Radiation syngas cooler

Abstract

A system for exchanging heat, the system comprising: a header vertically oriented within a pressure vessel, the header configured to receive a flow of coolant from a coolant source or to deliver the flow of coolant to a coolant tank; one or more platen tubes in fluid flow communication with the header; wherein the one or more platen tubes comprise a vertical section and a non-vertical section; wherein the non-vertical sections of the one or more platen tubes are configured to receive a flow of coolant from the header or discharge a flow of coolant to the header.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 63 / 539,362, filed September 20, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0002] The partial combustion or gasification of solid carbonaceous fuels to produce syngas or syngas with value as residential and industrial fuels, as starting materials for synthetic chemicals and fuels, and as an energy source for power generation has long been recognized and practiced on varying scales worldwide. As used herein, the term "solid carbonaceous fuel" is intended to include various gas-borne combustible materials and mixtures thereof, and may be selected from the group consisting of: coal, coke from coal, coal liquefaction residues, petroleum coke, fly ash, biomass, and particulate solids derived from oil shale, tar sands, and bituminous pitch. Coal can be of any type, including lignite, sub-bituminous coal, bituminous coal, and anthracite.

[0003] The gasification reactor produces thermal syngas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which can be contacted with one or more heat exchangers to recover the high-quality heat as steam. One such heat exchanger is a radiative syngas cooler, or RSC. An RSC is a large and complex capital unit that provides maximum heat exchange area within a pressure vessel. Attached Figure Description

[0004] The invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein similar numbers denote similar elements: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional profile of a radiation synthesis gas cooler.

[0005] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a system that delivers boiler feedwater to a radiant syngas cooler and collects steam and heats the boiler feedwater from the radiant syngas cooler.

[0006] Figure 3 This is a magnified schematic diagram showing the cross-sectional profile of the radiative synthesis gas cooler with tube cages and pressure plates in more detail.

[0007] Figure 4 These are schematic diagrams depicting two embodiments for improving the packing density of pressure plates.

[0008] Figure 5 A more detailed schematic diagram of the non-staggered pressure plate structure.

[0009] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sections of non-staggered and staggered pressure plates at different heights.

[0010] Figure 7It is a plan view of a single pressure plate having a vertical top pressure plate manifold and a vertical bottom pressure plate manifold, the vertical top pressure plate manifold and the vertical bottom pressure plate manifold having pressure plate pipes that are oriented vertically.

[0011] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a single pressure plate with a vertical top pressure plate manifold, showing in more detail the connection to the top manifold.

[0012] Figure 9 It is a description Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a variant, in which the pressure plate pipe is connected at or near the base of the vertical manifold.

[0013] Figure 10 It is a description Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a variant, in which the vertical pipe aligned with the vertical manifold is omitted.

[0014] Figure 11 It is a description Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a variant, in which the pressure plate pipe is asymmetrically connected to the vertical manifold.

[0015] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the top flange connecting the top of the radiative synthesis gas cooler to the bottom of the gasifier.

[0016] Figure 13 It is a description Figure 12 A schematic diagram of a variant that eliminates the need for a forging ring. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The following detailed description provides only preferred exemplary embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention. Rather, the subsequent detailed description of preferred exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing the preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. As stated in the appended claims, various changes may be made to the function and arrangement of the elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0018] Figure 1A cross-sectional profile of a radiative syngas cooler, or RSC, is shown. Typically, an RSC includes: a pressure vessel 101 for housing heat transfer surfaces; a water-cooled wall liner consisting of parallel tubes forming a tube cage 103 for carrying a coolant flow such as boiler feedwater (BFW); and a quench chamber 105 located in the bottom portion for cooling and partially flushing syngas 106 exiting via line 108 using direct contact with water 104. The tube cage 103 may have a top cover 107 formed at the top and may be supported near the top of the vertical section of the RSC vessel wall by a load-bearing support ring (also called a forged ring). The pressure vessel typically includes a heavy ring at the top, called the forged ring, which supports the pipes used to generate steam in the RSC. The parallel tubes in the water-cooled wall liner may be welded together to form an abutment surface and may or may not include webbing located between the tubes. One or more pressure plates 109 can be arranged within the water-cooled wall lining, which also carry coolant flows such as BFW. Each pressure plate includes a horizontal inlet header, a horizontal outlet header, and a pressure plate tube that typically extends almost the entire axial length of the tube cage. The pressure plates are supported by a "spider" bracket located between the dome and the top cover of the RSC vessel. One or more downpipes 111 and risers 113 that carry coolant through the tube cage 103 and pressure plates 109 must pass through forged rings. When a large number of downpipes 111 and risers 113 must pass through the forged rings, this requires the forged rings to be relatively thick to provide mechanical support.

