Systems and methods for partial or complete oxidation of fuels

• US 10,022,693 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2017
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ohio State Innovation Foundation (Ohio State University)
• Original Assignee: Ohio State Innovation Foundation (Ohio State University)
• Inventors: Fan, Liang-Shih, Kathe, Mandar, Wang, William, Chung, Elena, Tong, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Merkling, Matthew J
• Application Number:
  US15/647,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20180065101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/023 Details
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/0278 Feeding reactive fluids for solid material B01J8/0015
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0216 containing a non-catalytic steam reforming step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0222 containing a non-catalytic carbon dioxide reforming step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/344 using non-catalytic solid particles
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2/32 with the use of catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0916 Biomass
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0969 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0986 Catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1659 to liquid hydrocarbons Fischer-Tropsch process C10G2/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1665 to alcohols, e.g. methanol or ethanol preparation of alcohols in general C07C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1807 Recycle loops, e.g. gas, solids, heating medium, water
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/06 Continuous processes
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/725 Redox processes
• CPC Class Codes: F23C 2900/99008 Unmixed combustion, i.e. without direct mixing of oxygen gas and fuel, but using the oxygen from a metal oxide, e.g. FeO
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

A system used for converting multiple fuel feedstocks may include three reactors. The reactor system combination can be so chosen that one of the reactors completely or partially converts the fuel while the other generates the gaseous product required by utilizing the gaseous product from the second reactor. The metal-oxide composition and the reactor flow-patterns can be manipulated to provide the desired product. A method for optimizing the system efficiency where a pressurized gaseous fuel or a pressurized utility is used for applications downstream can be used to any system processing fuels and metal-oxide.

Claims

1. A method of producing syngas, the method comprising:

providing a counter-current contact mode between a first metal oxide and a first fuel in a first reactor to reduce the first metal oxide to a second metal oxide, wherein the first reactor comprises a plurality of oxygen carrying particles and wherein the plurality of oxygen carrying particles comprises the first metal oxide;

oxidizing the second metal oxide to a third metal oxide in a second reactor, and reducing the third metal oxide to a fourth metal oxide with a second fuel to provide a partially or fully oxidized gaseous fuel comprising one or more of CO, CO₂, H₂, and H₂O, wherein the second metal oxide is oxidized to the third metal oxide using an enhancing gas of CO₂ and H₂O, the partially or fully oxidized gaseous fuel, or a combination thereof, to generate syngas and wherein the second reactor is in communication with the first reactor; and

regenerating the first metal oxide by oxidizing the fourth metal oxide with an oxygen source in a third reactor, wherein the third reactor is in communication with the second reactor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the counter-current contact mode between the first metal oxide and the first fuel is such that the first metal oxide moves downward and the first fuel moves upward.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises introducing the first metal oxide to the top of the first reactor, and introducing the first fuel to the bottom of the first reactor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing a counter-current contact mode between the second metal oxide and the enhancing gas in the second reactor, and providing a counter-current contact mode between the third metal oxide and the second fuel in the second reactor.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises introducing the second metal oxide to the top of the second reactor, introducing the enhancing gas to the middle of the second reactor, and introducing the second fuel to the bottom of the second reactor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing a co-current contact mode between the second metal oxide and the enhancing gas in the second reactor, and providing a co-current contact mode between the third metal oxide and the second fuel in the second reactor.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises introducing the second metal oxide to the top of the second reactor, introducing the enhancing gas to the middle of the second reactor, and introducing the second fuel to the top of the second reactor.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises introducing the second metal oxide to the top of the second reactor, introducing the enhancing gas to the top of the second reactor, and introducing the second fuel to the top or the middle of the second reactor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the enhancing gas is derived from the first reactor resulting from the reduction of the first metal oxide with the first fuel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the enhancing gas is derived from oxidation of a carbon-containing or hydrogen-containing source in the third reactor, a fourth reactor, or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the third reactor is in communication with the first reactor, wherein at least a portion of the second metal oxide is circulated directly to the third reactor, and oxidation of a carbon-containing or hydrogen-containing source with an oxygen source in the third reactor generates a stream of enhancing gas, and wherein at least a portion of the enhancing gas generated in the third reactor is used in the second reactor as an enhancing gas.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises generating a stream of enhancing gas comprising CO₂ and H₂O in a fourth reactor, and wherein the fourth reactor is in communication with the first reactor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least a portion of the enhancing gas generated in the fourth reactor is used in the second reactor as an enhancing gas.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first fuel is a solid fuel selected from biomass, coal, pet-coke, solid hydrocarbon-based waste products, or a combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first fuel is a gaseous fuel selected from natural gas, gasified coal, a light hydrocarbon off-gas stream, or a combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the second fuel is a solid fuel selected from biomass, coal, pet-coke, solid hydrocarbon-based waste products, or a combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the second fuel is a gaseous fuel selected from natural gas, gasified coal, a light hydrocarbon off-gas stream, or a combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the second reactor is in communication with a Fischer-Tropsch or methanol synthesis system that produces a light hydrocarbon tail-gas, wherein the second reactor provides syngas to the Fischer-Tropsch or methanol synthesis system and the light hydrocarbon tail-gas is optionally recycled to first reactor, the second reactor, or a combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein

the first metal oxide has formula FeO_aTi_x or FeO_aAl_x,

the second metal oxide has formula FeO_bTix or FeO_bAl_x,

the third metal oxide has formula FeO_cTi_x or FeO_bAl_x, and

the fourth metal oxide has formula FeO_dTi_x or FeO_dAlx,

wherein 1.5>

a>

b, b<

c>

d, 1.5>

c, and x is 0.01 to 5.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein

the first metal oxide has formula FeO_aTiO₂ or FeO_aAl₂O₃,

the second metal oxide has formula FeO_bTiO₂ or FeO_bAl₂O₃,

the third metal oxide has formula FeO_cTiO₂ or FeO_cAl₂O₃, and

the fourth metal oxide has formula FeO_dTiO₂ or FeO_dAl₂O₃,

wherein 1.5>

a>

b, b<

c>

d, and 1.5>

c.