Patent Publication Number: US-2023133019-A1

Title: Thermal regenerative fluid processing apparatus

Description:
PRIOR APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/274,578, filed on Nov. 2, 2021, the contents of which are included herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally toward a thermal regenerative fluid processing apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates toward a compact, low cost thermal regenerative fluid processing apparatus. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Thermal oxidizers have been used to clean contaminated fluid for many years. More specifically, thermal oxidizers are used to remove impurities, such as, for example, greenhouse gases contained in gaseous waste from industrial processes. Gaseous waste from industrial processes is known to include volatile organic compounds (VOC&#39;s), methane, carbon monoxide, to name a few. Primarily, thermal oxidizers have been used only in large industrial facilities. As such, thermal oxidizers have always been built on large industrial scales to handle large volumes of contaminated fluids. 
     However, evolving environmental standards require flexibility in thermal oxidizers but has not been previously contemplated. For example, many smaller facilities such as, for example, dry cleaners, bakeries, and large scale farms are coming under increasing scrutiny to eliminate even small amounts of VOC&#39;s and other greenhouse gases. Available large industrial thermal oxidizers are not suited to handle small scale operations. Furthermore, not every VOC emitting facility requires a same sized oxidizer. Therefore, customized oxidizers are acquired but are even further cost prohibitive. Therefore, there is a need for a low cost, adaptable thermal oxidizer available for use in a variety of facilities. 
     SUMMARY 
     A regenerative thermal oxidizer assembly includes a first housing member and a second housing member. The first housing member defines a regenerative portion and a combustion chamber. The second housing member defining an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber. A regenerator is disposed within the regenerative portion of the first housing member and defines an axial opening extending through to the combustion chamber. A thermal element extends through the axial opening to the combustion chamber providing heat to the combustion chamber for initiating combustion inside the combustion chamber. The first housing member is rotatable around an axis defined by the axial opening relative to the second housing member allowing the first housing member to rotate the regenerator relative to the inlet chamber and the outlet chamber defined by the second housing member. 
     The unique and compact designed of the thermal oxidizer of the present invention allows for implementation of a low cost thermal oxidizer applicable to nearly any facility that generates contaminated fluids that may be oxidized to reduce greenhouse gases. Making use of the axial opening simplifies overall design and eliminates sophisticated characteristics of existing oxidizers. Simplicity of providing oxidation energy to the combustion chamber through the axial opening substantially reduces cost of manufacturing the thermal oxidizer of the present invention. In addition, the compact design of the thermal oxidizer of the present invention provides the opportunity for modular implementation in any facility eliminating the need for customized designs. As such, two, three or more oxidizers may be interconnected in parallel to accommodate larger scale facilities. For the first time oxidizing technology may be adapted for broad scale use achieving significant reductions in greenhouse gases previously not obtainable. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanied drawings, wherein: 
         FIG.  1    shows a cross-sectional view of a regenerative thermal oxidizer of the present invention; 
         FIG.  2    shows a cross-sectional view of the combustion chamber through line  2 - 2  of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    shows a cross-sectional view of a second housing through line  3 - 3  of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  4    shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the second housing; 
         FIG.  5    shows a cross-sectional view of the second housing through line  5 - 5  of  FIG.  4   ; 
         FIG.  6    shows a perspective view of a modular design of a plurality of cooperable thermal oxidizers; and 
         FIG.  7    shows a side cross-sectional view of the modular system of the plurality of cooperable thermal oxidizers through line  7 - 7  of  FIG.  6   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG.  1   , a regenerative thermal oxidizer of the present application is generally shown at  10 . The oxidizer  10  includes a first housing member  12  and a second housing member 14 . The first housing member  12  defines a regenerative portion  16  and a combustion chamber  18 . The second housing member  14  defines an inlet chamber  20  and an outlet chamber  22 . 
     A regenerator  24  is disposed within the regenerative portion  16  of the first housing member  12 . The regenerator  24  is formed of ceramic material defining pathways  26  that enable passage of gas between the second housing member  14  and the combustion chamber  18  defined by the first housing member  12  the purpose of which will be explained further here and below. The ceramic material from which the regenerator  24  is formed is capable of being heated by oxidation combustion occurring within the combustion chamber  18  and transferring this heat to inlet gases received from the inlet chamber  20  to improve oxidizer  10  efficiency. 
