Trifluid reactor

• US 8,192,688 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vast Holdings LLC (JayHawk Energy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vast Power Portfolio, LLC
• Inventors: Hagen, David L., Ginter, Gary, Goheen, Bill, McGuire, L. Allan, Rankin, Janet
• Primary Examiner(s): Leung, Jennifer A
• Application Number:
  US12/411,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20090180939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• Field of Search: 422/129, 422/607, 422/630, 422/643, 422/644, 422/647, 422/207, 60/395.3, 60/395.5, 607/39, 607/40, 607/46, 431/174
• US Class Current: 422/129
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 21/047 having at least one combustion gas turbine
• CPC Class Codes: F23C 6/02 in parallel arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F23C 99/001 Applying electric means or magnetism to combustion for combustion engines F02B51/04, F02M27/04
• CPC Class Codes: F23C 99/003 Combustion process using sound or vibrations for combustion engines F02B51/06, F02M27/08; liquid fuel burners using ultrasonic means for spraying the fuel F23D11/34
• CPC Class Codes: F23L 7/002 Supplying water
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 3/28 characterised by the fuel supply burners F23D
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/16 Combined cycle power plant [CCPP], or combined cycle gas turbine [CCGT]

Abstract

A thermally diluted exothermic reactor system is comprised of numerous orifices distributed within a combustor by distributed perforated contactor tubes or ducts. The perforated contactors deliver and mix diluent fluid and one or more reactant fluids with an oxidant fluid. Numerous micro-jets about the perforated tubes deliver, mix and control the composition of reactant fluid, oxidant fluid and diluent fluid. The reactor controls one or more of composition profiles, composition ratio profiles and temperature profiles in one or more of the axial direction and one or two transverse directions, reduces temperature gradients and improves power, efficiency and emissions.

Claims

1. A reactor system for reacting at least a first fluid comprising a first reactant and a second fluid comprising a second reactant, and mixing a diluent fluid comprising a diluent with one or more portions of first fluid, second fluid, and products of their reaction to form a reaction product fluid, the reactor system comprising:

a reactor having a duct with inner and outer walls having a local streamwise flow direction along a streamwise curvilinear flow path and a first and second transverse directions mutually distinct from the streamwise direction, the first and second transverse directions defining a transverse surface through a reactor location, transverse to the flow;

a reactant distribution portion comprising at least one reactant tubular portion having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a first reactant flow path for the first fluid, and having a plurality of reactant orifices extending from the inner surface to the outer surface, the plurality of reactant orifices having one of spatial number density distribution being the locally averaged distribution of the number of orifices per duct unit area transverse to the flow, and a size distribution, the distributions being with respect to at least one of the transverse directions; and

a diluent distribution portion comprising at least one diluent tubular portion having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a first diluent flow path for the diluent, and a plurality of diluent orifices extending from the inner surface to the outer surface of the diluent tubular portion, the plurality of diluent orifices having one of a spatial number density distribution and a size distribution, the distributions being with respect to at least one of the transverse directions; and

a reactant delivery system for supplying the first fluid to the reactant distribution portion;

a second fluid delivery system for supplying at least a portion of the second fluid to the duct, whereby the duct directs the second fluid along a second flow path;

a diluent delivery system for supplying at least a portion of diluent to the diluent distribution portion;

a controller for controlling the delivery of at least one of the first fluid, the second fluid and the diluent fluid to the reactor; and

wherein, with respect to one of the transverse directions, one of the density and size distribution of the reactant orifices, and one of the density and size distribution of the diluent orifices, are non-uniform and are configured to deliver, at prescribed fluid temperatures and pressures, the first fluid with a prescribed transverse first fluid distribution, and the diluent fluid with a prescribed transverse diluent fluid distribution.

2. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein the orifices are configured to form numerous delivery regions in the duct, each delivery region formed by the space about at least one delivery orifice having bounds of the distance to an adjacent tubular distribution portion in a transverse direction, an equal distance selected in the streamwise fluid flow direction, and the spacing between two adjacent distribution orifices, wherein the delivery orifice and controller are configured to deliver a prescribed rate of fluid into that delivery region at a prescribed temperature and pressure.

3. The reactor system of claim 2 wherein the reactant orifices and the controller are configured to deliver a non-uniform transverse distribution of first reactant relative within the numerous delivery regions to provide a prescribed transverse distribution of the ratio of first reactant to second reactant at prescribed reactant fluid delivery pressures and temperature.

4. The reactor system of claim 2 wherein a portion of delivery regions comprise at least one reactant orifice and at least one diluent orifice whereby forming dual delivery regions.

5. The reactor system of claim 2 wherein a portion of delivery regions are dual delivery regions, each having a diluent orifice configured to deliver diluent into a diluent richer sub-region, and having a reactant orifice configured to deliver reactant into a reactant richer sub-region wherein the diluent richer sub-region has a higher diluent to reactant ratio, compared to the reactant richer sub-region.

6. The reactor system of claim 5 wherein a portion of dual delivery regions are configured to deliver reactant and diluent to form a combustible mixture in the reactant richer sub-regions.

7. The reactor system of claim 5 wherein a portion of dual delivery regions are configured to deliver reactant and diluent to form sustainable compositions of the first reactant, the second reactant and the diluent at a given temperature sufficient to sustain an ignited reaction at that temperature.

8. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein the reactor system is configured to deliver diluent and reactant to the reactor with a total diluent/reactant ratio that exceeds a quench composition for a hypothetical premixed composition with the total first reactant and total second reactant delivered to the reactor.

9. The reactor system of claim 5 wherein the orifices in a portion of dual delivery regions are configured to deliver reactant and diluent to form diluent richer sub regions having a diluent/reactant ration below the thermal quench limit.

10. The reactor system of claim 4 wherein the orifices in a portion of dual delivery regions are configured to deliver reactant and diluent to form a diluent/reactant ratio that is below 100% and greater than about 68% of the quench composition in those regions.

11. The reactor system of claim 5 wherein the orifices are configured to deliver diluent and reactant between tubular distribution portions to form a reactant rich subregion whose diluent/reactant ratio is below 100% and greater than about 68% of the quench composition for the first and second reactants for that specified sub-region.

12. The reactor system of claim 5 wherein a portion of dual delivery regions are configured to deliver reactant and diluent to form reactible reactant rich sub-regions with diluent/reactant ratios below the quench composition interspersed with diluent rich sub-regions having a diluent to reactant ratio above the quench composition concentration.

13. The reactor system of claim 12 wherein a portion of the diluent rich sub-regions are configured to deliver diluent and reactant to form evaporated diluent and evaporated reactant below the quench composition concentration plus further liquid diluent sufficient to exceed the quench composition concentration when evaporated.

14. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of at least part of the diluent delivery portion is positioned upstream of the first reactant delivery portion in the reactor.

15. The reactor system of claim 14 wherein the at least one diluent tubular portion and the diluent orifices are configured to deliver and evaporate a prescribed portion of the diluent to the reactor prior to a flame front or exothermic reaction zone between the first and second reactants, at prescribed first fluid, second fluid, and diluent fluid delivery temperatures and pressures.

16. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein the diluent orifice distribution is configured such that diluent drops below a prescribed size are evaporated prior to a specified distribution of evaporation distance along a streamwise curvilinear flow path, the distributions being in a direction transverse to the streamwise flow direction at a prescribed second fluid and diluent fluid pressures and temperatures.

17. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein the one or more of the distribution of diluent orifice size, diluent orifice spatial number density, differential delivery pressure across the orifices, and tubular portion gap are configured so that diluent drops smaller than a prescribed size evaporate prior to traversing a specified distribution of an evaporation distance along a curvilinear flow path, the distribution taken transversely to the curvilinear fluid flow direction, at prescribed second fluid and diluent fluid pressures and temperatures.

18. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein the reactant orifices are configured with spatial number density and size distributions to deliver first fluid so that the first fluid distribution has a standard deviation of less than 15% of mass flow over 80% of the duct cross-sectional area transverse to the flow.

19. The reactor system of claim 1, wherein the one reactant tubular portion and the one diluent tubular portion comprise one of a common thermally conductive wall, and a cojoining thermally conductive web, whereby forming a thermally conductive path between the reactant fluid in the first reactant flow path and the diluent fluid in the first diluent flow path.

20. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein the diluent distribution portion is configured with multiple passages having orifices to deliver the diluent fluid and wherein the reactant distribution portion is configured with multiple passages having orifices to deliver the reactant fluid.

21. The reactor system of claim 1 further comprising an igniter configured downstream of a reactant orifice and a diluent orifice to ignite a reaction in a combustible mixture comprising portions of the first fluid, the second fluid, and the diluent fluid, having a diluent/reactant ratio less than the quench limit.

22. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein the diluent distribution portion is positioned to radiatively shield a part of the reactant distribution portion from the reaction product fluid.

23. The reactor system of claim 19 wherein at least a portion of at least one diluent tubular portion is configured near at least a portion of the at least one reactant distribution portion, to constrain the temperature of the first fluid to less than or greater than a prescribed temperature range that causes significant coking or polymerization.

24. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein the diluent orifices are further configured with a non-uniform transverse distribution of orifice orientation to control the distribution of diluent delivery in at least one transverse direction.

25. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein the diluent orifices have an interior cone angle, and are configured with a non-uniform transverse distribution of the cone angles in at least one of the transverse directions.

26. The reactor system of claim 1 further comprising at least one heat exchange system having a tubular heat exchanger with a fin in the reactor, configured in one of radiation view or fluid contact with the reaction product fluid.

27. The reactor system of claim 1 further comprising a heat exchange system a heat exchange wall with one or more of an insulating layer, a perforated radiation shield, and/or one or more radiation shields, wherein one or more of the thermal resistance of the insulating layer, the coverage of the insulating layer, the degree of perforation of the perforated radiation shield, and the distribution of the number of radiation shields are, configured to provide a prescribed spatially non-uniform thermal resistance between the reaction product fluid and the heat exchange wall.

28. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein the reactor further comprises flow gaps between one or more diluent tubular portions downstream of formation of a reactible mixture of first fluid and second fluid within the fluid duct, wherein the flow gaps are sized less than the Maximum Experimental Safe Gap whereby being operable to constrain a flame from propagating upstream through the flow gaps.

29. The reactor system of claim 1 further comprising a trifluid flame holder having inlet ports configured to receive pilot portions of the first fluid, the second fluid, and the diluent fluid, to form and combust a pilot combustible mixture to form a hot gas, and a hot gas outlet port to deliver the hot gas near an upstream portion of reactant orifices and diluent orifices of the duct.

30. The reactor system of claim 29 wherein the reactor comprises an upstream internally concave redirector surface opposing one of a downstream internally concave redirector surface and a downstream bluff surface.

31. The reactor system of claim 29 wherein the hot gas outlet port is elongated along the streamwise direction.

32. The reactor system of claim 7 further comprising a flame holder, wherein a portion of reactant orifices and a portion of diluent orifices are configured to form a plurality of sustainable dual delivery regions to provide a bridging region from the flame holder across the duct to sustain an ignited reaction across a portion of fuel leaner regions.

33. The reactor system of claim 7 wherein a portion of reactant orifices and diluent orifices are configured to form plurality of sustainable dual delivery regions within one of a streamwise concave region subtending between 20 degrees and 160 degrees included angle, and a streamwise convex region.

34. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein the reactor system comprises a diluent tubular heat exchanger surrounding the reactor configured to deliver diluent to cool an exterior pressure vessel and heat diluent, and to deliver heated diluent to the diluent distribution portion.

35. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein a portion of the orifices in part of the diluent tubular portion are configured to deliver diluent to cool a portion of the reactant distribution portion.

36. The reactor system of claim 1 further comprising one of micro-swirlers and mini-swirlers, mounted on, between, or across one or more reactor tubular portions or diluent tubular portions.

37. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein an outer upstream surface of one of the reactant tubular portion and the diluent tubular portion is streamlined in the streamwise flow direction relative to across the flow.

38. The reactor system of claim 1 wherein the outer downstream surface of one of the reactant tubular portion and the diluent tubular portion is concavely cusped.

39. The reactor system of claim 26 wherein one of the tubular portion or diluent tubular portion comprises a bend in the axial direction, and the fin comprises one of a flute and a slot.

40. The reactor system of claim 1 further comprising a flame holder configured to supply, at an upstream location in the reactor, one of a combusting mixture and a combustible mixture of the first fluid, the second fluid, and the diluent fluid.

41. A reactor system, for reacting a first fluid comprising a reactant and a second fluid comprising a co-reactant, and mixing a diluent fluid comprising a diluent with one or more portions of first fluid, second fluid, and products of their reaction to form a reaction product fluid, the reactor system comprising:

a reactor having a duct with inner and outer walls and with an upstream diffuser having a multiplicity of flow splitter vanes, and having a streamwise flow direction along a streamwise curvilinear fluid flow path with radial and circumferential directions mutually distinct from the streamwise flow direction that define a plane through a reactor location transverse to the flow, and a cross-sectional area of the duct;

whereby forming a plurality of diffuser passages;

a reactant distribution portion comprising at least one reactant tubular portion having an outer surface, an inner surface defining a first flow path for the first fluid, and a plurality of reactant orifices extending from the inner surface to the outer surface, the plurality of reactant orifices having one of an areal number density distribution being the locally averaged distribution of the number of orifices per unit duct cross-sectional area, and having a size distribution, taken in the radial direction;

a diluent distribution portion comprising at least one diluent tubular portion having an outer surface, an inner surface defining a first diluent flow path for the diluent, and a plurality of diluent orifices extending from the inner surface to the outer surface, the plurality of diluent orifices having one of a density and a size distribution, taken in the radial direction;

a reactant delivery system configured to supply a portion of the first fluid to the reactant distribution portion;

a co-reactant fluid delivery system configured to supply a portion of the second fluid to the duct through the diffuser, whereby the duct defines a second flow path for the second fluid;

a diluent delivery system configured to supply a portion of diluent to the diluent distribution portion;

a controller configured to control the delivery of the first fluid, the second fluid and the diluent fluid to the reactor; and

wherein, with respect to the radial direction,

one of the density and size distribution of the reactant orifices, and

one of the density and size distribution of the diluent orifices, are non-uniform and are configured to deliver, at prescribed fluid temperatures and pressures,

the first fluid with a prescribed radial first fluid distribution, and

the diluent fluid with a prescribed radial diluent fluid distribution.

42. The reactor system of claim 41 wherein each of the plurality of diffuser passages define an inlet area and an outlet area and wherein the multiplicity of flow splitter vanes are configured to form ratios of the outlet area to the inlet area of each of the diffuser passages to provide a prescribed radial distribution of a streamwise mass flow rate of the second fluid per unit area in the radial direction downstream of the diffuser at a prescribed pressure and temperature.

43. The reactor system of claim 41 wherein the plurality of diffuser passages are configured to provide a prescribed radial distribution of the second fluid streamwise mass flow rate per unit area in the duct wherein the standard deviation of the variation in streamwise mass flow rate from that prescribed radial distribution is less than 15%, evaluated in a duct cross section downstream of the diffuser and upstream of a flame front or exothermic reaction zone in the reactor.

44. The reactor system of claim 41 wherein the desired radial second fluid mass flow rate distribution is higher near one of the inner wall and the outer wall of the duct downstream of the diffuser than near midway between the inner and outer walls of the duct.

