HEAT EXCHANGER AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20090071634A1
• Filed: 09/13/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance LLC (Battelle Memorial Institute)
• Original Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance LLC (Battelle Memorial Institute)
• Inventors: Wilding, Bruce M., Turner, Terry D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,061,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/104.260
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 7/02 Crystallisation directly from the vapour phase into single crystals C30B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: F28C 3/10 one heat-exchange medium at least being a fluent solid, e.g. a particulate material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 Processes

Abstract

A heat exchanger and associated methods for sublimating solid particles therein, for conveying fluids therethrough, or both. The heat exchanger includes a chamber, and a porous member having a porous wall having pores in communication with the chamber and an interior of the porous member. A first fluid is conveyed into the porous member while a second fluid is conveyed into the porous member through the porous wall. The second fluid may form a positive flow boundary layer along the porous wall to reduce or eliminate substantial contact between the first fluid and the interior of the porous wall. The combined first and second fluids are conveyed out of the porous member. Additionally, the first fluid and the second fluid may each be conveyed into the porous member at different temperatures and may exit the porous member at substantially the same temperature.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger, comprising:

a chamber having an inlet;

at least one porous member comprising;

a porous wall comprising a plurality of pores exhibiting interconnected porosity therethrough and in communication with the chamber;

an inlet comprising a first opening in the porous member substantially larger than each of the plurality of pores;

an outlet comprising a second opening in the porous member substantially larger than each of the plurality of pores.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein a size of each of the first opening and the second opening are at least 10,000 percent larger than a size of each of the plurality of pores.

3. The heat exchanger of claim 2, wherein a diameter of each of the first opening and the second opening are at least 10,000 percent larger than the pore diameter of each of the plurality of pores.

4. The heat exchanger of claim 2, wherein the cross-sectional area of the first opening is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the second opening.

5. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the at least one porous member comprises a porous pipe.

6. The heat exchanger of claim 5, wherein the at least one porous member comprises a porous metal pipe.

7. The heat exchanger of claim 5, wherein the porous pipe has an internal cross-sectional area proximate the inlet smaller than an internal cross-sectional area proximate the outlet.

8. The heat exchanger of claim 7, wherein the porous pipe comprises at least one tapered porous pipe.

9. The heat exchanger of claim 5, wherein the porous pipe has at least one bend.

10. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the at least one porous member comprises a plurality of porous members.

11. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the chamber is located within a casing substantially laterally surrounding the porous member and is of annular configuration.

12. A method of conveying a fluid, the method comprising:

conveying a first fluid into a porous member along a centerline thereof;

forming a positive flow boundary layer substantially along the inside of the porous wall by conveying a second fluid into the porous member through the porous wall to at least reduce contact of the first fluid with the porous wall;

conveying both the first fluid and the second fluid out of the porous member.

13. The method of conveying a fluid of claim 12, wherein at least reducing contact between the first fluid and the porous wall comprises preventing substantial contact of the first fluid with the porous wall.

14. The method of conveying a fluid of claim 12, further comprising:

conveying the first fluid at a first temperature into the porous member;

conveying a second fluid at a second temperature substantially different than the first temperature from an exterior of the porous member into an interior thereof through the porous wall; and

conveying a combination of first fluid and the second fluid out of the porous member at a third temperature different than each of the first temperature and the second temperature.

15. The method of conveying a fluid of claim 14, wherein the second temperature is greater than the first temperature.

16. The method of conveying a fluid of claim 15, further comprising:

conveying a chemical component of the first fluid into the porous member in solid particulate form; and

conveying the chemical component of the first fluid out of the porous member in a gaseous form.

17. The method of conveying a fluid of claim 16, wherein:

conveying the second fluid comprises conveying gaseous methane;

conveying the first fluid into the porous member comprises conveying solid carbon dioxide and at least one of liquid methane and gaseous methane; and

conveying a combination of the first fluid and the second fluid comprises conveying gaseous methane and gaseous carbon dioxide.

18. A method of sublimating solid particles, the method comprising:

conveying a first fluid comprising a chemical in a solid particulate form into at least one porous member;

heating the chemical within the at least one porous member to a gaseous form by directing a second fluid at a temperature higher than a temperature of the first fluid into the at least one porous member through a porous wall thereof and mixing the first fluid and the second fluid;

conveying the chemical in the gaseous form out of the at least one porous member with the first fluid, and the second fluid.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein conveying the first fluid into a porous member comprises conveying the first fluid into a plurality of porous members.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein conveying the first fluid into the at least one porous member comprises conveying the first fluid into a porous pipe.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising conveying the first fluid through a first cross-section of the porous pipe proximate an inlet thereof and conveying the first fluid through a larger second cross-section of the porous pipe proximate an outlet thereof.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein conveying the first fluid into the porous pipe comprises directing the first fluid into at least one tapered porous metal pipe.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising conveying the first fluid through at least one bend in the porous pipe.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising conveying the heated second fluid into an annular chamber around the at least one porous member.