Rotary contactor for vehicle carbon dioxide capture

• US 10,563,555 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2017
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Original Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Inventors: Hamad, Esam Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matthias, Jonathan R
• Application Number:
  US15/788,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20190120106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/10 Inorganic adsorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/34 Specific shapes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2258/01 Engine exhaust gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/06 with moving adsorbents, e.g. rotating beds B01D53/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28035 with more than one layer, e.g. laminates, separated sheets
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/103 Carbon dioxide F01K25/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/0857 Carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 5/02 the devices using heat
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 of CO2

Abstract

Systems and methods for capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) in exhaust gases of a vehicle include delivering the exhaust gas to a cooled section of a rotary contactor, the rotary contactor including openings that extend from a first side of the rotary contactor to a second side of the rotary contactor. The CO₂ of the exhaust gas is adsorbed with a sorbent of the cooled section of the rotary contactor, where the non-CO₂ components of the exhaust gas pass through the openings. The cooled section of the rotary contactor is heated with a hot fluid of the vehicle to release the adsorbed CO₂ and convert the cooled section of the rotary contactor to a heated section of the rotary contactor. The heated section of the rotary contactor is cooled to convert the heated section of the rotary contactor back to the cooled section of the rotary contactor.

Claims

1. A method for capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) in exhaust gas of a vehicle, the method including:

locating a rotary contactor onboard the vehicle;

delivering a stream of the exhaust gas of the vehicle to a cooled section of a rotary contactor, the rotary contactor including openings that extend from a first side of the rotary contactor to a second side of the rotary contactor opposite the first side;

adsorbing the CO₂ of the exhaust gas with a sorbent of the cooled section of the rotary contactor, where non-CO₂ components of the exhaust gas pass through the openings;

heating the cooled section of the rotary contactor with a hot fluid of the vehicle to release the adsorbed CO₂ as a released CO₂ stream and converting the cooled section of the rotary contactor to a heated section of the rotary contactor;

directing a mixture of the released CO₂ stream and the exhaust gas towards the stream of the exhaust gas with a purge sector; and

cooling the heated section of the rotary contactor to convert the heated section of the rotary contactor back to the cooled section of the rotary contactor.

2. The method of claim 1, where the exhaust gas is delivered to the cooled section of the rotary contactor in a direction perpendicular to a plane of rotation of the rotary contactor.

3. The method of claim 1, where the sorbent is a solid sorbent coating and the method further includes locating the solid sorbent on a structured sheet.

4. The method of claim 3, where the structured sheet includes the openings and the method further includes maximizing a sorbent capacity per unit volume of the rotary contactor.

5. The method of claim 3, where the structured sheet includes the openings and the method further includes minimizing a pressure drop of the exhaust gas as it passes through the openings from the first side to the second side.

6. The method of claim 1, further including before delivering the exhaust gas of the vehicle to the cooled section of the rotary contactor, passing the exhaust gas through an energy recovery device, the energy recovery device generating energy for compressing the released CO₂.

7. The method of claim 6, where the hot fluid of the vehicle is a working fluid of an organic Rankine cycle energy recovery device.

8. The method of claim 1, where the hot fluid of the vehicle is a hot coolant of the vehicle and heating the cooled section of the rotary contactor with a hot fluid of the vehicle includes heating the cooled section of the rotary contactor with the hot coolant.

9. The method of claim 1, where the hot fluid of the vehicle is a fluid heated by the exhaust gas in a heat exchanger.

10. The method of claim 9, where cooling the heated section of the rotary contactor includes cooling the heated section of the rotary contactor with the exhaust gas downstream of the heat exchanger.

11. The method of claim 1, further including compressing and storing the released CO₂ onboard the vehicle.

12. A method for capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) in exhaust gas of a vehicle, the method including:

locating a rotary contactor onboard the vehicle;

delivering a stream of the exhaust gas of the vehicle to a cooled section of a rotary contactor, the rotary contactor including openings that extend from a first side of the rotary contactor to a second side of the rotary contactor opposite the first side;

adsorbing the CO₂ of the exhaust gas with a sorbent of the cooled section of the rotary contactor;

rotating the rotary contactor so that the cooled section of the rotary contactor is in a path of a hot fluid of the vehicle and heating the cooled section of the rotary contactor to release the adsorbed CO₂ as a released CO₂ stream, converting the cooled section of the rotary contactor to a heated section of the rotary contactor;

directing a mixture of the released CO₂ stream and the exhaust gas towards the stream of the exhaust gas with a purge sector; and

rotating the rotary contactor so that the heated section of the rotary contactor is in a path of the exhaust gas and cooling the heated section of the rotary contactor with the exhaust gas to convert the heated section of the rotary contactor back to the cooled section of the rotary contactor;

where

the exhaust gas passes through an energy recovery device, the energy recovery device generating energy for compressing the released CO₂; and

the rotary contactor and the energy recovery device are located onboard the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12, where the exhaust gas is delivered to the cooled section of the rotary contactor in a direction perpendicular to a plane of rotation of the rotary contactor.

14. The method of claim 12, where the sorbent is a solid sorbent coating located on a structured sheet that includes the openings.

15. The method of claim 12, where the exhaust gas passes through the energy recovery device before delivering the exhaust gas to the cooled section of the rotary contactor.

16. The method of claim 12, where the exhaust gas passes through the energy recovery device after delivering the exhaust gas to the cooled section of the rotary contactor.

17. A system for capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) in exhaust gas of a vehicle, the system including:

a rotary contactor located onboard the vehicle, the rotary contactor having a cooled section operable to receive delivery of a stream of the exhaust gas of the vehicle, the rotary contactor including openings that extend from a first side of the rotary contactor to a second side of the rotary contactor opposite the first side;

a sorbent located on the cooled section of the rotary contactor operable to adsorb the CO₂ of the exhaust gas; and

a hot fluid directed at the cooled section of the rotary contactor operable to release the adsorbed CO₂ as a released CO₂ stream and convert the cooled section of the rotary contactor to a heated section of the rotary contactor;

a purge sector operable to direct a mixture of the released CO₂ stream and the exhaust gas towards the stream of the exhaust gas;

where

the rotary contactor is rotatable so that the heated section of the rotary contactor is cooled to convert the heated section of the rotary contactor back to the cooled section of the rotary contactor.

18. The system of claim 17, where the exhaust gas is delivered to the cooled section of the rotary contactor in a direction perpendicular to a plane of rotation of the rotary contactor.

19. The system of claim 17, where the sorbent is a solid sorbent coating located on a structured sheet.

20. The system of claim 19, where the structured sheet includes the openings and is shaped to maximize a surface area multiplied by a thickness of the sorbent per a unit volume of the rotary contactor.

21. The system of claim 19, where the structured sheet includes the openings and has a monolith structured packing.

22. The system of claim 17, further including an energy recovery device operable to generate energy for compressing the released CO₂.

23. The system of claim 17, further including a compressor operable to compress the released CO₂ and a storage unit for storing the compressed CO₂.