Sublimation systems and associated methods

• US 9,254,448 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2010
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Department of Energy
• Original Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance LLC (Battelle Memorial Institute)
• Inventors: Turner, Terry D., McKellar, Michael G., Wilding, Bruce M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jules, Frantz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mengesha, Webeshet
• Application Number:
  US12/938,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20120103012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,924 Days
• Field of Search: 626/14, 626/18, 626/37
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01B 1/005 Evaporation for physical or chemical purposes; Evaporation apparatus therefor, e.g. evaporation of liquids for gas phase reactions
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 1/0022 Hydrocarbons, e.g. natural gas
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 1/0027 Oxides of carbon, e.g. CO2
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 3/061 Natural gas or substitute natural gas
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 3/067 separation of carbon dioxide production of carbon dioxide in general C01B32/00
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 3/08 Separating gaseous impurities from gases or gaseous mixtures or from liquefied gases or liquefied gaseous mixturescold traps B01D8/00

Abstract

A system for vaporizing and sublimating a slurry comprising a fluid including solid particles therein. The system includes a first heat exchanger configured to receive the fluid including solid particles and vaporize the fluid and a second heat exchanger configured to receive the vaporized fluid and solid particles and sublimate the solid particles. A method for vaporizing and sublimating a fluid including solid particles therein is also disclosed. The method includes feeding the fluid including solid particles to a first heat exchanger, vaporizing the fluid, feeding the vaporized fluid and solid particles to a second heat exchanger and sublimating the solid particles. In some embodiments the fluid including solid particles is liquid natural gas or methane including solid carbon dioxide particles.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

feeding a slurry comprising solid particles suspended in a first fluid to a first heat exchanger;

feeding a second fluid comprising gas having a higher temperature than the slurry into the first heat exchanger to mix with the first fluid and to vaporize the first fluid in the first heat exchanger to form a first gas;

feeding the first gas and the solid particles to a second heat exchanger; and

feeding at least a portion of the second fluid comprising gas having a higher temperature than the slurry into the second heat exchanger to mix with the first gas and the solid particles and to sublimate the solid particles in the second heat exchanger to form a second gas.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein feeding the slurry comprising solid particles suspended in the first fluid to the first heat exchanger comprises feeding the slurry comprising solid particles suspended in liquid natural gas to the first heat exchanger.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein feeding the slurry comprising solid particles suspended in the first fluid to the first heat exchanger comprises feeding the slurry comprising solid carbon dioxide particles suspended in the first fluid to the first heat exchanger.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein vaporizing the first fluid in the first heat exchanger to form the first gas comprises heating the slurry to a temperature higher than a vaporization temperature of the first fluid and lower than a sublimation temperature of the solid particles.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein feeding the second fluid comprising gas having a higher temperature than the slurry into the first heat exchanger to mix with the first fluid and to vaporize the first fluid in the first heat exchanger to form the first gas comprises:

feeding the slurry to a mixer;

filling a chamber around the mixer with the second fluid to heat the mixer;

feeding a portion of the second fluid into the mixer; and

mixing the slurry and the second fluid to vaporize the first fluid.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein feeding at least a portion of the second fluid comprising gas having a higher temperature than the slurry into the second heat exchanger to mix with the first gas and the solid particles and to sublimate the solid particles in the second heat exchanger to form the second gas comprises:

feeding the first gas and solid particles to a first portion of the second heat exchanger;

feeding the second fluid to a second portion of the second heat exchanger;

supplying the second fluid from the second portion of the second heat exchanger to the first portion of the second heat exchanger; and

sublimating the solid particles with heat from the second fluid.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein supplying the second fluid from the second portion of the second heat exchanger to the first portion of the second heat exchanger comprises supplying the second fluid from the second portion of the second heat exchanger to the first portion of the second heat exchanger through an opening formed in an apex of a cone-shaped barrier member and into an interior portion of the cone-shaped barrier member.

8. A method for continuously gasifying a slurry of liquid methane and solid carbon dioxide particles, comprising:

feeding a slurry of liquid methane and solid carbon dioxide particles to a first heat exchanger;

feeding a gas having a higher temperature than the slurry into the first heat exchanger to mix with the liquid methane and to vaporize the liquid methane in the first heat exchanger to form a mixture of solid carbon dioxide particles and gaseous methane;

feeding the mixture of solid carbon dioxide particles and gaseous methane to a second heat exchanger; and

feeding a portion of the gas having a higher temperature than the slurry into the second heat exchanger to mix with the solid carbon dioxide particles and gaseous methane and to sublimate the solid carbon dioxide particles in the second heat exchanger.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein feeding a gas into the first heat exchanger comprises feeding additional gaseous methane to the first heat exchanger.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein vaporizing the liquid methane in the first heat exchanger to form a mixture of solid carbon dioxide particles and gaseous methane comprises transferring heat from the additional gaseous methane to the liquid methane to vaporize the liquid methane.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein feeding a portion of the gas having a higher temperature than the slurry into the second heat exchanger comprises feeding a portion of the additional gaseous methane to the second heat exchanger.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein sublimating the solid carbon dioxide particles in the second heat exchanger comprises transferring heat from the portion of the additional gaseous methane to the solid carbon dioxide particles in the second heat exchanger to sublimate the solid carbon dioxide particles.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein vaporizing the liquid methane in the first heat exchanger to form a mixture of solid carbon dioxide particles and gaseous methane comprises vaporizing the liquid methane at a temperature lower than a sublimation temperature of the solid carbon dioxide particles.

14. A system for vaporizing and sublimating a slurry, comprising:

a first heat exchanger comprising a mixer configured to receive the slurry comprising a fluid and solid particles and to receive a gas at a higher temperature than the slurry to mix with the slurry to vaporize the fluid; and

a second heat exchanger configured to receive the vaporized fluid and the solid particles from the first heat exchanger and to receive a portion of the gas at the higher temperature than the slurry to mix with the vaporized fluid and the solid particles to sublimate the solid particles.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger is configured to receive the gas comprising at least one of gaseous methane and gaseous natural gas.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

at least one temperature sensor configured to read a temperature of the vaporized fluid and the solid particles; and

at least one valve configured to control a flow of the gas responsive to the temperature of the vaporized fluid and the solid particles.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the first heat exchanger comprises a chamber within a casing substantially surrounding a mixer.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the mixer is configured to receive and mix the slurry and the gas.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the second heat exchanger comprises:

a first portion configured to receive the vaporized fluid and the solid particles;

a second portion configured to receive the gas; and

a cone-shaped member separating the first portion and the second portion, the cone-shaped member including an opening for transporting the gas into the first portion.