Kinetic enhancements for thermal pyrolysis process, hybrid thermal-electric pyrolysis, and associated systems and methods

Abstract

To provide a thermal pyrolysis system.SOLUTION: Systems and methods that incorporate a kinetic booster component into thermal pyrolysis systems are disclosed herein. For example, a method according to the present technology can include receiving an input flow of the hydrocarbon reactant from a supply of a hydrocarbon reactant, then modifying the input flow to generate a modified input flow. The modified input flow can have a lower activation energy than an unmodified flow and / or can include one or more catalysts for a pyrolysis reaction. The method can then include heating the modified input flow within a pyrolysis chamber of a pyrolysis reactor. The hearting process can drive a pyrolysis reaction in the modified input flow that generates solid carbon and hydrogen gas. The method can then include removing at least a portion of the solid carbon from the hydrogen gas in an output flow from the pyrolysis reactor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] 〔Cross - Reference to Related Applications〕 This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 619,667, filed on January 10, 2024, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 674,770, filed on July 23, 2024, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties, respectively.

[0002] The technology of the present invention generally relates to thermal pyrolysis systems and, in some embodiments, to systems and methods for providing kinetic enhancement for the thermal pyrolysis of hydrocarbons.

Background Art

[0003] Hydrocarbon pyrolysis reactors can produce hydrogen with little or no carbon dioxide emissions. Generally, pyrolysis reactors function by heating hydrocarbon inputs (also referred to as "hydrocarbon feedstocks", "hydrocarbon reactants", "reactant feedstocks", and / or "reaction fuels", etc.) to a temperature point (or higher) for the pyrolysis reaction in an oxygen-free environment, and then continuing to apply heat to promote the reaction to occur completely. In the pyrolysis reaction, hydrocarbons split into various compositions, resulting in a product stream containing solid carbon and hydrogen gas. The solid carbon can then be filtered from the product stream within a carbon recovery system. As a result, pyrolysis reactors can transform hydrocarbon inputs (e.g., methane, natural gas, ethane biogas, propane, and / or another suitable hydrocarbon) into combustible hydrogen while separating carbon from the fuel. Further, hydrogen gas can be used by many systems designed to use methane, natural gas, ethane biogas, propane, and / or another suitable hydrocarbon. That is, pyrolysis reactors create an opportunity to significantly reduce carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other greenhouse gas emissions by removing carbon from methane, natural gas, or other hydrocarbons. Thus, hydrocarbons (e.g., natural gas) can be decarbonized before they are burned or reacted (e.g., to heat homes, furnaces, boilers, and engines, etc.). Additionally, carbon by-products can be incorporated into various downstream applications such as partial substitutes for bitumen in asphalt production. As a result, the carbon removed from hydrocarbons can also be productively used to help reduce the carbon footprint of other products. However, the benefits of pyrolysis systems are limited by their efficiency in converting hydrocarbons into solid carbon and hydrogen gas within the reaction chamber.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

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Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

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[0006] The drawings are not necessarily drawn to an exact scale. Similarly, some components and / or operations can be separated into different blocks or combined into a single block for the purpose of some discussion in the implementation of the technology of the present invention. Furthermore, although the technology of the present invention has room for various modifications and alternative forms, specific implementations are shown exemplarily in the drawings and will be described in more detail below. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific implementations for explaining the technology of the present invention.

[0007] Overview The pyrolysis reactor heats hydrocarbon reactants (e.g., methane, natural gas, ethane, propane, butane, pentane, gasoline, diesel oil, and / or kerosene, etc.) and decomposes them into hydrogen gas, solid carbon, and various products. For example, the pyrolysis reactor can decompose methane, ethane, propane, and other hydrocarbon components in natural gas to generate hydrogen gas. In the example of methane, the pyrolysis reaction is as follows: CH4 (gas) → C (solid) + 2H2 (gas) The hydrogen gas can then be substituted as a combustion fuel in any place where natural gas or other hydrocarbons were previously thought to be used. For example, hydrogen gas can be consumed by various heating units (e.g., furnaces, water heaters, boilers, and / or steam boilers, etc.), combustion engines, fuel cells, and / or generators (e.g., standby generators), combined heat and power systems, cooking units (e.g., gas stoves), and / or in various other suitable applications. In addition to or instead of this, hydrogen can be used for various industrial processes such as producing various ammonia-based products (e.g., ammonia fertilizers), supplying process heat, and / or injecting it back into natural gas pipelines to partially decarbonize the natural gas in the pipeline. These benefits are particularly strong when the pyrolysis system is deployed to generate hydrogen gas for local consumption and enables hydrogen consumers to utilize the existing natural gas supply network. Furthermore, the solid carbon can be recovered and used for various downstream applications. As just one example, the solid carbon product can partially replace the binder in asphalt products, thereby substantially confining the carbon from the hydrocarbon reactants. As a result, the products from hydrocarbon pyrolysis can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with multiple different industries.

[0008] However, the benefits of hydrocarbon pyrolysis are limited by the efficiency of the pyrolysis system and the total hydrogen output. For example, when the energy input required to drive pyrolysis is greater than the carbon emission reduction associated with the production of hydrogen gas and solid carbon, this pyrolysis reaction is carbon positive. The need for input energy also brings about engineering complexity. For example, thermal pyrolysis systems often require high temperatures (e.g., higher than 100 degrees Celsius (°C)) and / or other extreme conditions (e.g., high pressure) in many cases to provide the desired efficiency and / or production rate. In addition to complicating the engineering design, extreme conditions can be overly dangerous for deploying pyrolysis systems in a wide range of situations. That is, extreme conditions can prevent the deployment of pyrolysis systems for generating hydrogen gas for local consumption (such as residentially, within commercial buildings, and / or in manufacturing facilities, etc.).

[0009] This specification discloses systems and methods for improving the energy efficiency, operating conditions, and / or throughput of a pyrolysis system. For example, as discussed in more detail below, a method of operating a pyrolysis system in accordance with the techniques of the present invention can include receiving an input stream of hydrocarbon reactants (e.g., from a hydrocarbon reactant supply such as a natural gas utility pipeline) and reforming the hydrocarbon reactants (e.g., methane, natural gas, ethane biogas, propane, and / or another suitable hydrocarbon). These reformings can include directing the input stream through one or more kinetic boosters to increase the efficiency of the thermal pyrolysis and / or the efficiency of the output from the pyrolysis reactor. As discussed in more detail below, a kinetic booster is a system or component for reforming the incoming hydrocarbon reactants to reduce the input energy requirements of the pyrolysis system and / or to assist in increasing the conversion rate of the pyrolysis system. For example, a kinetic booster can reform the chemical composition of the hydrocarbon reactants using a portion of the total system input energy to help drive the completion of the pyrolysis reaction in the thermal pyrolysis reactor. In another example, a kinetic booster includes doping the flow of the incoming hydrocarbon reactants to help drive the completion of the pyrolysis reaction in the thermal pyrolysis reactor. With the input stream reformed, the method includes heating the reformed input stream within a pyrolysis chamber of a pyrolysis reactor. This heating step facilitates a pyrolysis reaction that generates solid carbon and hydrogen gas (and / or various by-products and / or unreacted hydrocarbons) in the reformed input stream. Next, the method includes removing at least a portion of the solid carbon from the output stream to purify the hydrogen gas in the output stream and / or to capture the carbon for downstream use.

[0010] The reforming from a kinetic booster can have various operating mechanisms. For example, some boosters (e.g., plasma chambers) add energy to hydrocarbon reactants (sometimes referred to herein as "reactant feedstock", "hydrocarbon feedstock", "hydrocarbon reactant", and / or "reaction fuel", etc.) in the input stream. The initial energy injection can reduce the energy that a pyrolysis system must add to convert the hydrocarbon reactant into hydrogen and carbon. In addition to or instead of this, the plasma can help convert a portion of the hydrocarbon reactant into hydrogen and carbon and / or into intermediate chemical species having a lower activation energy. In a particular non-limiting example, the plasma can help convert methane (CH4) into an intermediate chemical species (sometimes also referred to herein as a "radical", e.g., CH3 * +H * ) that has only a lower activity to further decompose into hydrogen gas and carbon. Further, in some embodiments, the plasma booster dopes the hydrocarbon reactant with one or more gases, such as air, oxygen (O2), nitrogen (N2), and / or carbon dioxide (CO2), etc. (sometimes referred to herein as "gas catalysts"), that help exert a catalytic effect on the hydrocarbon reactant.

[0011] In another example, the kinetic booster can expose hydrocarbon reactants to the catalyst to assist in reducing the activation energy. For example, exposure to a non-oxidizing material can assist in reducing the activation energy of the hydrocarbon reactants. Examples of suitable non-oxidizing catalysts include tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), platinum (Pt), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and / or bismuth (Bi). In some embodiments, the hydrocarbon reactants are exposed to a fluidized bed of the non-oxidizing catalyst. In some such embodiments, one or more fine particles of the non-oxidizing catalyst are carried into the thermal pyrolysis reactor and act as nucleation sites for forming solid carbon during the pyrolysis reaction. In some embodiments, the kinetic booster exposes the hydrocarbon reactants to the non-oxidizing catalyst in a heated form to assist in adding energy to the hydrocarbon reactants and / or reducing their activation energy. For example, the catalyst can be coated and heated on a ceramic component (e.g., a ceramic honeycomb), and then the hydrocarbon reactants can be passed through the ceramic component.

[0012] In yet another example, the kinetic booster can dope the hydrocarbon reactants to assist in catalyzing the pyrolysis reaction. For example, the kinetic booster can dope the hydrocarbon reactants with carbon microparticles, polyaromatic molecules (e.g., ethylene, acetylene, propane, propene, ethane, ethene, and / or alkanes, etc., and / or larger and / or more reactive hydrocarbons such as various intermediate chemical species), and / or oxidation catalysts (e.g., water, steam, air, and / or methanol), etc. Microparticle doping (e.g., using generated carbon particles) can provide fluidized nucleation sites for the pyrolysis reaction, and these fluidized nucleation sites reduce the activation energy required for pyrolysis, improve heat transfer therewith, and / or help ensure that solid carbon is carried out of the reaction chamber, thereby reducing the possibility of fouling the pyrolysis reactor and improving the efficiency of the pyrolysis reactor.