     The regenerator  24  defines a first housing axial opening  28  extending through to the combustion chamber  18 . Likewise, the second housing member  14  defines a second housing axial opening  30  that is coaxial with the first housing axial opening  28 . A tubular member  32  extends through the second housing axial opening  30  and is received by the first housing axial opening  28 . Therefore, it should be understood that the tubular member  32  is axially aligned with the first housing axial opening  28  and the second housing axial opening  30 . 
     A thermal element  34  extends through the tubular member  32  into the combustion chamber  18 . In one embodiment, the thermal element  34  includes an electrical line  36  that provides electrical current to a heating coil  38  residing in the combustion chamber  18 . In an alternative embodiment, the thermal element  34  includes an inlet tube that is interconnected to a source of combustible gas to direct the combustible gas to the combustion chamber  18  for providing sufficient combustion energy to the combustion chamber  18 . With either an electrical or a gas thermal element  34 , it is necessary for the thermal element  34  to provide enough heat energy to the combustion chamber  18  to oxidize dirty gas entering the combustion chamber  18  via the inlet chamber  20 . A temperature probe  40  also extends through the tubular member  40  into the combustion chamber  18  to monitor temperature inside the combustion chamber  18 . A seal  41  or grommet is disposed within the tubular member  40  to prevent escape of gas from the combustion chamber  18 . Openings are defined in the seal  41  to allow the thermal element electrical line  36  and the temperature probe  40  to pass through to the combustion chamber  18 . 
     The tubular member  32  includes a drive element  42  that engages a driver  44 . The driver  44  translate rotary movement from a drive motor  46  to the drive element  42  for rotating the tubular member  32  around a pivot axis. The tubular member  32  is affixed to the first housing member  12  in a manner that translates rotational movement to the first housing member  12  from the driver  44 . 
     A plurality of bearings  48  are disposed between the second housing member  14  and the tubular member  32  inside the second axial opening  30  that allows the tubular member  32  to rotate without translating rotational movement to the second housing member  14 . Therefore, it should be understood that the first housing member  12  rotates around a pivot axis defined by the tubular member  32  while the second housing member  14  remains in a stationary disposition. Furthermore, the second housing member  14  is separated from the regenerator  24 , and therefore the first housing member  14  by a space  50  to prevent any rotational moment being transferred from the rotating first housing member  12  to the stationary second housing member  14 . 
     A first conductor  52  is integral with the tubular member  32  so that the conductor  52  rotates with the tubular member  32 . The conductor  52  receives electrical current from electric line  54  via a first conductive leaf  56  that is in contact with the first conductor  52  but remains in a stationary position relative to the rotating conductor  52 . The electric line  36  is fixedly attached to the first conductor  52  so that the first conductor  52  provides electric current through the thermal element electric line  36  to the thermal element  34 . Therefore, it should be understood that the thermal element  34  rotates with the tubular member  32 . Likewise, the temperature probe  40  is fixedly attached to a second conductor  58  that receives electric current from electric line  54  via a conductive leaf  56 . Thus, the temperature probe  40  also rotates with the tubular member  32 . The thermal element electric line  36  transfers sufficient electrical energy from the conductor  52  to the thermal element  34  for providing oxidation energy to the combustion chamber  18  defined by the first housing member  12 . As explained above, the first housing member  12  rotates with the tubular member  32 along with the thermal element  34  and the temperature probe  40  while the second housing member  12  remains stationary. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  2   , a sectional view through line  2 - 2  of  FIG.  1    is shown. The thermal element  34  disposed within the combustion chamber  18  takes the form of a coil that substantially circumscribes the first axial opening  28  defined by the regenerator  24 . In this embodiment, that regenerator  24  defines axial passages  26  extending from the combustion chamber  18  to the space  50  that separates the second housing member  14  from the regenerator  24  as is set forth above. 
     The first housing member  12  defines in outer annular wall  60  that circumscribes an inner annular wall  62  so that the combustion chamber  18  is enclosed within the inner annular wall  62 . In insulator  64  is disposed between the inner and outer wall  62  and the outer and inner wall  60  to contain the oxidation heat within the combustion chamber  18 . In addition, the insulator  64  reduces an amount of heat that reaches the outer annual wall  60  to prevent heat radiating from the outer annular wall  60 . 
     Referring now to  FIG.  3   , a sectional view of the second housing member  14  through line  3 - 3  of  FIG.  1    is shown. An inlet conduit  66  delivers contaminated gases into the inlet chamber  20  defined by the second housing member  14 . Likewise, an outlet conduit  68  is fluidly connected to the outlet chamber  22  to transfer oxidized, clean gases outwardly from the second housing member  14 . The second housing member  14  also defines opposing fresh air inlet chambers  72  that separate the inlet chamber  20  from the outlet chamber  22 . Fresh air is delivered to the fresh air inlet chambers  72  through fresh air inlets  70 . 
