Gasifier power plant and management of wastes

• US 9,057,028 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2011
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ReductoNox Corp.
• Original Assignee: Ener-Core Power, Inc. (Ener-Core, Inc.)
• Inventors: Prabhu, Edan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/115,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20120297773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 607/80, 607/81, 60/394.64, 60/395.2, 607/36, 607/23, 607/77
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0916 Biomass
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/093 Coal
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0956 Air or oxygen enriched air
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/165 integrated with a gas turbine or gas motor
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/20 Apparatus; Plants
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 1/002 Removal of contaminants
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 1/08 by washing with liquids; Reviving the used wash liquors gas washers B01D
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 1/101 with water only
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/28 using a separate gas producer for gasifying the fuel before combustion
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/30 Adding water, steam or other fluids for influencing combustion, e.g. to obtain cleaner exhaust gases F02C7/141, F02C7/30, F01D21/00, F01K21/04, F23D11/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F23C 2900/99001 Cold flame combustion or flameless oxidation processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/18 Integrated gasification combined cycle [IGCC], e.g. combined with carbon capture and storage [CCS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/34 Indirect CO2mitigation, i.e. by acting on non CO2directly related matters of the process, e.g. pre-heating or heat recovery

Abstract

Described herein are gradual oxidation systems that receive and process solid, liquid, or gaseous fuels. The system can include a solid fuel gasifier that extracts and cleans gas fuel from a solid fuel. The system can also include a reaction chamber that receives the gas fuel and maintains a gradual oxidation process of the fuel. In some embodiments, liquids containing contaminants can be oxidized within the gradual oxidation chamber. Liquid fuels and gas fuels may be communicated to the oxidation chamber separately or in combination.

Claims

1. A gradual oxidation system comprising:

a solid fuel gasifier that extracts gas fuel from a solid fuel;

a scrubber that removes contaminants from the gas fuel with a cleansing liquid; and

a flameless combustion chamber that (i) receives the cleansing liquid and contaminants from the scrubber, (ii) maintains an internal temperature sufficient to provide a gradual oxidation process, and (iii) provides a residence time, such that substantially all the contaminants from the scrubber are oxidized within the flameless combustion chamber;

wherein the flameless combustion chamber receives the gas fuel from the scrubber and oxidizes the gas fuel during the gradual oxidation process, and wherein the cleansing liquid and contaminants are heated with an exhaust gas from the flameless combustion chamber prior to delivery to the flameless combustion chamber.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the flameless combustion chamber is configured to maintain the gradual oxidation process without a catalyst.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the flameless combustion chamber is configured to maintain the internal temperature sufficient to oxidize the gas fuel in between about 0.01 second and about 10 seconds.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a turbine, in fluid communication with the flameless combustion chamber, the turbine configured to receive heated and compressed gas from the flameless combustion chamber and to expand the gas.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the flameless combustion chamber maintains a maximum temperature below a temperature that causes formation of nitrogen oxide.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein substantially all the gas fuel from the scrubber is received and oxidized by the flameless combustion chamber.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the gas fuel from the scrubber is received and oxidized by the flameless combustion chamber and a second portion of the gas fuel from the scrubber is distributed out of the system.

3. A gradual oxidation system comprising:

a solid fuel gasifier that extracts gas fuel from a solid fuel;

a scrubber that removes contaminants from the gas fuel with a cleansing liquid; and

a flameless combustion chamber that (i) receives the cleansing liquid and contaminants from the scrubber, (ii) maintains an internal temperature sufficient to provide a gradual oxidation process, and (iii) provides a residence time, such that substantially all the contaminants from the scrubber are oxidized within the flameless combustion chamber;

wherein the gas fuel is cleansed by the scrubber with water, and wherein the cleansing liquid and contaminants are heated with an exhaust gas from the flameless combustion chamber prior to delivery to the flameless combustion chamber.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the contaminants received from the scrubber are within the water.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising an introducer that comprises a compressor to pressurize the water prior to introducing the water into the flameless combustion chamber.