[0013] The carbon microparticles used as a catalyst can be recycled from the products of the pyrolysis system. In some embodiments, the carbon microparticles used as a catalyst are recycled from the products of the pyrolysis system. For example, a carbon separation system coupled to the outlet of the pyrolysis system can direct the carbon microparticles within the outlet towards a mixer to reform the feed stream. In some embodiments, the carbon microparticles used as a catalyst are those generated by an upstream pyrolysis reaction (e.g., within a plasma reactor). Polyaromatic molecules can undergo a pyrolysis reaction at a lower temperature, thereby helping to activate the pyrolysis reaction for hydrocarbon reactants at a lower temperature. An oxidative catalyst can help reduce the activation energy of the pyrolysis reaction by providing reactive species for reaction with other molecules within the feed stream. In addition to or instead of this, the presence of oxygen can help reduce the likelihood of the presence of organic compounds (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) within the products of the pyrolysis system by helping to promote the pyrolysis reaction until completion. Further, the presence of oxygen can help remove solid carbon from the pyrolysis chamber to protect against coking. However, oxygen catalysts generate carbon monoxide (CO) and / or (CO2), which consequently increase the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the pyrolysis system.

[0014] In each of the above examples, the reforming of the input stream can help to accelerate the reaction rate and / or lower the required pyrolysis temperature. In other words, the input heat still does significant work on the pyrolysis reaction, but the booster reforming reduces the amount of input heat required. As a result, the booster reforming can help to increase the overall efficiency of the pyrolysis system at a given operating temperature and / or footprint and / or increase the total production of hydrogen and / or carbon from the pyrolysis system. Additional benefits can include reducing the rate of hard carbon formation (e.g., by coking in the pyrolysis chamber), making it easier to remove carbon from the pyrolysis system (thereby reducing the stress associated with carbon removal, reducing the temperature drop during carbon removal, and / or shortening the downtime associated with carbon removal), reducing the required temperature in the pyrolysis reactor (thereby improving the safety of the pyrolysis system), reducing the amount of intermediate by-products (e.g., PAH) in the product stream, and / or simplifying the overall design of the pyrolysis reactor. Yet another benefit of the inclusion of a booster in the pyrolysis system is to give the system operating parameters that can be kinetically varied to control the output of the pyrolysis system (e.g., to maximize hydrogen production, to maximize system efficiency, to minimize energy consumption, and / or to change the distribution between energy supplied by combustion and energy supplied by electricity, etc.).

[0015] For the sake of facilitating reference, this specification may describe the pyrolysis system and its components with reference to the upper and lower, upper and lower sides, upward and downward, and / or horizontal plane, x-y plane, vertical, or z-direction with respect to the spatial orientation of the embodiments shown in the figures. However, it is to be understood that the pyrolysis system and its components can be moved to and used in different spatial orientations without changing the structure and / or function of the disclosed embodiments of the technology of the present invention.

[0016] Furthermore, although this specification mainly discusses situations where the hydrogen production amount from a hydrocarbon pyrolysis system is increased, those skilled in the art will understand that the scope of the present invention is not so limited. For example, the systems and methods disclosed herein can be used to increase the production amount of carbon and / or other by-products of hydrocarbon pyrolysis and / or can be modified for use in various other pyrolysis systems. In a specific non-limiting example, the technology for recycling solid fine particles of by-products from the pyrolysis reaction discussed in more detail below can be adapted to help provide kinetic enhancement to the pyrolysis system for use in various other pyrolysis systems. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to any subset of the embodiments and is limited only by the limitations provided in the claims.

[0017] The embodiments of the technology of the present invention introduced above provide a system and method for helping to increase the efficiency of a pyrolysis system without introducing components that must be periodically stopped. As a result, the pyrolysis system according to the disclosure of the present invention can be operated continuously (or almost continuously) without the need to switch to a pre-reactor and / or without considering a shutdown period. As used herein, "continuous" operation can include operating the pyrolysis system without the need to stop for at least 3 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, one week, one month, six months, and / or longer periods for cleaning the reaction chamber or otherwise emptying it. Continuous operation can include operating the pyrolysis system that can be periodically stopped, for example, when the need for hydrogen gas decreases (or becomes zero), and / or can be stopped for inspecting and repairing components of the pyrolysis reactor (for example, for maintenance purposes), and / or can be stopped when specific reaction conditions need to be satisfied.

[0018] A continuous pyrolysis system does not require multiple pyrolysis reactors to allow another reactor to be in an operating state while returning one pyrolysis reactor to its initial state. Thus, continuous operation without downtime and / or thermal cycling (e.g., switching to a pre-reactor) can further help reduce the costs associated with the pyrolysis reactor. In addition to or instead of this, since the initial investment cost occupies a significant proportion of the capital utilization, continuous operation can reduce the operating costs associated with the pyrolysis system. In addition to or instead of this, continuous operation can enable the continuous pyrolysis system to fit into a smaller footprint (e.g., because the system does not require a thermal cycle to remove carbon).

[0019] Furthermore, the embodiments of the technology of the present invention introduced above can help enable the pyrolysis system to operate without requiring on-site utilities such as high-pressure and / or high-temperature water or steam. Further, the absence of requirements for high-pressure or high-temperature water or steam allows the continuous pyrolysis system to be operated in or located on non-industrial sites within or located in single-family homes, apartment buildings, commercial buildings (e.g., office buildings, retailers, and / or restaurants, etc.) and / or industrial sites without high-pressure steam or water. Further, the absence of requirements for high-pressure or high-temperature water or steam can reduce the operating costs, capital costs, and / or footprint associated with the continuous pyrolysis system.

[0020] In addition to or instead of this, embodiments of the technology of the present invention introduced above can be such that the pyrolysis system operates without requiring a consumable carbon skeleton and without direct formation of CO or CO2 (thus enabling the production of hydrogen with a low (or negative) carbon intensity (CI)), and / or can operate with a higher thermal efficiency than a reactor system that requires a shutdown period. Yet another embodiment of the technology of the present invention introduced above has room for the pyrolysis system for various pyrolysis geometries, such as a pyrolysis confined within an individually externally heated tube, an internally heated annular pyrolysis zone, and / or a system having parallel combustion tubes with a pyrolysis zone between these tubes.

[0021] Additional details of various aspects of the systems and methods for boosting the output from the pyrolysis system are listed below with reference to FIGS. 1 - 6.

[0022] Description of the Figures FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a pyrolysis system 100 configured in accordance with an embodiment of the technology of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the pyrolysis system 100 includes a booster component 110 and a pyrolysis reactor 120 operably coupled thereto. The pyrolysis system 100 further includes a product stream processing component 130 and a combustion exhaust gas processing component 140, each operably coupled to the pyrolysis reactor 120.

[0023] The booster component 110 is coupled to a pyrolysis fuel supply 10 to receive hydrocarbon reactants (e.g., natural gas, high - purity methane, gasoline, light oil, biomass, ethane biogas, and / or organic waste materials and semi - organic waste materials, etc.) along a first path (A). For example, the first path (A) can include one or more valves (or other suitable flow control components) and pipes that couple the booster component 110 (and / or any of its components) to a natural gas supply or pipeline (and / or any other pyrolysis fuel supply).

[0024] The pyrolysis reactor 120 includes a reaction chamber 122 and a combustion component 124. The reaction chamber 122 can be operably coupled directly to the pyrolysis fuel supply 10 to receive hydrocarbon reactants along a second path (B). Similar to the first path (A), the second path (B) can include one or more valves (or other suitable flow control components) and pipes that couple the reaction chamber 122 to a natural gas supply or pipeline (and / or any other pyrolysis fuel supply). In addition to or in place of this, the reaction chamber 122 can be operably coupled to the booster component 110 along a third path (C) to receive a reformed flow of hydrocarbon reactants. As discussed in more detail below, the reformed flow can be preheated by the booster component 110, exposed to one or more non-oxidizing catalysts, include one or more doping agents (e.g., solid particles such as carbon, polyaromatic chemical species, and / or oxidizing catalysts), and / or include partially reacted hydrocarbon molecules. In some embodiments, the reaction chamber receives a mixture of hydrocarbon reactants from both the pyrolysis fuel supply 10 and the booster component 110. In some such embodiments, the booster component 110 includes a feed mixer (or other mixing component) for combining the reformed hydrocarbon reactants and / or catalyst with the un-reformed hydrocarbon reactants.

[0025] As further shown in FIG. 1, the combustion component 124 is fluidly coupled to a combustion fuel supply 12 to receive combustion fuel along a fourth path (D) (e.g., one or more valves and / or fluid pipelines that can be coupled to the fuel supply 12). The combustion fuel can include various hydrocarbons (e.g., natural gas, high purity methane, ethane biogas, gasoline, and / or light oil, etc.) and / or hydrogen gas from past pyrolysis reactions in the reaction chamber 122. The combustion component 124 is thermally coupled to the reaction chamber 122 to receive heat along a fifth path (E).

[0026] The reaction chamber 122 can then use the heat received from the combustion component 124 to raise the temperature of the incoming hydrocarbon reactants and supply the activation energy required for hydrocarbon pyrolysis. As a result, the reaction chamber 122 undergoes a pyrolysis reaction that decomposes the hydrocarbon reactants into hydrogen gas and carbon. Returning to the example of natural gas described above, the reaction chamber 122 can heat the hydrocarbon reactants to approximately 650 °C (or a higher temperature) using the heat from the combustion component 124 and initiate the pyrolysis reaction.

[0027] In some embodiments, the combustion component 124 includes one or more combustors that receive and combust combustion fuel. In some embodiments, the pyrolysis reactor 120 is a combined combustion and pyrolysis reactor (“CCP reactor”) that enables continuous combustion and pyrolysis over any suitable amount of time. For example, the combustion component 124 can include one or more combustors and a combustion chamber. Further, the reaction chamber 122 can be coupled to the combustion component 124 by a heat exchanger, a shared wall between the reaction chamber 122 and the combustion chamber, a flow of combustion exhaust gas from the combustion component 124 in contact with the wall of the reaction chamber 122, and / or any other suitable mechanism. In another example, the combustion component is integrated into the reaction chamber 122. For example, the combustion component 124 can include a combustor arranged to combust combustion fuel and direct the combustion exhaust gas directly through the reaction chamber 122. In such embodiments, the combustion component 124 (and / or any other suitable component of the pyrolysis reactor) can control the amount of oxygen available within the reaction chamber such that all (or nearly all) of it is consumed to combust the combustion fuel supply. That is, the combustion component 124 (and / or another suitable component) can help ensure that there is no oxygen present that would interfere with the pyrolysis reaction. Additional details regarding suitable pyrolysis reactors and examples of thermal coupling between the reaction chamber 122 and the combustion component 124 are shown in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2021 / 0380407 to Ashton et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022 / 0315424 to Ashton et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022 / 0120217 to Ashton et al., and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022 / 0387952 to Groenewald et al., the entire contents of each of these documents being incorporated herein by reference.

