Method and apparatus for heating fluids in processes associated with the refining and / or petrochemical industries using thermal energy generated in a rotary device - Patents.com

Abstract

A method of inputting thermal energy into a fluid medium in a process related to the oil refining and / or petrochemical industries by means of at least one rotating device comprising a casing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a rotor including at least one row of rotor blades arranged around a rotor hub mounted on a rotor shaft, and a stator formed as a fixed vane assembly arranged at least upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades, in which an amount of thermal energy is imparted to a fluid medium flow guided along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy transformations occurring as the fluid medium flow passes through respective stationary and rotating components of the rotating device. The method further includes incorporating the at least one rotating device into a heat consuming process facility configured as a refinery and / or petrochemical facility and further configured to perform a heat consuming process related to refining oil and / or producing petrochemical products at a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 500° C., and directing an amount of input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated into the heat consuming process facility, the input energy comprising electrical energy. Rotating devices and related uses are further provided.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for inputting thermal energy (heat) into fluids, and more particularly to tools and processes for optimizing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas and particulate emissions in heat consuming industrial processes associated with the oil refining and / or petrochemical industries carried out at high and very high temperatures. [Background technology]

[0002] Industry and governments are struggling to find technologies to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Refining and petrochemical operations that convert crude oil and natural gas into targeted products or intermediates have traditionally represented emission-intensive industries and thus play a key role in achieving low-emission targets set by companies, governments, and international organizations.

[0003] Fired heaters, often referred to as furnaces, are widely used in oil and petrochemical refineries to heat gases and liquids and vaporize liquid streams. Fired heaters are typically used for high heat load and high temperature processes. One example of such a heater is a direct fired process heater (furnace) utilized to heat and vaporize crude oil atmospheric and vacuum distillation feeds (400-450°C). Typical refining and / or petrochemical operations utilizing fired heaters include, but are not limited to, gas reclamation, lubricant oil production, delayed coking, catalytic reforming, pyrolysis (steam cracking) of hydrocarbon feeds for olefin production, and the generation and / or superheating of associated fluids, e.g., steam.

[0004] A conventional fired heater or furnace 101 is shown in FIG. 4A. A conventional fired heater typically has a refractory-lined space, the walls or floor of which are fitted with several burners to optimise the temperature in different parts of the space depending on the heating application. Natural gas or other fuel is fed to the burners, where it is burned by air provided by an air blower. The incinerated fuel heats the surfaces of tubes (called heating coils) located in the radiant section (firebox) of the furnace, and the fluid flowing inside the tubes is thus heated through (radiative) heat transfer. Most furnace designs also include a convection section (not shown) located above the firebox. Here, additional heat transfer takes place by convection. Flue gases resulting from the incineration of the fuel leave the furnace through an exhaust gas flue, typically located at the top of the furnace. Complex heat recovery systems are often required to recover the heat stored in the hot flue gas, and in many cases, heat recovery is limited by the condensation temperature of the water due to the presence of acidic compounds such as carbon dioxide (CO2), which lowers the pH of the water and leads to material corrosion problems. Fuel gas exhausted to the atmosphere is rich in CO2 and also contains other environmentally harmful compounds such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and particulate matter.

[0005] Similar furnace designs have been employed historically for olefin cracking technology. In traditional cracking furnaces, the convection section is the part of the furnace where the hydrocarbon feed is preheated, mixed with dilution steam, and other operations that prepare the feed for cracking (pyrolysis). The latter is typically performed in a downstream radiant section formed by a group of reactor tubes (coils). The heat required for the convection section is primarily recovered from the flue gases emitted during pyrolysis. Although tubular fuel-fired reactors, often referred to as olefin cracking furnaces, have undergone significant development since the early 1950s, these furnaces still suffer from high energy demands, poor thermal efficiency (high fuel gas consumption), and limited product yields. All these reasons have prompted plant owners to seek solutions that utilize renewable energy-based technologies.

[0006] Electrification is generally considered a solution to reduce emissions. However, an obstacle to its use in the majority of industrial processes is the inability of electric heaters to achieve the high temperatures required by these processes. For example, the core process for cracking hydrocarbons into bulk chemicals requires extremely high temperatures in the range of about 850-1600°C. This places stringent requirements on the energy source and the technology utilized. Although considered a suitable solution to reduce GHG emissions, the electrification of industrial processes remains hindered based on the inability of current technologies and existing equipment infrastructure to meet the need to achieve sufficiently high temperatures.

[0007] For heating purposes, several rotary solutions have been proposed. The hydrodynamic heater pump apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 11,098,725 (Sanger et al.) is operable to selectively generate a flow of heated and / or pressurized fluid. The aforementioned hydrodynamic heater pump is designed to be installed within the cooling system of an automotive vehicle to provide heat for the passenger compartment of the vehicle and to enable other capabilities such as window de-icing and engine cooling. The disclosed apparatus can also provide a pressurized fluid flow for engine cooling. Because the disclosed technology is friction based and the fluid to be heated is a liquid, the presented design is not suitable for conditions involving extreme turbulence of gas aerodynamics.

[0008] US Patent No. 7,614,367 (Frick) discloses a system and method for flameless heating, condensing or vaporizing a fluid by converting rotational kinetic energy into heat. A system configured for fluid heating may include a rotational kinetic energy generator, a rotary heating device, and a primary heat exchanger, all in closed-loop fluid communication. The rotary heating device may be a water brake dynamometer. The specification discloses the use of the system for heating water on an offshore drilling or oil production platform. However, the presented system is not suitable for heating gaseous media and is not feasible for use with high and extremely high temperatures (based on liquid stability, vapor pressure, etc.).

[0009] In addition, several rotating turbomachinery type devices are also known to carry out the process of hydrocarbon (steam) cracking, with the goal of maximizing the yield of target products, such as ethylene and propylene.

[0010] In this regard, updates in the art related to designing and manufacturing efficient heating systems, particularly systems suitable for use in oil refining and petrochemical applications at high and very high temperatures, are still desirable in view of addressing the challenges associated with increasing temperatures of fluid materials in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] It is an object of the present invention to solve or at least mitigate at least some of the problems resulting from limitations and drawbacks of the related art. One or more of the objects are achieved by the various embodiments of the method for producing a heated fluid medium, the rotating device and the related uses defined herein, as described herein. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In one aspect, a method for inputting thermal energy into processes related to the oil refining and / or petrochemical industries in a refinery and / or petrochemical facility is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0013] In an embodiment, the method includes generating a heated fluid medium by at least one rotating device integrated into the refinery and / or petrochemical facility, the at least one rotating device including a casing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a rotor including at least one rotor blade row disposed circumferentially about a rotor hub mounted on a rotor shaft, and a plurality of stationary vanes disposed in an assembly at least upstream of the at least one rotor blade row, the method configured to perform a heat consuming process associated with refining oil and / or producing petrochemical products at a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 500°C. and operating the at least one rotating device incorporated within the refinery and / or petrochemical facility such that an amount of input energy is directed into the at least one rotating device incorporated within the refinery and / or petrochemical facility, the input energy comprising electrical energy, and a series of energy transformations occurring as the fluid medium stream passes through the fixed vanes and the at least one row of rotor blades, respectively, imparts an amount of thermal energy to a fluid medium stream directed along a flow path formed within the casing between the inlet and the outlet, thereby generating a heated fluid medium stream.

[0014] In an embodiment, the method includes connecting the at least one rotating device to at least one heat consuming unit configured as a reactor or furnace and configured to perform a heat consuming process related to refining oil and / or producing petrochemical products within the refinery and / or petrochemical facility, in an embodiment, the heat consuming unit is further configured as any one of a heater, a burner, an incinerator, a boiler, a dryer, a conveyor device, or a combination thereof.

[0015] In an embodiment, the method includes producing the fluid medium heated to a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 500° C., or essentially equal to or greater than about 1200° C., or essentially equal to or greater than about 1700° C., by at least one rotating device.

[0016] In an embodiment, this includes adjusting the velocity and / or pressure of a fluid medium stream propagating through the rotating device to create conditions under which the heated fluid medium is generated.

[0017] In an embodiment, in the method, the heated fluid medium is generated by at least one rotating device including two or more rows of rotor blades arranged successively along the rotor axis.

[0018] In an embodiment, the method includes operating the at least one rotating device installed in the refinery and / or petrochemical facility such that a series of energy transformations occurring as the fluid medium stream passes successively through the fixed vanes, the at least one rotor blade row, and the diffuser region imparts an amount of thermal energy to a fluid medium stream guided along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet, thereby generating a heated fluid medium stream. The diffuser region may be formed with or without fixed vanes.

[0019] In an embodiment, in the method, the amount of thermal energy added to the fluid medium flow propagating through the rotating device is controlled by adjusting the amount of input energy directed into the at least one rotating device incorporated into the heat consuming process equipment.

[0020] In an embodiment, the method further comprises arranging an additional heating device downstream of the at least one rotating device and introducing a reactive compound or a mixture of reactive compounds into the fluid medium stream propagating through the additional heating device, whereupon the amount of thermal energy is added to the fluid medium stream through an exothermic reaction. In an embodiment, the reactive compound or mixture of reactive compounds is introduced into the fluid medium stream preheated to a predetermined temperature. In an embodiment, the reactive compound or mixture of reactive compounds is introduced into the fluid medium stream preheated to a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 1700° C. In an embodiment, the preheating of the fluid medium to the predetermined temperature is performed in a rotating device.

[0021] In an embodiment, the method includes incorporating at least two rotating devices into the refinery and / or petrochemical facility, the rotating devices being connected in parallel or in series. In an embodiment, the heated fluid medium is produced by at least two rotating devices connected in series, the fluid medium stream being preheated to a predetermined temperature in at least a first rotating device in the series, and the fluid medium stream being further heated in at least a second rotating device in the series by inputting an additional amount of heat energy into the preheated fluid medium stream propagating through the second rotating device. In an embodiment, the method includes preheating the fluid medium stream to a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 1700° C. in at least the first rotating device in the series. In an embodiment, the method includes adding an additional amount of heat energy to the fluid medium stream propagating through the at least a second rotating device in the series by introducing the reactive compound or a mixture of reactive compounds into the stream.

[0022] In an embodiment, the method comprises introducing the reactive compound or mixture of reactive compounds into the heat consuming process associated with refining oil and / or producing petrochemicals.

[0023] In an embodiment, in the method, the heated fluid medium produced by the at least one rotating device is selected from the group consisting of a feed gas, a recycle gas, a make-up gas, and a process fluid.

[0024] In an embodiment, in the method, the fluid medium entering the rotating device is an essentially gaseous medium.

[0025] In an embodiment, the method includes generating the heated fluid medium in the rotating device. In an embodiment, the heated fluid medium generated in the rotating device is a hydrocarbon-containing gas. In an embodiment, the heated fluid medium generated in the rotating device is a gaseous medium other than a hydrocarbon-containing gas, such as air, steam (H2O), nitrogen (N2), hydrogen (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ammonia (NH3), or any combination thereof. In an embodiment, the heated fluid medium generated in the rotating device is a recycled gas recycled from exhaust gas generated during processes related to the oil refining industry and / or the petrochemical industry in a refinery and / or petrochemical facility. In an embodiment, the method further includes generating the heated fluid medium outside the rotating device through a heat transfer process between the heated fluid medium generated in the rotating device and a fluid medium stream bypassing the rotating device.

[0026] In an embodiment, the method further comprises increasing a pressure in the fluid medium flow propagating through the rotating device.

[0027] In an embodiment, the method includes directing an amount of electrical energy as an energy input into the at least one rotating device incorporated within a heat consuming process facility in a range of about 5 percent to 100 percent.

[0028] In an embodiment, in the method, the amount of electrical energy introduced as input energy into the at least one rotating device integrated in the heat consuming process installation can be obtained from a renewable energy source or from different energy sources, optionally a combination of renewable energy sources.

[0029] In an embodiment, the method includes incorporating the at least one rotating device together with at least one heater device capable of operating on non-electrical energy into the refinery and / or petrochemical facility to balance fluctuations, e.g., surpluses and shortages, in the amount of electrical energy (e.g., obtained through supply and / or production), optionally renewable electrical energy.

[0030] According to one embodiment, a method of inputting thermal energy into processes associated with the oil refining and / or petrochemical industries, comprising generating a heated fluid medium by at least one rotating device incorporated within the refining and / or petrochemical facility, improves energy efficiency and / or reduces greenhouse gas and particulate emissions.

[0031] In another aspect, a refinery and / or petrochemical facility in accordance with the present disclosure is provided.

[0032] In one embodiment, the refinery and / or petrochemical facility includes at least one reactor or furnace configured to perform a process associated with the oil refining and / or petrochemical industries at a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 500° C., and at least one rotating device configured to generate a heated fluid medium for inputting thermal energy into the at least one reactor or furnace, the at least one rotating device including a casing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a rotor including at least one row of rotor blades disposed about a rotor hub mounted on a rotor shaft, and at least one rotating device configured to generate a heated fluid medium for inputting thermal energy into the at least one reactor or furnace. and a plurality of fixed vanes arranged in an assembly at least upstream of the row of rotor blades, the at least one rotating device being configured to receive an input energy amount, the input energy including electrical energy, and the at least one rotating device being further configured to operate such that a series of energy transformations occurring as the fluid medium flow passes through the fixed guide vanes and the row of at least one rotor blade, respectively, imparts an amount of thermal energy to a fluid medium flow channeled along a flow path formed within the casing between the inlet and the outlet, thereby generating a heated fluid medium flow.

