Chamber unit for fluid-fluid vortex contactor and reactor comprising such unit

Abstract

According to an embodiment, there is disclosed a chamber unit (101) for a gas-liquid vortex reactor (500) for contacting a first fluid stream with a second fluid stream, the chamber unit includes a circumferential wall (400, 401) enclosing to form a cylindrically shaped mixing chamber and a set of tangentially distributed fluid inlet slots (406, 407) extending axially from the bottom to the top base to supply a first flow from an outer surface of the wall (400, 401) into the chamber, the wall (400, 401) further including a first set of fluid inlet slots (406, 407) extending from the bottom to the top base to supply a second flow from the outer surface of the wall (400, 401) into the chamber. And a first set (402) extending axially between the bottom base and the top base towards the top base and including a supply inlet (402) at a first end at the bottom base and a discharge outlet (403) extending radially from the inner conduit to an inner surface of the wall (400, 401) at a second end, where the inner conduit is configured to supply a second flow from the bottom base into the chamber.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of gas-liquid vortex reactors and to a method for mixing fluid streams by using a gas-liquid vortex reactor. BACKGROUND

[0002] A gas-liquid vortex reactor is a rotating bed reactor with a static geometry.

[0003] In Yi Ouyang et al., Liquid hydrodynamics in a gas-liquid vortex reactor, Chemical Engineering Science, Volume 246, 2021, 116970, ISSN 0009-2509, a gas-liquid vortex reactor is disclosed. The gas-liquid vortex reactor comprises an annular jacket around a vortex chamber. Gas can enter the reactor zone from the jacket through tangentially inclined inlet slots, which are circumferentially spaced on the outer wall of the vortex chamber. Further, water is pumped from a liquid tank into the cylindrical vortex chamber via a single liquid inlet pipe through the upper reactor end wall.

[0004] In Siyuan Chen et al., CFD analysis on hydrodynamics and residence time distribution in a gas-liquid vortex unit, Chemical Engineering Journal, Volume 446, Part 2, 2022, 136812, ISSN 1385-8947, a method for mixing fluid streams by using a gas-liquid vortex reactor as known in the art is disclosed.

[0005] A problem of the gas-liquid vortex reactors known in the art is that the interfacial area between the fluid phases and / or the gas-liquid contact time is limited due to its geometry.

[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to adapt the geometry of the gas-liquid vortex reactors known in the art in order to increase the interfacial area and the gas-liquid contact time of the fluid streams injected therein. SUMMARY

[0007] In a first aspect, this object is achieved by a chamber unit configured for a gas-liquid vortex reactor for contacting a first fluid stream with a second fluid stream, the chamber unit comprising: a circumferential wall enclosing a cylindrical shape or a regular n-polygon with n > 4 mixing chamber; and a set of tangentially distributed fluid inlet slots extending axially between a bottom base and a top base, the set of tangentially distributed fluid inlet slots being configured to supply a first stream from an outer surface of the wall into the chamber, characterized in that the circumferential wall further comprises a first set of inner conduits, the inner conduits from the first set extending axially from the bottom base towards the top base and comprising: - a supply inlet at a first end positioned at the bottom base; and - a discharge outlet at a second end extending from the inner conduit to an inner surface of the wall; wherein the inner conduit is configured to supply a second stream from the bottom base into the chamber.

[0008] The chamber unit, also referred to as reactor chamber or just chamber, is the core of the reactor, in which the contacting of the different fluid streams takes place. For this purpose, the chamber unit comprises a circumferential wall enclosing a mixing chamber, wherein each fluid stream is directed to the mixing chamber, as will be explained.

[0009] A fluid stream is a flow of a fluid, wherein the fluid comprises a liquid or a gas. Thus, the first fluid stream can contain a liquid or a gas, and this equally applies to the second fluid stream. Thus, the different combinations of fluids that are contacted are gas-gas, liquid-gas, gas-liquid and liquid-liquid.

