Abstract:
Systems and methods for sequestering gas feed constituents and creating gas feed byproducts are disclosed. The systems and methods contemplate use of and processing of fluids using fluid energy transfer modules, scrubber unit(s), a slurry reaction vessel, a surge tank treatment vessel purifier(s) and a concentrator. Chemical solutions, solids etc. are regenerated and reused thereby increasing system and/or process efficiency and savings while also producing products for commercialization.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This Application claims the benefit of, and is related to, the following Applicant&#39;s provisional patent application; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/035,450 titled “Methods for Sequestering Constituents And Creating By-Products From Flue Gas” filed Aug. 10, 2014, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates, in general, to the removal of contaminants in a gas flue and more particularly to the sequestering and/or removal of gas flue constituents of a gas stream through, inter alia, absorption and the creation of by products from the same for commercialization and/or disposal. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Scrubber systems on the market today are primarily focused on sulfur dioxide removal. A new generation of scrubbers which have emerged to remove carbon dioxide do not address the magnitude of carbon dioxide being emitted from industrial sites. Sulfur oxides generally comprise about 2% to 4% of flue gas emissions from a typical coal fired power plant while carbon is closer to 20%. 
         [0004]    The designs currently available use a disproportionally large amount of energy in the carbon capturing process. That is to say, they are in some cases, carbon neutral and do not address the problem of capturing more carbon than they use. In addition, the problem of disposal and raw material cost has been poorly managed. 
         [0005]    Current processes suggest compression of carbon dioxide into cylinders or tankers with the ultimate goal of injecting the carbon dioxide into the earth&#39;s crust. Other processes suggest capturing the carbon as a carbonate and disposing of it in landfills or water streams. Furthermore, other carbon capture systems use biological molecules which require a very narrow range of pHs and temperatures to function properly. This constraint requires said processes to waste the energy in flue gas and constantly monitor pH in the biological part of the process. Eventually the biological molecules need to be replaced to maintain efficacy of the system. Some disadvantages of these current systems/processes include:
       a) High energy costs, which are proportional to carbon dioxide emissions.   b) Additional costs in the disposal of waste or sequestering of carbon dioxide in pressurized vessels.   c) Cost of replacing spent scrubbing liquor.   d) Poor scaling across multiple industries, including the power, concrete, and automotive industry.       
 
         [0010]    In light of the foregoing problems and disadvantages of existing processes, there exists a need for much more efficient method(s) and system(s) for sequestering constituents and byproducts from flue gas. In an aspect of an embodiment of method(s), system(s) of the contemplated invention, the scrubber solution may be sent to a reaction vessel where a slurry is created and used to create byproducts and re-usable constituents for scrubbing. The byproducts are then purified and ready for other uses or commercialization. 
         [0011]    Accordingly, several advantages of one or more aspects of embodiments of the presently contemplated invention include reduced energy use, recycling of compounds and streams that make the reduction of energy and materials possible, and an increase in the number of compounds which can be scrubbed and isolated for a more cost effective solution to emissions management across multiple industries and systems. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    Aspects of embodiments of the present invention contemplate method(s) for sequestering gas feed constituents and creating gas feed byproducts which may include the steps of feeding a gas stream through fluid energy transfer module(s), feeding output of the fluid energy transfer module(s) through scrubber unit(s), feeding output from the scrubber unit(s) to a slurry reaction vessel. In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention the output from the scrubber unit(s) may be mixed with chemicals within the slurry reaction vessel to effect an ion exchange reaction. 
         [0013]    An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention may also contemplate feeding the slurry output from the slurry reaction vessel to a surge tank treatment vessel where the slurry output&#39;s pH may be adjusted resulting in a treated solution, feeding the treated solution to purifier(s) and feeding output from the purifier(s) to a concentrator. 
         [0014]    An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention may include the step of feeding concentrated solution to the scrubber unit(s) where the concentrated solution may he produced as a result of feeding the gas stream through the fluid energy transfer module(s). 
         [0015]    An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention may include the step of feeding a hydroxide to the fluid energy transfer module(s), where the hydroxide may be regenerated as a result of the ion exchange reaction at the slurry reaction vessel. 
         [0016]    An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention may include the step of directly feeding partially or fully unscrubbed gas stream to any one of: the scrubber unit(s) or the surge tank treatment vessel. 
         [0017]    An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention may include the step of directly feeding the output of the fluid energy transfer module(s) to the surge tank treatment vessel. 
         [0018]    An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention may include the step of precipitating solids from the purifier(s). 
         [0019]    An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention may include the step of concentrating the input feed to the concentrator where the concentration step may be effected by evaporating water from the input feed. 
