Systems, methods, and compositions for production of synthetic hydrocarbon compounds

• US 8,114,916 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2010
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuelcor, LLC
• Original Assignee: Fuelcor, LLC
• Inventors: Severinsky, Alexander J.
• Primary Examiner(s): PARSA, JAFAR F
• Application Number:
  US12/939,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20110054047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 518/700, 518/702
• US Class Current: 518/700
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0294 containing three or more CO-shift steps
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/16 using catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2/30 from carbon monoxide with hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2/32 with the use of catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1022 Fischer-Tropsch products
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/093 Coal
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1238 by plasma
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1659 to liquid hydrocarbons Fischer-Tropsch process C10G2/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/18 using electricity
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 3/026 Increasing the carbon monoxide content, e.g. reverse water-gas shift [RWGS]
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 1/04 by electrolysis of water
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 15/08 Supplying or removing reactants or electrolytes; Regeneration of electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/18 Integrated gasification combined cycle [IGCC], e.g. combined with carbon capture and storage [CCS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/36 Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/00 Technologies relating to chemical industry
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/10 Process efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/129 Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/133 Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight

Abstract

A process and system for producing hydrocarbon compounds or fuels that recycle products of hydrocarbon compound combustion—carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide, or both, and water. The energy for recycling is electricity derived from preferably not fossil based fuels, like from nuclear fuels or from renewable energy. The process comprises electrolysing water, and then using hydrogen to reduce externally supplied carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide, then using so produced carbon monoxide together with any externally supplied carbon monoxide and hydrogen in Fischer-Tropsch reactors, with upstream upgrading to desired specification fuels—for example, gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene, diesel fuel, and others. Energy released in some of these processes is used by other processes. Using adiabatic temperature changes and isothermal pressure changes for gas processing and separation, large amounts of required energy are internally recycled using electric and heat distribution lines. Phase conversion of working fluid is used in heat distribution lines for increased energy efficiency. The resulting use of electric energy is less than 1.4 times the amount of the high heating value of combustion of so produced hydrocarbon compounds when carbon dioxide is converted to carbon monoxide in the invention, and less than 0.84 when carbon monoxide is the source.

Claims

1. A method for producing hydrocarbon compounds comprising,

a) generating hydrogen gas from water in an electrolyzer

b) feeding carbon dioxide gas and at least a portion of said hydrogen gas to a reverse water gas shift reactor to generate a gaseous stream including at least water steam and syngas as a mixture of hydrogen gas and carbon monoxide gas, wherein

b1) said reverse water gas shift reactor comprises serially connected reactors,

b2) water steam is separated between and after said serially connected reactors,

c) feeding a Fischer-Tropsch reactor with said syngas effluent from the reverse water gas reactor to generate hydrocarbon compounds, and

d) a temperature of a gas in the method is changed at least near adiabatically and/or a pressure of a gas in the method is changed at least near isothermally with the temperature being increased/decreased at least near adiabatically by compressing/expanding an incoming gas in a compressor/expander with using/generating electrical energy from/to an electric power line such that involved heat energy is less than 10% of the used/generated electrical energy and the pressure is increased/decreased at least near isothermally by compressing/expanding an incoming gas in a compressor/expander with using/generating electrical energy from/to an electric power line and cooling/heating to compressed/expanded gas with delivering heat to/taking heat from a heat distribution line such that the absolute temperature °

K of the processed gas deviates less than 10% from the absolute temperature °

K of the incoming gas.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, a heat distribution process wherein heat distribution lines connecting two or more of said steps are provided for receiving or supplying heat to or from said steps as to reduce need for balance of such heat of thermal energy supplied externally.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising,

wherein a working fluid of a heat distribution line delivering heat or thermal energy is in a gaseous state upstream of the heat exchanger and in a liquid state downstream of the heat exchanger or wherein a working fluid of a heat distribution line taking up heat or thermal energy is in a liquid state upstream of the heat exchanger and in a gaseous state downstream of the heat exchanger.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising an electric energy distribution process wherein electric power distribution lines connecting two or more of said steps are provided for receiving or supplying electric energy to or from said steps as to reduce need for balance of such electric energy supplied externally.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein within step b1) the following steps are performed:

b) i feeding said hydrogen gas and said carbon dioxide gas to a first reverse water gas shift reactor to generate a first stream of syngas along with carbon dioxide and water steam;

b) ii generating a second stream of syngas along with carbon dioxide by condensing at least some water steam from said first stream;

b) iii feeding said second stream of syngas along with carbon dioxide to a second reverse water gas shift reactor to generate a third stream of syngas along with carbon dioxide and water steam;

b) iv generating a fourth stream of syngas along with carbon dioxide by condensing at least some water steam from said third stream;

b) v feeding said fourth stream of syngas along with carbon dioxide to a third reverse water gas shift reactor to generate a fifth stream of syngas along with carbon dioxide and water steam;

b) vi generating a sixth stream of syngas along with carbon dioxide by condensing at least some water steam from said fifth stream;

b) vii generating a last stream of syngas by separating at least a part of the carbon dioxide from said sixth stream,

b) viii feeding said separated carbon dioxide back to the input of said first reverse water gas shift reactor and

b) ix supplying said last stream of syngas, to the input of said Fischer-Tropsch reactor.