[0028] Furthermore, although specific examples of the pyrolysis reactor 120 are discussed herein, it will be understood that the technology of the present invention is not limited to these examples. For example, in some embodiments, the reaction in the reaction chamber 122 can be facilitated by thermal coupling to another suitable component (e.g., a domestic heating device such as a furnace, water heater, steam boiler, and / or plasma device, etc.) coupled to the hydrocarbon reactant (e.g., within and / or upstream of the reaction chamber 122), a catalytic heater coupled to the hydrocarbon reactant, an electrical heating component coupled to the hydrocarbon reactant, a microwave component operably coupled to the hydrocarbon reactant (e.g., for microwave heating of the gas within the reaction chamber 122), and / or any other suitable component. In a specific non-limiting example, the reaction chamber 122 can include an electric heater, hot gas from another suitable component, and / or molten salt heated by a fluidized bed reactor with or without using a catalyst. In this example, the molten salt can heat the incoming hydrocarbon reactant to cause a pyrolysis reaction.

[0029] As further shown in FIG. 1, the pyrolysis reactor 120 further includes a carbon removal component 126 operably coupled to the reaction chamber 122. The carbon removal component 126 (which may sometimes be referred to herein as the “carbon scraper component” and / or “trimmer”, etc.) can help address the accumulation of carbon in the reaction chamber 122 by entering into and / or operating within (e.g., linearly and / or rotationally) the reaction chamber 122. More specifically, the carbon removal component can include one or more heads that scrape (as generically referred to herein) solid carbon from the walls of the reaction chamber 122, wipe it off, chip it off, scrape it off, and / or otherwise dislodge it. Further, the carbon removal component 126 can include one or more sealing devices that enable the scraping head to be operated from outside the reaction chamber 122 without leaking any reaction gas (e.g., pyrolysis fuel gas, hydrogen gas, byproduct gas, combustion gas, and / or combustion exhaust gas, etc.) from the reaction chamber 122. As a result, the carbon removal component 126 can help remove carbon from the reaction chamber 122 without temporarily stopping or otherwise interfering with the operation of the pyrolysis reactor 120. Additional details regarding examples of suitable carbon removal components, sealing devices, and systems and methods therefor are shown in U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 925,643, filed Oct. 24, 2024, and assigned to Ritchey et al., the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0030] As further shown in FIG. 1, the reaction chamber 122 (or another suitable component of the pyrolysis system 100) can direct the product from the reaction chamber 122 (sometimes referred to herein as the "product stream") into the product stream processing component 130 along the sixth flow path (F). The product stream processing component 130 includes various product separators, compressors, and / or gas processors that separate the products within the product stream and, in some embodiments, condition the separated products for downstream use, etc. For example, the product stream processing component 130 can include one or more carbon separation components (e.g., cyclone separators, one or more filters (e.g., mesh filters and / or bag filter filters, etc.), gas-liquid separators, and / or any other suitable separator) for removing carbon (and other particles) from the gas within the product stream. Next, these gases can be filtered (e.g., by one or more organic compound separation components and / or one or more gas separators, etc.) and / or conditioned to separate hydrogen gas (and / or unreacted hydrocarbons) from the other gases within the product stream. The resulting hydrogen can then be conditioned (e.g., compressed, cooled, and / or filtered again, etc.) and directed along the seventh flow path (H) towards the hydrogen consumption component 20.

[0031] The hydrogen consumption component 20 can include (or be coupled to) various end destinations. For example, the hydrogen consumption component 20 can include (or be coupled to) hydrogen storage (or a local consumption point such as a combustion component 124, a heating unit coupled to the pyrolysis system 100, and / or a power generation component coupled to the pyrolysis system 100). The hydrogen storage can be capable of locally consuming hydrogen gas as needed (e.g., for purposes such as augmenting and / or replacing hydrogen gas to drive the combustion component 124 during peak power demand). As used herein, local consumption means within the same building as the building of the pyrolysis system 100, within the same location as the location of the pyrolysis system 100, within a half-mile range from the pyrolysis system 100, within a range of about 5 miles from the pyrolysis system 100, and / or within the range of endpoints for public goods (e.g., local consumption does not require any public utility piping or public transportation means between the pyrolysis system 100 and the consumption point). In another example, the hydrogen consumption component 20 can include (or be coupled to) a hydrogen supply network (e.g., a public goods supply network such as a dedicated hydrogen supply network) and / or a natural gas supply network. In some embodiments, the hydrogen consumption component 20 can supply hydrogen gas to the combustion component 124 to supplement, augment, and / or replace other combustion fuels (e.g., to replace all or part of natural gas as a combustion fuel). In embodiments where hydrogen gas is introduced into the natural gas supply network, the volume of hydrogen gas introduced into the natural gas supply network can be controlled to be less than about 20 volume % of the gas in the natural gas pipeline. By limiting the amount of hydrogen gas in the natural gas pipeline, the risks associated with hydrogen gas in the natural gas supply network can be limited, and at the same time, the carbon in the natural gas supply network can be partially removed. In another example, the hydrogen consumption component 20 can include (or be coupled to) a supply network for hydrogen-powered electronic devices, vehicles, and / or machines. For example, the supply network can supply hydrogen gas to fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and / or vehicles driven by H2 internal combustion engines (H2ICEs).In yet another example, the hydrogen consumption component 20 can include (or be coupled to) a combined heat and power device (e.g., rather than a hydrogen storage) that consumes heat and power. Examples of suitable combined heat and power devices are disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022 / 0387952 to Groenewald et al. and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022 / 0120217 to Ashton et al. In addition to or instead of this, the hydrogen consumption component 20 can include (or be coupled to) a power generation device (e.g., a combustion engine, a thermionic converter, a linear generator, a fuel cell, and / or other suitable generators). In yet another example, the hydrogen consumption component 20 can include (or be coupled to) a chemical processing component that uses hydrogen gas for various other chemical processing operations.

[0032] Similarly, the product stream processing component 130 can direct the carbon removed from the product stream along an eighth flow path (I) towards the carbon consumption component 30 (or carbon processing component). The carbon consumption component can use or store the carbon to help ensure that the carbon is not ultimately released as carbon dioxide. That is, the carbon consumption component 30 can help complete the carbon capture from the pyrolysis fuel. In various embodiments, the carbon consumption component 30 can include a recovery bin that is a processing component that prepares (or uses) carbon to be used for various applications. By way of example only, the carbon consumption component 30 can prepare carbon to be used as a substitute for a binder and / or a supplement for asphalt products.

[0033] In some embodiments, as discussed in more detail below, the product stream processing component 130 redirects at least a portion of the solid carbon back to other components of the pyrolysis system 100. For example, the product stream processing component 130 can redirect carbon particles back to the booster component 110 for addition as a catalyst to the incoming stream of hydrocarbon reactants. In such embodiments, the carbon particles provide a fluidized nucleation site for carbon during the pyrolysis reaction within the reaction chamber 122. The nucleation site can cause the pyrolysis reaction to occur rapidly, thereby helping to reduce the activation energy required for the pyrolysis reaction. In addition to or instead of this, the fluidity of the carbon particles can help ensure that the resulting solid carbon is carried out of the reaction chamber 122 (e.g., rather than depositing on the walls of the reaction chamber 122 and causing fouling there). For example, the carbon particles flowing into the reaction chamber 122 can have a surface area that is significantly larger (e.g., about 10×, about 100×, about 1000×, and / or about 10000×) than the walls of the reaction chamber 122. As a result, most of the new carbon is collected on the existing carbon particles present in the fluidized gas-solid stream within the reaction chamber 122. In other words, the multi-stage arrangement of the booster component 110 and the reaction chamber 122 can reduce the amount of carbon deposited on the walls of the reaction chamber 122, thereby reducing the relative rate of fouling of the walls of the thermal reactor. As a result, the multi-stage arrangement can help increase the effectiveness and / or efficiency of the pyrolysis reactor 120 and / or reduce the operating downtime required to clean the reaction chamber 122.

[0034] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the product stream processing component 130 includes one or more heat exchangers and / or recuperative heat exchangers for absorbing heat from the product stream. For example, the product stream processing component 130 can absorb heat from the product stream and transfer it to the pyrolysis fuel flowing in the first to third flow paths (A)-(C) and / or the combustion fuel flowing in the fourth flow path (D) to preheat the incoming gas. The preheating step can help increase the efficiency of the pyrolysis reactor 120 and / or the completeness of the pyrolysis reaction within the reaction chamber 122. Additional details regarding examples of suitable recuperative heat exchangers are disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022 / 0315424 to Ashton et al. and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022 / 0120217 to Ashton et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference. In addition to or in place of this, the heat can be directed to one or more heating units (e.g., HVAC units, hot water heaters, and / or steam boilers, etc.), power generation devices (e.g., combined heat and power components, thermionic devices, thermoelectric devices, fuel cells, thermoacoustic devices, and / or any other suitable generator), and the like.

