6,7,10,
attached. Allows for the outside of the CE 16, 36
scraper to be pressed up and connected to
against the CE's support to the scrapers.
which it is in contact with, Parallel to the
from outside of the compact scrapers, they
equipment. connect the
bottom-most part
of the scrapers to
the left and right
compact
equipment walls,
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and extend past
said walls.
21 Solid material
22 CE symmetrical In Figure 14'
axis??
23 Cone support bars which connect the conic Located along the 10, 14
Connects
plates to the shaft shaft (10) and (14)
24 Heater base Connects the inductive Parallel to the
6,7, 13 Connects the
heaters to the left and right inductive heaters, inductive
CE's walls, it connects the heaters (13)
bottom-most part to the right
of an inductive and lefts
heater to a wall CE's walls
(6,7)
25 CE base Base on which the angled Connected to
the CE Provide
compact equipment floor can angled CE and structural
rest. Supplies structural resting on the integrity
to
integrity for the compact floor. CE
equipment and raises the
compact equipment above
the floor. Contains a space
which allows the compact
equipment solid exit tube to
past through.
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26 Cone connector Hollow cylindrical element Located between
10 Connects and
which connects pairs of conic each pair of conic provides
reaction's supports to one reaction's surface. structural
another and provides integrity
structural integrity for the
pairs of conic reaction's
supports.
27 Right wall Connection point
ceiling between the right
connection wall and the CE's
ceiling.
28 Left wall ceiling Connection point
connection between the left
wall and the CE's
ceiling
29 Right wall-left Connection point
wall front between the right
connection wall and the left
wall
30 Right wall-left connection point
wall connection between the right
wall and the CE's
floor.
31 Left wall- floor connection point
connection between the left
wall and the CE's
floor.
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32 Vertical center seen in Figure 31
of the reactor
left wall
33 Shaft support Provides structural integrity attached to
the CE 3, 8, 14 connects the
for the shaft, connecting it to ceiling and floor, shaft (14) to
the bottom of the compact and connecting to the CE (8)
equipment ceiling and the top the rotating shaft, and the
of the angled compact 3,8, 14 angled CE
equipment floor, while still floor (3) to
enabling the shaft to rotate provide
freely structural
integrity
34 Left wall seal Prevents the flow of gasses
located along the 3,6,78 connects the
and/or vapours through the left wall-ceiling a left CE's
area between the left connection, the wall (6) to
compact equipment wall and left wall -right the CE's
the compact equipment wall front ceiling (8),
ceiling, the area between the connection, the the angled
left compact equipment wall left wall right CE's floor
and the compact equipment wall -front (3), and the
floor, and the area between connection and right CE's
the left compact equipment the left wall- floor wall.
wall and the right compact connection
equipment wall.
35 right wall seal Prevents the flow of gasses
Located along the 3,6,78 connects the
and/or vapours through the right wall-ceiling rigth CE's
area between the right connection, the wall (6) to
compact equipment wall and left wall-right the CE's
the compact equipment wall front ceiling (8),
ceiling, the area between the connection, the the angled
right compact equipment left wall right CE's floor
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wall and the compact wall- front (3), and the
equipment floor, and the area connection, and left CE's
between the left compact the right wall- wall.
equipment wall and the right floor connection
reactor wall.
36 Scraper seal Prevents the flow of gasses Each scraper is 6,3,
connects a
and/or vapours through the equipped with a scraper base
area between a scraper base scraper base, 20 (20) to the
and the compact equipment which extends left CE's
wall to which it is connected. past the compact wall (6) or
equipment wall to the right
which it is CE's wall (7)
connected.
37 Top surface of a 11, is scraped by
reaction's scrapers (16)
support 16 and liquid
feed (11) is
sprayed on
the surface
38 Bottom surface 11, is scraped by
of a reaction's scrapers (16)
support 16 and liquid
feed (11) is
sprayed on
the surface
39 Pair of conic
reaction's
support
42
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Rajout
inseartable sub
units
43
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CE Compact equipment is an enclosure wherein thermal reactions take
place on heated reaction's
supports.
