Equipment protecting enclosures

• US 9,499,939 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2016
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Inventors: Medoff, Marshall, Masterman, Thomas Craig, Paradis, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, David E
• Application Number:
  US15/136,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20160232999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 214 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/087 Particle radiation, e.g. electron-beam, alpha or beta radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/082 Gamma-radiation only
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/085 Electron beams only
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/12 employing electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/123 Ultraviolet light
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/125 X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/22 in the form of endless belts
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0869 Feeding or evacuating the reactor
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0871 Heating or cooling of the reactor
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0879 Solid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/12 Processes employing electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/1203 Incoherent waves
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 27/04 Load carriers other than helical or spiral channels or conduits
• CPC Class Codes: C08H 8/00 Macromolecular compounds derived from lignocellulosic materials pretreatment thereof B27N
• CPC Class Codes: C10B 19/00 Heating of coke ovens by electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: C10B 53/02 of cellulose-containing material production of pyroligneous acid C10C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/02 by distillation
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 32/04 by particle radiation
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0469 Renewables or materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/24 Mixing, stirring of fuel components
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/28 : Cutting, disintegrating, shredding or grinding
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/36 : Applying radiation such as microwave, IR, UV
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/52 : Hoppers
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/403 : on paper and paper waste
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/442 : Wood or forestry waste
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/445 : Agricultural waste, e.g. corn crops, grass clippings, nut shells or oil pressing residues
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/46 : on sewage, house, or town refuse C10L5/403, C10L5/406 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 2201/00 : Pretreatment of cellulosic or lignocellulosic material for subsequent enzymatic treatment or hydrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/10 : substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 1/02 : obtained by saccharification of cellulosic materials manufacture of fodder A23K10/32
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 13/002 : Xylose
• CPC Class Codes: D21B 1/02 : Pretreatment of the raw materials by chemical or physical means removal of bark B27L
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 3/00 : Shielding characterised by its physical form, e.g. granules, or shape of the material
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 5/04 : with beam-forming means
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 5/10 : with provision for relative movement of beam source and object to be irradiated
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2002 : Controlling environment of sample
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/202 : Movement
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 33/04 : Windows
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/20 : Means for supporting or positioning the objects or the material; Means for adjusting diaphragms or lenses associated with the support introducing the objects H01J37/18
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/317 : for changing properties of the objects or for applying thin layers thereon, e.g. for ion implantation H01J37/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 5/18 : Windows permeable to X-rays, gamma-rays, or particles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 : Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 : Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/145 : the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/87 : Re-use of by-products of food processing for fodder production

Abstract

Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful intermediates and products, such as energy, fuels, foods or materials. For example, systems and methods are described that can be used to treat feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials, in a vault in which the equipment is protected from radiation and hazardous gases by equipment enclosures. The equipment enclosures may be purged with gas.

Claims

1. A method of protecting material processing equipment, the method comprising;

conveying a biomass material under an electron beam on a conveyor; and

enclosing motor components in an equipment enclosure that does not surround the conveyor and that is opaque to ionizing radiation; and

purging the enclosure with a gas selected from the group consisting of oxygen reduced air, nitrogen, argon, helium, carbon dioxide, and mixtures thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising exchanging the gas in the equipment enclosure at an exchange rate of less than once every 10 minutes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the conveyor is disposed within a vault.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the vault also contains irradiating equipment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the gas is provided from within the enclosure and the method further comprises filtering the gas prior to purging the equipment enclosure with the gas.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the gas has been filtered to remove ozone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes moving the equipment enclosure to access the motor components.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the equipment enclosure is configured to be movable.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the equipment enclosure includes lead.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the exposure of the motor components to radiation is reduced by at least 10% as compared to the radiation exposure that would occur without the equipment enclosure.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the conveyor is a vibratory conveyor.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a gap between the equipment enclosure and the vibratory conveyor to accommodate movement of components of the vibratory conveyor during use.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the exposure of the motor components to ionizing radiation is reduced by at least 20% as compared to the radiation exposure that would occur without the equipment enclosure.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the exposure of the motor components to ionizing radiation is reduced by at least 30% as compared to the radiation exposure that would occur without the equipment enclosure.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the exposure of the motor components to ionizing radiation is reduced by at least 50% as compared to the radiation exposure that would occur without the equipment enclosure.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the exposure of the motor components to ionizing radiation is reduced by at least 70% as compared to the radiation exposure that would occur without the equipment enclosure.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the exposure of the motor components to ionizing radiation is reduced by at least 90% as compared to the radiation exposure that would occur without the equipment enclosure.