[0033] In some embodiments, the at least one rotating device is further configured to supply heated fluid medium into at least one heat consuming unit configured as any one of a heater, a burner, an oven, an incinerator, a dryer, a boiler, a conveyor device, or any combination thereof within the refinery and / or petrochemical facility, and the at least one rotating device is connected to any one of the heat consuming units, or any combination thereof within the refinery and / or petrochemical facility.

[0034] In an embodiment, in the refinery and / or petrochemical facility, the at least one rotating device includes two or more rows of rotor blades arranged consecutively along the rotor axis. In one embodiment, a fixed vane arranged in the assembly upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades is formed as a fixed guide vane. In one embodiment, the at least one rotating device further includes a diffuser area arranged downstream of the at least one row of rotor blades. The diffuser area may be formed with or without a fixed diffuser vane. In some configurations, a vaned diffuser may be realized as a plurality of fixed vanes arranged in the assembly downstream of the at least one row of rotor blades.

[0035] In one embodiment, the at least one rotating device disposed within the refinery and / or petrochemical facility is further configured to increase pressure in the fluid medium stream propagating through the rotating device.

[0036] In some embodiments, the at least one rotating device within the refinery and / or petrochemical facility is configured to provide fluid flow between an inlet and an outlet along a flow path established based on one of an essentially helical orbit within an essentially helical casing, an essentially helical orbit within an essentially tubular casing, an essentially radial orbit, and along a flow path established by a fluid media flow in the form of two spirals wound up as side-to-side vortex rings.

[0037] In some embodiments, refineries and / or petrochemical facilities are configured for the thermal or thermochemical cracking of hydrocarbons, optionally through steam cracking.

[0038] In a further embodiment, an assembly is provided, said assembly comprising at least two rotating devices according to any of the above embodiments, said rotating devices being connected in parallel or in series.

[0039] In a further embodiment, an array is provided, said array comprising at least one rotating device according to any of the embodiments, said at least one rotating device being connected to at least one reactor or furnace.

[0040] In a further aspect, there is provided a refinery or petrochemical facility configured to carry out processes relating to refining oil and / or producing petrochemical products through a method according to any of the aspects and embodiments previously defined, and the refinery or petrochemical facility includes at least one rotating device as defined herein.

[0041] In one aspect, a method for refining oil and / or producing petrochemical products is provided, the method comprising generating a heated fluid medium by at least one rotating device integrated into the refining and / or petrochemical facility, the at least one rotating device comprising a casing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a rotor including at least one rotor blade row disposed circumferentially about a rotor hub mounted on a rotor shaft, and a plurality of stationary vanes disposed in an assembly at least upstream of the at least one rotor blade row, the at least one rotor blade row being heated by a series of energy transformations occurring as the fluid medium flow passes through the stationary vanes and the at least one rotor blade row, respectively. and the outlet, an amount of thermal energy being imparted to a fluid medium stream directed along a flow path formed within the casing between the outlet and the outlet, thereby generating a heated fluid medium stream, the method further comprising: directing an amount of input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated within the refinery and / or petrochemical facility, the input energy comprising electrical energy; supplying the heated fluid medium stream generated by the at least one rotating device into the refinery and / or petrochemical facility; and operating the at least one rotating device and the refinery and / or petrochemical facility to perform a process related to refining oil and / or producing petrochemical products at a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 500°C.

[0042] The usefulness of the present invention arises for a variety of reasons, depending on each particular embodiment thereof.

[0043] Overall, embodiments of the present invention provide an electrified rotary fluid heater for producing high temperature fluids, e.g., gases or liquids. The heater can further be used in various heat consuming processes associated with crude oil refining and / or petrochemical manufacturing. As an example, the production process of olefins via steam cracking, among the most common petrochemicals, typically employs fuel-fired heaters to heat fluids to temperatures required for pyrolytic conversion of hydrocarbon feeds to target compounds. The present invention as presented herein allows for the use of rotary devices in place of conventional fuel-fired heaters. The presented method further allows for input of thermal energy to heat consuming utilities, e.g., reactors and / or furnaces, configured to accommodate reactions associated with petrochemical production and / or oil refining and operating at high and very high temperatures, e.g., temperatures generally above 500°C. These reactors and / or furnaces have a high demand for thermal energy and therefore heat consumption. The present invention provides an apparatus and method for heating fluid materials to temperatures in the range of about 500°C to about 2000°C for use in the refining and / or petrochemical industries.

[0044] The advantages associated with using a rotating device instead of a combustion type heater in the method include at least: - Support electrified heating; - Greenhouse gases (e.g. NO, CO2, CO, NO X ), eliminating or at least significantly reducing other harmful components derived from the fuel (e.g. HCl, H2S, SO2 and heavy metals), particulate emissions and smoke emissions; - the heater volume is reduced, i.e. the volume of the rotating equipment is at least an order of magnitude smaller compared to conventional process heaters or heat exchangers; - Lower investment costs; - Improved safety when using flammable and hazardous fluids / gases; - The handling of large volumes of gas is feasible; - there is no pressure drop, - the possibility of using the rotary (heater) device also for gas compression (blower function); - There is no reliance on temperature differences for direct heating of gases (compared to conventional heaters / furnaces), and the temperature rise in the rotating equipment can be from about 10 to 1700°C or more; - the possibility of using rotating devices for indirect heating of fluids, optionally by optimizing the temperature difference in the heat exchanger; - at least partial recycling of hot process gases is possible, thus improving and making heat recovery simpler and improving energy efficiency; It is possible to further increase the temperature of the gas to be heated by adding reactive chemicals which further increase the gas temperature by an exothermic reaction, for example up to 2000°C or more; This includes:

[0045] In an embodiment, the rotating equipment can be used to replace conventional fired heaters or process furnaces for direct or indirect heating in various processes and applications related to refinery and / or petrochemical facilities. Traditionally, such heat is mainly produced through the combustion of fossil fuels, which results in significant CO2 emissions. The use of wood or other bio-based materials instead of fossil fuels has serious resource limitations and other significant impacts on the environment, such as those related to sustainable land use. As renewable electricity becomes more cost-effective, for example with the rapid development of wind, piezoelectric and solar power generation, it is possible to use rotating equipment powered by renewable electricity instead of fossil fuel combustion. This would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The rotating equipment allows for the electrification heating of fluids to temperatures of up to 1700°C or more. Such temperatures are difficult or impossible to reach using current electrical heating.

[0046] The present invention therefore reduces greenhouse gas emissions (CO, CO2, NO x) and particle emissions. The use of rotating equipment can also improve the energy efficiency of refinery and petrochemical processes further by creating closed or semi-closed heating loops for these processes and reducing heat losses through flue gas recycling. In contrast, in conventional heaters, flue gas can only be partially recycled. It becomes possible to build fully electrified, emission-free petrochemical plant solutions.

[0047] The rotating equipment can be used to directly heat process gas, inert gas, air, or any other gas, or to indirectly heat process fluids (liquid, steam, gas, steam / liquid mixtures, etc.) For example, the rotating equipment can be used to directly heat recycle gas recycled from tail gases generated during the steam cracking process associated with olefin production.

[0048] The heated fluid generated in the rotary device can be further used to heat any one of gas, vapor, liquid, and solid materials. Thus, the hot gas generated in the rotary device can be used to heat solid materials or can be used to heat the feed in a packed reactor configured for any one of catalytic and thermal processes. The method provided herein further allows for the use of the hot gas as a heating medium in a heat exchanger to indirectly heat a process gas or a process liquid. Additional uses, such as in an evaporator, are not excluded.

[0049] The rotating equipment can at least partially replace or be combined with numerous types of furnaces, heaters, gasifiers, and reactors that are traditionally burned or heated (e.g., as preheaters) with solid, liquid, or gaseous fossil fuels, and in some cases bio-based fuels, including reactors and furnaces used in the production of major petrochemical products, such as olefins, aromatics, and syngas. Examples of such appliances include furnaces, ovens, heaters, burners, incinerators, boilers, dryers, conveyor systems, reactors, and combinations thereof. Some specific examples include furnaces, regenerators, vacuum towers, steam boilers, catalytic reactors, fluidized bed reactors, and the like. The heated gases can be flammable, reactive, or inert, and can be recycled back to the rotating equipment. In addition to its heating function, the rotating equipment can act as a blower (combined heater-blower function), thus increasing pressure and allowing the gas to be recycled in various applications, for example, in catalytic fluidized bed crackers utilized in the oil refining industry.

[0050] In the method provided herein, the rotary device can be used to heat the hydrocarbon-containing feed to the required operating temperature with almost complete absence of CO2 emissions (this is possible if the rotary device uses renewable electricity). The residence time in the rotary device is significantly shorter. This improves selectivity and reduces the formation of reaction by-products. The short residence time also minimizes coke formation and increases the operating period between scheduled decoking procedures. In the method according to the present disclosure, the reactor for the heat-consuming process (e.g. steam cracker) and the rotary device used as a heater are separated. This allows additional flexibility in operation. According to an embodiment, reactors or furnaces used in the refining of oil or petrochemical products can be connected in parallel or in series to the rotary device. This further allows switching between a thermal reactor for carbon removal and a catalytic reactor for decoking and cleaning in the same production process.

[0051] In addition, the solution allows for improved optimization of the temperature difference in the heat exchanger during indirect heating.

[0052] The present invention further provides the flexibility to use electrical energy, for example electrical energy obtained from renewable sources, which vary from day to day and even hour to hour. The present invention allows for balancing of renewable electrical production by integrating the rotating equipment disclosed herein with conventional fuel-operated (fuel-burning) heaters to provide heat for various processes involved in oil refining and petrochemical manufacturing.

[0053] The present invention allows for the electrification of the steam cracking process in a labor-efficient and cost-efficient manner.

[0054] The present invention further allows for reduced on-site capital costs compared to traditional fossil-fired furnaces.

[0055] The phrase "a number of" as used herein means any positive integer starting from 1, for example, 1, 2, or 3. The term "a plurality of" as used herein means any positive integer starting from 2, for example, 2, 3, or 4. The terms "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one element from another, without denoting any order or importance, unless otherwise expressly stated.

[0056] The term "gasification" is utilized herein to indicate that a substance is converted into a gaseous form by any possible means.

[0057] Various embodiments of the invention become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0058] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a block diagram generally at 1000 illustrating the layout of an oil refinery and / or petrochemical production facility configured to implement methods in accordance with embodiments. [Diagram 2] 2A-2E are block diagrams illustrating exemplary layouts of rotating equipment 100 within an oil refinery and / or petrochemical production facility according to embodiments. [Diagram 3] 3A-3C are schematic diagrams illustrating the incorporation of a rotating device 100 into a facility configured to perform a heat-consuming process 101. [Figure 4] Figure 4A shows a conventional industrial heater or furnace 101. Figure 4B shows an arrangement including furnace 101 and rotating device 100 according to one embodiment. Figure 4C shows a schematic diagram of an olefin production facility according to one embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5A and 5B show diagrammatically the incorporation of a rotating device 100 or several rotating devices into an installation 1000 configured to perform a heat consuming process 101 or several heat consuming processes 101 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0059] Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] FIG. 1 is a block diagram generally at 1000 illustrating a layout of a high temperature heat consuming process facility configured to perform a method according to an embodiment. FIGS. 2A-E, 3A-3C, and 4B, 4C, 5A, and 5B describe an apparatus and method according to an embodiment. The figures and associated examples presented are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the applicability of the inventive concepts to the layouts explicitly shown in this disclosure. Block diagram sections shown with dashed lines may be optional in some configurations.

[0061] In an embodiment, the heat consuming facility 1000 is represented by an industrial plant, a factory, or essentially any industrial system including equipment designed to carry out an industrial process or a series of industrial processes aimed at producing goods from raw materials or raw energy sources. In the present disclosure, examples of the expression "manufacturing goods" include the manufacture, extraction, and / or refining of materials (e.g., compounds derived from hydrocarbons in this context) and / or power. As an example, the facility 1000 can be formed as an oil / oil refinery. This oil / oil refinery can have any existing design and thus corresponds to several processes and related process units aimed at converting raw hydrocarbons into various products, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), naphtha fractions, various fuels and fuel oils. Refining facilities include, for example, crude oil distillation units and / or vacuum distillation units, separation units, hydrotreating units, gasifiers, and the like. In an embodiment, the heat consuming facility 1000 is configured to carry out processes aimed at refining crude oil or other feedstocks, such as bio-based feedstocks, and recycled raw materials (e.g. recycled plastics, oils, etc.), and / or producing petrochemical products, such as olefins, aromatics, and synthesis gases, from suitable feedstocks, such as naphtha, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), or ethane. The production of petrochemical products relies on multi-stage processing of oil and associated petroleum gases. Thus, the products obtained during oil refining (e.g. naphtha, LPG) can be further used in the production of petrochemical products. The process of converting crude oil into petrochemical products can thus be integrated into the same facility 1000. In additional or alternative embodiments, the facility 1000 can further be configured to produce fuels. In this context, the term "fuel" refers to products that include petroleum-derived hydrocarbons, used as an example energy carrier, and the term "petrochemical products" refers to any other products that are not used as fuels.