A Compact equipment feed stream.
= Compact equipment vapor exit stream that comprises sweep gas, vapors
produced from thermal
reactions and solid material; solid material is produced from thermal
reactions and possibly
entrained by the compact equipment liquid feed stream.
SC Screw conveyor extracts solid exit stream.
= Sweep gas feed stream.
= Horizontal axis as seen in Figure 13'.
V Vertical axis as seen in Figure 13'.
Compact equipment height as seen in Figure 13'.
Compact equipment diameter as seen in Figure 13'.
= Angle of a reaction's support as seen in Figure 10.
I I Angle of the rail with the horizontal as seen in Figure 13.
1 Compact equipment feeding tube (1) feeds the compact equipment liquid
feed stream (L) to be
thermally processed into the compact equipment. There are 4 feeding tubes
(11,12,13, 14). Each
feeding tube splits into 3 sub-tubes (s, s', s") and enters the compact
equipment (CE) through 3
holes which are arranged vertically along an axis which is parallel to the
vertical axis (V). A feeding
tube (I) is arranged such that it can supply liquid feed material to the
corresponding spray nozzles
without hindering the movement of reaction's support, and in the case of the
embodiment with
sliding side walls, the sliding walls when they sliding on the rails.
The first feeding tube (1) is placed slightly to the right of right wall ¨
left wall connection and is
attached to the left compact equipment wall. The second feeding tube (1') is
parallel to the first one.
If viewed from above, it is placed 90 counter-clockwise from the first one
and is attached to the
right compact equipment wall (7).The third feeding line tube (1") is also
parallel to the first one
and is placed 1800 counter-clockwise from the first one, if viewed from above,
and is attached to
the right compact equipment wall (7).
The fourth one (1") is also parallel to the first one and is placed 270
counter-clockwise from the
first one, if viewed from above, and is attached to the left compact equipment
wall (6).
Compact equipment exit tube (2) allows the exiting flow of the compact
equipment vapor exits
stream out of the compact equipment to be processed further downstream the
ceiling (8). Angled
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compact equipment floor (3) which allows solid particles which are not
entrained by the vapor's
within the compact equipment to fall into the solid exit tube (4).
Solid exit tube (4) allows flow of solids out of the compact equipment and is
the location wherein
the compact equipment screw conveyor is attached to the compact equipment
floor (3).
Sweep gas entrance tube (5) allows flow (G) of sweep gas into the compact
equipment (CE) so that
vapors within the compact equipment do no exit said compact equipment through
the solid exit tube
(4), attached the compact equipment solid exit tube.
Left compact equipment wall (6) enables the closing of the compact equipment.
Said wall is able to
detach from the angled compact equipment floor (3) the compact equipment
ceiling (8) and the right
compact equipment wall (7). Once detached, equipped with wheels, the wall's
wheels (18) can slide
on rails (19) and allow access to the internals of the compact equipment,
including the conic
reaction's supports (10) and the rotating shaft (14), for maintenance.
Attached are the angled
compact equipment floor (3), the compact equipment ceiling (8) and the right
compact equipment
wall (7).
Right compact equipment wall (7) is the (CE) wall which enables the closing of
the compact
equipment. Said wall is able to detach from the angled compact equipment floor
(3), the compact
equipment ceiling (8) and the left compact equipment wall (6). Once detached,
equipped with
wheels (18), the wall (7) can slide on rails (19) and allow access to the
internals of the compact
equipment, including the conic reaction's supports and the rotating shaft, for
maintenance. The
right equipment wall (7) is attached to the angled compact equipment floor,
the compact equipment
ceiling (8) and the right compact equipment wall.
9 Spray nozzle (9) sprays liquid feed (L) onto the conic reaction's
supports in order for said liquid
feed to make contact with the surface of the conic reaction's supports (10).
