ZERO EMISSION POWER PLANT WITH CO2 WASTE UTILIZATION

• US 20140165569A1
• Filed: 05/04/2012
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ZTEK Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTEK Corporation
• Inventors: Hsu, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US14/115,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20140165569A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/698
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0093 Microreactors, e.g. miniaturised or microfabricated reactors laboratory containers with capillary fluid transport in microfabricated channels or chambers B01L3/5027
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/245 placed in series
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/249 Plate-type reactors
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00783 Laminate assemblies, i.e. the reactor comprising a stack of plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00835 Comprising catalytically active material
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00873 Heat exchange
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/24 Stationary reactors without moving elements inside
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/2465 Two reactions in indirect heat exchange with each other
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/2474 Mixing means, e.g. fins or baffles attached to the plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/2479 Catalysts coated on the surface of plates or inserts
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0233 the reforming step being a steam reforming step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0244 the reforming step being an autothermal reforming step, e.g. secondary reforming processes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0261 containing a catalytic partial oxidation step [CPO]
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0283 containing a CO-shift step, i.e. a water gas shift step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/042 Purification by adsorption on solids
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/043 Regenerative adsorption process in two or more beds, one for adsorption, the other for regeneration
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/047 the impurity being carbon monoxide
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0475 the impurity being carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0485 the impurity being a sulfur compound
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0495 the impurity being water
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/061 : Methanol production
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/066 : with fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0833 : Heating by indirect heat exchange with hot fluids, other than combustion gases, product gases or non-combustive exothermic reaction product gases
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1241 : Natural gas or methane
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1258 : Pre-treatment of the feed
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/146 : At least two purification steps in series
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/84 : Energy production
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/86 : Carbon dioxide sequestration
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/38 : using catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/386 : Catalytic partial combustion
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/48 : followed by reaction of water vapour with carbon monoxide
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/56 : by contacting with solids; Regeneration of used solids C01B3/508 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/152 : characterised by the reactor used
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 41/09 : by dehydration of compounds containing hydroxy groups
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2/32 : with the use of catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0916 : Biomass
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/092 : Wood, cellulose
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0946 : Waste, e.g. MSW, tires, glass, tar sand, peat, paper, lignite, oil shale
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1665 : to alcohols, e.g. methanol or ethanol
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1671 : with the production of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 1/004 : Sulfur containing contaminants, e.g. hydrogen sulfide
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 1/005 : Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 1/04 : by cooling to condense non-gaseous materials C10K1/001 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 1/32 : with selectively adsorptive solids, e.g. active carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 3/04 : reducing the carbon monoxide content , e.g. water-gas shift [WGS]
• CPC Class Codes: F01B 21/04 : the machines or engines being not all of reciprocating-piston type, e.g. of reciprocating steam engine with steam turbine
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 : Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 : Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/133 : Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/145 : the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/00 : Technologies relating to oil refining and petrochemical industry
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/678 : Aviation using fuels of non-fossil origin

Abstract

A clean energy system, a renewable energy system or a zero emission energy system (ZEES) to utilize CO₂ waste. The energy system may include a fuel processor, an energy catalytic reactor, and a power generator. The fuel processor may catalytically convert the CH₄ component in the natural gas, biogas or syngas into a reformate including H₂, CO, CO₂ and H₂O species. The energy reactor may convert the reformate in gas form into a liquid fuel. The power generator may generate power using an output of the fuel processor and/or an output of the energy reactor.

Claims

1. A clean energy system, comprising:

a fuel processor receiving a natural gas, biogas or syngas and catalytically converting a CH₄ component in the natural gas, biogas or syngas into a reformate including H₂, CO, CO₂ and H₂O species,

an energy reactor converting the reformate in gas form into a liquid fuel, and

a power generator generating power using an output of the fuel processor or an output of the energy reactor,

wherein the system is a zero emission power plant qualified for installation near energy source, market place, and with product shippable for off-site consumption.

2. The energy system of claim 1, wherein the fuel processor comprises a partial oxidation reformer, an autothermal reformer or a steam methane reformer.

3. The energy system of claim 2, wherein the reformate is processed with a water shift process to have different percentages of CO vs. CO₂ that range between about 0% and about 20%.