[0019] The annular space 115 between the pressure vessel and the water-cooled wall lining can be flushed with a sealing medium (such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, clean recirculated syngas, or superheated steam) 117 to restrict syngas from entering the annular space 115. The annular space 115 can be further sealed with a first seal 119 (such as a bellows seal between the inlet throat and the top of the pressure vessel) and a second seal 121 (such as a baffle seal near the bottom of the tube cage).

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating a system for delivering BFW to and collecting steam from the RSC and heating the BFW is shown. Steam drum 201 supplies BFW to circulation pump 203, although BFW circulation can also be provided via thermosiphon or pumping with thermosiphon assistance. The mixture of steam and heated BFW returning via riser 205 enters steam drum 201, where steam 207 is separated and drawn from the top of steam drum 201. Supplemental BFW 209 can be added to steam drum 201 as needed.

[0021] Figure 3A magnified view of the RSC cross-sectional profile of the cage 301 and pressure plate 303 is shown for more detail. Water flows through one or more downcomers 305 into the top of the pressure vessel, downwards between the cage 301 and the pressure vessel sidewall 307. Figure 3 Three connections are shown: one for the bottom manifold 309 of the cage, and one each for the inner and outer pressure plate bottom manifolds 311. The downpipe connection for the pressure plate bottom manifold 311 can use a seal such as a box seal passing through the cage 301 to accommodate thermal expansion. Alternatively, the downpipe connection for the pressure plate bottom manifold 311 can be wired from the cage 301 itself and an expansion joint for accommodating thermal expansion. Any number of downpipes can be radially distributed around the RSC to connect to the pressure plate 303 and the bottom manifold 309 of the cage. The BFW is heated and boiled as it travels upward through the cage 301 and the inner and outer pressure plates 303 before being collected in the top pressure plate manifold 313 and the top annular manifold 315. The top pressure plate manifold 313 can deliver steam and heated BFW to one or more risers 317 exiting the top of the pressure vessel via the top annular manifold 315 and / or direct connector 318. As in the bottom manifold 311, the riser 317 can utilize an expansion joint to accommodate thermal expansion. The top and bottom pressure plate manifolds can be bent to follow the desired profile of the pressure plate and must have a diameter significantly larger than that of the pressure plate tubes. Therefore, the increased dimensions of the top and bottom pressure plate manifolds constrain the total number of pressure plate tubes that can be installed in a given size RSC. This effect is amplified if the pressure plate manifolds are insulated.

[0022] The distribution of pressure plates within the RSC is a critical constraint in the design of the gasification process. Pressure plates typically handle more than half of the heat exchange in the RSC, so maximizing the available surface area for heat exchange allows for greater throughput for a given RSC size. For large projects, the outer diameter of the pressure vessel is constrained by transportation regulations, making it an attractive way to improve throughput by increasing the stacking efficiency of the pressure plates. Since the diameter of the pressure plate manifold is larger than that of the pressure plate tube, stacking the pressure plate manifold more efficiently reduces the space between adjacent pressure plates, thus allowing for the use of more pressure plates within a given space.

[0023] Figure 4 Two embodiments for improving the packing density of the pressure plates are shown. The first figure, Figure A, features pressure plate tubes 401 of equal length, wherein alternating pressure plates are staggered in the axial direction such that adjacent manifolds 403 are at different heights. The second figure, Figure B, features pressure plate tubes 405 of alternating lengths, such that top pressure plate manifolds 407, located at a higher height than their neighbors, connect to bottom pressure plate manifolds located at a lower height than their neighbors.

[0024] Figure 5The structure of the non-staggered pressure plates is shown in more detail. The top pressure plate manifold 501 and the bottom pressure plate manifold 503 are J-shaped bends, with the bends closer to the pressure vessel wall and the straight ends extending into the center of the RSC. The horizontal cross-section of the manifold is densely packed compared to the relatively open cross-section at the horizontal position of the pressure plate tube 505. In at least some embodiments, the top and bottom pressure plate manifolds are insulated, which further increases both their diameter and the difficulty of stacking more pressure plates into the RSC. Insulation material can be used for the top and bottom pressure plate manifolds because the thicker tube walls increase the risk of overheating and failure without insulation. The pressure plate tube 505 is shown extending radially away from the plane of the vertical tube before connecting to the top and bottom manifolds, and then moving rearward toward the plane of the vertical tube. This design allows the tubes to be stacked more tightly within the pressure plates.