[0062] Heat consuming processes and related operating units, referred to as heat consuming process units and / or utilities, configured within facility 1000 to perform heat consuming processes related to oil refining and / or petrochemical production, are collectively designated by the reference numeral 101. Facility 1000 may include several operating units 101 configured to perform the same or different heat consuming processes. In some embodiments, operating unit 101 includes or consists of at least one heat consuming device configured to perform a heat consuming process. In embodiments, operating unit 101 is configured as a reactor device configured to perform a reaction or a series of reactions aimed at producing, from suitable feedstocks, through thermal and / or catalytic processes, certain organic hydrocarbon compounds, commonly referred to as "petrochemicals". Petrochemicals generally refer to organic hydrocarbons derived from crude oil that are not used as fuels. Typical petrochemicals include olefins (e.g., ethylene, propylene, butenes), and aromatics (e.g., benzene, toluene, xylenes, and mixtures thereof), which are used as basic intermediates in modern industrial chemicals.

[0063] The heat consuming process facility 1000 is configured to perform a heat consuming process 101 at a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 500°C. In the present disclosure, heat consuming industrial processes are those involved in refining petroleum / crude oil and producing petrochemicals and chemicals from hydrocarbon containing feedstocks, for example through a steam cracking process. In an embodiment, the facility 1000 is configured to perform a heat consuming industrial process at a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 1200°C. In an embodiment, the facility is configured to perform a heat consuming industrial process at a temperature essentially equal to or greater than about 1700°C. In some embodiments, the facility can be configured to perform an industrial process at a temperature greater than about 1700°C, for example at or above about 2000°C, for example within the range of about 1700°C to about 2500°C. The equipment can be configured to perform the industrial process at about 1700° C., about 1800° C., about 1900° C., about 2000° C., about 2100° C., about 2200° C., about 2300° C., about 2400° C., about 2500° C., and any temperature value included between the aforementioned temperature points. It is noted that the equipment 1000 is not precluded from performing at least a portion of the industrial process at a temperature below 500° C.

[0064] Refining operations and process stages involved in the production of petrochemical products are typically associated with high thermal energy demands and consumption, and in conventional solutions create significant industrial emissions, such as carbon dioxide, other gases, and aerosols, into the atmosphere. The present disclosure provides methods and apparatus for injecting thermal energy into refinery and petrochemical industrial processes 101 that have high thermal energy demands, thereby significantly improving the energy efficiency of the processes and / or reducing the amount of air pollutants emitted into the atmosphere. Layout 1000 (FIG. 1) shows these improved facilities and methods in a schematic manner.

[0065] In an embodiment, the method includes producing a heated fluid medium by a rotary heater unit 100 that includes or consists of at least one rotating device (hereinafter, device 100). For clarity, the rotary heater unit is designated in this disclosure by the same reference number 100 as the rotating device. The rotary heater unit is preferably integrated into a process facility 1000. In an embodiment, the heated fluid medium is produced by at least one rotating device, although multiple rotating devices may be used in parallel or series.

[0066] The rotating equipment 100 can be provided as a stand-alone device or as several devices arranged in series (consecutively) or in parallel. One or more devices may be connected to a common heat consuming unit 101. The connection may be direct or through several heat exchangers. In some configurations, the heat exchanger device or several heat exchanger devices may be the heat consuming unit / process 101.

[0067] The heat consuming unit 101 is provided as one or more reactors and / or furnaces configured to carry out reactions aimed at refining operations and the production of petrochemicals. The reactor apparatus may operate with and / or without a catalyst to carry out catalytic and / or thermal processes, respectively. The reactor may be, for example, a tubular coil reactor for steam cracking, or any other suitable type of reactor apparatus. In some configurations, the fluid heated in 100, e.g., gas, is directly used to carry out the endothermic reaction in the unit 101. In such cases, the fluid heated in 100 at least partially forms the process fluid of 101. In some other configurations, the fluid heated in 100 transfers its thermal energy to the process fluid used in the heat consuming unit / process 101, thereby indirectly providing the heat of reaction to said process. In the case of indirect heating, the fluid heated in 100 may be the same or different from the process fluid used in the heat consuming unit / process 101. Typically, however, it is different. In the configuration with indirect heating, the thermal energy added into the fluid in the rotating equipment 100 is transferred to the heat consuming unit / process 101 through the use of a so-called "heat exchanger" type configuration, which in this context is represented by any existing fired heater, reactor or furnace, or any conventional heat exchanger device. All these devices are considered to be heat consuming units 101. In a further configuration, the fluid, e.g. gas, heated in the rotating equipment 100 does not necessarily transfer its thermal energy to the heat consuming unit 101, but the heat is used to perform an endothermic reaction inside the same or a subsequent rotating equipment unit 100.

[0068] In some embodiments, several devices 100 can be connected to several heat consuming units 101 (e.g. reactors for hydrogen production, or catalytic reforming reactors). Different embodiments, for example n+x rotating devices may be connected to n units 101, n being equal to or greater than zero and x being equal to or greater than 1. Thus, in some embodiments, the installation 1000 may include 1, 2, 3 or 4 parallel rotating devices 100 connected to a common heat consuming unit 101. Numbers of rotating devices greater than 4 are not excluded.

[0069] In an embodiment, the amount of input energy E1 is directed into at least one rotating device 100 incorporated as a (rotary) heater unit into the heat-consuming process facility 1000. The input energy E1 preferably comprises electrical energy. In some embodiments, the amount of electrical energy directed as input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated into the heat-consuming process facility is provided in the range of about 5 to about 100 percent, preferably in the range of about 50 to about 100 percent. Thus, the amount of electrical energy directed as input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated into the heat-consuming process facility may account for any one of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, and 100 percent (from the total input energy), or any intermediate value included between the above points.

[0070] Electrical energy can be supplied from external or internal sources. In practice, the electrical input energy E1 supplied into the device can be defined in terms of power, the latter being defined as the rate of energy transfer (measured in watts) per unit time.

[0071] Details of some embodiments of the present invention implemented in the facility layout of Figure 1 are described along the lines below, with the following reference numbers used for components:

[0072] Streams: 1. Feed fluid, 2. Preheated feed or feed mixture, 3. Feed heated by the rotating device 100, 4. Feed fluid further heated in an additional (booster) heater unit designed to raise / boost the temperature, for example through an (exothermic) chemical reaction, 5. Hot fluid medium leaving the heat consuming process 101, 6. Fluid medium led to the purification section, 7. Product stream and / or exhaust gas, 8. Reactive compound or mixture of compounds, for example reactive chemicals, or support fuel used to increase the temperature of the fluid / gas in the additional heater unit 103, 9. Process stream (solid, liquid, gas, steam, or mixture thereof) to be heated by the hot fluid medium during the heat consuming process 101 (indirect heater application), 10. Heated process stream (solid, liquid, gas, steam, or mixture thereof) sent for further processing and / or storage (indirect heater application), 11. Recycle stream leaving the purification section, 12. Feed stream to the heat recovery section, 13. Hot fluid stream from the heat recovery section. Divisions (units): 100. Rotary heater unit (rotating device), 101. Heat consuming operation (process) unit, 102. Preheater unit, 103. Additional heating device (booster heater), 104. Heat recovery unit, 105. Purification unit.

[0073] The rotating device 100 is configured to receive a feed stream 1, hereafter feed 1. Overall, the feed 1 can comprise or consist of any suitable fluid, such as liquid or gas, or a combination thereof, provided as a pure component or a component mixture. The feed can be a feed liquid or feed gas, such as naphtha, LPG, methane, ethane, natural gas, or any other suitable hydrocarbon-based feed, a process gas / working gas, a make-up gas (so-called replacement / supplement gas), a recycle gas, and the like. The gaseous feed can comprise an inert gas (steam, air, nitrogen gas, and the like), or a reactive gas (e.g. oxygen), a flammable gas, such as a hydrocarbon, or any other gas. The feed is selected depending on the process; that is, the nature of the heat-consuming process 101, and indeed the specific industry / industry sector to which the heat-consuming process 101 belongs, imply specific requirements and / or limitations on the choice of the feed material. Additionally or alternatively, Feed 1 may comprise any one of (water) steam, nitrogen (N2), hydrogen (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ammonia (NH3).

[0074] Feed 1 preferably enters the apparatus 100 in essentially gaseous form. Preheating of the feed or conversion of liquid and essentially liquid feeds into gaseous form can be carried out in an optional preheater unit 102. The preheater unit is formed as a (pre)heater device or group of devices. In the preheater unit 102, the feed stream initially provided in gaseous form (e.g. process gas) can be further heated (e.g. superheated). In the preheater unit 102, feed 1 can be evaporated if it is not already in gaseous form and, optionally, superheated.

[0075] The preheater unit 102 may be any conventional device / system configured to provide heat to a fluid material. In some configurations, the preheater unit 102 may be a fired heater (i.e., a direct fired heat exchanger that uses hot combustion gases (flue gases) to increase the temperature of a fluid feed, e.g., a process fluid, flowing through coils disposed within the heater). Additionally or alternatively, the preheater unit 102 may be configured to utilize energy made available by other units in the heat consuming facility (e.g., by extracting thermal energy from the hot stream 13 arriving from a heat recovery section). The preheater unit 102 may thus be configured to utilize steam, electricity, and / or, for example, waste heat streams (not shown).

[0076] Depending on the heat consuming process and associated equipment, the feed stream 1 used to produce heated fluid medium by the rotary heater unit (apparatus 100) may include unused feed (fresh feed) and / or recycle streams. Thus, feed 1 can consist of any one of fresh feed, recycle (fluid) streams, and mixtures thereof. Stream 2, representing the preheated feed, may include, in addition to feed 1, any recycle streams, e.g. arriving from the purification section 105 and / or the heat recovery section 104.

[0077] In the rotating heater unit / rotating device 100, the temperature is increased to the level required by the heat consuming process 101 or to the maximum level achieved by the rotating device. If the temperature increase achieved by the rotating device 100 is not sufficient for the heat consuming process and / or if, for example, the temperature of the fluid needs to be increased again after it has transferred its heat to the heat consuming process, the temperature can be further increased downstream of the rotating heater unit 100 (100A) by additional heater units (100B, 103), further called "booster" heaters. See the explanation regarding FIG. 2B. Each additional heater unit comprises or consists of an additional heating device realized according to:

[0078] In heat consuming processes associated with multi-stage petrochemical production, the primary sources of heat consumption are heating of working fluids and / or associated equipment, and endothermic reactions (reactions that require external energy to proceed). In some applications, heat can be recovered from the heat consuming process 101. The heat recovery section is shown in FIG. 1 at 104. The recovered heat can be further used to heat the feed stream 1 and / or the recycle stream (a separate recycle stream is shown in FIG. 1 at 11).

[0079] Heat recovery may be provided through collecting gases exiting the process unit 101 and recycling these gases to the preheater unit 102 and / or the rotary device 100. The heat recovery unit 104 may be represented by at least one heat exchange unit (not shown). Heat exchangers based on any suitable technology may be utilized. Heat recovery may be optional in heating the feed gas if the heat is consumed elsewhere or if it is not possible to recover the heat for safety or other reasons.

[0080] In the plant layout 1000, the heat recovery unit 104 can be located before and / or after the preheater 102. In the latter configuration, the heat recovery unit 104 is arranged to recover heat from the hot fluid medium (stream 5) flowing from the heat consuming process 101. This heat may be further utilized to heat the feed stream 1 and the recycle stream 11. On the other hand, if the heat recovery unit 104 is located before the preheater 102, the feed 1 is first directed to the unit 104 (as stream 12) and then returned to the preheating section 102 as stream 13. In such a case, the unit 104 acts as a first preheater.

[0081] In some cases the gases require purification, e.g. from dust and particulates, before being led to the heat recovery section. Purification can be achieved, e.g., by a series of filters arranged before the heat recovery section 104 (not shown). Additionally or alternatively, the gases leaving the process unit 101 may be led to a purification unit 105 (bypassing the heat recovery section 104) and returned to the heat recovery section after purification (not shown).

[0082] In addition to value products, the process gas may also contain unwanted impurities and by-products. Impurities and by-products may accumulate in the heater devices 100, 103 and / or be harmful to the process unit 101, causing corrosion and poisoning the catalyst bed. Purification and separation of the stream discharged from the heat consuming process 101 is performed in the purification unit 105. The unit 105 may include several appliances, such as filters, cyclones, etc., configured to mechanically remove dust and solid particles. Any conventional purification / separation method and device may be utilized. Exemplary purification / separation methods include cryogenic separation, membrane processing, pressure swing adsorption (PSA), distillation, absorption, and any combination of these methods. The unit 105 may include devices configured to increase the gas pressure, for example by compression. Typically, the purification unit 105 operates at a lower temperature than the process unit 101. Therefore, the product gas stream is cooled (for example in the heat recovery section 104) before entering the purification unit. It is also important to control the composition of the recycle gas 11 in order to minimize the extent of reactor bed fouling at 101 .

