Air treatment process for dilute phase injection of dry alkaline materials

• US 8,784,757 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2012
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARQ Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ADA-ES, Inc. (Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dillon, Martin A., Filippelli, Gregory M.
• Primary Examiner(s): VANOY, TIMOTHY C
• Application Number:
  US13/645,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20130034481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 423/210, 423/220, 423/230, 422/168, 951/39, 961/08
• US Class Current: 423/210
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/402 of magnesium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/404 of calcium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/2045 Hydrochloric acid
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/302 Sulfur oxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/404 Nitrogen oxides other than dinitrogen oxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/128 Solid reactants
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/10 with dispersed adsorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/83 with moving reactants
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 of CO2

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to the introduction of an additive to a contaminated gas stream. An additive introduction system uses a compressor and carbon dioxide separator to provide a treated carrier gas for introduction of an alkaline additive to a contaminated gas stream.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

compressing, by a compressor, a carrier gas comprising carbon dioxide to form a compressed carrier gas;

removing, using one or more of a pressure swing, temperature swing, selective membrane, and cryogenic separator carbon dioxide removal device, at least most of the carbon dioxide from the compressed carrier gas to form a treated carrier gas;

contacting an additive with the treated carrier gas to form an additive-containing fluid; and

introducing the additive-containing fluid into a contaminated gas stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least about 75% of the carbon dioxide is removed from the compressed carrier gas and wherein a carbon dioxide concentration in the treated carrier gas is no more than about 100 ppm.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the treated carrier gas has a temperature below about 95°

F., a total pressure of not greater than about 25 psi, and a dew point of less than about 30°

F., wherein a degree of compression of the carrier gas to form the compressed carrier gas ranges from about 1.10;

1 to about 1.60;

1 and further comprising forming a cooled compressed gas by at least one of;

cooling, by an after cooler, the compressed carrier gas; and

cooling, by a vortex tube, the compressed carrier gas.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

drying, by a compressed gas dryer, the compressed carrier gas to form a dried carrier gas, wherein the dried carrier gas is contacted with the additive in the contacting step and wherein a relative humidity of the dried carrier gas is no more than about 10%.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the contacting step comprises the sub-steps:

expanding the compressed carrier gas to cool adiabatically the compressed carrier gas and form an expanded carrier gas, wherein a velocity of the expanded carrier gas is at least a saltation velocity; and

releasing additive particles into at least one of the compressed carrier gas and expanded carrier gas to form the additive-containing fluid, wherein the additive particles are entrained substantially in the additive-containing fluid.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a flow cross-sectional expansion from an inlet conduit to an outlet is at least about 300% and wherein the expanded carrier gas has a velocity from about 75% to about 95% of the compressed carrier gas.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the additive particles are at least one of lime, a bicarbonate, and trona, wherein the additive particles are contacted with the at least one of the compressed carrier gas and expanded carrier gas by a rotary valve and wherein a length of the rotary valve is at least about 80% of a length of a manifold containing the at least one of the compressed carrier gas and expanded carrier gas.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the introducing step comprises the sub-step:

passing the additive-containing fluid through a linear manifold and at least one lance, wherein a cross-sectional area normal to flow of the manifold is substantially the same as a cumulative cross-sectional area normal to flow of the at least one lance.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the introducing step comprises the sub-step:

passing the additive-containing fluid through at least one lance, the at least one lance extending into the contaminated gas stream, the contaminated gas stream having a temperature above about 90°

F., wherein the at least one lance is cooled by a cooling medium to maintain an interior of the at least one lance at a temperature below the temperature of the contaminated gas stream.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the introducing step comprises the sub-step:

passing the additive-containing fluid through at least one lance, the at least one lance comprising an eductor nozzle.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the additive-containing fluid is substantially free of carbonates, wherein the treated carrier gas has a pressure ranging from about 6.5 to about 11.5 bar (upstream of a point of contact with the additive) or about 1.25 to about 2 bar (downstream of a point of contact with the additive), and wherein a partial pressure of the carbon dioxide in the treated carrier gas is no more than about 0.1 bar.

12. A system, comprising:

a carrier gas treatment system to compress and remove at least most carbon dioxide from a carrier gas and form a treated carrier gas stream, wherein the carbon dioxide is removed by one or more of a pressure swing, temperature swing, selective membrane, and cryogenic separator carbon dioxide removal device;

a mixing system to contact additive particles with the treated carrier gas stream and form an additive-containing fluid; and

a delivery system to introduce the additive-containing fluid into a contaminated gas stream.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the carrier gas treatment system comprises a compressor to compress the carrier gas into a compressed carrier gas and wherein one or both of the selective membrane and a desiccant-based carbon dioxide removal device remove at least most of the carbon dioxide from at least one of the carrier gas and compressed carrier gas.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the carrier gas treatment system comprises an after cooler to cool the compressed carrier gas and form a cooled compressed carrier gas.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein at least about 75% of the carbon dioxide is removed by the one or both of the selective membrane and the desiccant-based carbon dioxide removal device from the compressed carrier gas and wherein a carbon dioxide concentration in the treated carrier gas is no more than about 100 ppm.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the carrier gas treatment system comprises a compressed gas dryer to dry the compressed carrier gas and form the treated carrier gas stream.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the mixing system further comprises:

first and second conduits, the second conduit having a flow cross sectional area at least about 300% of a flow cross-sectional area of the first conduit, the first conduit being located upstream of the second conduit, whereby the treated carrier gas expands as the treated carrier gas flows from the first to the second conduit.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the additive particles are at least one of lime, a bicarbonate, and trona, wherein the delivery system comprises a linear manifold and at least one lance, wherein a cross-sectional area of the manifold normal to the carrier gas flow is substantially the same as a cumulative cross-sectional area normal to flow of the at least one lance.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the delivery system comprises at least one lance, the at least one lance extending into the contaminated gas stream, the contaminated gas stream having a temperature above about 90°

F., wherein the at least one lance is cooled by a cooling medium to maintain an interior of the at least one lance at a temperature below the temperature of the contaminated gas stream and wherein the at least one lance comprises an eductor nozzle.

20. A method, comprising:

treating a carbon dioxide-containing carrier gas to compress the carbon dioxide-containing carrier gas and remove at least most carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide-containing carrier gas and form a treated carrier gas, wherein the carbon dioxide is removed by one or more of a pressure swing adsorption device, a temperature swing adsorption device, a lime-free desiccant based system, a carbon dioxide selective membrane, and cryogenic carbon dioxide separator;

contacting the treated carrier gas with an alkaline additive material to form an additive-containing fluid; and

introducing the additive-containing fluid into a contaminated gas stream.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the treating step comprises the substep:

reducing a dew point and temperature of the carrier gas to sufficient levels to substantially inhibit water-based hydration interactions with the alkaline additive material and wherein the additive-containing fluid has one or more of a dew point of no more than the carbon dioxide-containing carrier gas dew point and a gas temperature of no more than the carbon dioxide-containing carrier gas temperature.