[0035] As further shown in FIG. 1, the combustion component 124 (or another suitable component of the pyrolysis system 100) can introduce the product therefrom (e.g., the combustion exhaust gas when separated from the product stream) into the combustion exhaust gas treatment component 140 along the ninth flow path (J). The combustion exhaust gas treatment component 140 can perform treatment (e.g., filtration, purification (e.g., absorbing carbon dioxide and / or other gases from the combustion exhaust gas), compression, decompression, and / or cooling, etc.) before directing the combustion exhaust gas along the tenth flow path (K) towards the combustion exhaust gas vent 40 (e.g., the exhaust system). For example, similar to the above discussion, the combustion exhaust gas treatment component 140 can include one or more heat exchangers. The heat exchanger can absorb at least a portion of the heat remaining in the combustion exhaust gas for heat recycling. For example, the combustion exhaust gas treatment component 140 (or another suitable component) can direct the heat from the heat exchanger into contact with the incoming air for the combustion component 124. As a result, the heat exchanger can preheat the incoming air, thereby reducing the temperature difference between the incoming air and the combustion temperature. As a result, the combustion component 124 does not need to increase the temperature of the incoming air to the combustion start temperature, thereby improving the efficiency of the combustion component 124. In another similar example, the combustion exhaust gas treatment component 140 can be coupled to the combustion fuel supply 12 to receive the combustion fuel. In this example, the heat exchanger within the combustion exhaust gas treatment component 140 can preheat the combustion fuel upstream from the combustion component 124. As a result, the combustion component 124 does not need to increase the incoming combustion fuel to the combustion start temperature, thereby improving the efficiency of the combustion component 124. In yet another example, the combustion exhaust gas treatment component 140 can recycle heat for external household appliances such as a heating unit (e.g., an HVAC unit, a hot water heater, and / or a steam boiler, etc.) and / or a power generation device (e.g., a combined heat and power component, a thermionic device, a thermoelectric device, a thermoacoustic device, a fuel cell, and / or any other suitable generator).

[0036] In various embodiments, the pyrolysis system 100 can exclude one or more of the components discussed above and / or include one or more additional components. For example, in an embodiment where the combustion component 124 includes a combustor arranged to direct the combustion exhaust gas directly through the reaction chamber 122, the combustion exhaust gas is mixed with the product stream. Thus, in this example, the pyrolysis system 100 excludes the separate combustion exhaust gas treatment component 140 and instead incorporates any required functionality into the product stream treatment component 130 (e.g., adding a steam condenser and / or a carbon dioxide absorber to the product stream treatment component 130 to separate the components of the combustion exhaust gas from the product stream). In another example, the pyrolysis system 100 can include various additional treatment components downstream of the pyrolysis reactor 120 that assist in separating and / or treating the product stream (e.g., separating by-products from the pyrolysis reaction for purposes such as further conditioning the hydrogen gas for end-use consumption).

[0037] In yet another example, although not illustrated in FIG. 1, it will be understood that the pyrolysis system 100 can include a controller operably coupled to any suitable component of the pyrolysis system 100 to control (to assist in controlling) its operation. For example, the controller can include a memory and a processor coupled to the reaction chamber 122 and / or the combustion component 124 for purposes such as assisting in controlling the amount and / or operating parameters of the pyrolysis reaction and / or assisting in controlling the operating cycle of the carbon removal component 126.

[0038] In yet another example, it will be understood that the pyrolysis system 100 can alternatively select the ratio of components. Merely by way of example, the pyrolysis reactor 120 can include a plurality of reaction chambers 122 and / or and / or combustion components 124. Each of the plurality of reaction chambers 122 can be coupled to a single booster component 110. Alternatively, the pyrolysis system 100 can include a plurality of booster components 110. The plurality of booster components 110 can be coupled to the reaction chambers 122 in a 1:1 ratio and / or include a plurality of booster components 110 for each reaction chamber 122.

[0039] Specific example of a kinetic booster component for a pyrolysis system according to an embodiment of the technology of the present invention FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a hybrid pyrolysis system 200 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the technology of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 includes a feed stream splitter 210 that can be fluidly coupled to a supply of reactant feed (e.g., a natural gas pipeline). The feed stream splitter 210 can include one or more configurable valves that can divide the inflow supply of reactant feed (sometimes also referred to herein as "hydrocarbon reactant", "hydrocarbon feed", and / or "reaction fuel", etc.) into various input channels and / or control the volume of reactant feed along each of these channels. In the illustrated embodiment, the first channel from the feed stream splitter 210 extends into a booster component 220, then into a feed mixer 230, and further into a thermal pyrolysis reactor 240, while the second channel goes directly from the feed stream splitter 210 through a first optional heat exchanger 212 to the feed mixer 230 and further to the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240.

[0040] In the illustrated embodiment, the booster component 220 includes a pre-reactor booster 226. In some embodiments, the pre-reactor booster 226 includes a plasma pyrolysis system (e.g., an electrically operated plasma pyrolysis reactor). The plasma pyrolysis system can inject energy into a portion of the reactant feed within a first flow path upstream of the feed mixer 230 (and the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240). This injected energy helps reduce the amount of energy that the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240 would otherwise have to supply to reach the activation energy of the reactant feed. For example, the plasma pyrolysis system can include a low-temperature plasma system in which the electron energy in the plasma is used to drive the initiation of pyrolysis. More specifically, the low-temperature plasma accelerates electrons, and the accelerated electrons collide with hydrocarbon molecules to generate radicals such as CH3 * and H * and CH2 and 2H * In this case, the radicals are more likely to decompose into hydrogen gas and solid carbon during thermal pyrolysis later than the original hydrocarbon (e.g., later than CH4). In addition to or instead of this, the radicals are sometimes autocatalytic and can help the radicals catalyze the pyrolysis reaction at the initial stage in the thermal pyrolysis system. In another example, the plasma pyrolysis system can include a thermal plasma system that injects thermal energy into a portion of the reactant feed within the first flow path. Further, this injected energy can substantially preheat the incoming reactant feed, split the reactant feed into multiple radical chemical species, and / or partially (or completely) convert a portion of the reactant feed within the first flow path into hydrogen gas and solid carbon.

[0041] In some embodiments, the pre-reactor booster 226 includes a catalyst system. For example, the pre-reactor booster 226 can include exposing a first flow path to various non-oxidizing catalysts. In some embodiments, the pre-reactor booster 226 reduces the activation energy of the reactant feedstock by dehydrogenating and / or activating a portion of the reactant feedstock (e.g., between about 0.1% and about 1%, between about 1% and about 10%, or greater than about 10%) within the first flow path with various catalysts coated on a ceramic skeleton (e.g., a catalytic converter, wire mesh, wire wool, and / or any other suitable structure). That is, the interaction with the non-oxidizing booster can desorb some H and / or H2 from the reactant feedstock, thereby reducing the activation energy required for thermal pyrolysis. Examples of non-oxidizing boosters coating the ceramic structure include tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), platinum (Pt), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and / or bismuth (Bi). In some embodiments, the non-oxidizing booster (and / or the ceramic structure) is heated to a temperature between about 300 °C and about 700 °C to further assist in reducing the activation energy of the reactant feedstock by further dehydrogenating and / or activating a portion of the reactant feedstock. In such embodiments, the temperature of the non-oxidizing catalyst is limited to help avoid the formation of solid carbon that could potentially foul the pre-reactor booster 226. In some of the non-oxidizing embodiments, the pre-reactor booster 226 exposes the first flow path to various solid particles, thereby providing nucleation sites for carbon during subsequent thermal pyrolysis reactions.

[0042] In some embodiments, the pre-reactor booster 226 provides various doping agents to the reactant feedstock within the first flow path. For example, the pre-reactor booster 226 can dope the reactant feedstock with carbon microparticles, polyaromatic chemical species, and / or various oxidizing catalysts. As discussed above, the carbon microparticles can provide nucleation sites for pyrolysis, while the polyaromatic chemical species and / or oxidizing elements can help to rapidly activate the pyrolysis reaction and / or absorb by-products. As further discussed above, one particular benefit of the oxidizing catalysts is that they can help to remove carbon deposits from the reaction chamber through carbon monoxide and / or carbon dioxide during thermal pyrolysis.

[0043] The feedstock mixer 230 receives and mixes a portion of the reactant feedstock within the first flow path and a portion of the reactant feedstock within the second flow path. The resulting mixture is a reactant feedstock input (e.g., a reformed input) having a lower activation energy compared to the reactant feedstock flowing into the feedstock stream splitter 210. Next, the feedstock mixer 230 supplies the reformed input to the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240. Similar to the discussion above, the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240 can include a reaction chamber that is thermally coupled to a combustion component (e.g., fluidly coupled to the combustion component to surround the combustion chamber and / or receive combustion exhaust gas from the combustion component). The reaction chamber can help to transfer heat from combustion (e.g., of natural gas and / or hydrogen gas) in the combustion component to the reformed input to promote thermal pyrolysis therein. However, since the modified input has a lower activation energy, the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240 can convert a greater amount of the modified input into hydrogen gas and solid carbon and / or consume only less energy to convert the modified input. For example, as discussed above, radicals generated within the pre-reactor booster 226 (e.g., CH3 * and H * and / or CH2 and 2H *etc.) requires only a small amount of heat to further decompose and / or can assist in catalyzing the thermal decomposition of unreacted hydrocarbon molecules. In another example, as discussed above, the solid carbon from the pre-reactor booster 226 provides a fluidized nucleation site for new carbon, thereby lowering the activation energy for new pyrolysis and helping to reduce fouling in the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240.

[0044] As a result of the process discussed above, the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240 generates an output stream containing hydrogen gas and solid carbon from the reformed feedstock. In various embodiments, the output stream may also contain unreacted hydrocarbons and / or various by-products (e.g., organic compounds, intermediate chemical species, and / or combustion exhaust gases from combustion, etc.). As further shown in FIG. 2, the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240 can further direct the output stream through a second optional heat exchanger 242 (e.g., a recuperative heat exchanger) and / or a post-reactor booster 250.

[0045] The post-reactor booster 250 is substantially similar to the pre-reactor booster discussed above and can inject additional energy into the output stream. This additional energy can help to complete the thermal decomposition reaction of residual intermediate chemical species (e.g., any of the radicals discussed above) and / or help to decompose by-products from the pyrolysis reaction. Next, the post-reactor booster 250 can direct the resulting stream towards the product stream processing component 270.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 1, similar to the product stream processing component 130 discussed above, the product stream processing component 270 can include various product separators, compressors, and / or gas processors, etc., to separate the products within the product stream from each other and / or to condition the separated products for downstream use. For example, the product stream processing component 270 can include one or more carbon separation components (e.g., a cyclone separator, one or more filters (e.g., a mesh filter and / or a bag filter, etc.), a gas-liquid separator, and / or any other suitable separator) to remove carbon (and other particulates) from the gas within the product stream.