[0083] The purification unit 105 may be further configured to purify the flue gas, e.g., carbon dioxide, for further carbon capture. The flue gas discharged from the refinery and / or petrochemical facility as stream 7 (FIG. 1) may be further directed to carbon capture (not shown). Suitable flue gas purification methods include, e.g., PSA, distillation, absorption, etc.

[0084] The heated fluid medium required to carry out the heat consuming process 101 is generated by at least one rotating device 100 .

[0085] In one embodiment, the heated fluid medium is generated in the rotating device 100. Here, a quantity of thermal energy is added directly into the fluid medium propagated through the device. In such a case, the heated fluid medium generated in the rotating device can be, for example, a process gas, for example a hydrocarbon-containing gas (e.g. a methane-containing feed gas, natural gas, a mixture thereof, or another feed (see FIG. 1, streams 1-4, in particular stream 2)), whereas the hot fluid medium 5 leaving the heat consumption unit 101 is a product-containing stream (e.g. a cracked gas). In the case of direct heating, streams 1-5 are associated with working or process fluids.

[0086] The heated fluid medium produced in the rotary device can further be used as a carrier to transfer heat energy to the heat consuming process 101. The carrier is configured to perform or mediate the conversion of the methane-containing feed to hydrogen. For example, an inert gas, such as air, nitrogen, or steam (H2O), is heated in the rotary device 100 and the inert gas is further used to transport the heat produced by the rotary device to a reactor or furnace configured to perform the hydrogen production process 101. In this regard, the generation of a heated medium (e.g., utilized by the process 101) fluid stream can be performed outside the rotary device through a heat transfer process between the heated fluid medium produced in the rotary device and a suitable medium utilized by the process 101 and thus bypassing the rotary device. For example, in the case of a process related to olefin production, the generation of a heated hydrocarbon-containing feed gas outside the rotary device is performed through a heat transfer process between a heated fluid medium (e.g., steam, air, nitrogen, etc.) other than the hydrocarbon-containing feed gas produced in the rotary device and a hydrocarbon-containing feed gas stream bypassing the rotary device. FIG. 1 shows such a stream (process stream) 9, which bypasses the rotary device 100 and means in this context the hydrocarbon-containing feed / process stream, whereas streams 1-4 arriving at the process unit 101 via the rotary heater 100, mean the fluid medium (e.g. steam or other inert heating medium) led to the process unit 101 to heat the "cold" process stream 9. In indirect heating applications, inert hot gas is preferably used as the heating medium when the process fluid to be heated is at high temperature or under vacuum. Stream 10 represents each of the "hot" process streams. In the case where the unit 101 is a steam cracking unit, stream 10 represents the product (olefin)-containing stream, and stream 5 represents the inert fluid medium stream (same as 1-4) leaving the unit / process 101. In indirect heating, streams 9 and 10 relate to the working or process fluid, whereas streams 1-5 represent the heat transfer media. Thus, in indirect heating, the unit 101 acts as a "heat exchanger" type device.The device allows for the transfer of thermal energy between two fluids flowing through the device without direct contact between the fluids.

[0087] According to an embodiment, a rotating device 100 configured to generate a heated fluid medium to be fed into a refinery and / or petrochemical facility includes a rotor including a plurality of rotor blades arranged in at least one row around a rotor hub or rotor disk mounted on a rotor shaft, and a casing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, the rotor being enclosed within the casing. In the device 100, a quantity of thermal energy is imparted to a fluid medium stream guided along a flow path formed within the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy transformations that occur when the fluid medium stream propagates between the inlet and the outlet within the casing of the rotating device and passes through the at least one row of rotor blades, thereby generating a heated fluid medium stream.

[0088] The embodiment of the rotary device 100 generally follows the disclosures of rotary reactor devices according to U.S. Pat. No. 7,232,937 (Bushuev), U.S. Pat. No. 9,494,038 (Bushuev), and U.S. Pat. No. 9,234,140 (Seppala et al.), and radial reactor devices according to U.S. Pat. No. 10,744,480 (Xu and Rosic), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Any other embodiment that can be configured to employ the method according to the embodiment may also be utilized.

[0089] In the above referenced patents, rotating turbomachinery type devices are designed as reactors for processing hydrocarbons, specifically for steam cracking. The general requirements for these applications are rapid heating of the gases, high temperatures, short residence times, and plug flow (a flow model that does not imply axial mixing). These requirements lead to designs in which the turbomachinery type reactors have several heating stages housed in a relatively small volume.

[0090] The present disclosure can be used as a heater to electrify rotating equipment (including but not limited to those referenced above) and generate a heated fluid medium that is further fed into heat consuming processes 101, such as those related to oil refining and petrochemical production. Greenhouse gas and particulate emissions can be significantly reduced by incorporating a rotating equipment heater unit into a heat consuming process. As an example, the rotating equipment can replace a fuel-fired heater in the steam methane reforming process described below. The temperature range can be extended from about 1000°C (generally achievable with the reactor device referenced above) to at least about 1700°C and even up to 2500°C. Rotating equipment configurations that can achieve these high temperatures are possible due to the absence of aerodynamic hurdles.

[0091] The rotating device 100, which is adapted according to the embodiment to be incorporated into a refinery and / or petrochemical facility and adapted to generate a heated fluid medium for the method according to the embodiment, thus comprises a rotor shaft positioned along a horizontal (longitudinal) axis with at least one rotor unit mounted on the rotor shaft. The rotor unit comprises a plurality of rotor (working) blades arranged around a rotor hub or rotor disk. Together, the rotor blades form a rotor blade cascade. The rotating device 100 thus comprises a plurality of rotor (working) blades arranged in at least one row around a rotor hub or rotor disk mounted on the rotor shaft, which rotor blades form an essentially annular rotor blade assembly or rotor blade cascade.

[0092] In an embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a plurality of stationary vanes arranged in an assembly at least upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades, in which the rotating apparatus is operated such that a quantity of thermal energy is imparted to a fluid medium flow channeled along a flow path formed within the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy conversions occurring as the fluid medium flow passes through the stationary vanes and the at least one row of rotor blades, respectively, thereby generating a heated fluid medium flow.

[0093] In some embodiments, the stationary vanes may be arranged in a stationary vane cascade (stator). The stationary vane cascade may be provided in an essentially annular assembly upstream of at least one row of rotor blades. The stationary vanes arranged in the assembly upstream of at least one row of rotor blades may be provided as stationary guide vanes, e.g., inlet guide vanes (IGVs), and may be configured with a profile, size, and arrangement about a central axis to direct fluid flow into the rotor in a predetermined direction, e.g., to control, and in some cases maximize, the inherent work input capability of the rotor.

[0094] The rotating machine is formed with two or more essentially annular rotor blade rows (rotor blade cascades) arranged consecutively on / along the rotor shaft. In such a case, the fixed guide vanes may be provided upstream of the first rotor blade row, upstream of each rotor blade row in turn, or upstream of any selected rotor blade row in the consecutive arrangement of rotor blade rows.

[0095] In an embodiment, the rotary device 100 further comprises a diffuser region arranged downstream of at least one rotor blade row (rotor blade cascade). In this embodiment, the rotary device is operated such that a quantity of thermal energy is imparted to the fluid medium flow guided along a flow passage formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy transformations occurring as the fluid medium flow passes successively through the stationary guide vanes, the at least one rotor blade row, and the diffuser region, thereby generating a heated fluid medium flow. The diffuser region can be formed with or without stationary diffuser vanes. In some embodiments, a vaned or vaneless diffuser is arranged in the diffuser region downstream of at least one rotor blade cascade. In some embodiments, the diffuser can be realized as a plurality of stationary (stator) vanes. These stationary vanes are arranged to form a diffuser vane cascade, which is provided as an essentially annular assembly downstream of the rotor.

[0096] The rotor, stationary guide vanes, and diffuser region are enclosed within an internal passage (duct) formed within the casing.

[0097] In some configurations, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,744,480 (Xu and Rosic), the provision of a diffuser may be omitted and the diffuser area may be formed by an essentially vane-free portion of the duct (the so-called vaneless space) located downstream of the rotor and configured with respect to its geometry and / or dimensional parameters to diffuse the high velocity fluid flow arriving from the rotor.

[0098] The provision of a vaneless section of the duct is common to all the configurations of the rotating device 100. Depending on the configuration, the vaneless section (vaneless space) is located downstream of the rotor blades (see U.S. Pat. No. 10,744,480 to Xu and Rosic) or downstream of the diffuser vane cascade (see U.S. Pat. No. 9,494,038 to Bushuev and U.S. Pat. No. 9,234,140 to Seppala et al.). In some configurations, such as those described by Seppala et al., the rotating and fixed blade rows in the internal passage inside the casing are arranged such that a vaneless section is formed between the outlet from the fixed diffuser vanes located downstream of the rotor blades and the inlet to the fixed guide blades located upstream of the rotor blades of the following rotor blade cascade unit.

[0099] The terms "upstream" and "downstream" as used herein refer to the spatial and / or functional location of a given part or component, here a structural part or component relative to the rotor, in the direction of fluid flow (from inlet to outlet) through the entire device.

[0100] Overall, a rotor with a working blade cascade may be positioned between rows of fixed (stator) vanes arranged in an essentially annular assembly (called a cascade) on one or both sides of the working blade row. Configurations including two or more rows of rotor blades / rotor blade cascades arranged consecutively (sequentially) on / along the rotor shaft are conceivable, with or without fixed blades between them. If there are no fixed vanes between the rows of rotor blades, the velocity of the fluid medium propagating through the duct increases in each subsequent row. In such a case, a number of stationary vanes may be arranged in said sequence upstream of the first rotor blade cascade (as fixed guide vanes) and downstream of the last rotor blade cascade (as fixed diffuser vanes).

[0101] A rotor blade row (rotor blade cascade), optionally enclosed inside a casing with a fixed diffuser vane assembly (diffuser region), and a portion of the duct downstream of said rotor blades, can be considered as a minimum process stage (hereafter stage) configured to mediate a complete energy conversion cycle. Thus, the amount of kinetic energy added to the fluid medium flow by at least one rotating blade row is sufficient to raise the temperature of the fluid medium to a predetermined value when said fluid medium flow leaves the rotor blades and propagates in the duct towards the following rotor blade row or enters the same rotor blade row following an essentially helical trajectory formed inside the essentially toroidal shaped casing. The duct (confining the rotor circumference) is preferably shaped in such a way that as the fluid flow propagates in the duct, it slows down, dissipates kinetic energy into the internal energy of the fluid medium, and adds an amount of thermal energy to the fluid medium flow.

[0102] A fixed guide blade row, located upstream of at least one rotor blade row, provides the required flow conditions at the entry of the rotating blade rows (cascade) during the energy conversion cycle.

[0103] In some configurations, the process stage is established by an assembly consisting of a fixed guide vane (upstream of the rotor blades), a row of rotor blades and a diffuser area arranged downstream of said rotor blades. The diffuser area is optionally provided as an essentially vane-free part of the tact provided with the diffuser vanes. During the energy conversion cycle enabled by the successive controlled propagation of the fluid medium flow through the fixed guide vanes, at least one row of rotor blades and the diffuser area, respectively, the mechanical energy of the rotor shaft is converted into kinetic energy and then into the internal energy of the fluid, which subsequently increases the fluid temperature. The amount of kinetic energy imparted to the fluid medium flow by the rotating blade row is sufficient to raise the temperature of the fluid medium to a predetermined value when said fluid medium flow leaves the rotor blades and passes through the diffuser area in a duct, the fluid decelerates, dissipates the kinetic energy into the internal energy of the fluid medium and an amount of thermal energy is added to the fluid medium flow. Within the rotor blade rows, the flow accelerates and the mechanical energy of the shaft and the rotating blades is transferred to the fluid flow. In at least a portion of each rotor blade row, the flow can reach supersonic flow conditions. In the diffuser region, the high-speed fluid flow arriving from the rotor is diffused with a significant entropy increase. This causes the flow to dissipate kinetic energy into the internal energy of the fluid material, which in turn provides thermal energy to the fluid. If the flow upstream of the diffuser is supersonic, the kinetic energy of the fluid flow is converted into the internal energy of the fluid through a system of multiple shocks and viscous mixing and dissipation. The increase in the internal energy of the fluid results in an increase in the fluid temperature. The energy conversion function can be performed, for example, by a vaneless section of a duct located downstream of the rotor blades (see U.S. Pat. No. 10,744,480 to Xu and Rosic) and / or by a diffuser vane assembly (see U.S. Pat. No. 9,234,140 to Seppala et al.).

[0104] The rotating machine 100 can be formed as a multi-stage or single stage solution. A multi-stage configuration can be considered to include several rotor units (e.g. 1-5 rotor blade rows arranged consecutively on / along the rotor shaft) alternating with a common diffuser area (vaned or vaned).

