MICROFIBROUS MEDIA AND PACKING METHOD FOR OPTIMIZING AND CONTROLLING HIGHLY EXOTHERMIC AND HIGHLY ENDOTHERMIC REACTIONS/PROCESSES

• US 20110135543A1
• Filed: 11/05/2010
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Auburn University, IntraMicron, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Auburn University
• Inventors: Yang, Hongyun, Tatarchuk, Bruce, Cahela, Donald, Kalluri, Ranjeeth
• Granted Patent: US 8,420,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/198
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/2405 provoking a turbulent flow of the reactants, such as in cyclones, or having a high Reynolds-number
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/2495 Net-type reactors
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/30 Loose or shaped packing elements, e.g. Raschig rings or Berl saddles, for pouring into the apparatus for mass or heat transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28004 Sorbent size or size distribution, e.g. particle size
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28028 Particles immobilised within fibres or filaments
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/00017 Controlling the temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/00601 Controlling the conductivity
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/30475 comprising catalytically active material
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/30483 Fibrous materials

Abstract

A vessel packed with a microfibrous media made of micron-sized highly conductive fibers, which are able (and may be used) to immobilize various reactive materials including catalysts, sorbents, electrocatalysts, and other chemically reactive solids. The vessel enables fine temperature control and a uniform temperature profile for a range of highly endothermic or exothermic chemical reactions, sorptions, separation processes, mixing operations, and heat transfer applications.

Claims

1. An internal packing that enhances external transport into or out of a vessel including a microfibrous media made of thermally conductive fibers.

2. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the fibers are highly thermally conductive.

3. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the thermally conductive fibers are micron-sized.

4. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the packing is malleable to promote internal contact to internal walls of the vessel.

5. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the vessel is sealed.

6. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the vessel is a flow through design, periodically opened, closed or the flow is variable in flow rate or direction.

7. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the vessel is tubular, rectangular or conical.

8. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the vessel comprises a container for an entrapped sorbent.

9. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the vessel comprises a container for an entrapped catalyst.

10. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the vessel serves as a component in a high efficiency heat exchanger.

11. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the vessel serves as a thermal sink or phase change thermal moderator.

12. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the vessel serves as a static mixer.

13. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the fibers comprise high electrical conductivity.

14. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the fibers are used to immobilize a sorbent.

15. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the fibers are used to immobilize a catalyst.

16. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the fibers are used to immobilize an electro catalyst.

17. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the orientation of the packing is selected to promote heat transfer or electrical conduction in a specific direction.

18. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein volume fractions of conduction aid and an immobilized phase are adjusted over wide ranges.

19. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein packing and entrapped phase are spatially graded.

20. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the fibers are fused at their junctures to promote heat transfer or electrical conduction.

21. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein a medium in the vessel in contact with the packing is a liquid, a gas, a two phase mixture of liquid and gas, multiple phases of liquids, or multiple phases of liquids and a gas.

22. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein a medium in the vessel in contact with the packing undergoes a phase change.

23. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein selectivity of a process occurring in the vessel depends on temperature.

24. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the intrapacking Reynold'"'"'s number is low (20 or less) and lies in a regime of non-turbulent flow.

25. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the intrapacking Reynold'"'"'s number is high (1500 or greater) and lies in a regime of turbulent flow.

26. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein intermediate inert mechanical layers are used to maintain a malleable packing at a selected volume fraction and mechanical loading.

27. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the packing helps transport heat and reduce thermal excursions associated with nonsteady-state heterogeneous reactions including catalyst regenerations, calcinations, oxidations and autoreductions.

28. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the packing is stacked or layered onto an assembly apparatus to facilitate packing, unpacking or maintenance of the vessel.

29. The internal packing of claim 1 wherein the structure of the internal packing is used to mount one or more sensors including thermocouples, chemical sensors, flow sensors, or pressure sensors.

30. A vessel containing:

a. a microfibrous media made of thermally conductive fibers; and

b. a microfibrous immobilized process and chemical reaction facilitator contained within the microfibrous media, wherein the microfibrous media and the microfibrous entrapped process and reaction facilitator increase heat transfer and electrical conduction.

31. The vessel of claim 30 wherein the process and reaction facilitator is selected from the group consisting of a catalyst, a sorbent and a chemically reactive material.

32. The vessel of claim 30 wherein the fibers are used to immobilize a sorbent.

33. The vessel of claim 30 wherein the fibers are used to immobilize a catalyst.

34. The vessel of claim 30 wherein the fibers are highly thermally conductive.

35. The vessel of claim 30 wherein the thermally conductive fibers are micron-sized.

36. The vessel of claim 30 wherein the microfibrous media is malleable.

37. The vessel of claim 30 wherein a fluid perpendicularly or near-perpendicularly passes through the microfibrous media inside the vessel and the thermally conductive microfibrous media transfers the heat from the fluid to the vessel wall for exothermic reaction/processes, and from the vessel wall to the fluid for endothermic reaction/processes.

38. The vessel of claim 30 wherein the vessel comprises a tube made of at least one of a metal, a metal alloy, carbon, silicon and silicon carbide.

39. The vessel of claim 30 further comprising a catalyst.

40. The vessel of claim 39 wherein the microfibrous media comprises approximately 1-25 vol. % of the fibers and 0˜

60 vol. % of the catalyst.

41. The vessel of claim 39 wherein the catalyst comprise particles of a diameter of approximately 10-300 microns.

42. The vessel of claim 39 wherein the catalyst is in a form of powder, grains, pellets, extrudates, rings, or combinations thereof.

43. The vessel of claim 39 wherein the microfibrous media is in a stack of disks in vessels of axial flow direction, and rolls in the vessels of radial flow direction so that the flow direction is perpendicular or near-perpendicular to layers of the media.

44. The vessel of claim 30 wherein the fibers are made of a metal with high thermal conductivity.

45. The vessel of claim 44 wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of silver, zinc, copper, aluminum, nickel, iron, titanium, chromium, and metal alloys thereof.

46. The vessel of claim 30 wherein the fibers are made of a non-metal material with high thermal conductivities selected from the group consisting of carbon, silicon, silicon carbide, aluminum nitride and boron nitride.

47. The vessel of claim 30 wherein the fibers comprise a diameter of approximately 1-30 microns.

48. The vessel of claim 30 wherein the fibers are high thermal conductivity fibers selected from the group consisting of polycrystalline diamond, graphites, diamond coated fibers, silicon carbides, sapphire, and other polymers, inorganics, composites and coatings thereof.

49. The vessel of claim 30 wherein an output of sensors is used to control a process.

50. The vessel of claim 30 wherein the size of the vessel is large in cross-section and still maintains adequate thermal control due to the enhanced conductivity of the media in the radial direction.