[0047] As further shown in FIG. 2, the product stream processing component 270 can then direct a portion of the separated carbon particulates (sometimes referred to herein as "recycled carbon") back to the feed mixer to combine with the incoming hydrocarbon reactants. Similar to the discussion of carbon before the above-mentioned reactor, the recycled carbon can also provide nucleation sites that are fluidized in the reactant feed. As a result, the recycled carbon can help reduce the activation energy of the pyrolysis reaction in the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240 and / or help increase the efficiency of the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240 (e.g., by reducing fouling). In various such embodiments, the product stream processing component 270 can select the carbon to be recycled based on the size, density, and / or surface area of the carbon such that the surface area is increased (or maximized) and the carbon particles are small enough to flow through the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240.

[0048] In addition to or alternatively, the product stream processing component 270 can assist in processing and / or filtering the gas within the product stream. For example, the product stream processing component 270 can remove various by-products from the product stream (e.g., by means of, for example, one or more organic compound separation components and / or one or more gas separators) and / or filter the gas to condition the product stream to separate hydrogen gas (and / or unreacted hydrocarbons) from other gases within the product stream. The product stream processing component 270 can then direct the resulting hydrogen gas (a mixture with various residual gases such as high-purity hydrogen gas or unreacted natural gas) to various end points. Merely by way of example, the product stream processing component 270 can direct a portion of the hydrogen gas to a combustion component for the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240 to assist in promoting thermal pyrolysis. In another example, the product stream processing component 270 can direct a portion of the hydrogen gas to various other end points.

[0049] As further shown in FIG. 2, the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 can include a controller 260. The controller 260 can be operably coupled to a feed stream splitter 210, a pre-reactor booster 226 (and / or more generally a booster component 220), a feed mixer 230, a thermal pyrolysis reactor 240, a post-reactor booster 250, and / or other components for controlling various operating parameters within the hybrid pyrolysis system 200. More specifically, the controller 260 can control the operating parameters to help satisfy a target hydrogen production rate, a target carbon production rate, a target conversion rate, a target efficiency, an energy consumption goal, and / or a limitation on available energy. For example, the controller 260 can control the feed stream splitter 210 to control the volume of reactant feed in the first flow path, the volume of reactant feed in the second flow path, and / or the ratio between the first flow path and the second flow path. In some such embodiments, the ratio between the first flow path and the second flow path is based on the conversion efficiency of the booster component 220. For example, when the booster component 220 has a relatively high conversion rate (e.g., splitting more than about 34% of the hydrocarbons into solid carbon, hydrogen gas, and / or pre-pyrolysis radicals), the controller 260 can divert up to about 1%, about 5%, about 10%, or about 33% of the incoming reactant feed stream into the first flow path by the feed stream splitter 210. The limitation on hydrocarbons directed to the booster component 220 can help reduce the energy requirements for the booster component 220 and / or help reduce fouling within the booster component 220. In another example, when the booster component 220 has only a relatively low conversion rate (e.g., splitting up to about 1%, about 5%, about 10%, or about 33% of the hydrocarbons), the controller 260 can divert a higher percentage (including 100%) of the reactant feed into the first flow path by the feed stream splitter 210.

[0050] In another example, the controller 260 can control input parameters (such as power, pulse rate, etc.) to the booster component 220 and / or the feedstock splitter 210 to adjust the characteristics of the carbon resulting from the booster component 220 (such as particle size, surface area, and / or particle density). In certain non-limiting examples, the input control parameters can maximize the surface area of the carbon to provide the maximum nucleation sites for thermal pyrolysis. In another specific non-limiting example, the controller 260 can control the input parameters to generate carbon having characteristics similar to the carbon produced by thermal pyrolysis. This similarity can help improve the uniformity of the carbon by-products resulting from the hybrid pyrolysis system 200.

[0051] Another important factor in the ratio between the first and second flow paths is the total energy required by the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 to produce a target amount of hydrogen gas and / or solid carbon. For example, the amount of energy required by the booster component 220 generally scales with the total amount of reactant feedstock being converted, but the absolute conversion percentage for a given energy input is typically a characteristic of the type of booster selected (e.g., low-temperature plasma vs. thermal plasma). In some embodiments, the controller 260 operates the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 to minimize the total energy requirements to reach the target production output. In some embodiments, the controller 260 operates the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 to minimize the total energy requirements to reach the target conversion percentage. In some embodiments, the controller 260 operates the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 to maximize the total conversion percentage and / or total output (regardless of the energy consumption requirements).

[0052] As further shown in FIG. 2, the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 can include various other components that help assist in the conversion of reactant feedstock into solid carbon and hydrogen gas. For example, a second flow path (e.g., a flow path directly connecting the feedstock flow splitter 210 and the feedstock mixer 230) can include an optional first heat exchanger 212. The optional first heat exchanger 212 can help preheat the incoming reactant feedstock, for example, using heat recovered from the product stream by the optional second heat exchanger 242. In some embodiments, the optional first heat exchanger 212 and the optional second heat exchanger 242 are integrated into a single unit (e.g., a recuperative heat exchanger that transfers heat from the product stream to the second incoming stream). In addition or alternatively, the optional first heat exchanger 212 can be thermally coupled to the products from the combustion components and / or thermoelectric heating components of the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240 and / or various other heat sources.

[0053] In addition or alternatively, as further shown in FIG. 2, the booster component 220 can include one or more optional flow deceleration components to assist in the operation of the pre-reactor booster 226. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the booster component 220 further includes a feedstock scrubber 222 fluidly coupled to the feedstock flow splitter 210, a first pressure modifier 224 fluidly coupled thereto, an optional third heat exchanger 225 coupled between it and the pre-reactor booster 226, an optional fourth heat exchanger 227 fluidly coupled to the pre-reactor booster 226, and a second pressure modifier 228 fluidly coupled to the optional third heat exchanger 225.

[0054] The feedstock scrubber 222 can help purify the incoming reactant feedstock to remove solid particles and / or non-hydrocarbon gases. The purification can help reduce by-products in the product stream and / or increase the efficiency of thermal pyrolysis.

[0055] The first pressure modifier 224 can increase (or decrease) the pressure of the incoming hydrocarbon reactant to an optimal pressure for the reactor pre-booster 226. Next, the second pressure modifier 228 can decrease (or increase) the pressure to conform to the initial pressure and / or target pressure with respect to the feed mixer 230 and / or the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240. In some embodiments, the booster component 220 includes only one of the first and second pressure modifiers 224, 228. For example, the operating pressure in the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240 can be higher than the operating pressure of the reactor pre-booster 226. In such embodiments, the booster component 220 may include only the second pressure modifier 228 when increasing the pressure in the first flow path downstream of the reactor pre-booster 226. In a particular non-limiting example, the second pressure modifier 228 can include a venturi for increasing the pressure of the gas and the fluidized solids in the first flow path downstream of the reactor pre-booster 226.

[0056] The third and fourth optional heat exchangers 225, 227 can help control the temperature of the reactant feed in the first flow path. For example, the third and fourth optional heat exchangers 225, 227 can preheat and / or recover heat from the reactant feed in the first flow path. In various particular non-limiting examples, the third and fourth optional heat exchangers 225, 227 can help recover heat from the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240, and / or include a thermoelectric heating component, and / or include one or more cooling components. In addition to or instead of this, the third and fourth optional heat exchangers 225, 227 can help control the pressure of the reactant feed.

[0057] The hybrid pyrolysis system 200 has been discussed and illustrated as including each of the components discussed above, but the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 of FIG. 2 is not so limited. For example, while maintaining the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 of FIG. 2, various components thereof can be excluded. In a particular non-limiting example, recycled carbon can act as the only modification to the reactant feedstock from the kinetic booster for the hybrid pyrolysis system 200. In this example, the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 can rely on the feed mixer 230 by excluding the feed stream splitter 210 and / or the booster component 220 for mixing the fluidized recycled carbon with the incoming reactant feedstock. This recycled-carbon-only embodiment of the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 can be useful, for example, to facilitate maintenance of the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 and / or to help reduce the footprint of the hybrid pyrolysis system 200. In another particular non-limiting example, the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 can rely only on the booster component 220 to add modification for thermal pyrolysis to the reactant feedstock, and thus, the flow path for recycled carbon can be excluded. In a related non-limiting example, the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 can be toggled between kinetic booster modes many times (e.g., recycled carbon only and / or reactor pre-plasma system only, etc.), and thus, can include each of the components discussed above. In yet another particular non-limiting example, the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 can exclude the optional heat exchanger and / or one or more of the various features of the booster component 220 shown in FIG. 2. In yet another particular non-limiting example, the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 can exclude (or rely only on) the post-reactor booster 250. Yet another particular example is discussed with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various components of the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 can be excluded while remaining within the above and other embodiments of the technology of the present invention.

[0058] Furthermore, although the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 has been discussed and illustrated as including a 1:1 ratio between its components, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 of FIG. 2 is not so limited. For example, the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 can include a plurality of reactor pre-boosters 226, a plurality of booster components 220, a plurality of reaction chambers within the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240, a plurality of thermal pyrolysis reactors 240, a plurality of reactor post-boosters 250, and / or any combination thereof. In a particular non-limiting example, a single reactor pre-booster 226 can be fluidly coupled to two or more reaction chambers within the thermal pyrolysis reactor 240.

[0059] Furthermore, it will be understood that one or more of the components of the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 discussed with reference to FIG. 2 can be combined and / or further divided into yet other sub-components. By way of example only, the feed mixer 230 can be an integral part of the thermal pyrolysis reactor that is fluidly coupled to each reaction chamber within the thermal pyrolysis reactor.

[0060] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a hybrid pyrolysis system 300 constructed in accordance with yet another embodiment of the technology of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the hybrid pyrolysis system 300 is substantially similar to the hybrid pyrolysis system 200 of FIG. 2. For example, the hybrid pyrolysis system 300 of FIG. 3 includes a feed stream splitter 310 that can be fluidly coupled to a reactant feed supply (e.g., a natural gas pipeline). The feed stream splitter 310 can controllably divide an incoming supply of reactant feed into various input channels and / or control the volume of reactant feed along each of these channels. In the illustrated embodiment, a first channel from the feed stream splitter 310 extends into the booster component 320 and then into the feed mixer 330, while a second channel extends directly from the feed stream splitter 310 to the feed mixer 330.