[0105] In an exemplary embodiment outlined in US Pat. No. 9,234,140 to Seppala et al., the rotating device 100 can be realized substantially in the shape of a ring torus, where the cross section of the duct in the meridian plane forms a ring-like profile. The device includes a rotor unit arranged between stationary guide vanes (nozzle vanes) and stationary diverging vanes. Stages are formed with rows of stationary nozzle vanes, rotor blades, and diverging vanes. Through these the fluid flow propagates successively according to a flow path established on the basis of an essentially helical trajectory. In this embodiment, the fluid flow circulates through the rotating rotor blade cascade several times, propagating between an inlet and an outlet inside the device. A similar ring-shaped embodiment is described in US Pat. No. 9,494,038 to Bushuev.

[0106] In another exemplary configuration, as outlined in U.S. Patent No. 9,234,140 to Seppala et al., the rotating machine 100 may be configured as an essentially tubular, axial-type turbomachine. In such a configuration, the machine includes an elongated (elongated) rotor hub along which a plurality of rotor blades are arranged in several successive rows. The rotor is enclosed within a casing, the inner surface of which includes stationary (stator) vanes and diffuser vanes. The stationary and diffuser vanes are positioned longitudinally (from inlet to outlet along the length of the rotor shaft) along the rotor hub, alternating with the blades / vanes of the stator, rotor cascade, and diffuser cascade. The blades of the rotor cascade at a particular location longitudinally along the rotor form a stage together with adjacent pairs of stationary guide (nozzle) vanes and diffuser vanes, respectively.

[0107] In the described configuration, subsequent stages have blade / vane-free spaces between them.

[0108] In yet another exemplary configuration outlined in U.S. Pat. No. 10,744,480 to Xu and Rosic, the rotary machine 100 may be configured as a radial turbomachine. Radial turbomachines generally follow the design for centrifugal compressors or centrifugal pumps. The term "centrifugal" implies that the fluid flow inside the machine is radial, and thus the machine may be referred to as a "radial flow machine" in this disclosure. The machine includes several rotor units mounted on an elongated shaft. Each rotor unit is preceded by a fixed guide vane. A vaneless section of duct (e.g., a U-bend or S-bend) shaped in a manner that allows for energy conversion is disposed after the rotor units. Additionally, the configuration may include a separate diffuser device (vaned or vaneless) disposed downstream of the rotor.

[0109] In all the above forms, the rotating device 100 functions in the same way in the method disclosed herein. During operation, an amount of input energy directed into at least one rotating device incorporated in a heat consuming process installation is converted into mechanical energy of the rotor. Conditions in the rotating device are adjusted to create flow conditions. In this flow condition, the amount of kinetic energy imparted to the fluid medium flow by the rotating blades of the rotor is sufficient to raise the temperature of the fluid medium to a predetermined value when said fluid medium flow leaves at least one rotor blade row and enters a subsequent or the same rotor blade row by passing through a duct and / or a diffuser region. The rotor blade row may be preceded by a fixed guide vane. Conditions that can be adjusted therefore include at least adjusting the fluid medium flow propagating between an inlet and an outlet inside the casing of the rotating device. Adjusting the flow may include adjusting an operation-related parameter of such device, such as temperature, mass flow rate, pressure, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the flow conditions can be adjusted by changing the shape of a duct formed inside the casing.

[0110] In some exemplary configurations, the rotating device can be configured to achieve fluid flow between the inlet and the outlet along a flow path established based on any one of an essentially helical orbit formed inside an essentially toroidal shaped casing as discussed in either one of U.S. Patent No. 9,494,038 to Bushuev and U.S. Patent No. 9,234,140 to Seppala et al., an essentially helical orbit formed inside an essentially tubular casing as discussed in U.S. Patent No. 9,234,140 to Seppala et al., an essentially radial orbit as discussed in U.S. Patent No. 10,744,480 to Xu and Rosic, and a flow path established by a fluid medium flow in the form of two spirals rolled up as side-to-side vortex rings as discussed in U.S. Patent No. 7,232,937 to Bushuev. The aerodynamic design of the rotating device can be varied.

[0111] The rotating devices utilize a drive engine. In a preferred embodiment, the devices utilize electrical energy as input energy, and thus the devices are electric motor driven. For the purposes of this disclosure, any suitable type of electric motor (i.e., a device capable of transferring energy from a power source to a mechanical load) can be utilized. Suitable couplings disposed between the motor drive shaft and the rotor shaft, as well as various appliances such as power converters, controllers, and the like, are not described herein. Additionally, the devices can be directly driven, for example, by a gas or steam turbine, or any other suitable drive device. In a layout involving the parallel connection of several rotating devices 100 to a common heat consuming unit 101, one or more of the devices may utilize different types of drive engines, for example, electric motor driven devices can be combined with devices driven by steam turbines, gas turbines, and / or gas engines.

[0112] Electric power (defined as the rate of energy transfer per unit time) can be provided into the rotating equipment through the supply of electrical current to an electric motor used to drive the rotating shaft of the equipment. The supply of electrical power into the rotating equipment can be achieved from an external source (relative to the rotating heater unit / apparatus 100 and / or the heat consuming process equipment 1000). Additionally or alternatively, electrical energy can be produced within the equipment 1000.

[0113] The external source includes various support facilities provided for sustainable energy production. Thus, the power can be provided from a power generation system utilizing at least one renewable energy source, or a combination of power generation systems utilizing different renewable energy sources. The external source of renewable energy can be provided as solar power, wind power, and / or hydroelectric power. Thus, power can be received into the process from at least one of the following units: a solar power generation system, a wind power generation system, and a hydroelectric power generation system. In some exemplary examples, a nuclear power plant can be provided as an external power source. Nuclear power plants are generally considered to be emission-free. "Nuclear power plant" should be interpreted as using traditional nuclear power, and additionally or instead of nuclear fusion power.

[0114] Electricity can be provided from a power plant that utilizes a turbine as a kinetic energy source to drive a generator. In some cases, the power for driving at least one device 100 can be provided from at least one gas turbine (GT), for example provided as a separate unit or within a cogeneration unit and / or within a combined cycle power plant. The power can thus be provided from at least one of the following units: a combined cycle gas turbine plant (CCGT), and / or a cogeneration unit configured for electricity production combined with heat recovery and utilization through combined heat and power (CHP). In some examples, the CHP plant can be a biomass combustion plant to increase the share of renewable energy in the described process. Additionally or alternatively, the supply of power can be realized from a spark ignition engine, for example a gas engine, and / or a compression engine, for example a diesel engine, optionally provided as part of an engine power plant. Additionally, any conventional power plant configured to produce electrical energy from fossil feedstocks such as coal, oil, natural gas, gasoline, and the like, typically mediated through the use of steam turbines, may be used to generate electrical energy as an input energy for the rotating machine 100. Hydrogen may also be utilized as a renewable energy source and reconverted, for example, to electricity using fuel cells.

[0115] Any combination of the above power sources implemented as external and internal sources is contemplated. Capturing low emission power from another (external) source improves the energy efficiency of heat consuming process equipment.

[0116] The introduction of input energy, including electrical power, into the driving engine of the rotating equipment may be further accompanied by directing mechanical shaft power from a power turbine to the driving engine, optionally utilizing thermal energy generated elsewhere in the plant 1000 or external to the plant. Shaft power is defined as the mechanical power transferred from one rotating element to another, calculated as the sum of the shaft torque and rotational speed. Mechanical power is defined as the amount of work or energy (measured in watts) per unit time. In practice, the shaft power from, for example, the electric motor and the power turbine may be split so that either one of them may provide the entire shaft power or a portion thereof.

[0117] 2A-2D show an exemplary layout of a rotating device 100 forming a rotary heater unit inside a facility 1000 with respect to a preheater unit 102, a temperature booster section 103 and a heat recovery unit 104. The following reference symbols are used for the components: 100, 100A, 100B - rotary heater unit (rotating device), 101 - heat consuming unit / process, 102 - preheater unit, 103 - additional heating device (booster heater).

[0118] FIG. 2A shows a schematic representation of a basic embodiment of a rotating device 100 configured to inject heat into a fluid medium stream (feed stream 1) conducted through the rotating device. The heated streams leaving the device 100 are respectively indicated with the reference number 2. In the basic embodiment, the rotor system of the rotating device 100 is aerodynamically configured so that a volume of fluid is heated to a predetermined temperature while propagating along a flow path formed between an inlet and an outlet in the casing of the device 100 (so-called "one-pass" embodiment). The device 100 allows a temperature increase (delta T, ΔT) in one stage in the range of about 10° C. to about 120° C., in some embodiments up to about 500° C. Thus, in the case of multi-stage embodiments, the fluid can be heated up to 1000° C. in a "one-pass" implementation (a temperature increase of 100° C. per stage in the case of a 10-stage device). Since the residence time that the fluid medium spends passing through the device stages is on the order of a few seconds, for example on the order of about 0.01 to 1.0 milliseconds, already in the basic form a fast and efficient heating can be achieved. The temperature increase can be optimized as needed.

[0119] 2B illustrates the basic concept involved in so-called booster heating, which is any method of heating a fluid medium, e.g., a process gas, beyond the capabilities of a stand-alone heating device 100.

[0120] The temperature boost can be considered thermal, chemical or both. In the first configuration, also called "thermal boost", an additional rotary heater device (shown as 100B in Figs. 2B, 2C and 2D) is placed downstream of the "primary" rotary heater device (shown as 100A in Figs. 2B, 2C and 2D). The devices 100A, 100B are generally recognized within the scope of this disclosure as rotary heater unit 100. The production of a heated fluid medium can thus be achieved by providing at least two rotary devices 100A, 100B connected in series. A fluid medium stream (feed stream 1) is heated to a predetermined temperature in at least the first rotary device (100A) in the series, referred to here as the primary heater. The fluid medium flow (see flow 2) is then further heated in at least the second rotating device (100B) in the series by injecting an additional amount of thermal energy into the fluid medium flow (see flow 3) propagating through the second rotating device 100B, "preheated" in the first rotating device 100A. The device 100B is therefore called a booster heater. The devices 100A, 100B may be identical or may vary in terms of size or internal design. A train of two or more booster devices, for example 100B, may be arranged after the primary heater 100A. The booster devices may be arranged in parallel or in series, or in any combination that allows the optimization of their rotational speed and aerodynamic characteristics.

[0121] In a second additional or alternative configuration (also referred to as "chemical boost"), an additional heating device, designated by the numeral 103 (FIGS. 1, 2B), is configured to receive a reactive component 5, such as a combustible fuel, into the fluid media stream propagating therethrough, thereby providing heat by exothermic reaction prior to directing said fluid media stream to a heat consuming process 101 of refining and / or petrochemical production. In this configuration, a temperature boost can be achieved by introducing (e.g., injecting) a reactive chemical 5 into the fluid media stream directed through the additional heater unit / heating device 103. Note that stream 5 in FIG. 2B corresponds to stream 8 shown in FIG. 1.

[0122] The reactive chemical-based booster heater unit 103 may be placed after the thermal booster heater unit 100, 100B (FIG. 2B) or immediately after the primary heater 100, 100A (FIG. 1). The reactive chemicals (reactants) 5 may include combustion gases, such as hydrogen gas, hydrocarbons, ammonia, oxygen, air, other gases and / or any other suitable reactive compounds, optionally with a catalyst. In the unit 103, by exothermic reactions, the fluid stream can be heated to a level that typically cannot be achieved by a single rotating device that does not participate in chemical-mediated heating (see stream 4). For example, a fuel gas, such as hydrogen, can be introduced into an oxygen-containing process gas, such as air. At high temperatures, hydrogen and oxygen enter into an exothermic reaction to produce water molecules (hydrogen combustion).

[0123] The temperature of the gas may be increased by injecting fuel gas with air (or enriched oxygen) through a burner into the booster heater unit 103. Air and / or oxygen may be added if the heated gas contains flammable gases and these gases may be consumed only for heating. The process gas may contain H2, NH3, CO, fuel gases (methane, propane, etc.) that may be combusted to produce heat. If feasible, heat may also be produced by injecting other reactive gases.

[0124] The additional heater 103 configured for chemical boosting may be formed as a piece of pipe or as a chamber in which an exothermic reaction takes place and / or may include at least one rotating device 100 arranged to receive a reactive compound for supporting an exothermic reaction to produce additional heat energy. The booster section 103 may thus include at least one rotating device 100. Optionally, the reactive chemical may be injected directly into the heat consuming process 101 (not shown). Additionally or alternatively, reactive chemical mediated boosting may also be implemented in a single device 100, 103 modified accordingly.

[0125] In a configuration involving booster heating, the temperature of a fluid medium stream preheated to a predetermined temperature in a first rotating device (100A) can be further increased to a maximum limit in a subsequent heater unit (100B, 103). As an example, the temperature of a fluid medium stream preheated to about 1700° C. in the primary heater (100A) can be further increased to 2500° C. or more in a subsequent heater unit (100B, 103).

[0126] The above concepts can be used separately or in combination to introduce reactive chemicals 5 into any one of the parallel or series (continuous) connected devices 100. A booster heater is optional.

[0127] Additionally or alternatively, pre-heating and additional heating may be performed in the same apparatus 100 (not shown). This may be accomplished in a multi-stage configuration, which includes several rotor units (e.g., 1-5 rotor blade rows arranged consecutively on / along the rotor shaft) alternating with a common diffuser region (vaned or vaned).