4. The energy system of claim 2, wherein the reformate is processed according to a pressure swing adsorption process to form a relatively pure H₂ steam and a highly concentrated carbon stream, which includes at least the CO and CO₂.

5. The energy system of claim 1, wherein the CO₂ is processed according to a water shift process to a maximum level of about 20%, and is processed through a pressure swing adsorption process to form a concentrated CO₂ stream.

6. The energy system of claim 1, further comprising

a condenser disposed between the fuel processor and the energy reactor for extracting water from the reformate, and

a first heat exchanger disposed between the condenser and the fuel processor for exchanging heat with the reformate.

7. The energy system of claim 6, further comprising

a first compressor disposed between the condenser and the energy reactor to compress the reformate output of the condenser,

a second energy reactor disposed between the energy reactor and the power generator for further processing the reformate into a liquid fuel,

a second heat exchanger disposed between the energy reactor and the second energy reactor for controlling the temperature of the reformate,

a second compressor disposed between the second heat exchanger and the second energy reactor for compressing the reformate output from the second heat exchanger,

a storage tank for storing the liquid fuel, and

a third heat exchanger disposed between the second energy reactor and the storage tank.

8. The energy system of claim 1, wherein the fuel processor comprises

a plurality of thermally conducting plates, and

a plurality of catalyst plates,

wherein the thermally conducting plates are alternately stacked together with the catalyst plates to for a stack.

9. The energy system of claim 1, wherein the energy reactor comprises

a housing defining a chamber that has an inlet and an outlet, and

a bundle element mounted within the chamber having a conduit that extends between the inlet and the outlet and a flow confining structure disposed about the conduit.

10. The energy system of claim 1, further comprising a renewable feedstock processor coupled to an input of the fuel processor.

11. The energy system of claim 1, wherein H₂, CO and CO₂ is further processed in the energy reactor into methanol (CH3OH) in liquid form with methanol synthesis catalyst, and the methanol is further proceed in the energy reactor into DME (CH3OCH3) in liquid form with suitable catalyst.

12. The energy system of claim 1, wherein a mixture of H₂, CO₂ and CO derived from renewable feedstock is carried out for producing methanol, ethanol, propanol jetfuel, propane, diesel or heavy liquid fuel production due to high concentration of CO, CO₂ in the syngas.

13. The energy system of claim 1, wherein the reactor utilizes chemical-catalysts or bio-catalysts.

14. The energy system of claim 1, wherein the reactor is chemical-catalyst bed in one of the configurations as a fixed bed, structured bed, slurry bed and microchannel with integrated heat exchanger, wherein the microchannel reactor is of a cylindrical configuration.

15. The energy system of claim 1, wherein the reactor employs single functional catalysts, bifunctional catalysts or multi-functional catalysts to achieve improved performances.

16. The energy system of claim 1, wherein the reformer is a Hybrid Reforming System involving electric energy input obtained from the PV, wind and tidal wave to meet the energy demands for the reformer'"'"'s endothermic thermal input and the reformate compression process.

17. The energy system of claim 1, wherein the system is a Hybrid System involving electric energy input obtained from the PV, wind and tidal wave to support the energy demands for the system, as well as provide remedy for the intermittency of these power sources with storage capability in the form of liquid fuel of the production.

18. The energy system of claim 1, wherein the system is applied to use renewable feedstock that includes municipal solid waste, municipal sewage, farm animal waste, biomass and woody biomass with a feedstock processor.

19. The energy system of claim 1, wherein the system is a zero emission energy system when carbon containing stream with matched amount of H₂ is used for liquid fuel production and H₂ alone is used for power generation.

20. The energy system of claim 19, wherein when applied to use renewable feedstock constitutes negative CO₂ footprints thus gaining double carbon credits.

21. A method for generating power, comprising:

receiving natural gas, biogas or syngas and catalytically converting a CH₄ component in the natural gas, biogas or syngas into a reformate including H₂, CO, CO₂ and H₂O species;

converting the reformate in gas form into a liquid fuel;

storing the liquid fuel in a storage; and

generating power using hydrogen gas separated from the reformate or the liquid fuel stored in the storage.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the CO₂ separated from the reformate is injected into a wellhead to enhance oil recovery (EOR), simultaneously to achieve a state of zero emission power generation.