11. A gradual oxidation system comprising:

a solid fuel gasifier that extracts gas fuel from a solid fuel;

a scrubber that removes contaminants from the gas fuel with a cleansing liquid; and

a flameless combustion chamber that (i) receives the cleansing liquid and contaminants from the scrubber, (ii) maintains an internal temperature sufficient to provide a gradual oxidation process, and (iii) provides a residence time, such that substantially all the contaminants from the scrubber are oxidized within the flameless combustion chamber, wherein the flameless combustion chamber receives the gas fuel from the scrubber via a first inlet, and receives a supplemental gas fuel from a second inlet, and wherein the cleansing liquid and contaminants are heated with an exhaust gas from the flameless combustion chamber prior to delivery to the flameless combustion chamber.

12. A gradual oxidation system comprising:

a first inlet, configured to communicate contaminated liquid to the system;

a second inlet, configured to communicate fuel to the system;

a flameless combustion chamber that receives the contaminated liquid and fuel and that maintains an internal temperature sufficient to provide a gradual oxidation process while maintaining a maximum temperature in the combustion chamber below a temperature that causes formation of nitrogen oxide, such that the fuel and contaminants in the liquid are oxidized; and

an outlet arranged to conduct an output gas from the combustion chamber, the output gas comprising an oxidation product gas generated by the gradual oxidation process in the combustion chamber;

wherein the contaminated liquid is received from a scrubber that cleans gas fuel with water, and wherein the contaminated liquid is heated with the output gas from the combustion chamber prior to delivery to the flameless combustion chamber.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the flameless combustion chamber is configured to maintain the gradual oxidation process without a catalyst.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the contaminated liquid comprises the water from the scrubber.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the fuel comprises gas fuel from the scrubber and the flameless combustion chamber oxidizes the gas fuel during the gradual oxidation process.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising a compressor that pressurizes the contaminated liquid prior to the liquid being received by the flameless combustion chamber.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the flameless combustion chamber is configured to maintain the internal temperature sufficient to oxidize the gas fuel in between about 0.01 second and about 10 seconds.

18. The system of claim 12, further comprising a turbine, in fluid communication with the flameless combustion chamber, the turbine configured to receive the output gas and to expand the output gas.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the flameless combustion chamber maintains a maximum temperature below a temperature that causes formation of nitrogen oxide.

20. A method of oxidizing solid fuel comprising:

extracting gas fuel from a solid fuel with a solid fuel gasifier;

scrubbing the gas fuel with a cleansing liquid in a scrubber to remove contaminants from the gas fuel;

conducting the cleansing liquid and contaminants from the scrubber to a flameless combustion chamber;

oxidizing the contaminants in the combustion chamber by (i) maintaining an internal temperature in the combustion chamber sufficient to provide a gradual oxidation process and (ii) providing a residence time within the combustion chamber such that substantially all the contaminants from the scrubber are oxidized within the combustion chamber; and

conducting gas fuel from the scrubber to the flameless combustor and oxidizing the gas fuel during the gradual oxidation process, and heating the cleansing liquid and contaminants with an exhaust gas from the combustion chamber prior to conducting to the flameless combustion chamber.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the flameless combustion chamber maintains the gradual oxidation process without a catalyst.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the residence time is between about 0.01 second and about 10 seconds.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising conducting heated and compressed gas from the flameless combustion chamber to a turbine and expanding the gas in the turbine.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein substantially all the gas fuel from the scrubber is conducted to and oxidized by the flameless combustion chamber.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein a first portion of the gas fuel from the scrubber is conducted to and oxidized by the flameless combustion chamber and a second portion of the gas fuel from the scrubber is distributed away from the combustion chamber.

30. The method of claim 20, wherein the combustion chamber maintains a maximum internal temperature below a temperature that causes formation of nitrogen oxide.