         [0020]    An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention may include the step of removing water from the fluid energy transfer module(s). 
         [0021]    An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention may include the step of removing scrubbed flue gas from the scrubber unit(s). 
         [0022]    An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention contemplates a method for sequestering gas feed constituents and creating gas feed byproducts which may include the steps of: feeding a gas stream through scrubber(s), feeding output from the scrubber(s) to a slurry reaction vessel where the output from the scrubber(s) is mixed with chemicals within the slurry reaction vessel to effect an ion exchange reaction, feeding slurry output from the slurry reaction vessel to a surge tank treatment vessel where the slurry output&#39;s pH is adjusted resulting in a treated solution, and feeding the treated solution to a concentrator. 
         [0023]    Another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention contemplates a system for sequestering gas feed constituents and creating gas feed byproducts where the system may include fluid energy transfer module(s), scrubber unit(s) connected to the fluid energy transfer module(s), a slurry reaction vessel connected to the scrubber unit(s), a surge tank treatment vessel connected to the slurry reaction vessel, purifier(s) connected to the surge tank treatment vessel, and a concentrator connected to the purifier(s). 
         [0024]    In another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the fluid energy transfer module(s) may be a system of the fluid energy transfer module(s) in series. 
         [0025]    In another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the fluid energy transfer module(s) be a system of the fluid energy transfer module(s) in parallel. 
         [0026]    In another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the fluid energy transfer module(s) may include a system of the fluid energy transfer module(s) under pressure. 
         [0027]    In another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the fluid energy transfer module(s) may be a system of the fluid energy transfer module(s) operating with a vacuum. 
         [0028]    A further aspect of an embodiment of the present invention contemplates a system for sequestering gas feed constituents and creating gas feed byproducts which may include: scrubber(s); a slurry reaction vessel connected to the scrubber(s), a surge tank treatment vessel connected to the slurry reaction vessel, and a concentrator connected to the surge tank treatment vessel. 
         [0029]    In a further aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the system may also include fluid energy transfer module(s) where the fluid energy transfer module(s) may be connected to an input to the at least one scrubber. 
         [0030]    In a further aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the concentrator may be indirectly connected to the surge tank treatment vessel by way of purifier(s) which, in turn, may be directly connected to the surge tank treatment vessel. 
         [0031]    Additional aspects, objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0032]      FIG. 1  illustrates a fluid energy transfer unit or module according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0033]      FIG. 2  illustrates a scrubber unit or module according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0034]      FIG. 3  illustrates a slurry reaction vessel according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0035]      FIG. 4  illustrates a surge tank treatment vessel according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0036]      FIG. 5  illustrates a purifier unit or module according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0037]      FIG. 6  illustrates a evaporator unit or module according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0038]      FIG. 7  illustrates an overall view of a system for the capture and processing of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen oxides from a gas stream for the purpose of disposal, reuse, an/or commercial utilization according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0039]    Reference is now made to system  700  as illustrated in  FIG. 7  and each figure illustrating each unit, component or module of system  700  according to aspect(s) of embodiment(s) of the present invention. 
         [0040]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 7 , a fluid energy transfer unit or module  100  and a system  700  according to aspect(s) of embodiment(s) of the present invention, are shown. Fluid energy transfer unit or module  100  is shown as the unit through which a contaminated gas stream or flue gas  102  is fed. In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, fluid energy transfer module may be a heat exchanger, but it is not limited to just heat exchangers, and can be of any material or style suitable for the transfer of heat from gas stream or flue gas  102  to the solution resulting from the gas stream passing through fluid energy transfer module  100 . In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, module(s)  100  may be a system of module(s)  100  multi-staged, with or without vacuum. In another aspect, module(s)  100  may be arranged in either series or parallel. 
         [0041]    In operation, flue gas in stream  102  is transferred through fluid energy transfer unit or module  100  to evaporate water from the regenerated scrubber stream. In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention flue gas  102  may contain water vapor  104  which is condensed and removed from module(s)  100 . In another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, flue gas  102  may enter module  100  at a temperature of 1400° C. and leave at a temperature of 150° C. It should be noted that the entry and exit temperatures of flue gas  102  can vary depending on the CO 2  source. It should also be noted that the entry and exit temperatures of flue gas  102  are not limited to any particular values. 
         [0042]    The heat from flue gas  102  in module  100  may then be used to do a number of things. One is to evaporate off the extra water  108  from solution  302  received from slurry reaction vessel  300  (as discussed in more detail below). In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, solution  302  may include dilute Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH). The heat from flue gas  102  may then be used to evaporate, in one aspect, 1 mole of water per each mole of NaOH from solution  302 . The resultant concentrated solution  106  is then fed to scrubber(s)  200  where it comes in contact with the cooled flue gas  110  (e.g. 200° C. flue gas) which has been cooled by passing flue gas  102  through module(s)  100 . Scrubber(s)  200  will then will scrub the pollutant gases (i.e. CO 2 , SO 2 , NO 2 ) from the cooled flue gas stream  110 . 