[0128] Additionally or alternatively, booster heating can be used, for example, when the temperature of a fluid once heated in a rotating device 100 needs to be increased again after the fluid has transferred its heat to a heat consuming process 101. An exemplary configuration is shown in FIG. 2E, which includes several rotating heater devices 100 (100A, 100B and / or optionally 103) alternating with heat consuming units 101. Such a configuration can be utilized for example for a series of successive catalytic endothermic reactors, such as in a catalytic reforming process, where the temperature needs to be reduced from reactor to reactor and increased again between reactors (see also the discussion regarding FIG. 5).

[0129] A rotating device assembly can be established when at least two rotating devices, e.g. 100A, 100B and optionally 103 (if 103 is implemented as a rotating device 100), are connected in parallel or in series (see e.g. Figs. 2B-2D). The connection between the rotating devices 100 realized as "primary" heaters 100A or "booster" heaters 100B, 103 can be mechanical and / or functional. A functional connection (e.g. in terms of achievable heat input) can be established when at least two individual, physically integrated or not integrated, individual equipment units are coordinated. In the latter case, the coordination between the at least two rotating devices can be established via some auxiliary equipment (not shown). In some forms, the assembly includes at least two devices connected in a mirror-like manner to each other. Thereby, said at least two devices are at least functionally connected via their central (rotor) axis. Such a mirrored configuration may be further defined as having at least two rotating devices 100 mechanically connected in series (in series), while the functional connection may be considered as a parallel (array) connection. In some cases, the "mirrored" array may be further modified to include at least two inlets and a common exhaust (ejection) module located essentially at the center of the array.

[0130] The rotating devices (see 100A, 100B, 103 in FIG. 2B) can be assembled on the same (rotor) shaft. Each rotating device can optionally be equipped with a separate drive (motor) allowing independent optimization of the device. If two or more separate rotating devices are used, the construction costs (materials, etc.) can be optimized in terms of operating temperatures and pressures.

[0131] Additionally or alternatively, at least one rotating device within the assembly can be designed to increase the pressure of the fluid flow, and thus at least one rotating device within the assembly can be assigned a combination of heater and blower functions.

[0132] Additionally or alternatively, a stream containing a reactive or inert gas can be fed to the rotating device 100 (not shown) or to any equipment downstream of said device (e.g., in the heat-consuming process section 101). Thus, the reactive gas can be injected directly into the heat-consuming process unit 101 if the heat-consuming process unit 101 is configured as a heat-consuming unit, e.g., a reactor. In some applications, a supporting fuel can be injected directly into the process unit 101 to generate heat and / or participate in the reaction.

[0133] FIG. 2C shows the use of a rotary heater arrangement 100A, 100B (optional) with indirect process heating (see also the description of FIGS. 3A-3C). The rotary arrangement 100 (100A, 100B) can be used for indirect heating of a fluid in a heat consuming unit 101. Heat is transferred between two immiscible fluids in a heat exchanger type configuration. Thus, a fluid, e.g. a gas or a liquid, can be evaporated (vaporized) or superheated in the heat exchanger arrangement 101 which is realizable for the fluid heated in the rotary arrangement 100. The heat consuming unit 101, which is configured to correspond to a heat consuming process, can be represented by any (existing) fired heater, reactor or furnace, or any conventional heat exchanger arrangement. The "heat exchanger" configuration (101) can be selected as required for optimal heat transfer. The heating gas (see streams 1-3) can be selected to be optimal for heating and safety (e.g. steam, N2, air). The gas heated in rotating units 100A, 100B can be at near atmospheric pressure or the pressure can be increased to improve heat transfer. The heat transfer medium 3 heated in unit 100 (Stream 3 exiting 100B) is directed to a heat consuming process 101, where heat is transferred from stream 3 to a "cold" process stream 6, thereby producing a "hot" process stream 7. Stream 4 represents the (inert) heat transfer medium effluent, respectively. If unit 101 is a steam cracker for the production of olefins, stream 6 would represent a hydrocarbon-containing feed stream (e.g. naphtha, ethane, etc.) and stream 7 would represent the cracked product stream.

[0134] Process streams 6 and 7 in FIG. 2C thus correspond to streams 9 and 10, respectively, in FIG. 1 (indirect heating configuration), whereas heat transfer medium streams 3 and 4 in FIG. 2C correspond to streams 3 (optionally 4) and 5, respectively (indirect heating configuration).

[0135] The use of the rotating machine 100 allows the optimization of the temperature difference of the heat exchanger form (here represented by the heat consuming unit 101) to minimize the size of the unit 101 (formed as a heat exchanger, reactor, furnace, heater, etc.) and the undesired reactions (fouling, coking) that occur on the surface due to excessively high surface temperatures that may cause excessive fouling in the process heater. The use of indirect heating allows the replacement of process heaters in various applications, for example related to refining and / or petrochemical production, for example in oil refineries for the evaporation of heavy streams where the operating pressure is usually low.

[0136] FIG. 2D shows the rotary heater apparatus 100A with a preheater 102 and a recycled process fluid (stream 4) recycled from a heat consuming process (not shown). The preheater can be electric, fired, a combustion engine, a gas turbine, etc., and it can be a heat exchanger to recover excess heat from any hot stream in the process. The presence of the preheater 102 is optional. This concept can include an optional booster heater 100B located downstream of the apparatus 100A. Stream 1′ represents the (feed) fluid sent to the preheater 102. The fluid is further propagated through the rotary apparatus 100A, 100B, where the feed is heated and sent in stream 3 to the heat consuming process.

[0137] Any one of the rotating devices 100A, 100B can be equipped with a fluid recycle device (see flow 4 in FIG. 2D). Any combination of rotating devices and fluid recycle devices is contemplated. Recycling is made possible through recirculation of the fluid media stream through at least one rotating device.

[0138] In some configurations, the rotary device 100 can utilize low oxygen content flue gas discharged from a conventional combustion heater. In such cases, the hot flue gas discharged from the combustion heater is mixed with recycle gas (stream 4 in FIG. 2D) and used for heating in the rotary heater 100, 100A. The oxygen content in the flue gas used in the described case is preferably below the flammability limit to allow safe heating.

[0139] Further examples of indirect heating provided by at least one rotating device 100 to a heat consuming process 101 in a refinery and / or petrochemical facility are shown by Figures 3A-3C. In the layout shown in Figure 3A, the rotating device 100 is integrated into the heat consuming process as a (super)heater configured to superheat high pressure steam, and in the layouts shown in Figures 3B and 3C, the rotating device 100 is integrated into the heat consuming process as a high pressure steam generator and / or (super)heater configured to generate and superheat high pressure steam.

[0140] Superheating of high pressure steam is an exemplary indirect heating process. High pressure steam (HPS) means steam at high pressure, typically more than 1 bar (0.1 MPa) above atmospheric pressure. Superheated steam is steam at a temperature higher than its vaporization temperature. Superheated high pressure steam is used in process industries, for example to power compressors and other rotating equipment. Superheated high pressure steam is traditionally produced in combustion furnaces (see FIG. 4A), where the steam is superheated in tubes exposed to, for example, hot flue gas or natural gas combustion.

[0141] The superheating of the process fluid, e.g. steam, is generally performed in a rotating device 100 (not shown). However, if the pressure of the process fluid to be heated is increased to more than 10 bar (1 MPa), the rotating device must be designed to operate at high pressure. Such a design increases its material requirements, complicates its technical solutions, e.g. sealing, and thus increases the overall cost of the device. Therefore, in order to efficiently heat the process fluid at pressures above about 10 bar, it is beneficial to apply the concept of indirect heating, which is visualized diagrammatically by FIG. 3A. In the layout of FIG. 3A, a heat transfer medium (inert gas, e.g. air, nitrogen, steam, carbon dioxide, or any other suitable gas) provided at a relatively low pressure is heated in the rotating device 100, and this heat transfer medium is further used to transfer its thermal energy to the process fluid (high-pressure steam) flowing through a heat consuming unit 101 provided in the form of a heat exchanger (HEX) (see FIG. 2C). The high-pressure steam is thus superheated. Thus, the overall cost of the heating system is significantly reduced.

[0142] In the layout of FIG. 3A, a rotating machine 100 is used to heat a fluid, such as air, steam, carbon dioxide, or nitrogen, at a relatively low pressure, such as 10 bar (1 MPa). The inlet temperature entering the machine 100 ("low temperature heat transfer medium") is about 350-600°C, and the outlet temperature leaving the machine 100 ("high temperature heat transfer medium") is about 400-700°C. The "low temperature" process fluid, provided as saturated high pressure steam, is superheated to about 300-600°C by entering a heat consuming unit 101 in the form of a heat exchanger (HEX) at about 180-350°C and a pressure of 10-150 bar (1-15 MPa). This produces superheated high pressure steam ("high temperature process fluid" t about 300-600°C). It should be noted that the temperature and pressure ranges may vary depending on the heat consuming process and the layout of the system. As an example, to achieve the superheat temperature, a 60 bar (6 MPa) HPS is desirably heated to about 450-470° C., a 100 bar (10 MPa) HPS to about 510-540° C., typically 530° C., and a 120 bar (12 MPa) HPS to about 530-550° C. The temperature of the heated inert gas discharged from the rotating device 100 must exceed the target temperature of the (superheated) process fluid to allow for heat transfer between the fluids.

[0143] The inert gas discharged from the rotating device 100 is introduced into the heat consuming unit 101, which is provided in the layout of FIG. 3A as a heat exchanger that allows the transfer of thermal energy from the heat transfer medium (the inert fluid / gas heated in 100) through the heat transfer surface to the process fluid (HPS). The HPS, introduced into the heat exchanger 101 at or slightly above its saturation temperature, receives thermal energy from the heat transfer medium and becomes superheated. On the other hand, the heat transfer medium cools as it donates its heat to the process fluid (HPS). By reintroducing the cooled heat transfer medium into the rotating device 100, the thermal efficiency of the system can be improved.

[0144] The setup of Figure 3A assumes that (saturated) high pressure steam is readily available, for example as produced in a steam drum (the steam drum is not shown in Figure 3A). In cases where only water is available, the rotating machine 100 can be used in addition to the HPS superheat to generate high pressure steam, also through an indirect heating concept.

[0145] Figures 3B and 3C diagrammatically visualize parallel and counter-current concepts, respectively, for high pressure steam generation and superheating using a rotating machine 100. In the layouts of Figures 3B and 3C, the rotating machine 100 is configured to heat a fluid that provides thermal energy to two or more heat exchangers inside a heat consuming facility (1000, not shown). The heat exchangers (HEX1, HEX2) can be considered to represent heat consuming units (designated 101 in Figure 2C).

[0146] In the layouts of Figures 3B and 3C, one of the heat exchangers (HEX1 in Figure 3B and HEX2 in Figure 3C) acts as a thermosiphon and partially vaporizes water (boiler feedwater) against the heated fluid in the rotating machine 100. Water is provided at saturation temperature and at the same or slightly higher pressure as the target high pressure flow (see "Saturated Boiler Feedwater" flow). The partially vaporized / evaporated water (or water-steam mixture) is conveyed to the steam drum, where the evaporated high pressure steam is separated from the non-evaporated liquid phase, e.g. water. This water flows back to the heat exchanger. A make-up water flow is typically introduced into the steam drum to compensate for the high pressure produced here.

[0147] The other heat exchanger (HEX2 in FIG. 3B and HEX1 in FIG. 3C) is configured to superheat the (saturated) high pressure steam arriving from the steam drum against the fluid heated in the rotary machine 100 as described for FIG. 3A. The inlet and outlet temperatures of the heat exchanger must be selected to allow the transfer of heat from the heat transfer medium (heated inert fluid 100) to the boiler feed water (in the water evaporation / high pressure steam production process) or to the high pressure steam (in the HPS superheating process) and not vice versa. That is to say, the temperature of the heat transfer medium must exceed the target temperature of the process fluid to be heated. This is visualized in FIG. 3B. Here, the temperature of the heat transfer medium (600-1000°C at the HEX1 inlet and 400-700°C at the HEX2 inlet) is adjusted to exceed both the temperature of the saturated HPS produced in the HEX1 / steam drum and sent to HEX2 (180-350°C) and the temperature of the superheated (saturated) HPS produced in HEX2 (200-600°C). Figure 3C shows that the temperature of the heat transfer medium (600-1000°C at the HEX1 inlet and 500-900°C at the HEX2 inlet) exceeds both the temperature of the saturated HPS produced in the HEX2 / steam drum and sent to HEX1 (180-350°C) and the temperature of the superheated (saturated) HPS produced in HEX1 (200-600°C).

[0148] Similar to that described with respect to FIG. 3A, the heat transfer medium cools as it provides its thermal energy for the evaporation and heating processes, and by reintroducing the thus cooled heat transfer medium into the rotating device 100, the thermal efficiency of the system can be improved.

[0149] The method according to the embodiment can be fully or partially applied to various heat consuming processes 101 employed in the refining and / or petrochemical industries, as will be made clear below on the basis of some non-limiting examples.