[0061] The booster component 320 shown in FIG. 3 includes a first pressure modifier 322, a plasma booster 324 (e.g., a cryogenic plasma booster and / or a thermal plasma booster) fluidly coupled thereto, and a second pressure modifier 326 fluidly coupled thereto. Similar to the above discussion, the plasma booster 324 can inject energy into the reactant feed to reduce the activation energy for the reactant feed during subsequent thermal pyrolysis. This energy can be injected by generating radicals in the reactant feed, preheating the reactant feed, and / or partially (or completely) reacting the reactant feed in the first flow path. This reaction can generate solid carbon that provides nucleation sites to assist in promoting the initiation of subsequent thermal pyrolysis. In some embodiments, the various operating parameters of the booster component 320 can be controlled to control various properties of the resulting carbon particles (e.g., specific surface area, density, and / or particle size, etc.).

[0062] The feed mixer 330 receives and mixes the reactant feed from the first and second flow paths. The feed mixer 330 supplies the mixed reactant feed to the thermal pyrolysis reactor 340. Similar to the above discussion, the thermal pyrolysis reactor 340 can include a reaction chamber thermally coupled to a combustion component. The reaction chamber can assist in transferring heat from combustion (e.g., of natural gas and / or hydrogen gas, etc.) in the combustion component to the mixed feed to promote thermal pyrolysis within the reaction chamber. However, since the mixed feed has a lower activation energy, the thermal pyrolysis reactor 340 can convert a greater portion of the reformed feed into hydrogen gas and solid carbon, and / or can consume less energy to convert the mixed feed.

[0063] The thermal pyrolysis reactor 340 can then discharge an output stream containing solid carbon and hydrogen gas towards the product analyzer 350. The product analyzer 350 can monitor various aspects of the output stream such as carbon content, hydrogen content, hydrocarbon content, ratio between hydrogen and unreacted hydrocarbons, production purity of hydrogen, characteristics of carbon (such as particle size, purity, and / or density, etc.), by-product content, temperature, and / or pressure, etc. Next, the product analyzer 350 can communicate the information to the controller 360.

[0064] Controller 360 is operably coupled to a feed stream splitter 310, a plasma booster 324 of a booster component 320, a feed mixer 330, and / or a thermal pyrolysis reactor 340. Accordingly, controller 360 can control various operating parameters of the components of hybrid pyrolysis system 300 in response to measurements from product analyzer 350. For example, similar to the discussion above, controller 360 can operate feed stream splitter 310 to modify the ratio between the first and second flow paths and thereby modify how much of the incoming reactant feed is directed through the kinetic booster upstream of thermal pyrolysis reactor 340. In another example, controller 360 can modify various operating parameters of plasma booster 324 (such as the current delivered to the plasma booster, the voltage delivered to the plasma booster, the pulse width, the pulse rate, and / or the temperature of the plasma booster, etc.) each of which can affect the energy delivered to the reactant feed within the first flow path. That is, controller 360 can modify various operating parameters of plasma booster 324 to modify how much momentum increase plasma booster 324 provides upstream of thermal pyrolysis reactor 340. In another example, controller 360 can modify various operating parameters of thermal pyrolysis reactor 340 such as the operating temperature of thermal pyrolysis reactor 340 and / or the consumption rate of the feedstock being consumed. Also as discussed above, modification of the operating parameters of hybrid pyrolysis system 300 may be based on various targets regarding the product stream. For example, these modifications may be based on target rates of hydrogen and / or carbon production, target product purity with respect to hydrogen, target properties with respect to carbon, overall targets regarding hydrogen and / or carbon production, target energy consumption, and / or targets regarding energy efficiency. In a particular non-limiting example, the modification can help ensure that hydrogen gas is at least about 75% of the product stream.

[0065] The product analyzer 350 can then direct the product stream to the product stream processing component 370. Similar to the product stream processing component 270 of FIG. 2, the product stream processing component 370 can include various product separators, compressors, and / or gas processors to separate the products within the product stream from each other and / or to condition the separated products for downstream use. For example, the product stream processing component 370 can include one or more carbon separation components (e.g., a cyclone separator, one or more filters (e.g., a mesh filter and / or a bag filter, etc.), a gas-liquid separator, and / or any other suitable separator) to remove carbon (and other particulates) from the gas within the product stream. The product stream processing component 370 can then direct a portion of the separated carbon particulates (sometimes referred to herein as "recycled carbon") back to the feed mixer to combine with the incoming hydrocarbon reactant. Similar to the discussion of carbon before the reactor above, the recycled carbon can also provide nucleation sites fluidized in the reactant feed. In various embodiments, the product stream processing component 370 can select the carbon to be recycled based on its size, density, and / or surface area. In addition to or instead of this, the product stream processing component 370 can assist in processing and / or filtering the gas within the product stream. The product stream processing component 370 can then direct the resulting hydrogen gas (a mixture with various residual gases such as high purity hydrogen gas or unreacted natural gas) to various end points.

[0066] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of a hybrid pyrolysis system 400 configured in accordance with various particular embodiments of the technology of the present invention. As shown in Figure 4, the hybrid pyrolysis system 400 is substantially similar to the hybrid pyrolysis systems 200, 300 described in Figures 2 and 3 respectively. For example, the hybrid pyrolysis system 400 of Figure 4 includes a plasma booster 420 configured to receive hydrocarbon reactants from a supply of hydrocarbon reactants, a thermal pyrolysis reactor 440 fluidly coupled thereto, a product analyzer 450 fluidly coupled thereto, and a product stream processing component 470 fluidly coupled thereto, and in addition thereto includes a controller operably coupled to the plasma booster 420, the thermal pyrolysis reactor 440, and the product analyzer 450. However, in the illustrated embodiment, the hybrid pyrolysis system 400 includes a single flow path for the incoming reactant feedstock and does not recycle carbon from the product stream. As a result, the hybrid pyrolysis system 400 can exclude the feedstock flow splitter and feedstock mixer discussed above.

[0067] The single-path embodiment shown in Figure 4 can help to reduce the footprint of the overall hybrid pyrolysis system 400 and / or can help to simplify the operation of the hybrid pyrolysis system 400. For example, the controller 460 can focus on modifying the operating parameters of the plasma booster 420 and / or the thermal pyrolysis reactor 440 to regulate the output from the hybrid pyrolysis system 400. Further, the adjustment of the operating parameters affects the single incoming flow path and thus can affect the output from the hybrid pyrolysis system 400 more quickly and / or directly.

[0068] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of process 500 for operating a pyrolysis system in accordance with an embodiment of the technology of the present invention. Process 500 of FIG. 5 can be executed by any one of the controllers discussed above with respect to various components of the pyrolysis system (e.g., any of the components discussed above with respect to FIGS. 1-4). In addition or alternatively, although this specification discusses situations where all are executed by a single component (e.g., all are executed by a single controller), it will be understood that one or more stages within process 500 can be executed by one or more different computer devices than one or more other stages.

[0069] Process 500 begins by receiving an input stream of hydrocarbon reactants at block 502. As discussed above, hydrocarbon reactants (sometimes referred to herein as "reactant feedstock," "hydrocarbon feedstock," and / or "reaction fuel," etc.) can include natural gas, high-purity methane, ethane biogas, propane, and / or another suitable hydrocarbon. The input stream can be received from another suitable source of hydrocarbon reactants such as a natural gas pipeline and / or storage vessel. Further, the hydrocarbon reactants can be received by various suitable components of the pyrolysis system such as a feed stream splitter, booster component, and / or feed mixing component.

[0070] At block 504, process 500 includes reforming the input stream to provide a kinetic boost to the hydrocarbon reactants upstream of the thermal pyrolysis reactor within the pyrolysis system. As discussed above, this reforming can include various reformings of the input stream. For example, reforming can include adding thermal energy to the hydrocarbon reactants (e.g., preheating the reactants), one or more intermediate chemical species (e.g., CH3 * and / or H *forming (such as), directing the input stream through one or more catalysts (e.g., a ceramic mesh coated with a non-oxidizing catalyst), doping the input with carbon microparticles, doping the input with an oxidizing catalyst (e.g., water, steam, air, and / or methanol), doping the input with reactive hydrocarbon species (e.g., C2, C3, C 3+ , and / or polyaromatic compounds, etc.), and / or partially and / or completely reacting a portion of the inflow stream (e.g., performing a pyrolysis reaction on a portion of the input within a plasma component), etc. can be included. In each example, the reforming reduces the activation energy that the thermal pyrolysis reactor must supply to reach a target pyrolysis rate (e.g., total hydrogen production, percentage conversion rate, and / or purity of hydrogen in the product from the pyrolysis system) within the pyrolysis system. In addition to or instead of this, the reforming from the kinetic booster can help reduce the accumulation of carbon in the thermal pyrolysis reactor by increasing the amount of carbon carried by the fluidized particles and / or suppressing the accumulation of hard carbon in the thermal pyrolysis reactor. In some embodiments, the reforming includes splitting the input stream into two or more channels, passing one or more of the channels through a booster component, and then remixing the split streams. In some embodiments, the reforming includes passing all of the input stream through a booster component. In some embodiments, the reforming includes mixing one or more doping agents (e.g., carbon, polyaromatic compounds, and / or oxidizing catalyst, etc.) with the input stream within a mixing component.

[0071] In block 506, step 500 includes providing the reformed feed stream to a thermal pyrolysis reactor. The thermal pyrolysis reactor can include one or more reaction chambers that receive the reformed feed stream. In a multi-chamber embodiment, step 500 can include dividing the reformed feed stream at block 506 into a plurality of streams each corresponding to one of the chambers. Next, in block 508, step 500 includes heating the reformed feed stream to cause a pyrolysis reaction. For example, as discussed above, one or more combustion components can supply heat to each of the one or more reaction chambers within the thermal pyrolysis reactor. The reaction chamber can then transfer heat from the combustion to hydrocarbon reactants within the reformed feed stream, thereby causing a pyrolysis reaction. As discussed above, the pyrolysis reaction decomposes hydrocarbons within the product stream for the thermal pyrolysis reactor into hydrogen gas and solid carbon (and / or various by-products).