         [0043]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 7 , scrubber(s)  200  and a system  700  according to aspect(s) of embodiment(s) of the present invention, are shown. Dried or cooled gas stream  110  from module(s)  100  is transferred to scrubber(s)  200 . In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, scrubber(s)  200  may be any device(s) that are capable of absorbing required amounts of CO 2 , NO x  and SO 4 . In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, solution stream  302  from slurry reaction vessel  300  may also be fed, as concentrated solution  106 , to scrubber(s)  200  after passing solution stream  302  through module(s)  100  (which concentrates the solution, by, in one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, removal of one mole of water per each mole of NaOH as discussed above). In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, concentrated scrubber stream or liquid  302  may be a hydroxide solution which may be used to absorb nitrogen oxides, carbon oxides, and sulfur oxides to generate nitrates, carbonates, and sulfates which then make up output solution  202  of scrubber(s)  200 . Any scrubbed flue gas  204  is expelled from scrubber(s)  200  to the atmosphere while scrubber solution  202 , which now comprises, but is not limited to: excess water, hydroxides, carbonates, nitrates, and sulfates is pumped to slurry reaction vessel  300  where an ion exchange reaction occurs. 
         [0044]    It should be noted that scrubber(s)  200  may use any hydroxide. Some conditions may use group 1 metal hydroxides to keep the scrubbed gases in solution. Group 2 metal hydroxides may be used downstream in the process to regenerate the KOH and/or NaOH via ion exchange and facilitate the removal of the carbonates and sulfates as solids for easier handling. 
         [0045]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 7 , slurry reaction vessel  300  and a system  700  according to aspect(s) embodiment(s) of the present invention, are shown. Here, output solution  202  from scrubber(s)  200  reacts with slurry creation chemical(s)  304  containing higher concentrations of nitrates, carbonates, and sulfates with chemicals to regenerate dilute scrubber solution  302  for reuse in scrubber(s)  200 . Slurry reaction vessel  300  may also, in one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, produce non-soluble solids for purification and may act as the venue for the ion exchange reaction. In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, such an ion exchange reaction may include, but not be limited to, Sodium Carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ) and Sodium Sulfate (Na 2 SO 4 ) reacting with Calcium or Magnesium Hydroxide (Ca(OH) 2  or Mg(OH) 2 ) to generate Calcium or Magnesium Carbonate and Sulfate as illustrated below: 
         [0000]      Na 2 CO 3 +Ca(OH) 2 →CaCO 3 ( s )+2NaOH
 
         [0000]      Na 2 SO 4 +Ca(OH) 2 →CaSO 4 ( s )+2NaOH
 
         [0046]    These resultant products can then be held in solution or precipitated out as solids (where enough has been precipitated out from the solution) for disposal or packaging. In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, precipitation may take place in an agitated tank, or it could be done Lou long pipe with nozzles to inject the Ca(OH) 2  or Mg(OH) 2  to the slurry at controlled concentrations along the length of the pipe. In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the NaOH regenerated may be removed from slurry reaction vessel  300  and fed to module  100 , where it may be further concentrated and then used in scrubber(s)  200 . In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the NaOH may stay in solution while the Ca and Mg compounds may precipitate out. 
         [0047]    The slurry creation process in slurry reaction vessel  300  also generates desired compounds to be used downstream for disposal or packaging. Slurry  306 , which is created, is then fed to surge tank treatment vessel  400 . In another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the slurry  306  of slurry reaction vessel  300  may be treated to obtain any specific chemical analysis. 
         [0048]    Referring now to  FIGS. 4 and 7 , surge tank treatment vessel  400  and a system  700  according to aspect(s) of embodiment(s) of the present invention, are shown. In aspect(s) of embodiment(s) of the present invention, surge tank treatment vessel  400  may be one or more tanks. Surge tank treatment vessel  400  acts as a pretreatment vessel to generate desired products which are later transferred to purifier(s)  500 . In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, slurry  306  of slurry reaction vessel  300  is transferred to surge tank treatment vessel  400  where, in one aspect, the pH of slurry  306  may be treated or adjusted to generate, in a controlled manner if desired, calcium and magnesium compounds. In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the pH of slurry  306  may be adjusted with unscrubbed flue gas (‘acid gas’), or with any applicable acid or base. This treated solution  402  is then transferred to purifier(s)  500 . 
