MOBILE BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL ENERGY CONVERSION

• US 20120101921A1
• Filed: 10/22/2010
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Anderson, Noel Wayne, Faivre, Stephen Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,706,362 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/00 Mowers combined with apparatus performing additional operations while mowing A01D37/00 - A01D41/00, A01D43/00; convertible to apparatus for purposes other than mowing or capable of performing operations other than mowing A01D42/00; Mowing apparatus of harvesters
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 43/06 with means for collecting, gathering or loading mown material A01D43/086 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 90/16 self-propelled
• CPC Class Codes: F23G 2201/702 with other waste
• CPC Class Codes: F23G 2203/601 carried by a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F23G 2206/203 with a power/heat generating installation
• CPC Class Codes: F23G 2207/60 Additives supply
• CPC Class Codes: F23G 2209/262 Agricultural waste
• CPC Class Codes: F23G 5/04 drying
• CPC Class Codes: F23G 5/40 Portable or mobile incinerators
• CPC Class Codes: F23G 5/444 for solid waste F23G5/448 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F23G 5/46 Recuperation of heat
• CPC Class Codes: F23G 7/10 of field or garden waste or biomasses
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/12 Heat utilisation in combustion or incineration of waste

Abstract

The different illustrative embodiments provide a method for processing biological material. Biological material is monitored for in a field. The biological material is retrieved from the field to form retrieved biological material in response to detecting the biological material in the field. A conversion system converts the retrieved biological material into energy. A portion of the energy is directed to a remote location. The conversion system moves in the field during at least one of the monitoring, the retrieving, and the converting.

Claims

1. A method for processing biological material, the method comprising:

monitoring for biological material in a field;

responsive to detecting the biological material in the field, retrieving the biological material from the field to form retrieved biological material;

converting, by a conversion system, the retrieved biological material into energy;

directing a portion of the energy to a remote location; and

moving in the field, by the conversion system, during at least one of the monitoring, the retrieving, and the converting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion is a first portion and further comprising:

using a second portion of the energy to power the conversion system;

processing the retrieved biological material to form a processed biological material that is capable of being converted into energy; and

using heat from converting the biological material into energy to process the biological material to form the processed biological material.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy is generated energy, and further comprising:

receiving an additional energy from an energy source at the conversion system; and

running the conversion system using the additional energy until the generated energy is sufficient to power the conversion system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the additional energy is electrical energy and is received at the conversion system using a wire and wherein directing the second portion of the generated energy to the remote location further comprises:

responsive to a determination that the generated energy is sufficient to power the conversion system, directing the second portion of the generated energy to the remote location using the wire.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy is at least one of electrical energy, energy in a form of chemicals configured to be converted into electricity using a fuel cell, energy in a form of combustible liquids, and energy in a form of combustible gases and wherein directing the second portion of the energy to a remote location further comprises at least one of:

directing, by the conversion system, the electrical energy to an electrical energy grid; and

storing, by the conversion system, at least one of the energy in a form of chemicals the energy in the form of combustible liquids, and the energy in the form of combustible gases in a storage device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversion system removes the moisture from the retrieved biological material and converts the processed biological material into energy while moving through the field to retrieve the biological material.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein processing the retrieved biological material to form the processed biological material that is capable of being converted into energy further comprises:

removing moisture from the retrieved biological material in processing the retrieved biological material to form the processed biological material that is capable of being converted into energy.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein removing the moisture from the retrieved biological material further comprises at least one of:

compressing the retrieved biological material in removing the moisture from the retrieved biological material;

heating the retrieved biological material in removing the moisture from the retrieved biological material; and

adding chemicals that remove moisture from the retrieved biological material to the retrieved biological material in removing the moisture from the retrieved biological material.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

directing emissions produced by converting the processed biological material into energy into soil in the field.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

directing emissions produced by converting the processed biological material into energy and the heat produced by converting the processed biological material into energy into a fluid containing additional biological material.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the biological material is at least one of stalks of plants and leaves of plants positioned in a row in the field by a vehicle after the plants have been harvested using a vehicle and further comprising:

positioning tracking materials in association with the biological material in the row in the field using the vehicle, wherein the conversion system detects the row of the biological material by detecting the tracking materials.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the field is a first field and further comprising:

responsive to a determination that a predetermined amount of biological material has been removed from the first field, moving the conversion system to a second field; and

