Equipment protecting enclosures

• US 10,589,251 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2018
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Inventors: Medhoff, Marshall, Masterman, Thomas Craig, Paradis, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, David E
• Application Number:
  US16/190,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20190151815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/087 Particle radiation, e.g. electron-beam, alpha or beta radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/082 Gamma-radiation only
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/085 Electron beams only
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/12 employing electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/123 Ultraviolet light
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/125 X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/22 in the form of endless belts
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0869 Feeding or evacuating the reactor
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0871 Heating or cooling of the reactor
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0879 Solid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/12 Processes employing electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/1203 Incoherent waves
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 27/04 Load carriers other than helical or spiral channels or conduits
• CPC Class Codes: C08H 8/00 Macromolecular compounds derived from lignocellulosic materials pretreatment thereof B27N
• CPC Class Codes: C10B 19/00 Heating of coke ovens by electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: C10B 53/02 of cellulose-containing material production of pyroligneous acid C10C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/02 by distillation
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 32/04 by particle radiation
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0469 Renewables or materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/24 Mixing, stirring of fuel components
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/28 : Cutting, disintegrating, shredding or grinding
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/36 : Applying radiation such as microwave, IR, UV
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/52 : Hoppers
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/403 : on paper and paper waste
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/442 : Wood or forestry waste
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/445 : Agricultural waste, e.g. corn crops, grass clippings, nut shells or oil pressing residues
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/46 : on sewage, house, or town refuse C10L5/403, C10L5/406 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 2201/00 : Pretreatment of cellulosic or lignocellulosic material for subsequent enzymatic treatment or hydrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/10 : substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 1/02 : obtained by saccharification of cellulosic materials manufacture of fodder A23K10/32
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 13/002 : Xylose
• CPC Class Codes: D21B 1/02 : Pretreatment of the raw materials by chemical or physical means removal of bark B27L
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 3/00 : Shielding characterised by its physical form, e.g. granules, or shape of the material
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 5/04 : with beam-forming means
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 5/10 : with provision for relative movement of beam source and object to be irradiated
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2002 : Controlling environment of sample
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/202 : Movement
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 33/04 : Windows
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/20 : Means for supporting or positioning the object or the material; Means for adjusting diaphragms or lenses associated with the support
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/317 : for changing properties of the objects or for applying thin layers thereon, e.g. for ion implantation H01J37/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 5/18 : Windows permeable to X-rays, gamma-rays, or particles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 : Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 : Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/145 : the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/87 : Re-use of by-products of food processing for fodder production

Abstract

Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful intermediates and products, such as energy, fuels, foods or materials. For example, systems and methods are described that can be used to treat feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials, in a vault in which the equipment is protected from radiation and hazardous gases by equipment enclosures. The equipment enclosures may be purged with gas.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vibratory conveyor having motor components mounted on a structure, the motor components including materials that are susceptible to damage by ionizing radiation or ozone;

an equipment enclosure that is opaque to ionizing radiation including X-rays having an energy of at least 0.1 MeV, the enclosure being configured to be positioned over the motor and having an open end that is dimensioned to provide a gap between the equipment enclosure and the structure when the equipment enclosure is in place and a conduit for flowing a purging gas into the equipment enclosure to remove ozone in fluid communication with a source of purging gas.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the gap is maintained by fixing the equipment enclosure relative to the conveyor using a stop, a groove, a spacer and/or a fastener.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising equipment for moving the equipment enclosure into and out of position over the conveyor components.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the equipment is selected from the group consisting of wheels attached to the equipment enclosure, tracks for sliding the equipment enclosure, wheels disposed below the equipment enclosure, sliders, linear guides and combinations thereof.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the equipment comprises slide rails on which the enclosure is mounted.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising electron beam irradiating equipment positioned such that the electron beam is directed towards a belt of the vibratory conveyor.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a delivery device configured to deliver a particulate material to the vibratory conveyor, and a source of particulate biomass in communication with the delivery device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the average gap width is from about 1 mm to 60 mm.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the enclosure is formed of a material having a Z value of at least 25.