Method and apparatus for continuous removal of carbon dioxide vapors from gases

• US 10,213,731 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: US Bank Trust National Association (US Bancorp)
• Original Assignee: Sustainable Energy Solutions LLC (Waste Management Incorporated)
• Inventors: Baxter, Larry, Sayre, Aaron, Burt, Stephanie, Davis, Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Berns, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US15/410,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20180200666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/302 of lithium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/306 of potassium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/402 of magnesium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/404 of calcium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/80 Organic bases or salts
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2252/102 Ammonia
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2252/103 Water
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2252/202 Alcohols or their derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2252/2021 Methanol
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2252/2023 Glycols, diols or their derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2252/504 Mixtures of two or more absorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2258/0283 Flue gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/002 by condensation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/1425 Regeneration of liquid absorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/1475 Removing carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/1493 Selection of liquid materials for use as absorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/62 Carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/96 Regeneration, reactivation or recycling of reactants
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/12 Regeneration of a solvent, catalyst, adsorbent or any other component used to treat or prepare a fuel
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/541 : Absorption of impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 3/104 : Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 3/067 : separation of carbon dioxide production of carbon dioxide in general C01B32/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 : of CO2

Abstract

A method for continuously removing carbon dioxide vapor from a carrier gas is disclosed. This method includes, first, causing direct contact of the carrier gas with a liquid mixture in a separation chamber, the carrier gas condensing at a lower temperature than the carbon dioxide vapor. A combination of chemical effects cause the carbon dioxide to condense, complex, or both condense and complex with the liquid mixture. The liquid mixture is chosen from the group consisting of: first, a combination of components that can be maintained in a liquid phase at a temperature below the carbon dioxide vapor'"'"'s condensation point, whereby the carbon dioxide condenses into the liquid mixture; second, a combination of components where at least one component forms a chemical complex with the carbon dioxide vapor and thereby extracts at least a portion of the carbon dioxide vapor from the carrier gas; and third, a combination of components that can both be maintained in a liquid phase at a temperature below the carbon dioxide'"'"'s condensation point, and wherein at least one component forms a chemical complex with the carbon dioxide vapor and thereby extracts at least a portion of the carbon dioxide vapor from the carrier gas. The liquid mixture is then reconstituted after passing through the separation chamber by a chemical separation process chosen to remove an equivalent amount of the carbon dioxide vapor from the liquid mixture as was removed from the carrier gas. The reconstituted liquid mixture is restored to temperature and pressure through heat exchange, compression, and expansion, as necessary, in preparation for recycling back to the separation chamber. The liquid mixture is then returned to the separation chamber. In this manner, the carrier gas leaving the exchanger has between 1% and 100% of the carbon dioxide vapor removed.

Claims

1. A method for removing a carbon dioxide vapor from a carrier gas comprising:

cooling the carrier gas by direct contact with a liquid mixture causing a portion of the carbon dioxide vapor to desublimate as a solid product into the liquid mixture, resulting in warming of the liquid mixture;

separating the solid product and the liquid mixture;

cooling the liquid mixture; and

recycling the liquid mixture to cool the carrier gas.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the carrier gas is selected from the group consisting of combustion flue gas, syngas, producer gas, natural gas, steam reforming gas, any hydrocarbon that has a higher volatility than carbon dioxide, and light gases, wherein light gases comprise hydrogen, helium, nitrogen, oxygen, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid mixture comprises a combination of components that are in a liquid phase at a temperature below the carbon dioxide vapor'"'"'s condensation point.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the liquid mixture comprises a mixture of water and a compound from the group consisting of potassium carbonate, potassium formate, potassium acetate, calcium magnesium acetate, magnesium chloride, sodium chloride, lithium chloride, calcium chloride, and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the liquid mixture comprises a mixture of water and a compound from the group consisting of glycerol, ammonia, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, ethanol, methanol, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid mixture comprises a combination of components that form a chemical complex with the carbon dioxide vapor.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein direct contact of the carrier gas with the liquid mixture causes the liquid mixture to complex, absorb, or both complex and absorb a portion of the carbon dioxide vapor into the liquid mixture as a complexed carbon dioxide product.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein recycling the liquid mixture further comprises removal of the complexed carbon dioxide product by a separation process selected from a group consisting of distillation, pressure-swing separation, liquid extraction, reverse osmosis, forward osmosis, filtration, stripping, or combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein direct contact of the carrier gas with the liquid mixture occurs in a separation chamber and a cryogenic pump passes the solid product and liquid mixture out of the separation chamber, wherein the cryogenic pump is capable of handling temperatures below a freezing point of carbon dioxide, as well as handling solid particles and is chosen from the group consisting of centrifugal, piston, pressure-recovery, propeller, circulator, slurry, positive-displacement, diaphragm, progressive-cavity, screw, and vane pumps.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the separation chamber is a counter-current, direct-contact exchanger.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the separation chamber is a co-current, direct-contact exchanger.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the cryogenic pump has internal components made of materials resistant to acidic solutions.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the internal components comprise ceramics, stainless steel, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the cryogenic pump has internal components made of materials resistant to corrosive solutions.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the internal components comprise ceramics, stainless steel, or a combination thereof.