22. A method of oxidizing solid fuel comprising:

extracting gas fuel from a solid fuel with a solid fuel gasifier;

scrubbing the gas fuel with a cleansing liquid in a scrubber to remove contaminants from the gas fuel;

conducting the cleansing liquid and contaminants from the scrubber to a flameless combustion chamber;

oxidizing the contaminants in the combustion chamber by (i) maintaining an internal temperature in the combustion chamber sufficient to provide a gradual oxidation process and (ii) providing a residence time within the combustion chamber such that substantially all the contaminants from the scrubber are oxidized within the combustion chamber;

wherein the gas fuel is cleansed by the scrubber with water, and wherein the cleansing liquid and contaminants are heated with an exhaust gas from the flameless combustion chamber prior to conducting to the flameless combustion chamber.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the contaminants received by the combustion chamber from the scrubber are within the water.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising compressing the water and contaminants with a compressor prior to oxidation in the flameless combustion chamber.

29. A method of oxidizing solid fuel comprising:

extracting gas fuel from a solid fuel with a solid fuel gasifier;

scrubbing the gas fuel with a cleansing liquid in a scrubber to remove contaminants from the gas fuel;

conducting the cleansing liquid and contaminants from the scrubber to a flameless combustion chamber; and

oxidizing the contaminants in the combustion chamber by (i) maintaining an internal temperature in the combustion chamber sufficient to provide a gradual oxidation process and (ii) providing a residence time within the combustion chamber such that substantially all the contaminants from the scrubber are oxidized within the combustion chamber;

wherein the gas fuel is conducted to the flameless combustion chamber via a first inlet, and the combustion chamber receives a supplemental gas fuel from a second inlet, and wherein the cleansing liquid and contaminants are heated with an exhaust gas from the flameless combustion chamber prior to conducting to the flameless combustion chamber.

31. A method of oxidizing contaminants in a liquid comprising:

conducting a contaminated liquid to a flameless combustion chamber via a first inlet;

conducting fuel to the flameless combustion chamber via a second inlet; and

oxidizing contaminants in the contaminated liquid with the fuel in the flameless combustion chamber by (i) maintaining an internal temperature in the combustion chamber sufficient to provide a gradual oxidation process, (ii) maintaining a maximum temperature in the combustion chamber below a temperature that causes formation of nitrogen oxide and (iii) providing a residence time within the combustion chamber such that substantially all the contaminants from a scrubber are oxidized within the combustion chamber;

wherein the contaminated liquid is conducted to the combustion chamber from the scrubber that cleans gas fuel with water, and wherein the contaminated liquid is heated with an exhaust gas from the combustion chamber prior to conducting to the flameless combustion chamber.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the flameless combustion chamber maintains the gradual oxidation process without a catalyst.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the contaminated liquid comprises the water from the scrubber.

35. The method of claim 31, further comprising compressing the contaminated liquid prior to conducting the liquid to the flameless combustion chamber.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the residence time is between about 0.01 second and about 10 seconds.

37. The method of claim 31, further comprising conducting heated and compressed gas from the flameless combustion chamber to a turbine and expanding the gas in the turbine.

34. A method of oxidizing contaminants in a liquid comprising:

conducting a contaminated liquid to a flameless combustion chamber via a first inlet;

conducting fuel to the flameless combustion chamber via a second inlet; and

oxidizing contaminants in the contaminated liquid with the fuel in the flameless combustion chamber by (i) maintaining an internal temperature in the combustion chamber sufficient to provide a gradual oxidation process, (ii) maintaining a maximum temperature in the combustion chamber below a temperature that causes formation of nitrogen oxide and (iii) providing a residence time within the combustion chamber such that substantially all the contaminants from a scrubber are oxidized within the combustion chamber;

wherein the fuel comprises gas fuel from the scrubber and the flameless combustion chamber oxidizes the gas fuel during the gradual oxidation process, and wherein the contaminated liquid is heated with an exhaust gas from the flameless combustion chamber prior to conducting to the flameless combustion chamber.