[0072] In block 510, step 500 processes the product stream from the thermal pyrolysis reactor to separate solid carbon therefrom (e.g., thereby separating solid carbon by-products and hydrogen gas by-products). In the separated state, the solid carbon and hydrogen gas can be directed to various suitable end points such as another processing unit (e.g., a gas scrubber), a chemical processing unit, a recovery chamber, and / or a combustion component, among others.

[0073] One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the illustrated step 500 can be modified and still remain within the above and other embodiments of the technology of the present invention. For example, step 500 can be modified to incorporate analyzing the product stream and / or adjusting operating parameters for the pyrolysis system based on the results of this analysis in light of any of the steps discussed below with reference to FIG. 6. In another example, step 500 can be modified to include a kinetic booster stage (e.g., adding a post-reactor booster component) in block 508 that helps complete the pyrolysis reaction within the hydrocarbon reactants after heating the reformed feed.

[0074] Figure 6 is a flow diagram of process 600 for dynamically operating a pyrolysis system in accordance with various specific embodiments of the technology of the present invention. Similar to process 500 discussed above with reference to FIG. 5, process 600 of FIG. 6 can be performed by any one of the controllers discussed above with respect to various components of the pyrolysis system (e.g., any of the components discussed above with respect to FIGS. 1-4). In addition to or in place of this, although this specification discusses situations where all are performed by a single component (e.g., all by a single controller), it will be understood that one or more steps within process 600 can be performed by one or more other computer devices different from one or more other steps.

[0075] Process 600 begins at block 602 by splitting an incoming reactant feed into two (or more than two) flow paths (e.g., streams) based on a controlled ratio. The splitting at block 602 can be performed by a feed splitting component using one or more controllable valves, flow meters, and / or any other suitable components.

[0076] In block 604, step 600 includes directing a first flow path of reactant feedstock toward a feed mixer. For example, step 600 can include directing a first flow path (with or without the first optional heat exchanger 212) directly from the feed splitter 210 of FIG. 2 to the feed mixer 230. Conversely, in block 606, step 600 includes directing a second flow path of reactant feedstock through a booster component (e.g., booster component 220 of FIG. 2) toward the feed mixer. As discussed above, the booster component can reform these hydrocarbon reactants by heating the hydrocarbon reactants in the second flow path to partially or fully react them, doping the hydrocarbon reactants with various catalysts, and / or passing the hydrocarbon reactants through various catalyst components. As a result, the hydrocarbon reactants in the second flow path can have only a lower thermal decomposition activation energy than the hydrocarbon reactants in the first flow path.

[0077] With each of the flow paths having reached the feed mixer, in block 608, step 600 includes mixing the hydrocarbon reactants from the first flow path with the hydrocarbon reactants from the second flow path. The resulting mixed stream (sometimes also referred to as the “reformed feed stream”) can have a lower activation energy than the hydrocarbon reactants received in block 602 and / or be otherwise reformed to help improve the operation of the thermal pyrolysis reactor.

[0078] In block 610, step 600 includes directing the mixed stream through a thermal pyrolysis reactor. Similar to the discussion above, the thermal pyrolysis reactor can include one or more reaction chambers that receive the mixed stream. In a multi-chamber embodiment, step 600 can include, in block 610, dividing the mixed stream into a plurality of streams each corresponding to one of the chambers. The thermal pyrolysis reactor then heats the mixed stream to initiate a pyrolysis reaction. As further discussed above, the pyrolysis reaction decomposes hydrocarbons into hydrogen gas and solid carbon (and / or various by-products) in the product stream for the thermal pyrolysis reactor.

[0079] In block 612, step 600 includes analyzing the product from the thermal pyrolysis reactor and / or post-treating the product from the pyrolysis system (e.g., after separating solid carbon from hydrogen gas). The analysis can include measuring the total volume of hydrogen in the product, the total volume of carbon in the product, the ratio of hydrogen to other gases in the product, the ratio of hydrogen to unreacted hydrocarbon reactants in the product, various parameters of the solid carbon (e.g., size, density, and / or surface area, purity of the obtained carbon and / or oil content of the obtained carbon, etc.), and / or any other suitable parameters. In a specific non-limiting example, step 600 can include, in block 612, checking whether hydrogen gas occupies at least about 75% (e.g., by volume, weight, and / or molar ratio, etc.) of the gases in the product. In another specific non-limiting example, step 600 can include, in block 612, checking the conversion rate of hydrocarbon reactants to hydrogen gas with respect to a preset energy input (e.g., checking the kilowatt-hour heat per kilogram of H2 generated (H2's kWH_therm / kg)). In some such embodiments, step 600 includes, in block 612, checking the obtained measurement against a baseline (e.g., H2's kWH_therm / kg for a reactor that does not receive an increase) and verifying that H2's kWH_therm / kg is reduced by 1-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, and / or 25-fold compared to the baseline.

[0080] At block 614, step 600 includes adjusting one or more parameters of the pyrolysis system based on the analysis from block 612. The parameters can include the controlled ratios discussed above with reference to block 604 (e.g., the ratio of hydrocarbon reactants directed into the first flow path to hydrocarbon reactants directed into the second flow path). In addition to or instead of this, the parameters can include various operating parameters of the booster components such as the current, voltage, pulse width, and / or pulse frequency sent to the plasma booster, the operating temperature of the booster components, the operating pressure of the booster components, the residence time in the booster components, and / or the amount of doping catalyst added to the hydrocarbon reactants. In addition to or instead of this, the parameters can include various operating parameters of the thermal pyrolysis reactor such as the operating temperature of the reaction chamber, the volume of combustion fuel consumed, the flow rate through the thermal pyrolysis reactor, and / or the operating pressure of the reaction chamber.

[0081] Examples The technology of the present invention is illustrated by various aspects described, for example, below. Various embodiments of aspects of the technology of the present invention will be described as numbered embodiments (such as 1, 2, 3) for convenience. These aspects are provided as an example and do not limit the technology of the present invention. Note that any of the dependent embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner and incorporated into their respective independent embodiments. Other embodiments can be presented in a similar manner. 1. A method of operating a hybrid pyrolysis system, the method comprising: receiving an input stream of hydrocarbon reactants from a supply of hydrocarbon reactants; reforming the input stream to generate a reformed input stream; heating the reformed input stream in a pyrolysis chamber of a pyrolysis reactor to promote a pyrolysis reaction that generates an output stream comprising solid carbon and hydrogen gas; and removing at least a portion of the solid carbon from the output stream to purify the hydrogen gas in the output stream. includes 2. Generating a reformed feed stream includes adding solid carbon particles to the feed stream, as in the method of Example 1. 3. The method of Example 2 further includes recycling a portion of the solid carbon removed from the product stream into the reformed feed stream. 4. The method further includes directing a first portion of the feed stream through a pre-reactor booster component configured to generate carbon particles by an initial pyrolysis reaction of hydrocarbon reactants in the first portion of the feed stream, and generating a reformed feed stream includes combining the product from the pre-reactor booster component with a second portion of the feed stream in a feed mixer upstream of the pyrolysis reactor. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 3. 5. The method of Example 4, wherein the pre-reactor booster component includes a thermoelectric heating component. 6. The method according to any one of Examples 4 and 5, wherein the pre-reactor booster component includes a plasma booster component. 7. Generating a reformed feed stream includes exposing the feed stream to a non-oxidizing catalyst booster containing one or more of W, Mo, Pt, Ru, Rh, Ir, Fe, Ni, Cu, Mn, Zn, and / or Bi, as in the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 6. 8. Generating a reformed feed stream includes doping the feed stream with one or more reactive species, where the one or more reactive species include one or more molecules of C2, C3, other higher hydrocarbons with low energy requirements for hydrogen extraction, and / or polyaromatic species, as in the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 7. 9. After removing solid carbon from the product stream, hydrogen gas constitutes at least 75% of the product stream, as in the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 8. 10. Further comprising directing a portion of the hydrogen gas within the product stream towards a combustion component thermally coupled to the pyrolysis chamber, wherein heating the pyrolysis chamber includes burning the portion of the hydrogen gas directed towards the combustion component, according to any of the methods of Examples 1 to 9. 11. A combustion component, A feedstock mixing component fluidly connectable to a supply of reaction feedstock comprising a hydrocarbon reactant and a kinetic booster component, and configured to mix the reaction feedstock with a make-up stream from the kinetic booster component to generate an input stream, A pyrolysis reactor chamber fluidly connected to the feedstock mixing component and thermally coupled to the combustion component, and configured to transfer heat from the combustion by the combustion component to the input stream to generate an output stream comprising hydrogen gas and solid carbon, and A carbon separation component coupled to the pyrolysis reactor chamber for separating at least a portion of the solid carbon from the hydrogen gas within the output stream, A pyrolysis system comprising. 12. The pyrolysis system of Example 11, further comprising a kinetic booster component including a reuse component fluidly connected between the carbon separation component and the feedstock mixing component and configured to direct carbon particles from the carbon separation component towards the feedstock mixing component to provide a make-up stream. 13. The pyrolysis system according to any of Examples 11 and 12, further comprising a kinetic booster component including a plasma booster component fluidly connectable to a supply of reaction feedstock and configured to reform a portion of the reaction feedstock upstream of the feedstock mixing component. 14. The pyrolysis system of Example 13, wherein the plasma booster component is configured to heat a portion of the reaction feedstock to promote an initial pyrolysis reaction and generate carbon particles. 15. The pyrolysis system according to any of Examples 13 and 14, further comprising a feedstock flow splitter fluidly connectable to a supply of reaction feedstock upstream of the plasma booster component and the feedstock mixing component, and configured to control a ratio of an inflow reaction feedstock directed towards the plasma booster component or an inflow reaction feedstock directed directly towards the feedstock mixing component. 16. A pyrolysis system according to any one of Examples 11 to 15, wherein the make-up flow from the kinetic booster component contains one or more of solid carbon particles, polycyclic aromatic chemical species, and / or oxidizing chemical species. 17. A pyrolysis system according to any one of Examples 11 to 16, further comprising a raw material preheating heat exchanger thermally coupled to the input line for the reaction raw material upstream of the raw material mixing component. 18. A pyrolysis system according to any one of Examples 11 to 17, wherein the make-up flow from the kinetic booster component includes an oxidizing catalyst booster containing one or more of air, water, steam, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and / or methanol. 19. A plasma booster component fluidly connectable to a supply of hydrocarbon raw material and configured to receive an input stream of the hydrocarbon raw material and generate an intermediate input stream, and a thermal pyrolysis component fluidly coupled to the plasma booster component for receiving the intermediate input stream, the thermal pyrolysis component being fluidly connectable to a supply of combustion raw material and configured to generate heat through combustion of the combustion raw material, and a combustion component; a pyrolysis reactor chamber thermally coupled to the combustion component and configured to transfer heat from the combustion to the hydrocarbon in the intermediate input stream to generate an output stream containing hydrogen gas and solid carbon. A multi-stage pyrolysis system comprising the above thermal pyrolysis component. 20. A multi-stage pyrolysis system according to Example 19, wherein the intermediate input stream contains carbon particles, and the multi-stage pyrolysis system further comprises a controller configured to adjust the operating parameters of the plasma booster component to adjust the total surface area of the carbon particles in the intermediate input stream. 21. The input stream is a first input stream, The multi-stage pyrolysis system is A hydrocarbon raw material flow splitter fluidly connectable to a supply of hydrocarbon raw material upstream of the plasma booster component and configured to divide the incoming raw material into a first input stream and a second input stream, and A hydrocarbon feed mixer fluidly coupled between a plasma booster component and a thermal pyrolysis component, wherein a hydrocarbon feed stream splitter is further configured to direct a second input stream directly to the hydrocarbon feed mixer and to mix an intermediate input stream upstream from the thermal pyrolysis component with the second input stream. further comprising A multi-stage pyrolysis system according to either Example 19 or Example 20. 22. A multi-stage pyrolysis system according to any one of Examples 19 to 21, wherein the plasma booster component is fluidly coupled to a supply of gas catalyst and the plasma booster component is further configured to mix a volume of gas catalyst with the hydrocarbon feed.