[0025] Figure 6 Cross-sections of the non-staggered manifold on the left and the staggered manifold on the right at different heights are shown. The top left shows a first cross-section 601 of the non-staggered manifold at the level of the top and bottom manifolds, and the bottom left shows a second cross-section 603 at the level of the manifold tubes. Open tubes represent large-diameter manifolds, and closed circles represent smaller-diameter manifold tubes. The top right shows a third cross-section 605 of the staggered manifold at the level of the higher-height top manifold, the bottom center shows a fourth cross-section 607 of the staggered manifold at the level of the lower-height top manifold, and the bottom right shows a fifth cross-section 609 of the staggered manifold at the level of the manifold tubes. Comparing the top left with the top right and bottom center, it can be seen that the staggered manifold packing is less compact, allowing syngas to flow more freely upwards through the RSC. The more open design of the staggered manifold is visible in both the top left and bottom center, where in the top left only the riser from the lower-height top manifold is adjacent to the higher-height top manifold, and in the bottom center the smaller-diameter manifold tube is adjacent to the lower-height top manifold. Rerouting the riser from the lower-height top manifold can open up even more space. Comparing the bottom left and bottom right shows that the total number of clamping manifolds remains the same. This demonstrates that by utilizing staggered clamping in the same size RSC, more clamping manifolds can be added, the size of the top and bottom manifolds can be increased, the insulation thickness in the top and bottom manifolds can be increased, or any combination of the three. Similarly, more space can be used for the top and bottom manifolds, downcomers, and risers.

[0026] Figure 7A plan view of a single pressure plate manifold with a vertical top pressure plate manifold and a vertical bottom pressure plate manifold is shown, both having vertically oriented pressure plate tubes. The vertical top manifold 701 and vertical bottom manifold 703 simplify the connection from the vertical riser to the manifold. The pressure plate tube 705 can be bent away from the vertical direction, such as horizontally, to connect to the top and bottom pressure plate manifolds. Figure 1 As shown, the pressure plate tubes may have webbing 707 between the tubes. The pressure plate tubes may have partial webbing or no webbing between the tubes. For example, in superheated steam generation services, a gap between the pressure plate tubes may be desirable. The pressure plate tubes are shown with a 90° bend, but any angle and radius of curvature can be selected based on criteria such as flow characteristics, structural integrity of the pressure plate tubes, desired spacing between adjacent tubes, or desired contact points between adjacent tubes, or manufacturing methods. Vertical top and bottom headers can improve syngas flow circulation in areas adjacent to the top and bottom headers. Figure 8 The connection between the pressure plate pipe and the top pressure plate manifold is shown in more detail through a series of horizontal cross-sections. Looking down from height AA, the pressure plate pipe can be seen bending away from the plane of the vertical pipe sheet to connect to the top manifold. Comparing the cross-sections at heights BB and CC, the alternating directions of the curve away from the plane can be seen. Connections on both sides of the top and bottom manifolds allow for a greater number of connections per unit length of manifold compared to horizontal manifolds, thus allowing for a reduction in the length of the vertical top and bottom manifolds. Finally, the cross-section at height DD shows that the pressure plate pipe between the top and bottom manifolds remains unchanged compared to the pressure plate pipe with horizontal manifolds. Figure 8 In the middle section, the cross-section of the pressure plate manifold is curved, but any shape suitable for heat transfer with the syngas can be used. The bottom pressure plate manifold can be connected in the same way, reflecting vertically. The vertical top manifold and vertical bottom manifold can have their cross-sectional area reduced as they approach the pressure plate manifold to further improve spacing.