45. The reactor system of claim 44 wherein each of the plurality of diffuser passages define an included angle between adjacent diffuser passage walls that is between about 4 and 14 degrees.

46. The reactor system of claim 44 wherein at least a portion of the at least one diluent tubular portion is positioned substantially perpendicular to and near a downstream edge of the multiplicity of flow splitter vanes forming the plurality of diffuser passages.

47. The reactor system of claim 44 wherein at least a portion of the at least one diluent tubular portion is positioned substantially parallel to and near a downstream edge of the multiplicity of flow splitter vanes forming the plurality of diffuser passages.

48. The reactor system of claim 41 wherein at least a portion of the diluent delivery system is located downstream the exit of the diffuser and upstream of at least a portion of the reactant delivery system.

49. The reactor system of claim 41 wherein one of the reactant orifices'"'"' radial spatial density distribution and the radial orifice size distribution are configured to deliver first fluid with a radial mass flow distribution having a plurality of maxima, at a prescribed design fluid pressure and temperature.

50. The reactor system of claim 42 wherein the radial reactant orifice spatial density distribution, the radial reactant orifice size distribution, the radial diluent orifice spatial density distribution and the radial diluent orifice size distribution, are configured to deliver, at prescribed fluid pressures and temperatures, first fluid with a prescribed radial distribution of streamwise mass flow and diluent fluid with a prescribed radial distribution of diluent streamwise mass flow.

51. The reactor system of claim 42, wherein the reactant and diluent orifice distributions and the multiplicity of fluid splitter vanes are configured, at prescribed fluid pressures and temperatures, to provide a prescribed radial energetic fluid temperature distribution at the reactor outlet.

52. The reactor system of claim 41 wherein the prescribed radial second fluid velocity distribution is linear with a standard deviation less than 18% of the region between the inner duct wall and the outer duct wall.

53. The reactor system of claim 41 wherein the reactant orifices, the diluent orifices and the multiplicity of flow splitter vanes are configured to deliver fluid with prescribed radial distributions of streamwise flow to provide a prescribed radial composition distribution at prescribed first fluid, second fluid, and diluent fluid, pressures and temperatures.

54. The reactor system of claim 41 further comprising a flame holder configured to receive, mix, and react, portions of the first fluid, the second fluid, and the diluent fluid, and to deliver, at an upstream location in the reactor, the hot gas formed thereby.

55. A reactor system for reacting at least a first fluid comprising a first reactant and a second fluid comprising a second reactant, and mixing a diluent fluid comprising a diluent with one or more portions of first fluid, second fluid, and products of their reaction to form a reaction product fluid, the reactor system comprising:

a reactor having a duct with inner and outer walls with an upstream diffuser having a streamwise flow direction along a streamwise curvilinear flow path with first and second transverse directions mutually distinct from the streamwise flow direction that define a plane through a reactor location transverse to the flow and a cross-sectional area of the duct;

a reactant distribution portion comprising a plurality of reactant tubular portions having an outer surface, an inner surface defining a first flow path for the first fluid, and a plurality of reactant orifices extending from the inner surface to the outer surface, the plurality of reactant orifices having one of an areal number density distribution being the locally averaged distribution of the number of orifices per duct unit area, and having a size distribution, taken in the radial direction;

a diluent distribution portion comprising a plurality of diluent tubular portions having an outer surface, an inner surface defining a first diluent flow path for the diluent, and a plurality of diluent orifices extending from the inner surface to the outer surface, the plurality of diluent orifices having one of a density and a size distribution, taken in the radial direction; and

a reactant delivery system having a reactant pressurizer and configured to supply a plurality of portions of the first fluid to the plurality of reactant distribution portions; and

a co-reactant fluid delivery system having a co-reactant pressurizer and configured to supply a portion of the second fluid to the duct through the diffuser, whereby the duct directs the second fluid along a second flow path;

