PROCESSING FUEL AND WATER

• US 20110219780A1
• Filed: 03/15/2011
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ReductoNox Corp.
• Original Assignee: FlexEnergy, Inc.
• Inventors: PRABHU, Edan D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,893,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/775
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 13/00 General layout or general methods of operation of complete plants
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/24 the fuel or oxidant being liquid at standard temperature and pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/305 Increasing the power, speed, torque or efficiency of a gas turbine or the thrust of a turbojet engine by injecting or adding water, steam or other fluids F01K21/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/18 using the waste heat of gas-turbine plants outside the plants themselves, e.g. gas-turbine power heat plants using waste heat as source of energy for refrigeration plants F25B27/02; using the waste heat of a gasturbine for steam generation or in a steam cycle see F01K23/10
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 1/26 Steam boilers of submerged-flame type, i.e. the flame being surrounded by, or impinging on, the water to be vaporised , e.g. water in sprays
• CPC Class Codes: F23K 2300/10 Pretreatment
• CPC Class Codes: F23K 5/08 Preparation of fuel
• CPC Class Codes: F23K 5/22 Vaporising devices in burners using a direct spraying action of liquid droplets or vaporised liquid into the combustion space F23D11/44
• CPC Class Codes: F23R 2900/00002 Gas turbine combustors adapted for fuels having low heating value [LHV]
• 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

Fuel is oxidized with air in a pressurized reaction chamber containing water. Water, fuel, or both may be communicated into the reaction chamber in a gaseous state, a liquid state, or both. For example, a liquid mixture that includes the water and/or the fuel can be evaporated to form a gas mixture, and the gas mixture can be communicated into the reaction chamber. Additionally or alternatively, the liquid mixture that includes the water and/or the fuel can be communicated into the reaction chamber and evaporated in the reaction chamber. The water and the fuel may be communicated into the reaction chamber separately or in combination.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

evaporating a liquid comprising water to form a gas comprising the water;

communicating the water into a reaction chamber that is pressurized above an ambient pressure about an exterior of the reaction chamber; and

oxidizing fuel with air in the pressurized reaction chamber containing the air, the fuel, and the water while maintaining a maximum temperature in the reaction chamber below a temperature that causes formation of nitrogen oxides.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the water into the pressurized reaction chamber comprises communicating the liquid into the pressurized reaction chamber, and wherein evaporating the liquid comprises evaporating the liquid in the pressurized reaction chamber.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising communicating into the pressurized reaction chamber an air/fuel mixture comprising the air and the fuel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid further comprises the fuel, evaporating the liquid comprises evaporating the fuel and the water, and the gas comprises the evaporated fuel and the evaporated water.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the fuel comprises at least one of ethanol or kerosene.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the liquid comprises more than fifty percent water by volume.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein communicating the water into the pressurized reaction chamber comprises communicating the gas comprising the evaporated fuel and the evaporated water into the pressurized reaction chamber, the method further comprising communicating the air into the pressurized reaction chamber.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising mixing the air with the gas comprising the evaporated fuel and the evaporated water, wherein communicating the water into the pressurized reaction chamber comprises communicating a mixture comprising the air, the evaporated fuel and the evaporated water into the pressurized reaction chamber.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein communicating the water into the pressurized reaction chamber comprises communicating the liquid into the pressurized reaction chamber, and evaporating the liquid comprises evaporating the liquid in the pressurized reaction chamber.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid further comprises the fuel, evaporating the liquid comprises evaporating the fuel and the water by mixing the liquid with heated air, wherein the gas comprises the heated air, the evaporated fuel and the evaporated water, and wherein communicating the water into the pressurized reaction chamber comprises communicating the gas comprising the heated air, the evaporated fuel and the evaporated water into the pressurized reaction chamber.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein oxidizing the fuel generates an oxidation product gas, the method further comprising expanding the oxidation product gas in a gas turbine.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein expanding the oxidation product gas in the gas turbine drives a generator mechanically coupled to the gas turbine.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid is water drained from a landfill or condensed moisture in landfill gas.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the landfill gas comprises the fuel.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid comprises contaminants, and communicating the water into the pressurized reaction chamber comprises communicating the contaminants into the reaction chamber, and wherein the contaminants are oxidized, in the reaction chamber, into at least CO₂, H₂O, and O₂.

16. A system comprising:

an evaporator that evaporates a liquid comprising water to form a gas comprising the water, the evaporator comprising;

an evaporator inlet arranged to receive the liquid;

an evaporator outlet arranged to communicate the gas from the evaporator; and

a reaction chamber comprising a reaction chamber inlet in fluid communication with the evaporator outlet to receive the gas, the reaction chamber configured to oxidize fuel with air while containing the fuel, air, and gas at a pressure above an ambient pressure about the reaction chamber and while maintaining a maximum temperature in the reaction chamber below a temperature that causes formation of nitrogen oxides.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the liquid further comprises the fuel in a liquid state, the gas further comprising the fuel in a gaseous state.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the reaction chamber further comprises one or more additional reaction chamber inlets arranged to receive at least one of the fuel or the air.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising a turbine having a turbine inlet in fluid communication with an outlet of the reaction chamber the turbine configured to receive an oxidation product from the reaction chamber and convert thermal energy of the oxidation product to mechanical energy by expanding the oxidation product between the turbine inlet and a turbine outlet.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a generator mechanically coupled to the turbine, the generator configured to convert the mechanical energy to electrical energy.

21. An oxidation reaction chamber comprising:

a first inlet arranged to communicate a liquid comprising water into an interior volume of the reaction chamber;

a second inlet arranged to communicate a gas comprising air into the interior volume, the reaction chamber adapted to oxidize fuel with the air in the interior volume while maintaining a maximum temperature in the reaction chamber below a temperature that causes formation of nitrogen oxides; and

an outlet arranged to communicate an output gas from the interior volume, the output gas comprising the water and an oxidation product gas generated by oxidizing the fuel in the interior volume.