[0027] Those skilled in the art will understand that the vertical manifold can be implemented using other embodiments specified by requirements such as welding, distribution of BFW within the manifold, or flow of syngas around the pressure plate. One such variation involves connecting the pressure plate pipe at or near the base of the vertical manifold, such as... Figure 9 As shown. One or more vertical manifolds with a diameter smaller than the top vertical manifold distribute the BFW to the pressure plate manifold. The vertical manifold may have a short horizontal manifold 901 to accommodate one or more distribution pipes. Figure 10 A variation of the vertical header is shown, where the vertical pipe aligned with the vertical header is omitted. This may be necessary to improve syngas flow around the pressure plate. Figure 11A variation of the vertical manifold is shown, in which the pressure plate tubes are asymmetrically connected to allow the vertical manifold to be positioned more independently relative to the top of the pressure vessel and the pressure plate tubes within the pressure vessel. Positioning the vertical manifold further away from the leading edge of the pressure plate tubes reduces the risk of overheating. The vertical manifold can also be configured as follows: Figure 6 The vertical manifolds are staggered as shown. Vertical manifolds can also be staggered in a direction such as radially relative to the centerline of the RSC. Any vertical manifold described in this disclosure can be independently selected for the top and bottom of the pressure plate pipe. Similarly, any vertical manifold described in this disclosure can be connected to the top of the pressure plate pipe, and as shown... Figure 5 The horizontal manifold shown can be connected to the bottom of the pressure plate pipe, or vice versa. A hybrid manifold design is possible, in which a first portion of the pressure plate pipe is connected to the horizontal portion of the manifold located at the end of the vertical portion of the manifold, and a second portion of the pressure plate pipe is connected to the vertical portion of the manifold. Multiple vertical manifolds for different pressure plates can be connected to each other through a common horizontal manifold.

[0028] Figure 12 A drawing shows a top flange connecting the top of the RSC to the bottom of the vaporizer. A forged ring 1201 reinforces the top of the RSC, at which downcomer 1203 and riser 1205 enter and exit the RSC. A downcomer is defined as a tube that carries liquid water into the RSC for indirect heating by the synthetic gas stream exiting the bottom of the vaporizer. A riser is defined as a tube that carries steam and liquid water out of the RSC for field use or discharge after separation in a steam drum. The forged ring can form an integral part of the RSC container. The forged ring is significantly thicker than the top head and sidewalls of the RSC to support the numerous closely spaced through-holes required for the downcomer and riser to pass through the dome.

[0029] Figure 13 A drawing of the top section of the RSC, eliminating the need for a forging ring, is shown. At least a portion of the downcomer is repositioned from the top head of the RSC to instead enter the RSC around the top of the sidewalls. And at least a portion of the riser 1301 is repositioned to exit the top head of the RSC above a wider area of ​​the top head. Downcomer 1403 may enter the RSC, and riser 1405 may exit the RSC at one or more height levels. This eliminates the need for a forging ring. Figure 12The need for forged rings in the RSC. Distributing the downcomer and riser in this way reduces the number of openings through the top head of the RSC. The increased spacing between the downcomer and riser openings makes it possible to use larger welded ties and reinforce the openings. Due to the spacing, the internal piping routing within the RSC is simplified, which also reduces pipe congestion. These benefits are possible without sacrificing any best practices known in RSC design, such as accommodating uneven thermal expansion between the downcomer and riser, methods of structural support and mechanical integrity, distribution systems for boiler feedwater and / or steam, and throats, top covers, tube cages, pressure plates, and vessel walls.

[0030] Various aspects of the present invention include, but are not limited to: Aspect 1: A system for exchanging heat, the system comprising: a manifold, the manifold being vertically oriented within a pressure vessel, the manifold being configured to receive a coolant flow from a coolant source or to deliver a coolant flow to a coolant tank; one or more pressure plate tubes, the one or more pressure plate tubes being in fluid communication with the manifold; wherein the one or more pressure plate tubes include vertical sections and non-vertical sections; wherein the non-vertical sections of the one or more pressure plate tubes are configured to receive the coolant flow from the manifold or to discharge the coolant flow into the manifold.

[0031] Aspect 2: The system according to aspect 1, wherein the non-vertical segment includes a horizontal segment.

[0032] Aspect 3: The system according to aspect 1 or aspect 2, wherein the non-vertical section is radially offset toward or away from the pressure vessel wall immediately prior to its connection with the manifold.

[0033] Aspect 4: According to the system of aspect 3, wherein the non-vertical segment deviates in the opposite radial direction as the next closest non-vertical segment.

[0034] Aspect 5: The system according to any one of aspects 1 to 4 further includes a vertical gap in the one or more pressure plate tubes aligned with the manifold.

[0035] Aspect 6: The system according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the manifold decreases as it travels away from the source or tank of the coolant flow.

[0036] Aspect 7: The system according to any one of Aspects 1 to 6, wherein the one or more pressure plate tubes have a center in a horizontal plane, and the manifold is offset relative to the center in the horizontal plane.

[0037] Aspect 8: The system according to any one of Aspects 1 to 7, wherein the one or more pressure plate tubes are in thermal contact with each other to form a single heat exchange surface.