converting, by the conversion system, biological material from the second field into energy.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote location is an electrical energy grid and wherein directing the second portion of the generated energy to the remote location further comprises:

directing the second portion of the generated energy to the electrical grid using a wire connected to the conversion system; and

providing a credit for an amount of the generated energy directed to the electrical grid.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a platform;

a sensing system associated with the platform and configured to monitor for biological material in a field;

a retrieval mechanism associated with the platform and configured to retrieve the biological material from the field to form retrieved biological material in response to the sensing system detecting the biological material in the field;

a movement system associated with the platform and configured to move the platform through the field;

an energy converter associated with the platform and configured to convert the retrieved biological material into energy; and

an energy transfer system configured to direct a portion of the energy to a remote location.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the portion is a first portion, wherein the energy converter is operably connected to the movement system and configured to transfer a second portion of the energy to the movement system, and further comprising:

a material processing system configured to process the retrieved biological material to form a processed biological material that is capable of being converted into energy; and

a conservation system configured to direct heat produced by converting the processed biological material into energy to the material processing system to process the retrieved biological material to form the processed biological material.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the energy is generated energy and further comprising:

a switch in the energy transfer system, wherein the switch is configured to allow devices associated with the platform to receive additional energy from an energy source until the generated energy is sufficient to power the devices associated with the platform.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the additional energy is electrical energy, and further comprising:

a wire in the energy transfer system, wherein the energy transfer system is configured to use the wire to receive the electrical energy, wherein the energy transfer system is configured to direct the second portion of the generated energy to the remote location using the wire in response to a determination that the generated energy is sufficient to power the devices associated with the platform.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the energy is at least one of electrical energy, energy in a form of chemicals configured to be converted to electrical energy using a fuel cell, energy in a form of combustible liquids, and energy in a form of combustible gases and wherein the energy transfer system is configured to direct the second portion of the energy to a remote location by at least one of directing the electrical energy to an electrical energy grid and storing at least one of the energy in a form of chemicals, the energy in the form of combustible liquids, and the energy in the form of combustible gases in a storage device.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the retrieval mechanism, the movement system, the material processing system, the energy converter, the energy transfer system, and the conservation system are located within the platform.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the material processing system configured to remove moisture from the retrieved biological material to process the retrieved biological material to form the processed biological material that is capable of being converted into energy.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the material processing system is configured to removing the moisture from the retrieved biological material by at least one of compressing the retrieved biological material, heating the retrieved biological material, and adding chemicals that remove moisture from the retrieved biological material to the retrieved biological material.

22. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising:

an exhaust system configured to direct emissions produced by the energy converter into soil in the field.

23. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising:

an exhaust system configured to direct emissions produced by the energy converter and the heat produced by the energy converter into a fluid containing additional biological material for energy conversion.

24. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the biological material is at least one of stalks of plants and leaves of plants positioned in a row in the field by a vehicle after the plants have been harvested using a vehicle, wherein the vehicle positions tracking materials in association with the biological material in the row in the field, and wherein the sensing system detects the row of the biological material by detecting the tracking materials.

25. A vehicle comprising:

a sensing system configured to monitor for biological material in a field;

a movement system configured to move the vehicle through the field, wherein the vehicle is configured to retrieve the biological material from the field to form retrieved biological material in response to the sensing system detecting the biological material in the field;

a moisture removal system configured to remove moisture from the retrieved biological material and to compress the retrieved biological material into compressed biological material;

an electrical generator configured to burn the compressed biological material to generate electrical energy;

an electrical wiring system operably connected to the movement system, the electrical generator, and an electrical energy source, wherein the electrical wiring system is configured to direct a first portion of the electrical energy to the movement system and a second portion of the electrical energy to the electrical energy source; and

a heat conduction system configured to direct heat produced by the electrical generator in generating the electrical energy to the moisture removal system to remove the moisture from the retrieved biological material.

26. The vehicle of claim 25, wherein the electrical energy is generated electrical energy and further comprising:

a switch in the electrical wiring system, wherein the switch is configured to allow the vehicle to receive additional electrical energy from the electrical energy source until the generated electrical energy is sufficient to power the vehicle.

27. The vehicle of claim 26, wherein the electrical wiring system is further configured to direct the second portion of the generated electrical energy to the electrical energy source in response to a determination that the generated electrical energy is sufficient to power the vehicle.