Thermal reactions occur
due to said contact of liquid feed (L) onto the surface of the conic
reaction's supports (10).
According to the example, the three spray nozzles (9) are located at the
extremities of each feeding
tube. They are positioned along an axis parallel to the vertical axis (V).
They are placed such that
the top-most nozzle for each liquid feeding tube is located above the top-most
pair of conic
reaction's supports, while the middle nozzle is located between both pair of
conic reaction's
supports, and the bottom-most nozzle is placed below the bottom-most pair of
conic reaction's
supports. Each top-most nozzle is angled downwards and spays liquid feed
preferably about
perpendicularly onto the top external surface of the top-most pair of conic
reaction's supports. It is
also positioned such that it does not interfere with the movement of the walls
(6,7).
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Each middle nozzle is angled such that it can spray liquid feed (L) preferably
about perpendicularly
onto both the bottom external surface of the top-most pair of conic reaction's
supports (10), and
onto the top external surface of the bottom-most pair of conic reaction's
supports.
Each top-most nozzle is angled downwards and spays liquid feed (L) preferably
about
perpendicularly onto the top external surface of the top-most pair of conic
reaction's supports (10).
It is also positioned such that it does not interfere with the movement of the
wall (6,7) and sprays
liquid feed (L) on the reaction's supports (10).
The surface of a conical reaction's support (10) is the location on which
thermal processing occurs.
Each conic reaction's support is paired with another conic reaction's support
such that an inductive
heater (13) can be placed in between them. Reaction's supports (10) are
heated, and liquid feed
contacts the top surface of the upper-most reaction's support of each pair of
reaction's supports (10)
and the bottom surface of the lower-most reaction's support of each pair of
reaction's supports.
Upon contact with said reaction's supports, the liquid feed and reacts to form
pyrolysis vapors and
char. Located along the length of the shaft and having an angle of 30 below
the horizontal axis.
There are four conical reaction's supports. The two top-most reaction's
supports are connected by
cone connectors, while the two bottom-most reaction's supports are connected
by cone connectors.
Each pair of conic reaction's supports are attached to the shaft via cone
connectors in such a manner
such that the reaction's supports rotate with the rotation of the shaft.
The reaction's supports which are connected together to form a pair of
reaction's supports are
vertically spaced out enough such that an inductive and/or infrared heater can
be placed between
the two reaction's supports.
Both pairs of reaction's supports are vertically spaced far enough away from
each other such that
there is enough room for spray nozzles to spray liquid feed onto the top and
bottom external surfaces
of the pairs of reaction's supports.
Reaction's supports rotate according to the rotation of the shaft (14). During
the reaction's support's
rotation, the top surface of the upper-most reaction's support of each pair of
reaction's supports and
the bottom surface of the lower-most reaction's support of each pair of
reaction's supports are
sprayed with liquid feed (L), feed spray (11), by the spray nozzles (9).
During the reaction's
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supports' rotation, the pairs of reaction's supports are heated by induction
heaters (13) and the
surfaces sprayed by the spray nozzles are scraped by scrapers.
Screw conveyor (12) turns within the compact equipment solid exit tube to push
solids out of the
compact equipment and drives solid material (21) out of the compact equipment
solid exit tube (4).
Inductive heater (13) heats the reaction's supports and they rotate within the
compact equipment
(CE). There are eight inductive heaters in total. There are four pairs of two
inductive heaters.
Each pair of inductive heaters (are placed along an axis parallel to the
vertical axis. Along said axis,
they are placed and angled in a manner such that the top-most heater can be
placed between the two
reaction's supports comprising the top-most pair of reaction's supports, and
the bottom-most heater
can be placed between the two reaction's supports comprising the bottom-most
pair of reaction's
supports.
They are also located in such a manner that the heaters do not make contact
with the reaction's
supports as they rotate, and such that they do not make contact with the
reaction's supports when
the wall to which they are attached to slides open or closed.