[0010] It is noted that relative terms like radial, axial and tangential refer to an axis of the cylinder that defines the chamber unit. Preferably, the chamber unit encloses a cylindrical mixing chamber, but the shape can also be of the type of a prism or dodecahedron. Then, the axis is the axis of said shape. The axis also corresponds to the axis of rotation of the vortex. This axis connects two parallel circular bases at the top and the bottom, and the distance there between is the height of the chamber unit. Thus, the chamber unit is preferably a hollow cylinder, wherein the inner part comprises the mixing chamber that has been discussed already. Thus, the cylinder comprises two annuli, one at the bottom and one at the top. The cylinder further has an inner circle and an outer circle that share the same axis as just discussed, while the bases are the areas or surfaces between said concentric circles on the same side. It is thus further understood that the circumferential wall has a predetermined thickness that corresponds to the difference in radii between the concentric circles of the annuli.

[0011] It is further understood that the terms bottom and top are used to refer to opposite sides of the chamber unit, and they are interchangeable. Depending on the orientation or placement of the reactor in which the chamber unit is used, thus the second stream can be positioned at the bottom side or the top side of the reactor.

[0012] The circumferential wall comprises a set of tangentially distributed fluid inlet slots, which extend between the bottom base and the top base, thus in the direction of the axis of rotation. They are further configured to supply liquid or gas from the outside through the wall into the chamber. In the wording of the claims, such liquid or gas is defined as a first fluid flow. Preferably, the first fluid flow comprises a gas, such as air. Preferably, the fluid inlet slots are symmetrically tangentially distributed. In different wording, the fluid inlet slots are tangentially distributed in a symmetric manner. In this way, the flow of the first fluid can enter the mixing chamber in a symmetric manner.

[0013] It is further noted that the tangential fluid inlet slots extend between the bottom base to the top base, which means that they can extend over the full length, thus height, of the chamber unit, but can also be limited to only a fraction of the total height. The height of the different inlet slots can also vary between them, which means that they do not necessarily all have the same height.

[0014] According to an embodiment, the fluid inlet slots are further arranged in such a way that they define an oblique tangential direction. This means that the fluid enters the chamber at a predetermined angle. The angle is defined as the smallest angle between the slot opening and the tangential vector on the chamber wall, and preferably has a value between 5° to 30°, but can vary between a minimum of 0° to a maximum of 90°. For example, one slot can be 0° and the other 90°. If the flow through the 0° oblique slot is higher than the flow through the 90° oblique slot, a rotation is created within the chamber.

[0015] The chamber unit further comprises internal conduits within its circumferential wall. The conduits are tubular passages through which fluid can flow. These conduits extend in the axial direction between the bottom base and the top base, thus along a direction parallel to the axis of the cylindrical shaped mixing chamber and within the wall.

[0016] In addition to the cylindrical shaped mixing chamber, the mixing chamber can also have a regular n-polygonal shape with n > 4. A prism is a polyhedron that consists of an n-gon base, a second base which is a translated copy of the first base, and n other faces. In the context of the present disclosure, these other faces are all rectangular, as it is a regular prism. Under the constraint that n must be at least equal to four, a beam shape is excluded.

[0017] The conduit includes two ends, one of which is positioned at the bottom base in the first configuration. This end is defined as the supply inlet. At the other end is a discharge outlet that extends from the inner conduit to the inner surface of the wall, thus extending into the mixing chamber. In this way, a second fluid flow can be supplied from the bottom base through the inner conduit along the discharge outlet into the chamber. Preferably, the inner conduit is symmetrically tangentially distributed, meaning that the discharge outlet at the second end is also symmetrically tangentially distributed along the inner surface of the chamber wall. Therefore, the flow of the second fluid can be symmetrically injected into the mixing chamber.

[0018] The first fluid flow is preferably a gas flow, while the second fluid flow is preferably a liquid flow. Due to the design of the tangential slot, the first fluid flow can be injected in such a way that it generates vortex flow and centrifugal force field within a mixing chamber of a cylindrical shape or a regular n-prism with n > 4. Next, by injecting the second fluid flow into the chamber in combination with the gas flow discussed above through the conduit, momentum is exchanged between the two fluids, causing rotational movement of the flows. This leads to contact and mixing of the gas and liquid flows. Furthermore, compared to vortex reactors known in the art, the interfacial area and contact time are increased, and the two flows are more uniformly dispersed in the circumferential direction. In an alternative embodiment, the first fluid flow is a liquid flow and the second fluid flow is a gas flow. In another alternative embodiment, both the first and second fluid flows are liquid flows. Even in yet another alternative embodiment, both the first and second fluid flows are gas flows.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, the inner conduit and the fluid inlet slot are arranged alternately or in a complementary manner. This allows for contact and / or mixing of two different fluid flows in an even better and more efficient way. An alternating arrangement means that there can be arrangements with slots adjacent to the conduit, but there can also be arrangements with two slots followed by two conduits, three slots followed by three conduits, and so on.

