ORIFICE PLATE FOR CONTROLLING SOLIDS FLOW, METHODS OF USE THEREOF AND ARTICLES COMPRISING THE SAME

• US 20120111535A1
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd. (Alstom SA)
• Inventors: Jukkola, Glen D., Teigen, Bard C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,557,115 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/104.18
• CPC Class Codes: F28C 3/14 the particulate material moving by gravity, e.g. down a tube
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 13/00 Heat-exchange apparatus using a fluidised bed
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0045 for granular materials
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 27/02 for controlling the distribution of heat-exchange media between different channels static flow control means in header boxes F28F9/026; arrangements of guide plates or guide vanes F28F9/22, F28F25/12
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 9/026 with static flow control means, e.g. with means for uniformly distributing heat exchange media into conduits

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an orifice plate comprising one or more plates having orifices disposed therein; the orifices being operative to permit the flow of solids from a moving bed heat exchanger to a solids flow control system; where the orifice plate is downstream of a tube bundle of the moving bed heat exchanger and upstream of the solids flow control system and wherein the orifice plate is operative to evenly distribute the flow of solids in the solids flow control system.

Claims

1. An orifice plate comprising:

one or more plates having orifices disposed therein;

the orifices being operative to permit the flow of solids from a moving bed heat exchanger to a solids flow control system;

where the orifice plate is downstream of a tube bundle of the moving bed heat exchanger and upstream of the solids flow control system and wherein the orifice plates are operative to evenly distribute the flow of solids towards the solids flow control system.

2. The orifice plate of claim 1, comprising a plurality of plates.

3. The orifice plate of claim 1, where the orifice plate comprises 1 to about 10 plates.

4. The orifice plate of claim 1, where each successive plate from the solids flow control system to the moving bed heat exchanger contains a number of orifices determined by successive terms of a geometric sequence respectively.

5. The orifice plate of claim 1, where the orifice plate comprises a first plate and a second plate, with the first plate disposed closer to the solids flow control system than the second plate.

6. The orifice plate of claim 5, where the first plate comprises four orifices and wherein the second plate comprises 16 orifices.

7. The orifice plate of claim 5, where a height between the first plate and the second plate is determined by an angle of repose of the solids.

8. The orifice plate of claim 5, where a distance between the orifices in the first plate and/or the second plate is determined by an angle of repose of the solids.

9. The orifice plate of claim 1, where the orifice plate comprises a high alloy steel, refractory tiles, or a combination thereof.

10. The orifice plate of claim 5, where a center of the orifice in the first plate is coaxial with the center of rotation of a plurality of orifices in the second plate.

11. A moving bed heat exchanger comprising:

an enclosure having side walls, a roof and a floor;

a tube bundle disposed within the enclosure;

the tube bundle being operative to transport a cooling fluid;

wherein the spaces between tubes of the tube bundle are operative to permit transport of hot solids and/or ash;

an orifice plate disposed downstream of the tube bundle and the floor of the moving bed heat exchanger;

the orifice plate comprising;

one or more plates having orifices disposed therein;

the orifices being operative to permit the flow of solids from the moving bed heat exchanger to a solids flow control system;

where the solids flow control system is located downstream of the moving bed heat exchanger and wherein the orifice plates are operative to evenly distribute the flow of solids towards the solids flow control system.

12. The moving bed heat exchanger of claim 11, wherein the orifice plate comprises a plurality of plates.

13. The moving bed heat exchanger of claim 11, where the orifice plate comprises 1 to about 10 plates.

14. The moving bed heat exchanger of claim 11, where each successive plate from the solids flow control system to the moving bed heat exchanger contains a number of orifices determined by successive terms of a geometric sequence respectively.

15. The moving bed heat exchanger of claim 11, where the orifice plate comprises a first plate and a second plate, with the first plate disposed closer to the solids flow control system than the second plate.

16. The moving bed heat exchanger of claim 15, where the first plate comprises four orifices and wherein the second plate comprises 16 orifices.

17. The moving bed heat exchanger of claim 11, where the solids flow control system has a height that is about 60 to about 80% less than a comparative solids flow control system that does not have the orifice plate.

18. The moving bed heat exchanger of claim 11, where the moving bed heat exchanger displays a more uniform flow of solids than a comparative moving bed heat exchanger that does not contain the orifice plate.

19. A method comprising:

discharging solids from a moving bed heat exchanger to a solids flow control system through an orifice plate, the orifice plate comprising;

one or more plates having orifices or hoppers disposed therein;

wherein the orifices or the hoppers are operative to permit the flow of solids from the moving bed heat exchanger to a solids flow control system;

where the solids flow control system is located downstream of the moving bed heat exchanger; and

forming a pile of solids adjacent to an orifice or a hopper on at least one orifice plate;

wherein the pile of solids serves to guide additional solids discharged from the moving bed heat exchanger into another orifice or into another hopper.

20. An orifice plate comprising:

one or more plates comprising a plurality of hoppers;

each hopper having an orifice disposed therein;

the orifices being operative to permit the flow of solids from a moving bed heat exchanger to a solids flow control system;

where the orifice plate is downstream of a tube bundle of the moving bed heat exchanger and upstream of the solids flow control system and wherein the orifice plates are operative to evenly distribute the flow of solids towards the solids flow control system.

21. The orifice plate of claim 20, where the orifice plate comprises a first plate and a second plate, with the first plate disposed closer to the solids flow control system than the second plate.

22. The orifice plate system of claim 21, where a height between the first plate and the second plate is determined by an angle of repose of the solids.

23. The orifice plate system of claim 21, where a distance between the orifices in the first plate and/or the second plate is determined by an angle of repose of the solids.

24. The orifice plate of claim 21, where a center of a hopper in the first plate is coaxial with the center of rotation of a plurality of hoppers in the second plate.