Each heater is attached to a wall via a heater base.
If seen from above, the first pair of inductive heaters is placed on an axis
located slightly clockwise
from the right wall ¨ left wall front connection. It is connected to the left
compact equipment wall.
If seen from above, the second pair of inductive heaters is located is placed
90 counter-clockwise
from the first one and is connected to the right compact equipment wall.
If seen from above, the third pair of inductive heaters is located is placed
180 counter-clockwise
from the first one and is connected to the right compact equipment wall.
If seen from above, the fourth pair of inductive heaters is located is placed
270 counter-clockwise
from the first one and is connected to the left compact equipment wall. 10.
Heats the conic reaction's
supports (10).
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Shaft (14) allows the rotation of the conic reaction's supports (10) and is
located along the compact
equipment central symmetrical axis. It pierces through the compact equipment
ceiling (8) and
angled compact equipment floor (3) and is connected to motors (10, 15).
Rotates due to shaft
motor(s) (15). Drives the rotation of the conic reaction's supports.
15 Shaft motor (15) drives the rotation of the shaft. Located on the
upper and/or lower extremities of
the shaft, outside of the compact equipment. Drives the rotation of the shaft
(14).
Scraper (16) scrapes the top surface of the upper-most reaction's support of a
pair of reaction's
supports or the bottom surface of the lower-most reaction's support of a pair
of reaction's supports.
There are sixteen scrapers in total. There are four sets of four scrapers
which are positioned along
an axis parallel to the vertical axis.
Each set of four scrapers are placed and angled in a manner such that the top-
most scraper can scrape
the top external surface of the top-most pair of reaction's supports, the
second top-most scraper can
scrape the bottom external surface of the top-most pair of reaction's
supports, the second bottom-
most scraper can scrape the top external surface of the bottom-most pair of
reaction's support, and
the bottom-most scraper can scrape the bottom external surface of the bottom-
most pair of reaction's
supports.
The first set of scrapers is positioned along an axis slightly to the left of
the right wall ¨ left wall
front connection.
If seen from above, the second set of scrapers is located is placed 90
counter-clockwise from the
first one and is connected to the right compact equipment wall.
If seen from above, the third set of scrapers is located is placed 180
counter-clockwise from the
first one and is connected to the right compact equipment wall.
If seen from above, the fourth set of scrapers is located is placed 270
counter-clockwise from the
first one and is connected to the left compact equipment wall. 10. Scrapes the
top surface of the
upper-most reaction's support (10) of a pair of reaction's supports or the
bottom surface of the
lower-most reaction's support of a pair of reaction's supports.
17
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Shaft seal (17) prevents vapors from escaping the compact equipment at
locations where the shaft
enters said compact equipment. Along the circumference of shaft, where the
shaft enters the
compact equipment through the angled compact equipment floor and where the
shaft enters the
compact equipment through the compact equipment ceiling. The locations of the
shaft seal on the
compact equipment ceiling and angled compact equipment floor is the point
where the central
symmetrical axis meets the compact equipment ceiling and angled compact
equipment floor,
respectively. 3, 8, 14. Connects and seals the area between the shaft (14) and
the compact equipment
ceiling (8), along with the area between the shaft (14) and the angled compact
equipment floor (3).
18 Wheel. Allows the movement of the left or right compact equipment
wall. Attached to the bottom
of the left or right compact equipment wall and resting on a rail. 6, 7, 19.
Rotates on the rail (19),
allowing the movement of the wall (6, 7) to which it is attached.
19 Rail (19) provides a surface on which a wheel can turn, thus
allowing the movement of the left or
right compact equipment wall. Connected to the angled compact equipment floor,
leading to the
floor on which the compact equipment base rests allows for the rotation of the
wheels (18).