a diluent delivery system having a diluent pressurizer and configured to supply a plurality of portions of diluent fluid to the plurality of diluent distribution portions;

a controller configured to control the delivery of the first fluid, the second fluid and the diluent fluid to the reactor; and

wherein, with respect to the radial direction,

one of the density and size distribution of the reactant orifices, and

one of the density and size distribution of the diluent orifices, are non-uniform and are configured to deliver, at prescribed fluid temperatures and pressures,

the first fluid with a prescribed radial first fluid distribution, and

the diluent fluid with a prescribed radial diluent fluid distribution; and

wherein the controller is configured selectively control one of the delivery of first fluid among the plurality of reactant distribution portions, and the delivery of diluent fluid among the plurality of diluent distribution portions.

56. The reactor system of claim 55 wherein one of the reactant delivery system and the diluent delivery system comprises a first fluid pressurizer and a second fluid pressurizer.

57. The reactor system of claim 56 wherein the first fluid pressurizer is sized smaller than the second pressurizer, and sized larger than the flow variation caused by the second pressurizer.

58. The reactor system of claim 56 wherein the controller is operable to control the first fluid pressurizer out of phase with the second fluid pressurizer.

59. The reactor system of claim 56 wherein the control system is configured to control the first pressurizer to reduce the pressure delivery fluctuations caused by the second pressurizer.

60. The reactor system of claim 56, further comprising a flow homogenizer downstream of the first fluid pressurizer and upstream of the second fluid pressurizer.

61. The reactor system of claim 55, further comprising a trifluid flame holder having inlet ports configured to receive pilot portions of the first fluid, the second fluid, and the diluent fluid, to form and combust a pilot combustible mixture to form a hot gas, and a hot gas outlet port to deliver the hot gas near an upstream portion of the plurality of reactant orifices.

62. The reactor system of claim 55, wherein the co-reactant fluid delivery system comprises a primary positive displacement co-reactant pressurizer operable to deliver the co-reactant fluid with a controllably variable flow rate.

63. The reactor system of claim 62, further comprising a secondary adjustable flow positive displacement co-reactant pressurizer operable to deliver larger flows than the smallest co-reactant fluid flow of the primary co-reactant pressurizer.

64. The reactor system of claim 62, wherein the secondary co-reactant pressurizer is operable to deliver the second fluid out of phase to reduce the pressure fluctuations of the primary co-reactant pressurizer.

65. The reactor system of claim 55, wherein the diluent tubular distribution portions are aligned with reactant tubular distribution portions.

66. The reactor system of claim 55, wherein a first portion of diluent tubular distribution portions are streamwise aligned upstream of a portion of reactant tubular distribution portions, and a second portion of diluent tubular distribution portions are streamwise aligned downstream of the portion of reactant tubular distribution portions.

67. The reactor system of claim 55, wherein the plurality of diluent orifices to the plurality of reactant orifices are configured with a respective transverse size distribution and/or a transverse areal density distribution to deliver diluent to reactant with a mass ratio in the range from 7:

1 to 1.5;

1 at prescribed reactant fluid and diluent fluid temperatures and pressures.

68. The reactor system of claim 55, wherein the plurality of reactant tubular portions and the plurality of diluent tubular portions are distributed between a first contactor set and a second contactor set.

69. The reactor system of claim 68, wherein the reactor system comprises a first control set of fluid pumps and/or fluid control valves operable to control delivery of reactant fluid and diluent fluid in the first contactor set, and a second control set of fluid control pumps and/or fluid control valves, operable control delivery of reactant fluid and diluent fluid in the second contactor set.

70. The reactor system of claim 55 wherein a mixing portion of diluent tubular portions are configured in a mixing region of the duct upstream of a design flame front combustion region, and a coolant portion of diluent tubular portions are configured in a downstream combustion region of the duct downstream of the flame front region.

71. The reactor system of claim 55 wherein the reactant delivery system is operable to deliver superheated steam through the plurality of reactant distribution portions.