[0150] The following description illustrates an embodiment of the invention in the context of a fired heater furnace 101 for the oil and / or petrochemical industry (see FIG. 4A, which shows a conventional furnace). The fluid heated in such a furnace can be a gas or a liquid, or a mixture of gas and liquid. Typically, - Initiating thermal reactions in a fluid (e.g. in steam cracking), - preheating the fluid to reaction temperature (e.g. in catalytic reforming of gasoline), - preheating a fluid for flash distillation (e.g. in crude oil distillation preheating); - Heating thermal oil for further external use as a heat transfer medium (e.g. in a distillation reboiler) To this end, applications include heating in a furnace.

[0151] According to an embodiment, the rotating device 100 can be used as a direct heater for gases or as an indirect heater for liquids or vapors, in place of a fired heater or furnace.

[0152] A layout showing an industrial furnace 101 with a rotating device 100 instead of a fired heater is shown in Figure 4B. Figure 4B shows an arrangement including at least one reactor or furnace 101 configured to carry out processes related to the oil refining and / or petrochemical industries at temperatures essentially equal to or greater than about 500°C, and at least one rotating device 100 configured to generate a heated fluid medium for inputting thermal energy into the at least one reactor or furnace.

[0153] In the layout of FIG. 4B, at least one rotating device 100 is used to completely or partially replace fuel-fired radian and heater burners. In this embodiment, the rotating device 100 is used to heat an inert gas, such as steam, air, or nitrogen, to a temperature of up to 1700° C. The gas heated in the device 100 is fed into the refractory space of the furnace 101, similar to the fuel in a fired heater. The hot gas from the rotating device enables heating for the tubes inside the furnace (shown as “heating coils” in FIG. 4B). The inert gas heated by the device 100 now acts as a heating medium / heat transfer medium for the fluids propagating through the tubes / coils inside the furnace 101. In some cases, an auxiliary burner can remain in the system to boost the temperature of the recycle gas and / or for start-up or to balance power supply fluctuations.

[0154] In the configuration of FIG. 4B, the flue gas leaving the furnace is further used as input stream to the rotating device for reheating (see FIG. 4B, flue gas recycle line).

[0155] The layout visualized by FIG. 5B is similar to that shown in FIG. 4B. The difference is that the industrial furnace 101 is configured to carry out a thermal or thermochemical reaction, for example the production of olefins by cracking a hydrocarbon feedstock. FIG. 5B shows an arrangement including at least one furnace 101 configured to carry out a process related to the oil refining and / or petrochemical industries at a temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 500° C., and at least one rotating device 100 configured to generate a heated fluid medium for inputting thermal energy into said at least one furnace. The rotating device 100 serves as an indirect heater for heating an inert gas, for example steam, air, or nitrogen. The inert gas is fed into the space of the furnace 101, thus providing thermal energy to the interior of the furnace. In most cases, the reaction is endothermic. The process fluid propagated through the reactor tubes and indirectly heated with the inert heat transfer medium generated by the device 100 can be a gas (for example a hydrocarbon-containing gas), a liquid, a gas-liquid mixture, or a gas-vapor mixture.

[0156] In the configuration of FIGS. 4B and 5B, the rotating device 100 can be retrofitted to an existing industrial furnace 101.

[0157] In addition, in the embodiment of FIG. 5B, the flue gas (e.g., N2, CO2, HO, NO x , S.O. x , particulate matter) may further be used as input stream to the rotating device for reheating (see Figure 5B, flue gas recycle line).

[0158] In the indirect heating arrangement (FIGS. 4B, 5B), recycling of the heat transfer medium can be carried out, for example as shown in FIG. 2D. The heat transfer medium cooled in the furnace / reactor unit 101 as a result of heat transfer between said heat transfer medium and the process fluid (hydrocarbon-containing feed gas) can be sent for reheating (as stream 9 shown in FIG. 2D). In this way, heat losses can be minimized. Part of the unreacted feed can be recycled accordingly.

[0159] An additional advantage of the rotating device 100 assembled as shown in Figures 4B and 5B is that the rotating device acts as a blower, providing the pressure rise necessary for the fluid to circulate, thus eliminating the need for a separate air blower (as in conventional fired furnaces).

[0160] The use of a rotating machine as a recycle heater allows for optimal heat recovery from the flue gas and optimal temperature control and management, and additionally ensures that heat losses are minimized. In this configuration, the formation of harmful environmental emissions such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and particulate matter, and their further release into the atmosphere, may be avoided or at least minimized.

[0161] Circulating an inert gas, such as steam or nitrogen, within the rotating apparatus 100 is advantageous, particularly when the fluid to be heated is at high pressure and / or is flammable, as this improves process safety by providing an inert atmosphere within the furnace.

[0162] 4C illustrates a schematic of a refinery and / or petrochemical facility 1000. In one embodiment, the facility 1000 is configured for the thermal or thermochemical cracking of hydrocarbons. In an embodiment, the facility 1000 is configured to produce light olefins, such as ethylene and propylene, by steam cracking common hydrocarbon feeds, such as ethane, LPF, or naphtha.

[0163] The facility may include a conventional fuel-fired cracking furnace. A conventional cracking furnace includes a convection section, where the hydrocarbon feed is preheated, vaporized, mixed with dilution steam, and superheated to a temperature level just below the temperature at which the cracking reaction occurs, and a radiant or reactor section, where the hydrocarbon feed undergoes a pyrolysis reaction as it flows through the reactor tubes (coils). Typical cracking reactions occur at temperatures above about 750-850°C. In a conventional fuel-fired cracking furnace, only up to about 50% of the heat produced by the combustion of the fuel is absorbed in the radiant section. The other half can be recovered in the convection section.

[0164] In one embodiment, the cracking furnace 101 (FIG. 4C) is modified to form an arrangement with at least one rotating device 100. The rotating device is configured to allow for the input of heat to the hydrocarbon feed in the convection section. The device 100 is thus configured to provide thermal energy for operations related to preheating, vaporizing, and superheating the hydrocarbon feed in the convection tube bank. The device 100 is configured to extract thermal energy from recycled outlet gas (e.g., flue gas or inert gas / air depending on the mode of operation, as described below).

[0165] The flexible system design allows the rotating equipment 100 to be retrofitted into an existing steam cracking furnace, thereby maintaining all of the heating functions typically performed by the convection section, including, for example, heating boiler water, superheating steam, vaporizing the hydrocarbon feed, superheating dilution steam, and superheating the hydrocarbon / dilution steam mixture.

[0166] The layout of FIG. 4C may optionally be combined with the configuration described with respect to FIG. 4B. In FIG. 4B, at least one rotating device 100 is used to replace the fuel-fired burners of the radiant section (not shown). The hot gas from the rotating device 100 will heat the reactor tube coils in the radiant section, thus providing the thermal energy for the reaction. In such a case, the fluid to be heated (reactant fluid) can be any one of gas, liquid, or gas-liquid mixture. In such a configuration, at least one device 100 can be connected to the radiant section to provide supplemental or all the heat required for the process (partial or complete replacement of the fuel-fired burners in the radiant section). Retrofits to existing furnaces can be performed. The rotating device 100 can be formed with several duct burners to provide heat to the fluid (gas) flowing to the convection section and / or the radiant section of the furnace 101.

[0167] In some embodiments, the installation shown in Figure 4C further includes at least one rotating device 100 configured to operate in a rotating reactor mode, thus referred to as a rotating reactor 100R. The reactor 100R replaces the fuel-fired radiant section (pyrolysis reactor) in the furnace 101 / installation 1000. The reactor 100R may be constructed following the guidelines provided in U.S. Patent Nos. 7,232,937 (Bushuev), 9,494,038 (Bushuev), and 9,234,140 (Seppala et al.), and 10,744,480 (Xu and Rosic). In the combined configuration of at least one rotating device 100 acting as a heater / feed preconditioner and at least one rotating device 100R configured as a reactor for carrying out a pyrolysis reaction, i.e., a reaction in which a hydrocarbon-containing feed is subjected to cracking inside the reactor 100R, the resulting equipment can replace a conventional steam cracking furnace.

[0168] The following examples provide a more detailed insight into the upgrading of a furnace 101 with rotating equipment technology. The furnace 101 to be upgraded may optionally be any low-capacity furnace of the so-called "swing furnace" type (capable of taking in both liquid and gas feed). However, the furnace 101 may be any type of furnace conventionally used in steam cracking. It is preferred that either one or both of the rotating equipment 100, 100R is at least partially electrified (i.e. uses electrical energy as input energy). It is further preferred that either one or both of the rotating equipment 100, 100R is configured to support and switch between an electric drive mode and a fuel drive mode, in which case the other type of energy is fully or partially unavailable. In addition to renewable electricity (electric drive mode), the fuel gas (fuel drive mode) may also be renewable (e.g. biogas, hydrogen, etc.).

[0169] In relation to the general functionality, the furnace 101 upgraded by having the connected rotating devices 100, 100R is thus configured to operate in and switch between the so-called "rotating reactor-mediated" and "fuel-fired" operating modes. The rotating reactor-mediated mode employs the combination of the rotating heater 100 with the rotating reactor 100R, with the fuel-fired radiant section of the furnace switched off (i.e. temporarily in a non-operating mode). In this configuration, the furnace can be fully electrified and thus emission-free. On the other hand, the fuel-fired operating mode employs the combination of the rotating heater 100 with the radiant section of the furnace for the pyrolysis reaction. Partial electrification is possible.

[0170] To achieve the solution including the rotating device 100, 100R, the cracking furnace 101 and the installation 1000 are modified to incorporate the following features (see FIG. 4C).

[0171] The bridge wall of the furnace (the section separating the radiant section and the convection section) includes a partition "A" formed, for example, as a damper or slide plate for the bridge wall opening. When the furnace 101 operates with a conventional fuel-fired radiant section, the partition "A" is in an open position. The open position allows fluid communication between the convection section and the radiant section. When the reactor 100R is used to replace the radiant section, the bridge wall opening is closed. In the latter case, fluid communication between the convection section and the reactor 100R is realized via a valved connection line "C" arranged on the cross line "B" (the pipe between the convection section outlet and the radiant section inlet). The cross line "B" may further be equipped with a separate valve "D". This valve is formed to regulate the fluid flow rate to the radiant section.

[0172] The layout in Fig. 4C includes several heat exchanger devices formed as transfer line exchangers (TLEs). TLEs are common quenching devices in steam cracking furnaces. They cool the cracked effluent against the boiler feed water and recover the heat in the form of high pressure steam. Modern cracking furnaces include, for example, two TLEs arranged in series. Here, the effluent is first instantly cooled in the first TLE (TLE1) to 550-650 °C (outlet t) to prevent degradation of the cracked products, and then further cooled in the second TLE (TLE2) to 300-450 °C (outlet t) to improve heat recovery. Both exchangers are typically connected to the same steam drum (not shown in Fig. 4C).

[0173] Reactor 100R is therefore equipped with valved connections ("E" and "F") to the TLE units. Line "E" connects reactor 100R to an existing TLE unit (in facility 1000), designated as TLE2. In such a configuration, the "TLE2" unit is provided as the only transfer line exchanger in the facility layout. Alternatively, reactor 100R may be coupled (line "F") to its own TLE equipment (i.e., not internal to furnace 101 / facility 1000 and not existing in furnace 101 / facility 1000). In such a configuration, the transfer line exchanger coupled to reactor 100R through line "F" acts as the primary TLE (TLE1, FIG. 4C), whereas the existing transfer line exchanger (line "E") acts as the secondary TLE (TLE2). TLE1 may be temporarily switched off (see valves placed in connecting line "F" and in the line leaving TLE1) and fluid may be directed into the existing TLE unit via line "E".

[0174] Element "G" represents a valve installed on the line connecting the radiant section of the furnace to the existing TLE unit ("TLE2"), regardless of whether the existing TLE unit is used as a secondary TLE or the only TLE. Valve "G" allows fluid flow from the radiant section to the TLE when reactor 100R is not in use. Valve "G" is closed when reactor 100R is used for the cracking reaction.

[0175] In some embodiments, either the TLE unit can be used to generate high pressure steam or to heat or superheat a process stream.

[0176] The flue gas flue may be provided with an additional damper "H" to allow recycling of the gas for heat recovery. When the damper "H" is in the closed state, the flue gas is not discharged to the atmosphere but is recirculated inside the installation. In particular, the hot flue gas may be used to heat a fluid in the rotating machine 100 (see connecting line "I").

[0177] The above modification provides flexibility in switching between the operation of the cracking furnace 101 in the "fuel-fired" mode of operation and the "rotary reactor 100R-mediated" mode of operation. This allows for maintenance operations on the furnace 101 / installation 1000 to be performed without shutting down the entire installation. Hydrocarbon flows can be flexibly rerouted between different blocks and furnace sections, provided that the isolation / separation valves and blinding are properly designed to meet safety requirements.

[0178] It is further emphasized that when the furnace operates in the rotary reactor mediated operating mode, the convection section of the furnace is heated with an inert gas, e.g. hot air. The hot air is produced in the rotary device 100. Since no moist flue gas is formed in this case, the air flow leaving the convection section can be recycled through the suction line "I". Existing induced draft fans can be used to facilitate the recycled air flow.