[0020] Gas-liquid vortex reactors known in the art have a liquid inlet located at the bottom base of an open cylindrical mixing chamber, thereby allowing a liquid flow to be injected into the chamber without the need for an internal conduit. Compared to reactors known in the art, the chamber unit according to the invention allows for a more efficient injection of the liquid flow (i.e., through the inner wall of the mixing chamber). Again, as already emphasized, this increases the contact surface between the gas and liquid and results in more uniform dispersion.

[0021] According to an embodiment, the chamber unit is further configured to contact the first fluid flow and the second fluid flow with the third fluid flow, and wherein the circumferential wall further includes a second set of inner conduits extending axially from the top base toward the bottom base and comprising: - Supply inlet, located at the first end positioned at the top base; and - An exhaust outlet located at the second end, extending from the inner conduit to the inner surface of the wall; The internal catheter is configured to supply a third flow from the top base into the chamber.

[0022] The second set of inner conduits is arranged in a similar but reversed manner to the first set. This means that while the first set extends from the bottom base to the top base, the second set extends from the top base to the bottom base. Therefore, a third fluid flow can be injected into the mixing chamber from the opposite side, compared to the second fluid flow. In this way, three different fluid flows can be injected into the mixing chamber to bring the fluid flows into contact and / or mix.

[0023] Preferably, the second group of internal catheters is also symmetrically and tangentially distributed like the first group of internal catheters.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the first set of inner conduits and the second set of inner conduits are arranged alternately. This allows for the mixing of different fluid flows in an even more efficient manner, as this enhances the interaction between them.

[0025] According to an embodiment, the second fluid flow corresponds to the third fluid flow. In other words, the second fluid flow, which is a liquid or a gas, can be injected on two opposite sides (i.e., the top base and the bottom base).

[0026] According to an embodiment, the inner conduit extends between the bottom base and the top base. For use with the inner conduit to inject a second fluid flow, and in the case of a third fluid flow, a blocking device can be used on the side opposite to the side of the injected fluid flow. Thus, the conduit does not always extend from one side to the other and can be interrupted, thereby allowing for individual fluid injection.

[0027] According to a second aspect, a gas-liquid vortex reactor for contacting fluid flows is disclosed, the gas-liquid vortex reactor comprising a chamber unit according to a first aspect of the invention.

[0028] According to an embodiment, the vortex reactor further includes two or more fluid inlets and / or at least one outlet, particularly at least one gas inlet, at least one liquid inlet, and / or at least one outlet. More specifically, the vortex reactor further includes a liquid distributor and a gas inlet, the liquid distributor being configured to inject liquid into the mixing chamber through an inner conduit, and the gas inlet being configured to inject gas into the mixing chamber through a fluid inlet slot. Alternatively, the gas inlet may also be configured to inject gas into the mixing chamber through an inner conduit, and the liquid distributor may also be configured to inject liquid into the mixing chamber through a fluid inlet slot.

[0029] According to an embodiment, the gas-liquid vortex reactor further includes gas and liquid outlets configured to discharge liquid and gas from the mixing chamber.

[0030] According to an embodiment, the vortex reactor further includes a substrate and a jacket.

[0031] According to a third aspect, a method for contacting and / or mixing fluid flows by using a gas-liquid vortex reactor according to a second aspect is disclosed. Attached Figure Description

[0032] The invention will be further illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which...

[0033] Figure 1 A partially open gas-liquid vortex reactor, including a substrate, was demonstrated; and

[0034] Figure 2 This demonstrates a configuration that uses one or more fluid inlets on the bottom side to inject fluid into the mixing chamber via an internal conduit;

[0035] Figure 3 Showing Figure 2 Bottom side view of the configuration;

[0036] Figure 4A and Figure 4B A chamber unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown; and

[0037] Figure 5 A closed gas-liquid vortex reactor with a liquid inlet, a gas inlet, and an outlet was demonstrated. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The invention will be described with reference to certain embodiments and certain accompanying drawings, but the invention is not limited thereto and is defined only by the claims. The described drawings are merely illustrative and not limiting. In the drawings, the sizes of some elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes. Dimensions and relative dimensions do not necessarily correspond to actual embodiments of the invention.

