Carbon dioxide scrubber for fuel and gas emissions

• US 20020083833A1
• Filed: 01/16/2002
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Filburn, Tom, Papale, William, Nalette, Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 6,755,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 95/139
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 11/00 Devices for reconditioning breathing air in sealed rooms chemical purification, disinfection, or sterilisation of air A61L; in aircraft or submarines, insofar as they influence the construction of the vehicle or are influenced by its construction B63B, B64D, respectively; air-conditioning in general F24F
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 19/00 Cartridges with absorbing substances for respiratory apparatus carbon dioxide absorbing devices A61M16/22
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/10 Inorganic adsorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/202 Polymeric adsorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/206 Ion exchange resins
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40084 by exchanging used adsorbents with fresh adsorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40096 by using electrical resistance heating
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/4508 for cleaning air in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/02 by adsorption, e.g. preparative gas chromatography solid sorbent compositions B01J20/00, preparation of inorganic compounds or elements C01
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/04 with stationary adsorbents B01D53/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0407 Constructional details of adsorbing systems
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/62 Carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/22 comprising organic material
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/26 Synthetic macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/262 obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon to carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. obtained by polycondensation macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds per se C08G
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28014 characterised by their form
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3204 Inorganic carriers, supports or substrates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3208 Polymeric carriers, supports or substrates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3272 Polymers obtained by reactions otherwise than involving only carbon to carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3425 : of sorbents or filter aids comprising organic materials
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3483 : by thermal treatment not covered by groups B01J20/3441 - B01J20/3475, e.g. by heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2220/56 : Use in the form of a bed
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 41/07 : in the weakly basic form
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 : Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 : of CO2

Abstract

A system and method for controlling carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions emanating from a gas source includes a CO₂ sorbent bed containing a regenerable sorbent. Exhaust gases flow through the CO₂ sorbent bed before being released into the atmosphere. The CO₂ sorbent bed traps CO₂ contained within the exhaust gas to control the amount of CO₂ finally exhausted to the atmosphere. At least two CO₂ sorbent beds are used such that while one is absorbing CO₂ from the gas stream another is being regenerated. The CO₂ sorbent bed is regenerated to release the trapped CO₂ for disposal or use in other processes. The CO₂ sorbent beds are cycled between absorbing CO₂ and regenerating to optimize absorption of CO₂.

Claims

1. A system of removing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from a gas produced in energy extracting systems comprising;

a CO₂ sorbent bed including a CO₂ sorbent,

a conduit for communicating a source of gas containing CO₂ with said sorbent bed,

a conduit for communicating said sorbent bed with an outlet,

a regeneration device for evolving CO₂ from said CO₂ sorbent bed, and

at least one valve disposed to control a flow of said gas into and out of said sorbent bed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said sorbent is an amine/nitrile CO₂ sorbent, wherein a major portion of the amine portion of said sorbent is formed from secondary amine groups, and at least one functional nitrile group.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said sorbent includes an amine constituent which is composed of at least 60% secondary amine groups, no more than 10% primary amine groups, and no more than 20% tertiary amine groups.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein there are a plurality of functional nitrile groups in said sorbent.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said sorbent is a solid weak base ionic exchange resin.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said sorbent bed includes a plurality of amine sorbent beads, said amine sorbent beads react with said CO₂ to trap said CO₂ within said sorbent bed.

7. The system of claim 1, including a plurality of said sorbent beds and at least one of said valves operates to switch said flow of gas between said plurality of sorbent beds such that upon saturation of one of said plurality of sorbent beds another non-saturated sorbent bed is placed in communication with said flow of gas.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said regenerative device includes a heater to heat said sorbent bed to temperatures sufficient to evolve said CO₂.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said regenerative device includes a steam source, said steam source emitting steam into said sorbent bed to drive absorbed CO₂ from said sorbent bed.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said regenerative device includes a vacuum source to draw said evolved CO₂ from said sorbent beds.

11. The system of claim 1, including a controller to coordinate operation of said regenerative device and said at least one valve.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said gas stream emanates from a natural gas well.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said gas stream is produced by burning of fossil fuels.

14. The system of claim 1, further including a cooling system operably associated with said sorbent bed to maintain a predetermined temperature within said sorbent bed during absorption of said CO₂.

15. The system of claim 1, further including a storage tank in operable communication with said sorbent bed and controlled by said at least one valve such that CO₂ evolved from said sorbent bed is drawn into said storage tank.

16. The system of claim 1, further including an exhaust conduit operably associated with said sorbent bed to carry away evolved CO₂.

18. The method of claim 1, further including at least two sorbent beds such that said step (a) is further defined by placing one of said at least two sorbent beds within the flow of gas until reaching the predetermined concentration of CO₂.

19. The method of claim 17, further including the step of switching the flow of gas from one of said at least two sorbent beds upon one of said at least two sorbent beds reaches said predetermined concentration of CO₂.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said step (d) is further defined by expelling CO₂ from said sorbent bed at the predetermined concentration of CO₂.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said step (d) is further defined by raising a temperature of said sorbent bed above a predetermined temperature to release the CO₂ from said sorbent bed.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein said step (d) is further defined by applying steam at a temperature above a predetermined temperature to release said CO₂ from said sorbent bed.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein said step (d) is further defined by applying a vacuum to draw the expelled CO₂ out of the sorbent bed.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein said sorbent bed includes a plurality of amine sorbent beads.

25. The method of claim 18, further including switching between said at least two sorbent beds at a predetermined time interval determined to optimize concentration of said CO₂ within said sorbent bed.

17. A method for removing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from a gas containing CO₂ extracted from an energy producing system, said method including the steps of:

a. communicating a CO₂ sorbent bed with the gas containing CO₂.

b. absorbing CO₂ contained within the gas with the sorbent bed;

c. concentrating said CO₂ within said sorbent bed, and

d. expelling said CO₂ from said sorbent bed upon reaching a predetermined concentration level of CO₂.