Self-supporting structures having active materials

• US 10,710,053 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2017
• Issued: 07/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Inventors: Brody, John F., Wooler, Bradley, Altera, Francesco J., Tindall, Paul J., Du, Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lawrence, Jr., Frank M
• Application Number:
  US15/826,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20180169617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 96121, 96153, 96154, 96152, 96139
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/108 Zeolites
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/34 Specific shapes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/3425 Honeycomb shape
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2256/24 Hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/80 Water
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40003 Methods relating to valve switching
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40043 Purging
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/4062 using six beds
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0001 Making filtering elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/2418 Honeycomb filters used for filtering exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine F01N3/022; ceramic honeycomb structures per se C04B38/0006
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0446 Means for feeding or distributing gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0462 Temperature swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/047 Pressure swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0473 Rapid pressure swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/261 by adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/183 Physical conditioning without chemical treatment, e.g. drying, granulating, coating, irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/2803 Sorbents comprising a binder, e.g. for forming aggregated, agglomerated or granulated products
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28042 Shaped bodies; Monolithic structures
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28045 Honeycomb or cellular structures; Solid foams or sponges
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28052 : Several layers of identical or different sorbents stacked in a housing, e.g. in a column
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3007 : Moulding, shaping or extruding
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3057 : Use of a templating or imprinting material molecularly imprinted polymers B01J20/268; filling pores of a substrate or matrix followed by the removal of the substrate or matrix
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3064 : Addition of pore forming agents, e.g. pore inducing or porogenic agents
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3078 : Thermal treatment, e.g. calcining or pyrolizing
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/56 : Foraminous structures having flow-through passages or channels, e.g. grids or three-dimensional monoliths
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 37/0009 : Use of binding agents; Moulding; Pressing; Powdering; Granulating; Addition of materials ameliorating the mechanical properties of the product catalyst
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 37/0018 : Addition of a binding agent or of material, later completely removed among others as result of heat treatment, leaching or washing,(e.g. forming of pores; protective layer, desintegrating by heat)
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 37/08 : Heat treatment B01J37/0009, B01J37/0018 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/107 : containing organic material comprising solvents, e.g. for slip casting
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/10 : Formation of a green body
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/18 : by mixing binder with metal in filament form, e.g. fused filament fabrication [FFF]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2998/10 : Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/00 : Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor ; Presses and furnaces
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/1021 : Removal of binder or filler removal of binder from ceramics C04B35/638
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/1121 : by using decomposable, meltable or sublimatable fillers
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 5/10 : of articles with cavities or holes, not otherwise provided for in the preceding subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/18 : the holes passing completely through the article
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/342 : which are at least partially destroyed, e.g. broken, molten, before demoulding; Moulding surfaces or spaces shaped by, or in, the ground, or sand or soil, whether bound or not; Cores consisting at least mainly of sand or soil, whether bound or not
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/346 : Manufacture of moulds
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/348 : of plastic material or rubber
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/106 : using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 : Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 : Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2111/0081 : as catalysts or catalyst carriers
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/18 : rich in aluminium oxide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/19 : Alkali metal aluminosilicates, e.g. spodumene
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/195 : Alkaline earth aluminosilicates, e.g. cordierite or anorthite
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/0006 : Honeycomb structures from one or more corrugated sheets by winding or stacking C04B38/0083
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/0064 : Multimodal pore size distribution
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/0655 : Porous materials C04B38/0625 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 : of CO2
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/10 : Greenhouse gas [GHG] capture, material saving, heat recovery or other energy efficient measures, e.g. motor control, characterised by manufacturing processes, e.g. for rolling metal or metal working

Abstract

A method and system for manufacturing and using a self-supporting structure in processing unit for adsorption or catalytic processes. The self-supporting structure has greater than 50% by weight of the active material in the self-supporting structure to provide an open-celled structure providing access to the active material. The self-supporting structures, which may be disposed in a processing unit, may be used in swing adsorption processes and other processes to enhance the recovery of hydrocarbons.

Claims

1. A processing unit comprising:

a housing forming an interior region;

a self-supporting structure disposed within the interior region, wherein the self-supporting structure has greater than 50% by weight of an active material in the self-supporting structure, and wherein the self-supporting structure is an open-celled structure configured to provide one or more defined channels for fluid flow paths through the self-supporting structure, and wherein the self-supporting structure consists essentially of the active material and a silica binder material; and

a plurality of valves secured to the housing, wherein each of the plurality of valves is configured to control fluid flow along a flow path extending between the self-supporting structure and a location external to the housing;

wherein the self-supporting structure is formed by;

creating a template for a self-supporting structure;

disposing a mixture within the template, wherein the mixture has greater than 50% by weight of the active material in the self-supporting structure and the silica binder material;

curing the combination of the template and the mixture to form a self-supporting structure that is maintains a solid form; and

removing the template from the self-supporting structure, wherein the one or more defined channels are based on the template.

2. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is a cyclical swing adsorbent bed unit configured to remove contaminants from a gaseous feed stream that passes through the one or more defined channels in the self-supporting structure.

3. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the self-supporting structure has greater than 60% by weight of the active material in the self-supporting structure.

4. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the self-supporting structure has greater than 70% by weight of the active material in the self-supporting structure.

5. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the processing unit further comprises a flow distributor disposed between the self-supporting structure and the plurality of valves.

6. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured to maintain a pressure from 5 pounds per square inch absolute (psia) and 1,400 psia.

7. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the self-supporting structure has a low thermal mass.

8. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the one or more defined channels comprise two or more channels that are substantially parallel.

9. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the self-supporting structure has a plurality of pores formed in the active material by removing a plurality of polyethylene spheres from the active material to form the plurality of pores.