[0039] Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used in the specification and claims to distinguish similar elements, and do not necessarily describe an order or chronological sequence. These terms are interchangeable where appropriate, and embodiments of the invention may be used in sequences other than those described or illustrated herein.

[0040] Furthermore, the terms “top,” “bottom,” “above,” “below,” etc., used in the specification and claims are for illustrative purposes and do not necessarily describe relative positions. Such terms are interchangeable where appropriate, and embodiments of the invention described herein may be used in orientations other than those described or shown herein.

[0041] Furthermore, although referred to as “preferred embodiments,” the various embodiments should be construed as exemplary embodiments in which the invention can be practiced, rather than as limitations on the scope of the invention.

[0042] The term "comprising" as used in the claims should not be construed as limited to the devices or steps set forth below; the term does not exclude other elements or steps. The term should be interpreted as specifying the presence of the named feature, element, step, or component mentioned, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, steps, or components, or groups thereof. Therefore, the scope of the statement "the apparatus comprises devices A and B" should not be limited to the apparatus consisting solely of components A and B. It means that, with respect to the invention, only components A and B of the apparatus are listed, and the claims are further interpreted to include equivalents of these components.

[0043] Figure 1 A partially open gas-liquid vortex reactor 100 is shown, comprising a substrate 104 having an upper surface 102 and a bottom surface 103. The gas-liquid vortex reactor 100, as shown, further includes chamber units 101. The chamber units 101 are configured to be placed on the substrate 104, as... Figure 1 As shown. Chamber unit 101 in Figure 4A and Figure 4B Further details will be provided in the future. Figure 4A The chamber unit is shown in a 3D diagram, while Figure 4B The chamber unit is shown in either a top view or a bottom view.

[0044] Figure 5 A closed gas-liquid vortex reactor 500 is shown, having a set of liquid inlets 501, gas inlets 502, and outlets 503. This reactor 500 corresponds to... Figure 1 The partially open reactor 100 has a jacket placed on top of the substrate 104.

[0045] Refer again Figure 1 The chamber unit 101 includes a circumferential wall that encloses and forms a cylindrical mixing chamber. Figure 4B Reference numeral 401 points to the inner wall of chamber unit 101, while reference numeral 400 points to the outer wall of chamber unit. See again Figure 4AThe chamber unit 101 includes a set of tangentially distributed fluid inlet slots, such as inlet slot 407. As indicated by reference numeral 406, the fluid inlet slots extend along the axis of the cylindrical chamber between the bottom base and the top base of the chamber unit 101. (See reference...) Figure 4B Reference numerals 404 and 405 illustrate a fluid inlet slit entering a cylindrical chamber at an angle, with reference numeral 405 being an inlet port on the outer wall 400 and reference numeral 404 being an outlet port on the inner wall 401. The inlet slit is configured to inject fluid flow into the internal volume of the cylindrical chamber unit 101. This is achieved through... Figure 5 The illustrated method involves placing a jacket on substrate 104 and injecting gas through fluid inlet 502. The fluid is then injected into the mixing chamber through fluid inlet slot 407.

[0046] The chamber unit 101 further includes a set of internal catheters. (Reference) Figure 4A and Figure 4B The inner catheter is positioned within the circumferential wall of the chamber unit. In the illustrated embodiment, the inner catheter further extends between its bottom and top sides. However, it should be further understood that one or all of the inner catheters may also extend partially from one side rather than completely to the other. It should be clear, however, that an opening on at least one side is available for fluid injection. Such an opening is indicated by reference numeral 402.

[0047] The inner conduit further includes a discharge outlet, preferably extending radially from the inner conduit to the inner surface 401 of the mixing chamber. This is indicated by reference numeral 403. Similar to the fluid inlet slot, the discharge outlet is configured such that fluid enters the inner chamber at an angle. The fluid is then injected into the chamber unit along its inner circumference towards the wall on one side (either the top or bottom side, or both sides in the case of high flow rates), and subsequently into the chamber.