20 Scraper base (20) is the base to which a scraper is attached. Scraper
base (20) allows for the scraper
to be pressed up against the reaction's support to which it is in contact
with, from outside of the
compact equipment (CE). Accessible from outside of the compact equipment (CE)
and connected
to the scrapers (16). Parallel to the scrapers (16); the scraper bases (20)
connect the bottom-most
part of the scrapers to the left and right compact equipment walls (6,7), and
extend past said walls
to allow for external forces to apply a force on the scraper (16) such that
the scraper is in contact
with a conic reaction's support (10) and allows the scraper to scrape said
reaction's support. Extends
past the left compact equipment wall (6) and the right compact equipment wall
(7). Is surrounded
by a scraper seal (36) at the location where the scraper base extends past the
compact equipment
walls.
Compact equipment central symmetrical axis (22) is represented in Figure 14'.
Cone support (23)
is advantageously made of bars which connect the conic reaction's supports
(10) to the shaft (14).
Connector (23) is located along the shaft, connecting a conic reaction's
support (10) with said shaft
(14). Located at the top-most section of a conic reaction's support and
positioned perpendicular to
the vertical axis and connects the conic reaction's supports (10) to the shaft
(14).
Heater base (24) connects the inductive heaters to the left and right compact
equipment walls. Heater
base (24) is parallel to the inductive heaters, it connects the bottom-most
part of an inductive heater
to a wall. (6,7,13) connects the inductive heaters (13) to the right and left
compact equipment walls
(6, 7).
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Compact equipment base (25) is the base on which the angled compact equipment
floor can rest.
Supplies structural integrity for the compact equipment and raises the compact
equipment above the
floor. Contains a space which allows the compact equipment solid exit tube to
past through.
Connected to the angled compact equipment floor (3) and resting on the compact
equipment base
(25) provides structural integrity for the compact equipment (R).
Cone connecter (26) is a hollow cylindrical element which connects pairs of
conic reaction's
supports to one another pairs of conic reaction's supports and provides
structural integrity for the
pairs of conic reaction's supports. Located between each pair of conic
reaction's supports (10). Cone
connecter (26) connects and provides structural integrity for pairs of conic
reaction's supports (10).
Right wall - ceiling connection (27) is a connection point between the right
wall and the compact
equipment ceiling.
Left wall ¨ ceiling connection (28) is the connection point between the left
wall and the compact
equipment ceiling.
Right wall ¨ left wall front connection (29) is a connection point between the
right wall and the left
wall.
Right wall ¨ floor connection (30) is a connection point between the right
wall and the compact
equipment floor.
Left wall ¨ floor connection (31) is a connection point between the left wall
and the compact
equipment floor.
(32) is the vertical center (32) of the compact equipment left wall.
Shaft support (33) provides structural integrity for the shaft, connecting it
to the bottom of the
compact equipment ceiling and the top of the angled compact equipment floor,
while still enabling
the shaft to rotate freely. Attached to the compact equipment ceiling and
floor and connecting to the
rotating shaft. Connecting rotating shaft connects to the compact equipment
ceiling (8) and the
angled compact equipment floor (3) to provide structural integrity.
Left wall seal (34) prevents the flow of gasses and/or vapors through the area
between the left
compact equipment wall and the compact equipment ceiling, the area between the
left compact
equipment wall and the compact equipment floor, and the area between the left
compact equipment
wall and the right compact equipment wall. Located along the left wall ¨
ceiling connection, the left
wall ¨ right wall front connection, the left wall right wall ¨ front
connection, and the left wall ¨ floor
connection connects the left compact equipment wall (6) to the compact
equipment ceiling (8), the
angled compact equipment floor (3), and the right compact equipment wall (7).
Right wall seal (35) prevents the flow of gasses and/or vapors through the
area between the right
compact equipment wall and the compact equipment ceiling, the area between the
right compact
CA 3005593 2018-05-22
equipment wall and the compact equipment floor, and the area between the left
compact equipment
wall and the right compact equipment wall. Located along the right wall ¨
ceiling connection, the
left wall ¨ right wall front connection, the left wall right wall ¨ front
connection, and the right wall
¨ floor connection. 3, 6, 7, 8. Connects the right compact equipment wall (7)
to the compact
equipment ceiling (8), the angled compact equipment floor (3), and the left
compact equipment wall
(6).