[0082] Conclusion Although specific embodiments of the technology of the present invention have been described herein for illustrative purposes, it will be appreciated that well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of these embodiments of the technology of the present invention. Where any material incorporated by reference herein is contrary to the disclosure of the present invention, the disclosure of the present invention shall prevail. Where circumstances permit, singular or plural items can also include plural or singular items. Further, with respect to a list of two or more items, the use of the word "or" in such a list shall be construed to include (a) any single item in the list, (b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of the items in the list, unless explicitly limited to mean only a single item excluding the other items. Further, phrases such as "and / or" as used herein in the case of "A and / or B" mean only A, only B, and both A and B. In addition to this, throughout this specification, the terms "comprising", "including", "having", and "with" are used to mean including at least the recited features, and thus do not exclude any greater number of the same features and / or additional types of other features. Further, in this specification, the terms "substantially", "approximately", and "about" are used to mean within at least 10% of a given value or limit. By way of example only, an approximate ratio means a ratio within 10% of a given ratio.

[0083] Some implementations of the disclosed technology of the present invention have been described above with reference to the figures. A computer device capable of implementing the described technology can include one or more central processing units, a memory, an input device (e.g., a keyboard and a pointing device), an output device (e.g., a display device), a storage device (e.g., a disk drive), and a network device (e.g., a network interface). The memory and the storage device are computer-readable storage media capable of storing instructions for implementing at least a portion of the described technology. In addition to this, data structures and message structures can be stored or transmitted through a data transmission medium such as a signal on a communication link. Various communication links such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, or a point-to-point dial-up connection can be used. Thus, a computer-readable medium can include a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a "non-transitory" medium) and a computer-readable transmission medium.

[0084] It will also be recognized that various modifications can be made without departing from the disclosure or technology of the present invention. For example, those skilled in the art will understand that various components of the technology of the present invention can be further divided into sub-components, or that various components and functions of the technology of the present invention can be combined and integrated. In addition to this, certain aspects of the technology of the present invention described in the context of a particular embodiment can be combined or excluded in other embodiments.

[0085] Furthermore, although the advantages associated with certain embodiments of the technology of the present invention have been described in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments can also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments necessarily exhibit such advantages falling within the scope of the technology of the present invention. Accordingly, the disclosure and related technology of the present invention can include other embodiments not explicitly shown or described herein.

Description of the Reference Signs

[0086] 100 Thermal decomposition system 110 Booster component 120 Thermal decomposition reactor 130 Product stream processing component 140 Combustion exhaust gas processing component A First path

Claims

1. A method of operating a hydrogen pyrolysis system, comprising: receiving an input stream of the hydrocarbon reactant from a supply of the hydrocarbon reactant; reforming the input stream to generate a reformed input stream; heating the reformed input stream in a pyrolysis chamber of a pyrolysis reactor to promote a pyrolysis reaction that generates an output stream containing solid carbon and hydrogen gas within the reformed input stream; and removing at least a portion of the solid carbon from the output stream to purify the hydrogen gas within the output stream. A method comprising the above.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein generating the reformed input stream includes adding solid carbon particles to the input stream.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising recycling a portion of the solid carbon removed from the output stream into the reformed input stream.

4. The method further includes directing a first portion of the input stream through a pre-reactor booster component, the pre-reactor booster component being configured to generate carbon particles through an initial pyrolysis reaction of the hydrocarbon reactant in the first portion of the input stream, wherein generating the reformed input stream includes combining an output from the pre-reactor booster component with a second portion of the input stream in a raw material mixer upstream of the pyrolysis reactor. The method according to claim 1.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the pre-reactor booster component includes a thermoelectric heating component.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the pre-reactor booster component includes a plasma booster component.

7. Generating the reformed input stream includes exposing the input stream to a non-oxidizing catalyst booster, the non-oxidizing catalyst booster including one or more of W, Mo, Pt, Ru, Rh, Ir, Fe, Ni, Cu, Mn, Zn, and / or Bi. The method according to claim 1.

8. Generating the reformed input stream includes doping the input stream with one or more reactive species, the one or more reactive species including one or more molecules of C2, C3, and / or polyaromatic species. The method according to claim 1.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein after removing solid carbon from the product stream, the hydrogen gas comprises at least 75% of the product stream.

10. Further comprising directing a portion of the hydrogen gas in the product stream towards a combustion component thermally coupled to the pyrolysis chamber, heating the pyrolysis chamber includes burning the portion of the hydrogen gas directed towards the combustion component, The method according to claim 1.

11. A combustion component, A raw material mixing component fluidly connectable to a supply of reaction raw materials and a kinetic booster component, wherein the reaction raw materials include hydrocarbon reactants, and the raw material mixing component is configured to mix the reaction raw materials with a replenishment stream from the kinetic booster component to generate an input stream, A pyrolysis reactor chamber fluidly connected to the raw material mixing component and thermally connected to the combustion component, configured to transfer heat from the combustion by the combustion component to the input stream to generate a product stream containing hydrogen gas and solid carbon, A carbon separation component coupled to the pyrolysis reactor chamber for separating at least a portion of the solid carbon from the hydrogen gas within the product stream, A pyrolysis system comprising.

12. The kinetic booster component further includes a reuse component fluidly connected between the carbon separation component and the raw material mixing component, The reuse component is configured to direct carbon particles from the carbon separation component towards the raw material mixing component to provide the replenishment stream, The pyrolysis system according to claim 11.

13. The kinetic booster component further includes a plasma booster component fluidly connectable to the supply of the reaction raw materials, The plasma booster component is configured to reform a portion of the reaction raw materials upstream of the raw material mixing component, The pyrolysis system according to claim 11.

14. The pyrolysis system according to claim 13, wherein the plasma booster component is configured to heat the portion of the reaction raw materials to promote an initial pyrolysis reaction and generate carbon particles.

15. Further comprising a raw material flow splitter fluidly connectable to the supply of the reaction raw material upstream of the plasma booster component and the raw material mixing component, The raw material flow splitter is configured to control the ratio of the incoming reaction raw material directed towards the plasma booster component or directly towards the raw material mixing component, The pyrolysis system according to claim 13.

16. The pyrolysis system according to claim 11, wherein the make-up flow from the kinetic booster component comprises one or more of solid carbon particles, polycyclic aromatic chemical species, and / or oxidizing chemical species.

17. The pyrolysis system according to claim 11, further comprising a raw material preheating heat exchanger thermally coupled to the feed line for the reaction raw material upstream of the raw material mixing component.

18. The pyrolysis system according to claim 11, wherein the make-up flow from the kinetic booster component comprises an oxidizing catalyst booster comprising one or more of air, water, steam, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and / or methanol.

19. A plasma booster component fluidly connectable to a supply of hydrocarbon raw material, the plasma booster component configured to receive an input stream of the hydrocarbon raw material and generate an intermediate input stream, A thermal pyrolysis component fluidly coupled to the plasma booster component for receiving the intermediate input stream, comprising The thermal pyrolysis component A combustion component fluidly connectable to a supply of combustion raw material and configured to generate heat through combustion of the combustion raw material, A pyrolysis reactor chamber thermally coupled to the combustion component and configured to transfer the heat from the combustion to the hydrocarbons in the intermediate input stream to generate an output stream comprising hydrogen gas and solid carbon, A multi-stage pyrolysis system comprising.

20. The intermediate input stream contains carbon particles, The multi-stage pyrolysis system further comprises a controller configured to adjust the operating parameters of the plasma booster component to adjust the total surface area of the carbon particles in the intermediate input stream. The multi-stage pyrolysis system according to claim 19.

21. The input stream is a first input stream, The multi-stage pyrolysis system A hydrocarbon feed stream splitter fluidly connectable to the supply of the hydrocarbon feed upstream of the plasma booster component, the hydrocarbon feed stream splitter configured to split an incoming feed into a first feed stream and a second feed stream; A hydrocarbon feed mixer fluidly coupled between the plasma booster component and the thermal pyrolysis component, the hydrocarbon feed stream splitter further configured to direct the second feed stream directly to the hydrocarbon feed mixer, the hydrocarbon feed mixer configured to mix the intermediate feed stream with the second feed stream upstream of the thermal pyrolysis component; further comprising; The multi-stage pyrolysis system according to claim 19.

22. The plasma booster component is fluidly coupled to a supply of additional process gas; The plasma booster component is further configured to mix a volume of the additional process gas with the hydrocarbon feed; The multi-stage pyrolysis system according to claim 19.

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