Method and apparatus for decoupled thermo-catalytic pollution control

• US 7,074,369 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2001
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation Inc. (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation Inc. (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Martin, Eric, Tabatabaie-Raissi, Ali, Muradov, Nazim Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): ELVE, MARIA ALEXANDRA
• Application Number:
  US09/775,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20020106313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,986 Days
• Field of Search: 422/177, 422/169, 422/188, 422/189, 422/168
• US Class Current: 422/177
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/802 Photocatalytic
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/885 Devices in general for catalytic purification of waste gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/123 Ultraviolet light
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/28 Moving reactors, e.g. rotary drums B01J19/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 21/06 Silicon, titanium, zirconium or hafnium; Oxides or hydroxides thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 21/063 Titanium; Oxides or hydroxides thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00015 Scale-up
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00191 Control algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0877 Liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0879 Solid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0892 involving catalytically active material
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/1946 conical
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2235/30 Scanning electron microscopy; Transmission electron microscopy
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/30 characterised by their physical properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/39 Photocatalytic properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/58 Fabrics or filaments
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/70 characterised by their crystalline properties, e.g. semi-crystalline catalysts comprising carbon B01J21/18; molecular sieves B01J29/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/77 Compounds characterised by their crystallite size
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/10 moved by stirrers or by rotary drums or rotary receptacles or endless belts
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/02 by heating methods of steam generation F22B; preheating boiler feed-water or accumulating preheated boiler feed-water F22D
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/325 : Irradiation devices or lamp constructions
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/38 : by centrifugal separation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/725 : by catalytic oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/3223 : Single elongated lamp located on the central axis of a turbular reactor
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/328 : Having flow diverters (baffles)
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2305/10 : Photocatalysts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 : using solar energy

Abstract

A new method for design and scale-up of thermocatalytic processes is disclosed. The method is based on optimizing process energetics by decoupling of the process energetics from the DRE for target contaminants. The technique is applicable to high temperature thermocatalytic reactor design and scale-up. The method is based on the implementation of polymeric and other low-pressure drop support for thermocatalytic media as well as the multifunctional catalytic media in conjunction with a novel rotating fluidized particle bed reactor.

Claims

1. A thermocatalytic pollution control system comprising:

a target pollutant having a varying flow rate;

a thermocatalytic reactor having at least one catalytic media loosely positioned inside, and at least one heat source;

means for rotating the catalytic media to form a fluidized bed; and

means for passing the varying flow rate target pollutant into the fluidized bed of the at least one catalytic media and converting the varying flow rate target pollutant that passes through the fluidized bed of the at least one catalytic media to a selected level of destruction and removal efficiency (DRE).

2. The thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second thermocatalytic reactor having at least one catalytic media loosely positioned inside, and at least one heat source;

means for converting the varying flow rate target pollutant passing through the second thermocatalytic reactor to another selected level of destruction and removal efficiency (DRE); and

means for rotating the second thermocatalytic reactor.

3. The thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 2, wherein the first and the second thermocatalytic reactors are in series to one another.

4. The thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 2, wherein the first and the second thermocatalytic reactors are in parallel to one another.

5. The thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 1, wherein the one catalytic media includes:

an elemental composition of Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen and Titanium.

6. The thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 1, wherein the one catalytic media includes:

approximately 1% to approximately 86% by weight Carbon;

approximately 1% to approximately 20% by weight Oxygen;

approximately 7% to approximately 15% by weight Hydrogen; and

approximately 1% to approximately 30% by weight Titanium.

7. The thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 1, wherein the one catalytic media includes:

an elemental composition of Carbon, Hydrogen, Cadmium and Sulfur.

8. The thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 1, wherein the one catalytic media includes:

approximately 30% to approximately 86% by weight Carbon;

approximately 6.5% to approximately 14.3% by weight Hydrogen;

approximately 1% to approximately 50% by weight Cadmium; and

approximately 1% to approximately 15% Sulfur.

9. The thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 1, wherein the one catalytic media includes:

an elemental composition of Silicon, Oxygen and Titanium.

10. The thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 1, wherein the one catalytic media includes:

approximately 0% to approximately 35% by weight Silicon;

approximately 30% to approximately 60% by weight Oxygen; and

approximately 10% to approximately 60% by weight Titanium.

11. The thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 1, wherein the one catalytic media includes:

an elemental composition of Silicon, Oxygen, Cadmium and Sulfur.

12. The thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 1, wherein the one catalytic media includes:

approximately 25% to approximately 55% by weight Silicon;

approximately 30% to approximately 60% by weight Oxygen;

approximately 5% to approximately 35% by weight Cadmium; and

approximately 1% to approximately 10% by weight Sulfur.

13. The thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 1, wherein the heat source includes:

a high flux light source.

18. The thermocatalyic pollution control system of claim 1, wherein the thermocatalyic reactor comprises:

an impermeable rotating drum having a permeable rotating drum therein, the permeable drum having grid-like sidewalls, a top and a bottom, wherein the at least one catalytic media is loosely positioned within the permeable rotating drum such that during rotation the fluidized bed is formed over the grid-like sidewalls;

an inlet in the impermeable rotating drum for receiving the varying flow rate target pollutant into the rotating drum between side walls of the rotating drum and the rotating grid; and

an outlet in the top of the permeable rotating drum, wherein during rotation the varying flow rate target pollutant that passes through the fluidized bed to a selected level of destruction and removal efficiency.

19. The thermocatalyic pollution control system of claim 18, wherein the permeable rotating drum comprises:

a truncated cone having a taper angle within a range of approximately two degrees to approximately 8 degrees.

20. The thermocatalyic pollution control system of claim 18, wherein the grid-like sidewalls comprise:

a mesh stainless steel screen having a layer of close-knit glass fiber wrapped on the outer surface of the mesh stainless steel screen.

21. The thermocatalyic pollution control system of claim 2, wherein the second thermocatalyic reactor comprises:

a second impermeable rotating drum having a permeable rotating drum therein forming a second stage, the permeable drum having grid-like sidewalls, a top and a bottom, wherein the at least one catalytic media is loosely positioned within the permeable rotating drum such that during rotation the fluidized bed is formed over the grid-like sidewalls;

an inlet in the second impermeable rotating drum for receiving the varying flow rate target pollutant into the second impermeable rotating drum between side walls of the rotating drum and the rotating grid; and

an outlet in the top of the permeable rotating drum, wherein during rotation the varying flow rate target pollutant passes through the fluidized bed of the second stage to a selected level of destruction and removal efficiency.

14. A high flux thermocatalytic pollution control system, comprising:

a target pollutant having a varying flow rate;

a thermocatalytic reactor having a rotating drum and a heat source;

thermocatalytic media loosely positioned in the rotating drum of the thermocatalytic reactor; and

a motor for rotating the rotating drum to loosely position the thermocatalyic media in the rotating drum so that the varying target pollutant passing through the loosely positioned thermocatalytic media within the thermocatalytic reactor is converted to a selected level of destruction and removal efficiency(DRE).

15. The high flux thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 14, wherein the heat source includes:

a high flux light source.

16. The high flux thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 14, further comprising:

a second thermocatalytic reactor with a heat source in series to the first thermocatalytic reactor.

17. The high flux thermocatalytic pollution control system of claim 14, further comprising:

a second thermocatalytic reactor with a heat source in parallel to the first thermocatalytic reactor.