Scraper seal (36) prevents the flow of gasses and/or vapors through the area
between a scraper base
and the compact equipment wall to which it is connected. Each scraper is
equipped with a scraper
base, which extends past the compact equipment wall to which it is connected.
A scraper seal is
located around the scraper base at each point where it extends past a compact
equipment wall. 6, 3,
20. Connects a scraper base (20) to the left compact equipment wall (6) or the
right compact
equipment wall (7).
Surface of a reaction's support (10) is scraped by scrapers (16) and liquid
feed (L) is sprayed on the
surface.
Bottom surface (38) of a reaction's support (10) is scraped by scrapers (16)
and liquid feed (L) is
sprayed on the surface.
Pair of conic reaction's supports (10) is solidarized by connecting part (26)
and are attached to the
shaft (14) by the means of connector (23).
According to the present invention, a compact reactor has been invented. This
compact as represented in
Figure 1 allows reactor to perform the thermal processing of a starting
material made of various components
and comprising for example plastic, cellulosic, oily material ..... The
starting material that may be
heterogeneous may i.e. comprise liquid, solid, and semi-liquid components, the
various component thereby
present may be of different nature such as carboneous or non-carboneous
material, and such as metallic,
non-metallic being submitted to a preliminary pre-treatment before entering
the compact reactor. During
said preliminary treatment, starting material is heated, advantageously under
agitating in an equipment that
is of the Wackerbauer type.
Advantages of the processes and equipment of the invention
In a compact equipment of the invention for performing pyrolysis on a liquid
feed material,
surprisingly, the total surface of the reaction support represents between 70
and 250 %, preferably
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from 90 to 180 %, more preferably about 125 % of the total internal surface of
the enclosure of the
compact equipment.
According to a specific example wherein pyrolysis is performed in a compact
equipment with
several conic reactions support, the corresponding truncated conic surface of
a single conic
reaction's support, wherein the angle a at the basis of a cone being of about
30 degrees with a cone
truncated for a radius at the top of 0,25m (0,144338m below the summit of the
cone) and a base
radius of 0,95m (0,548483m below the summit or 0,4041m below the truncated
portion), the
corresponding reaction surface is 3,05m2. This number may be used to
recalculated the ratio that
will be necessarily greater and more interesting.
The enclosure of compact equipment being a cylinder with a radius of 1m with a
height of 0,4041
m) having a total internal surface of 2,41m which in a rotating drum equipped
with plates would
provide a working surface of about 0,60 m2. The surface relation to volume is
the following full cone is
Pi X radius (R) X Side of the cone (L) the enclosure volume is Pi X radius
square (R2) X by the height of
the cylinder (H). L = h X cos (angle/2) thus the reaction surface divided to
volume (S/V) = cos(top
angle/2)/R if it is a truncated cone the amount is (L-l) cos (angle/2). In the
rotating drum the surface divided
by volume is 2 x Pi xRxh/ 4/ Pi xRxRxh this is equal to 1/ 2R. Example = L=1m,
Angle=120 degrees
thus h= 0.5m R= 1m thus the Cone ratio= 0.5 m-1
For the same volume (compact equipment of the invention versus rotating kiln
with moving plates)
the cone has 6 times the working surface and better separation of vapors and
solids versus a rotating
drum with the plates with the same volume.
Although the present invention has been described with the aid of specific
embodiments, it should be
understood that several variations and modifications may be grafted onto the
embodiments and that the
present invention encompasses such modifications, usages or adaptations of the
present invention that will
become known or conventional within the field of activity to which the present
invention pertains, and which
may be applied to the essential elements mentioned above.
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