[0048] When the internal catheter is Figure 4A and Figure 4B As shown, when extending axially along the entire length of the inner wall, different configurations can be achieved by using the inner conduit to inject fluid.

[0049] When fluid is injected from one side according to the first configuration, the blocking device is placed over the opening on the other side. Fluid can then be injected through the unblocked opening and through the discharge outlet. Obviously, the second configuration corresponds to the opposite arrangement, where the blocking device is placed on the other side, but this is essentially just flipping the chamber unit.

[0050] Another configuration corresponds to one where fluid is injected through both sides of the unit. For this purpose, multiple inner catheters have a blocking device on one side, while the other sides of the inner catheters are open. Other catheters have the opposite configuration. Similarly, the chamber unit can be flipped, resulting in its fourth possible configuration.

[0051] Figure 2 A configuration is shown in which fluid can be injected into a chamber via an internal conduit using only one side. The chamber unit 101 is positioned on the top 200 of a substrate 104. Fluid (in this case, a liquid) is injected into the chamber through the liquid inlet 201. [Reference] Figure 3 The figure shows the bottom side 300 of the substrate 104, with liquid inlets distributed tangentially.

Claims

1. - A chamber unit (101) configured for use in a gas-liquid vortex reactor (500) for contacting a first fluid stream with a second fluid stream, the chamber unit (101) comprising: a circumferential wall (400, 401) enclosing a hybrid chamber of a cylindrical shape or a regular n-polygon with n > 4; and a set of tangentially distributed fluid inlet slots (406, 407) axially extending between a bottom base and a top base, the set of tangentially distributed fluid inlet slots being configured to supply the first flow from an outer surface of the wall (400, 401) into the chamber, characterized in that the circumferential wall (400, 401) further comprises a first set (410) of inner conduits from the first set (410) axially extending from the bottom base towards the top base and comprising: - a supply inlet (402) at a first end located at the bottom base; and - a discharge outlet (403) at a second end extending from the inner conduit to an inner surface of the wall (400, 401); wherein the inner conduit is configured to supply the second flow from the bottom base into the chamber. 2.- The chamber unit (101) according to claim 1, further configured for contacting the first fluid flow and the second fluid flow with a third fluid flow, and wherein the circumferential wall (400, 401) further comprises a second set (411) of inner conduits from the second set (411) axially extending from the top base towards the bottom base and comprising: - a supply inlet (402) at a first end located at the top base; and - a discharge outlet (403) at a second end extending from the inner conduit to an inner surface of the wall (400, 401); wherein the inner conduit is configured to supply the third flow from the top base into the chamber. The first set (410) of inner conduits and the second set (411) of inner conduits are arranged alternately.

3. - The chamber unit (101) according to claim 2, wherein The second fluid flow corresponds to the third fluid flow.

4. - The chamber unit (101) according to any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein, The fluid inlet slots (406, 407) and / or the discharge outlets (403) are arranged in a tilted tangential direction.

5. - The chamber unit (101) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The fluid inlet slots (406, 407) are symmetrically tangentially distributed.

6. - The chamber unit (101) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The inner conduits are symmetrically tangentially distributed.

7. - The chamber unit (101) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The inner conduits and the fluid inlet slots (406, 407) are arranged alternately. 8.- The chamber unit (101) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The inner conduits extend between the bottom base and the top base.

9. - The chamber unit (101) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The cylindrical shape hybrid chamber comprises a shape of the group of cylinders, prisms, dodecahedrons. 10.- The chamber unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, 11.- A gas-liquid vortex reactor (500) for contacting fluid flows, the gas-liquid vortex reactor comprising a chamber unit (101) according to any of the preceding claims. 12.- The gas-liquid vortex reactor (500) according to claim 11, further comprising a liquid distributor (501) configured to inject liquid into the hybrid chamber through the inner conduits and a gas inlet (502) configured to inject gas into the hybrid chamber through the fluid inlet slots. ​ 13.- The gas-liquid vortex reactor (500) according to any one of claims 11 to 12, further comprising a gas and liquid outlet (503) configured to discharge the liquid and the gas from the mixing chamber. 14.- A method for contacting a fluid stream by using the gas-liquid vortex reactor (500) according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

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