         [0049]    Referring now to  FIGS. 5 and 7 , purifier(s)  500  and a system  700  according to aspect(s) of embodiment(s) of the present invention, are shown. In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, purifier(s)  500  may be, without limitation, a crystallizing dryer and/or a filter press with the sole purpose of purifying and capturing powdered products for later subsequent use. Purifier(s)  500  may also be a purification system which allows for the separation of compounds from the treated solution  402 . In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, this purification may include, but not be limited to, the precipitation and washing of carbonates  502  and sulfates  504  and the decanting of nitrates  506 . Carbonates  502  can then be processed to create various oxide salts if desired and then purified. Purification may be done by maintaining specific concentrations at specific pHs and the rate of precipitation from the liquid will be different for each compound (i.e. CaSO 4 , CaCO 3  etc) depending on the desired application. For instance, if the process needed to precipitate out CaCO 3  for use in paper whitening, a precipitated calcium carbonate system would be installed in purifier(s)  500  to make sure the size of the particles is correct or to the required specifications. However, if the process were to just handle CaCO 3  as waste it could be precipitated out as a bulk solid in an agitated tank then filtered and dried and then dumped in a land fill. The same could be said for the sulfates, and nitrates. In some aspects, nitrates  506  may not precipitate at all as may stay in solution at reasonable concentrations, hence the bleeding off of solution periodically to replace with fresh water/solution. 
         [0050]    In another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the purification may be done by, but not limited to, a precipitated carbonate and sulfate system to select for specific size distribution and purity of the resultant product from purifier(s)  500 . Nitrates  506 , having been purified by purifier(s)  500  are transferred to concentrator  600  in order to be processed to reach a target concentration and density of solution for packaging or disposal. 
         [0051]    Referring now to  FIG. 6 , concentrator  600  is shown according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, concentrator  600  may be another heat exchanger used to concentrate the compounds left in solution to a required specification to aid in packaging or disposal. Liquid nitrates  506  decanted from purifier(s)  500  may, in one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, be transferred to concentrator  600  in order to concentrate the decant. This stream may be evaporated to specific densities and concentrations required by the user. 
         [0052]    Aspect(s) of embodiment(s) of the present invention also contemplate the injection of fully scrubbed or partially scrubbed or unscrubbed effluent gas to surge tank treatment vessel  400  to help with treatment undertaken there. Other aspect(s) of embodiment(s) of the present invention also contemplate the use of fully scrubbed or partially scrubbed or unscrubbed effluent gas to aid in the dilution of the gas entering module  100 . Additional aspect(s) of embodiment(s) of the present invention also contemplate the use of fully scrubbed or partially scrubbed or unscrubbed effluent gas to or from scrubber(s)  200  to aid in different operations of system  700 . 
         [0053]    It should be noted that components, modules or parts of system  700  may be connected via a system of piping, tubing, ductwork, channels etc, or any other structure(s)/system(s) used to transport fluids and/or solids. It should also be noted that many other variations of aspect(s) of embodiment(s) of the present invention are possible. For instance, one aspect of an embodiment of system  700  may not need fluid energy transfer module(s)  100 . In other aspect(s) of embodiment(s) of the present invention, there may be a plurality of module(s)  100  in series or in parallel, under pressure or vacuum. Likewise, in other aspect(s) of embodiment(s) of the present invention, the scrubber(s)  200  may represent a plurality of scrubbers or one scrubber and may be made of any material deemed required for reliability such as, but not limited to, stainless steel or titanium. 
         [0054]    In another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, scrubber solution  302  need not be regenerated as discussed above. The solids can still be generated by using the appropriate chemicals in the scrubber itself. For example, calcium hydroxide could be used exclusively or in tandem with other chemicals to generate a precipitate directly from the gas stream and the solids could then be purified or disposed of. In another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention the treatment step at surge tank treatment vessel  400  may not be required. The solids generated in the reaction step undertaken at slurry reaction vessel  300  may be purified and disposed of after scrubber solution  302  is regenerated. 
         [0055]    In yet another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention the purification step undertaken at purifier(s)  500  may be optional as well and is unnecessary if the process does not need a purified discharge. Alternatively, the purification step can be undertaken by a plurality of systems which allow for the creation of the needed product. 
         [0056]    In yet another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention the evaporation step undertaken at concentrator  600  may be optional as well and can either be eliminated and the decant disposed or it may fit a specification for another area and be piped directly to that area with no additional processing. In addition, the chemicals used in scrubber(s)  200  need not be hydroxides of any type as long as the oxides in the gas stream are removed and transported to a treatment step after the process with the intent of collecting said oxides for sale or disposal. 
         [0057]    The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.