     In one embodiment a pump or a fan establish a negative pressure within the outlet conduit  68  that in turn establishes a negative pressure within the combustion chamber  18 . Generating a negative pressure in this manner assists gaseous flow through the oxidizer  10  and by drawing gasses into the combustion chamber  18  from the inlet chamber  20 . It is also contemplated that the pump or fan generates enough pressure to prevent gasses from escaping though the space  50  disposed between the first housing member  12  and the second housing member  14 . 
     It should be evident that relative position of any of the inlet chamber  20 , outlet chamber  22 , and fresh air inlet chamber  68  change with respect to the regenerator  24 . Therefore, different portions of the regenerator  24  continuously receive inlet gases due to alignment with the inlet chamber  20  while opposite portions of the regenerator  24  transfer outlet gases from the combustion chamber  18  to the outlet chamber  22 . Due to rotation, that portion of the regenerator  24  that was formerly emitting contaminated gases to the combustion chamber  18  rotates through the fresh air inlet chamber  72  for evacuating clean gasses to the outlet chamber  22 . Thus, by rotating that portion of the regenerator that was previously heated by the clean gasses exiting combustion chamber  18  to an orientation for receiving contaminate gas from the inlet chamber  20 , the contaminated gases are preheated and energy requirements to achieve oxidation reactions inside the combustion chamber  18  are reduced. 
     An additional embodiment is generally shown at  110  of  FIG.  4    wherein like element numbers of the earlier embodiment are identified with the same element numbers but in the  100  series. For further adjustments in flowrates into and out of the combustion chamber  18 , the first housing member  112  may be reconfigured to provide opposing inlet chambers  120  separated by opposing outlet chambers  122 . As such, each inlet chamber  120  includes an individual inlet conduit  166  and each outlet chamber  122  includes an individual outlet conduit  168 . As is in the prior embodiment, each inlet chamber  120  is separated from each outlet chamber  122  by a fresh air inlet chamber  172  to provide purge gas to the regenerator  124 . Therefore, four fresh air inlet chambers  172  are included in this embodiment, each receiving fresh air via a fresh air inlet  170 . Otherwise, this second embodiment functions in the same manner as the first embodiment, but with more frequent passes of the regenerator  24  over inlet in outlet chambers  120 ,  122 . 
     It is within the scope of this invention that a plurality of oxidizers  10  may be interconnected to increase cleaning potential for operations that may require higher rate of oxidation then a single oxidizer  10  may provide. Referring two  FIGS.  6  and  7   , a plurality of oxidizers is shown enclosed within a housing  74 . The housing  74  defines a common contaminated gas inlet  76  and a common clean gas outlet  78 . This configuration interconnects each oxidizer  10  in parallel as will be explained further hereinbelow. 
     Differing now to  FIG.  7   , a cross sectional view through line  7 - 7  of  FIG.  6    will now be explained. In this embodiment, the oxidizer  10  are arranged in parallel. Therefore, The inlet conduit  66  of each oxidizer  10  is fluidly connected to the common inlet  76 . Likewise, the outlet conduit  68  of each oxidizer  10  is fluidly connected to the common outlet  78 . A diameter of each inlet conduit  66  in each outlet conduit  68  may be adjusted too control flow rate of the various gases entering and exiting each oxidizer  10 . Alternatively, valves may be implemented to balance flow rate into and out of each oxidizer  10 . The housing  74  may also include housing insulation  80  to further reduce loss of heat from the combustion chamber  18  of each oxidizer  10 . 
     It should be understood that while six oxidizers  10  are shown in this embodiment, more or less oxidizers  10  may be included for particular purpose. Further, a facility may add additional oxidizers  10  or modules that include a plurality of oxidizers  10  when VOC output is increased requiring additional abatement. Thus, low cost economical oxidizer  10  of the present invention provides a fully modular solution enabling reduction of greenhouse gases but previously achievable of small facilities. 
     The invention has been described in an illustrative manner; many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible. It is therefore to be understood that within the specification, the reference numerals are merely for convenience, and are not to be in any way limiting, and that the invention may be practiced otherwise than is specifically described. Therefore, the invention can be practiced otherwise than is specifically described within the scope of the stated claims following this first disclosed embodiment.