[0179] Having the furnace 101 operating in a rotating reactor mediated operating mode makes it possible to minimize or completely eliminate flue gas emissions to the atmosphere. The complete elimination option becomes possible if the rotating device 100, 100R is electrically driven and the input electrical energy is produced from renewable sources.

[0180] Furthermore, having the furnace 101 operated in a rotating reactor-mediated operating mode allows the thermal efficiency of the furnace to approach 100%. In the case of conventional furnaces, the temperature of the flue gas leaving the furnace should not fall below 120-130°C due to the risk of moisture condensation in the flue gas. This limits the thermal efficiency of conventional furnaces to 91-94%, calculated from the lower heating value (LHV) of the fuel gas. Using the higher heating value (HHV) in a similar calculation for conventional furnaces leads to lower efficiencies. The present invention allows the thermal efficiency of the furnace to be increased by at least 5-6% as a result of air recycling when the furnace is used in a rotating reactor-mediated operating mode. Recycling the air or other hot gases (also flue gases) leaving the convection section by directing it to (pre)heat the fluids entering the device 100 improves the thermal efficiency of the furnace and, in addition, allows the power consumption of the rotating device 100 to be reduced. The energy efficiency of the entire facility 1000 can thus be improved, and greenhouse gas emissions and particulate emissions can be correspondingly reduced.

[0181] Referring again to Figures 5A and 5B, these figures can be seen to provide an overview of the incorporation of the rotating equipment 100 into the layout of a facility 1000 including several reactors configured for endothermic reactions. Many of the emissions of the chemical industry come from fuel-fired heaters and furnaces that provide heat for high-temperature endothermic catalytic reactions. In addition to steam cracking, many other important basic chemical formation reactions are endothermic reactions, such as propane and butane dehydrogenation, gasoline reforming, and methane steam reforming. Typically, these reactions require catalysts to achieve the reaction rates and selectivities required by industrial applications. The rotating equipment 100 can be used to provide thermal energy to such catalytic reactions by heating the feed of the catalytic reactor 101 and introducing the hot feed into a catalyst bed with an ascending temperature profile. To maintain the reaction rate and to complete the reaction, the rotating equipment can act as a reheater between the catalyst beds (see Figures 2E, 5A).

[0182] Overall, FIG. 5A provides a more detailed view of the configuration shown in FIG. 2E. In the installation configuration shown in FIG. 5A, several rotating devices 100 are arranged alternately with reactors 101. The respective 100-101 pairs are designated by the Roman numerals i to iii. The reactors 101 may be configured as gas-phase reactors 101 adapted to the thermal or catalytic process to be carried out, related to the conversion of hydrocarbons. The rotating devices 100 are used as direct heaters of the gaseous feed and other reactants. The gaseous feed is thus heated to a maximum allowable temperature (often set by the catalyst temperature tolerance and the proportion of undesired side reactions) and is fed into the first catalytic reactor 101 according to FIG. 5A. The reactants are thus heated before entering the reactor 101. In 101, the reaction is allowed to take place with a consequent adiabatic temperature drop. Then, if the desired conversion is not achieved, the effluent is reheated in the next rotating device 100 and fed into the next reactor 101.

[0183] 5A and 5B show the incorporation of a rotating device 100 into the most common pathways for supplying reaction heat during endothermic solid-state catalytic reaction processes: 1) to expose catalyst-containing tubes to an external heating device to continuously introduce heat through the reactor to the catalyst bed and to the reactants along the length of the catalyst bed (FIG. 5B, indirect heating), and 2) to heat the reactants to high temperatures before entering the reactor, allowing the reaction to occur with a resulting adiabatic temperature drop, and then reheating the reactants for the next reactor if the desired conversion is not achieved (FIG. 5A, direct heating). The concept of FIG. 5B is particularly suitable for retrofitting existing furnaces, whereas the concept of FIG. 5A, which involves sending the fluids / gases heated in the rotating device directly to a heat-consuming process, can be beneficial for new, so-called "greenfield" equipment. 5A layout can be integrated into existing processes, such as catalytic gasoline reforming processes typically implemented in semi-regenerative catalytic reformer units in oil refineries. The rotating machine 100 can be integrated directly into the process by replacing a fuel-fired heater, as described elsewhere in this disclosure.

[0184] As is clear to those skilled in the art, with the development of technology the basic idea of ​​the invention can be realized and combined in various ways, the invention and its embodiments are thus not limited to the above examples, which may vary widely within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of introducing thermal energy into a process related to the oil refining industry and / or petrochemical industry in refining equipment and / or petrochemical equipment, the method comprising generating a heated fluid medium by at least one rotating device incorporated into the refining equipment and / or petrochemical equipment, the at least one rotating device comprising a casing having at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a rotor including at least one rotor blade row disposed around a rotor hub mounted on a rotor shaft, a plurality of fixed vanes arranged to form an assembly at least upstream of the at least one rotor blade row, and including the method being - incorporating the at least one rotating device into the refining equipment and / or petrochemical equipment configured to carry out a heat-consuming process related to refining oil and / or manufacturing petrochemical products at a temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 500 °C, - introducing an amount of input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated into the refining equipment and / or petrochemical equipment, wherein the input energy includes electrical energy, and - operating the at least one rotating device incorporated into the refining equipment and / or petrochemical equipment such that an amount of thermal energy is imparted to a fluid medium flow guided along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy conversions occurring when the fluid medium flow passes through the fixed vanes and the at least one rotor blade row respectively, thereby generating a flow of the heated fluid medium. A method further comprising.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising connecting the at least one rotating device in the refining equipment and / or petrochemical equipment to at least one heat-consuming unit configured as a reactor or furnace and configured to carry out a heat-consuming process related to refining oil and / or manufacturing petrochemical products.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the heat-consuming unit is further formed as any one of a heater, a burner, an incinerator, a boiler, a dryer, a conveyor device, or a combination thereof.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising generating the fluid medium heated to a temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 500°C, preferably essentially equal to or exceeding about 1200°C, more preferably essentially equal to or exceeding about 1700°C.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising adjusting the velocity and / or pressure of the fluid medium flow propagating through the rotating device to create the conditions under which the heated fluid medium is generated.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heated fluid medium is generated by at least one rotating device including two or more rotor blade rows continuously arranged along the rotor shaft.

7. The heated fluid medium is generated by at least one rotating device further including a diffuser region disposed downstream of at least one rotor blade row, The method includes operating the at least one rotating device incorporated into the refining facility and / or petrochemical facility such that an amount of thermal energy is imparted to the fluid medium flow guided along the flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy conversions occurring when the fluid medium flow successively passes through the stationary vanes, the rotor blades, and the diffuser region, thereby generating a flow of the heated fluid medium.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the rotating device, the diffuser region is formed with or without stationary diffuser vanes.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the amount of thermal energy applied to the fluid medium flow propagating through the rotating device is controlled by adjusting the amount of input energy guided into the at least one rotating device incorporated into the refining facility and / or petrochemical facility.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising arranging an additional heating device downstream of the at least one rotating device and introducing a reactive compound or a mixture of reactive compounds into the fluid medium flow propagating through the additional heating device, whereby a certain amount of thermal energy is immediately added to the fluid medium flow through an exothermic reaction.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the reactive compound or the mixture of reactive compounds is introduced into the fluid medium flow preheated to a predetermined temperature.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the reactive compound or the mixture of reactive compounds is introduced into the fluid medium flow preheated to a temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 1700 °C.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the preheating of the fluid medium to the predetermined temperature is carried out within the rotating device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heated fluid medium is generated by at least two rotating devices incorporated into the purification facility and / or petrochemical facility, and the at least two rotating devices are connected in parallel or in series.

15. The heated fluid medium is generated by at least two continuously connected rotating devices, the fluid medium flow is preheated to a predetermined temperature in at least a first rotating device within the continuous, and an additional amount of thermal energy is introduced into the preheated fluid medium flow propagating through the second rotating device, whereby the fluid medium flow is further heated in at least the second rotating device within the continuous. The method according to claim 14.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the fluid medium flow is preheated to a temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 1700 °C in at least the first rotating device within the continuous.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the additional amount of thermal energy is added to the fluid medium flow propagating through at least the second rotating device within the continuous by introducing the reactive compound or the mixture of reactive compounds into the flow.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising introducing the reactive compound or the mixture of reactive compounds into the heat consumption process related to refining oil and / or manufacturing petrochemical products.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heated fluid medium generated by the at least one rotating device is selected from the group consisting of a feed gas, a recycle gas, a makeup gas, and a process fluid.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fluid medium entering the rotating device is an essentially gaseous medium.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising generating the heated fluid medium within the rotating device.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the heated fluid medium generated within the rotating device is a hydrocarbon-containing gas.

23. The heated fluid medium generated within the rotary device is a gaseous medium other than a hydrocarbon-containing gas, such as air, steam (H ２ O), nitrogen (N ２ ), hydrogen (H ２ ), carbon dioxide (CO ２ ), carbon monoxide (CO), ammonia (NH ３ ), or any combination thereof, the method according to claim 21.

24. The method according to claim 21, wherein the heated fluid medium generated within the rotating device is a recycle gas recycled from exhaust gas generated during a process period related to the oil refining industry and / or the petrochemical industry in a refining facility and / or a petrochemical facility.

25. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising generating the heated fluid medium outside the rotating device through a heat transfer process between the heated fluid medium generated within the rotating device and a fluid medium flow bypassing the rotating device.

26. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising increasing the pressure in the fluid medium flow propagating through the rotating device.

27. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the amount of electrical energy introduced as input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated in a refining facility and / or a petrochemical facility is in the range of about 5 percent to 100 percent.

28. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the amount of electrical energy introduced as input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated in a refining facility and / or a petrochemical facility can be obtained from a renewable energy source, or various different energy sources, optionally a combination of renewable energy sources.

29. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one rotating device is incorporated into the purification facility and / or petrochemical facility together with at least one heater device operable with non-electrical energy, thereby utilizing the amount of electrical energy, optionally the amount of renewable electrical energy, for example to balance fluctuations in supply excess and deficiency.

30. A purification facility and / or petrochemical facility, comprising at least one reactor or furnace formed to carry out processes related to the oil refining industry and / or petrochemical industry at a temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 500 °C, and at least one rotating device formed to generate a heated fluid medium for introducing thermal energy into the at least one reactor or furnace, the at least one rotating device comprising a casing having at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a rotor including at least one row of rotor blades arranged around a rotor hub mounted on a rotor shaft, a plurality of fixed vanes arranged to form an assembly at least upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades, and the at least one rotating device is formed to receive an amount of input energy, the input energy including electrical energy, and the at least one rotating device is further formed to operate such that an amount of thermal energy is imparted to a fluid medium flow guided along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy conversions occurring when the fluid medium flow passes through the fixed guide vanes and the at least one row of rotor blades respectively, thereby generating a flow of the heated fluid medium. Purification facility and / or petrochemical facility.

31. The purification facility and / or petrochemical facility according to claim 30, wherein the at least one rotating device includes two or more rows of rotor blades arranged continuously along the rotor shaft.

32. The purification facility and / or petrochemical facility according to claim 30, wherein the at least one rotating device further includes a diffuser region arranged downstream of at least one row of rotor blades.

33. The purification facility and / or petrochemical facility according to claim 30, including the diffuser region formed with or without the fixed diffuser vanes in the rotation device.

34. The purification facility and / or petrochemical facility according to claim 30, wherein the at least one rotation device is further formed to increase the pressure in the fluid medium flow propagating through the rotation device.

35. The purification facility and / or petrochemical facility according to any one of claims 30 to 34, wherein the at least two rotation devices are arranged in the assembly and connected in parallel or in series.

36. The purification facility and / or petrochemical facility according to any one of claims 30 to 34, formed for the thermal decomposition or thermochemical decomposition of hydrocarbons, optionally through a steam cracking process.

37. The purification facility and / or petrochemical facility formed to carry out a process related to purifying oil and / or manufacturing petrochemical products through the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

38. Use of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 for improving the energy efficiency of the purification facility and / or petrochemical facility and / or for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and particulate emissions.

39. A method for purifying oil and / or manufacturing petrochemical products, the method including generating a heated fluid medium by at least one rotation device incorporated in a purification facility and / or petrochemical facility, the at least one rotation device including a casing having at least one inlet and at least one outlet, a rotor including at least one row of rotor blades arranged around a rotor hub attached to a rotor shaft, a plurality of fixed vanes arranged to form an assembly at least upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades, and including an amount of thermal energy is imparted to the fluid medium flow guided along the flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the outlet by a series of energy conversions occurring when the fluid medium flow passes through the fixed vanes and the at least one row of rotor blades respectively, thereby generating a flow of the heated fluid medium, the method including - Introducing an amount of input energy into the at least one rotating device incorporated within the refining facility and / or petrochemical facility, where the input energy includes electrical energy, - Supplying a flow of heated fluid medium generated by the at least one rotating device into the refining facility and / or petrochemical facility, and - Operating the at least one rotating device and the refining facility and / or petrochemical facility to carry out a process related to refining oil and / or manufacturing petrochemical products at a temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 500 °C, A method for refining oil and / or manufacturing petrochemical products, further comprising.

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