22. The oxidation reaction chamber of claim 21, wherein the liquid further comprises the fuel.

23. The oxidation reaction chamber of claim 21, wherein the gas further comprises the fuel.

24. The oxidation reaction chamber of claim 21, wherein the outlet is in fluid communication with a turbine inlet.

25. The oxidation reaction chamber of claim 21, wherein the liquid further comprises contaminants, and the maximum temperature in the reaction chamber is at or above an oxidation temperature of the contaminants.

26. The oxidation reaction chamber of claim 21, wherein the gas further comprises contaminants that may be oxidized within the reaction chamber and the temperature in the oxidation temperature at or above the temperature to oxidize the contaminants.

27. A gradual oxidation system comprising:

a fluid inlet;

a compressor that receives and compresses fluid, comprising a first fuel mixture, from the fluid inlet;

an injector that introduces a second fuel mixture into the fluid, the second fuel mixture comprising a liquid having a mixture of fuel and water, wherein water comprises between 20% and 90% of the second fuel mixture by volume; and

a gradual oxidation chamber that receives the fluid from the compressor and that maintains a flameless oxidation process of the fluid within the chamber without a catalyst.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising a turbine that receives the heated and compressed fluid from the gradual oxidation chamber and expands the fluid.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the injector introduces the second fuel mixture before the fluid is compressed by the compressor.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the injector introduces the second fuel mixture into the fluid after the fluid has been compressed and before the fluid is received into the gradual oxidation chamber.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the injector introduces the second fuel mixture into the gradual oxidation chamber.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising a compressor that compresses the second fuel mixture prior to introducing the second fuel mixture into the gradual oxidation chamber.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein the second fuel mixture comprises at least one of ethanol, gasoline, and petroleum distillates.

34. The system of claim 27, wherein the second fuel mixture comprises a fuel-to-water mixture of about 25% fuel by volume.

35. The system of claim 27, wherein the injector is configured to inject the second fuel mixture into the system as a liquid.

36. The system of claim 27, wherein the injector is configured to inject the second fuel mixture into the system as a gas.

37. The system of claim 27, wherein the ratio of fuel-to-water mixture of the second fuel mixture is based on a determination of the fuel-to-air mixture of the first fuel mixture.

38. A gradual oxidation system comprising:

a fluid inlet;

a compressor that receives and compresses fluid, comprising a fuel mixture, from the fluid inlet;

an injector that introduces steam into the fluid after the fluid is compressed by the compressor;

a gradual oxidation chamber that receives the fluid from the compressor and that maintains a flameless oxidation process of the fluid within the chamber without a catalyst; and

a turbine that receives the heated and compressed fluid from the gradual oxidation chamber and expands the fluid.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the injector introduces steam before the fluid is compressed by the compressor.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the injector introduces steam into the fluid after the fluid has been compressed and before the fluid is received into the gradual oxidation chamber.

41. The system of claim 38, wherein the injector introduces steam into the gradual oxidation chamber.

42. The system of claim 41, further comprising a steam compressor that compresses the steam prior to introducing the steam into the gradual oxidation chamber.

43. A method of gradually oxidizing a fuel mixture, the method comprising:

aspirating air into a gradual oxidation system via a fluid inlet;

mixing the air with fuel to form a fuel mixture;

compressing the fuel mixture;

injecting steam into the system to combine the steam with the fuel mixture;

gradually oxidizing the fuel mixture in a gradual oxidation chamber that maintains a flameless oxidation process of the fluid without a catalyst;

directing heated and compressed fluid from the gradual oxidation chamber to a turbine; and

expanding the fluid with the turbine.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the steam is injected into the system prior to the compressing of the fuel mixture.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein the steam is injected into the system after the compressing of the fuel mixture and before the gradually oxidizing of the fuel mixture.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein the steam is injected into gradual oxidation chamber.

47. A method of gradually oxidizing a fuel mixture, the method comprising:

aspirating air into a gradual oxidation system via a fluid inlet;

mixing the air with fuel to form a first fuel mixture;

compressing the fuel mixture;

injecting a second fuel mixture into the system to combine the second fuel mixture with the first fuel mixture, the second fuel mixture comprising a liquid having a mixture of fuel and water, wherein water comprises between 20% and 90% of the second fuel mixture by volume; and

gradually oxidizing the first and second fuel mixtures in a gradual oxidation chamber that maintains a flameless oxidation process of the fluid without a catalyst.

48. The method of claim 47, further comprising directing heated and compressed fluid from the gradual oxidation chamber to a turbine and expanding the fluid with the turbine.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the second fuel mixture is injected into the system before the fluid is compressed by the compressor.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein the second fuel mixture is injected into the system after the fluid has been compressed and before the fluid is received into the gradual oxidation chamber.

51. The method of claim 47, wherein the second fuel mixture is injected into the gradual oxidation chamber.

52. The method of claim 51, further comprising compressing the second fuel mixture with a compressor prior to introducing the second fuel mixture into the gradual oxidation chamber.

53. The method of claim 47, wherein the second fuel mixture comprises at least one of ethanol, gasoline, and petroleum distillates.

54. The method of claim 47, wherein the second fuel mixture is injected into the system as a liquid.

55. The method of claim 47, wherein the second fuel mixture is injected into the system as a gas.

56. The method of claim 47, further comprising determining the ratio of the fuel-to-air mixture of the first fuel mixture and adjusting the ratio of fuel-to-water mixture of the second fuel mixture based on first fuel mixture ratio.