[0038] Aspect 9: A system for exchanging heat, the system comprising: a plurality of pressure plates, each pressure plate including a top manifold in fluid communication with a coolant source; one or more pressure plate tubes in fluid communication with the top manifold; and a bottom manifold in fluid communication with the one or more pressure plate tubes; wherein each top manifold and each bottom manifold has a vertical height; wherein the vertical heights of the top manifolds of adjacent pressure plates are offset from each other by at least the thickness of the top manifold; wherein the vertical heights of the bottom manifolds of adjacent pressure plates are offset from each other by at least the thickness of the bottom manifold.

[0039] Aspect 10: The system according to aspect 9, wherein the top manifold is vertically offset from the adjacent top manifold in the same vertical direction as the bottom manifold, which is in fluid flow communication with the top manifold, from the adjacent bottom manifold.

[0040] Aspect 11: The system according to aspect 9, wherein the top manifold is vertically offset from the adjacent top manifold in a vertical direction opposite to the vertical offset of the adjacent bottom manifold in fluid flow communication with the top manifold.

[0041] As used herein, the articles “a” and “an” refer to one or more features when applied to any feature of embodiments of the invention described in the specification and claims. The use of “a” and “an” does not limit the meaning to a single feature unless such limitation is explicitly stated. The article “the” preceding a singular or plural noun or noun phrase indicates one or more specific designated features and may have a singular or plural meaning depending on the context in which it is used.

[0042] The term “and / or” placed between the first entity and the second entity includes any of the following meanings: (1) only the first entity, (2) only the second entity, or (3) both the first entity and the second entity. The term “and / or” placed between the last two entities in a list of three or more entities means at least one entity in the list, including any particular combination of entities in the list. For example, “A, B and / or C” has the same meaning as “A and / or B and / or C” and includes the following combinations of A, B and C: (1) only A, (2) only B, (3) only C, (4) A and B but not C, (5) A and C but not B, (6) B and C but not A, and (7) A and B and C.

[0043] The adjective "any" means one, some, or all, without distinguishing the quantity.

[0044] The phrase "at least a part" means "a part or all". "At least a part of the flow" has the same composition as the flow from which it is derived, and the concentration of each substance in the flow is the same.

[0045] As used herein, “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., are used to distinguish between multiple steps and / or features and do not indicate totality or relative position in time and / or space unless so explicitly stated.

[0046] Although the principles of the invention have been described above in conjunction with preferred embodiments, it should be clearly understood that this description is by way of example only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A system for exchanging heat, the system comprising: A manifold, which is vertically oriented within a pressure vessel, is configured to receive a coolant flow from a coolant source or to deliver a coolant flow to a coolant tank; One or more pressure plate pipes, the one or more pressure plate pipes being in fluid flow communication with the manifold; The one or more pressure plate tubes mentioned above include vertical sections and non-vertical sections; The non-vertical section of one or more pressure plate tubes is configured to receive the coolant flow from the manifold or to discharge the coolant flow into the manifold.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the non-vertical section includes a horizontal section.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-vertical section is radially offset toward or away from the pressure vessel wall immediately prior to its connection with the manifold.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the non-vertical segment deviates in a radial direction opposite to the next nearest non-vertical segment.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a vertical gap in the one or more pressure plate tubes aligned with the manifold.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the manifold decreases in cross-sectional area as it travels away from the source or tank of the coolant flow.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more pressure plate tubes have a center in a horizontal plane, and the manifold is offset relative to the center in the horizontal plane.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more pressure plate tubes are in thermal contact with each other to form a single heat exchange surface.

9. A system for exchanging heat, the system comprising: Multiple pressure plates, each pressure plate including a top manifold, one or more pressure plate pipes and a bottom manifold, the top manifold being in fluid flow communication with a coolant source, the one or more pressure plate pipes being in fluid flow communication with the top manifold, and the bottom manifold being in fluid flow communication with the one or more pressure plate pipes; Each top manifold and each bottom manifold has a vertical height; The vertical height of the top manifolds of adjacent pressure plates is offset from each other by at least the thickness of the top manifolds; The vertical height of the bottom manifolds of adjacent pressure plates is offset from each other by at least the thickness of the bottom manifolds.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the top manifold is vertically offset from the adjacent top manifold in the same vertical direction as the bottom manifold, which is in fluid flow communication with the top manifold, in the same direction as the vertical offset from the adjacent bottom manifold.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the top manifold is vertically offset from the adjacent top manifold in a vertical direction opposite to the direction of vertical offset from the adjacent bottom manifold of the bottom manifold, which is in fluid flow communication with the top manifold.

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