Gas liquid contactor and method thereof

• US 8,668,766 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2012
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Neumann Systems Group
• Original Assignee: Neumann Systems Group
• Inventors: Neumann, David Kurt, Hobbs, Keith R., Courtright, Jeffrey L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiesa, Richard L
• Application Number:
  US13/672,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20130062427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 952/24, 952/30, 95231-234, 952/36, 952/35, 962/36, 962/39, 962/71, 963/22, 963/56, 963/58, 239/568, 239/592, 239/594, 239/595, 239597-599, 261115-118, 261/DIG.9
• US Class Current: 95/224
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/2025 Chlorine
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/302 Sulfur oxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/404 Nitrogen oxides other than dinitrogen oxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/406 Ammonia
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/185 Liquid distributors
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/2132 using nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/095 using chemical or thermal pumping
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/2215 Iodine compounds or atomic iodine

Abstract

The invention relates to a gas liquid contactor and effluent cleaning system and method and more particularly to individually fed nozzle banks including an array of nozzles configured to produce uniformly spaced flat liquid jets shaped to minimize disruption from a gas. An embodiment of the invention is directed towards a gas liquid contactor having a plurality of modules including a liquid inlet and outlet and a gas inlet and outlet. An array of nozzles is in communication with the liquid inlet and the gas inlet. The array of nozzles is configured to produce uniformly spaced flat liquid jets shaped to minimize disruption from a gas flow and maximize gas flow and liquid flow interactions while rapidly replenishing the liquid.

Claims

1. A method of processing gas phase molecules with a gas liquid contactor, comprising the steps of:

forming a plurality of liquid jets with a plurality of individual nozzle banks each nozzle bank comprising a plurality of nozzles, wherein each of said liquid jets comprise a portion with a substantially planar sheet of liquid;

providing a gas including one or more reactive or soluble gas phase molecules; and

reducing a concentration of the one or more gas phase molecules by a mass transfer interaction between the gas phase molecules and the liquid jets.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mass transfer interaction comprises a volumetric mass transfer coefficient in a range from about 1 sec⁻

1 to about 1500 sec<sup>−

1</sup>.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mass transfer interaction comprises a volumetric mass transfer coefficient in a range from about 5 sec⁻

1 to about 150 sec<sup>−

1</sup>.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mass transfer interaction comprises a volumetric mass transfer coefficient in a range from about 10 sec⁻

1 to about 100 sec<sup>−

1</sup>.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing a gas step comprises providing a gas with a gas flow rate to a reaction chamber volume ratio in a range from about 100 min⁻

1 to about 1000 min<sup>−

1</sup>.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming a plurality of liquid jets step comprises forming the liquid jets at a pressure in a range from about 2 psi to about 30 psi.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the liquid jets comprises a width greater than about 1 cm.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the liquid jets comprises a width in a range from about 1 cm to about 15 cm.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the liquid jets comprises a thickness in a range from about 10 μ

m to about 1000 μ

m.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the liquid jets comprises a thickness in a range from about 10 μ

m to about 250 μ

m.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the liquid jets comprises a thickness in a range from about 10 μ

m to about 100 μ

m.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the liquid jets comprises a length in a range from about 5 cm to about 30 cm.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the liquid jets comprises a length in a range from about 5 cm to about 20 cm.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the liquid jets has a velocity less than 15 msec.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the liquid jets has a velocity in a range from about 5 m/sec to about 15 msec.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the gas phase molecules comprise at least one of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, ammonia, acid gases, amines, halogens, and oxygen.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the gas phase molecules comprise sulfur oxides.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the gas phase molecules comprise carbon dioxide.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the gas phase molecules comprise nitrogen oxides.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the gas phase molecules comprise amines.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the gas phase molecules comprise chlorine.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid jets comprise at least one of water, ammonia, ammonium salts, amines, alkanolamines, alkali salts, alkaline earth salts, peroxides, and hypochlorites.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid jets comprise at least one of a calcium salt solution and a magnesium salt solution.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid jets comprise seawater.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid jets comprise brine.

26. A method of processing gas phase molecules with a gas liquid contactor, comprising the steps of:

forming a plurality of liquid jets with a plurality of individual nozzle banks, each nozzle bank comprising a plurality of nozzles,

wherein each of said liquid jets comprising a portion having an essentially planar sheet of liquid, and

wherein the liquid jets are formed with a slurry;

providing a gas including one or more reactive or soluble gas phase molecules; and

reducing a concentration of the gas phase molecules by a mass transfer interaction between the gas phase molecules and the liquid jets.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the liquid jets comprises a thickness in a range from about 10 μ

m to about 1000 μ

m.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the liquid jets comprises a thickness in a range from about 10 μ

m to about 250 μ

m.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the liquid jets comprises a length in a range from about 5 cm to about 30 cm.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the liquid jets comprises a length in a range from about 5 cm to about 20 cm.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the liquid jets has a velocity less than 15 msec.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the liquid jets has a velocity in a range from about 5 msec to about 10 msec.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein the slurry comprises a particle size up to about 500 microns.

34. The method of claim 26, wherein the slurry comprises a particle size up to about 300 microns.

35. The method of claim 26, wherein the slurry comprises a particle size up to about 80 microns.

36. The method of claim 26, wherein the slurry comprises a solid concentration in a range from about 0.2% (w/w) to about 30% (w/w).

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the solid concentration is in a range from about 10% (w/w) to about 25% (w/w).

38. The method of claim 26, wherein the gas phase molecules comprise at least one of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, ammonia, acid gases, amines, halogens, and oxygen.

39. The method of claim 26, wherein the gas phase molecules comprise sulfur oxides.

40. The method of claim 26, wherein the gas phase molecules comprise carbon dioxide.

41. The method of claim 26, wherein the gas phase molecules comprise nitrogen oxides.

42. The method of claim 26, wherein the gas phase molecules comprise amines.

43. The method of claim 26, wherein the gas phase molecules comprise chlorine.

44. The method of claim 26, wherein the liquid jets comprise at least one of water, ammonia, ammonium salts, amines, alkanolamines, alkali salts, alkaline earth salts, peroxides, and hypochlorites.

45. The method of claim 26, wherein the liquid jets comprise at least one of a calcium salt solution and a magnesium salt solution.

46. The method of claim 26, wherein the liquid jets comprise seawater.

47. The method of claim 26, wherein the liquid jets comprise brine.