Carbon dioxide recovery device

Abstract

To provide a carbon dioxide recovery device that can perform air ventilation in an exterior body without increasing energy consumption.SOLUTION: A carbon dioxide recovery device 1 comprises: a plurality of reactors 11 that have an adsorbent 12 therein and executes an adsorption process in which a gas containing carbon dioxide is sucked and adsorbed to the adsorbent 12, and a desorption process in which carbon dioxide is desorbed from the adsorbent 12 by heating in the state of a circumference of the adsorbent 12 is decompressed; a fan 61 providing a gas flow to the plurality of reactors 11; an exterior body 1000 which accommodates the reactor 11 and the fan 61 therein; an adsorption line 101 which is accommodated in the exterior body 1000, connects the plurality of reactors 11 and the fan 61, and guides the gas discharged from the reactor 11 in the adsorption process to an exhaust port 1020 provided in the exterior body 1000; and a diversion part 1040 which diverts a part of the gas flowing in the adsorption line 101 to the exterior of the adsorption line 101 and the interior of the exterior body 1000.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to carbon dioxide capture devices. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known techniques for recovering carbon dioxide from carbon dioxide-containing gases such as the atmosphere. One example of this type of technique is Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes a technique in which outside air is taken in and sent to a unit equipped with an adsorbent to adsorb the carbon dioxide, and then the unit is evacuated to a vacuum pressure, heated, and the carbon dioxide is extracted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2017-528318 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, the carbon dioxide capture device for capturing carbon dioxide as described in Patent Document 1 has a complex arrangement of multiple reactors (referred to as units in Patent Document 1) each having an adsorbent, a heat exchanger, gas piping, piping for a heat medium for heat exchange, wiring for various sensors, etc. Therefore, if each of these components is housed in a single exterior body, the carbon dioxide capture device can be completed in a manufacturing factory or the like, which is thought to ensure the required performance, facilitate movement and installation, and increase convenience.

[0005] Carbon dioxide capture devices capture carbon dioxide at high concentrations, and if this high concentration of carbon dioxide were to leak and fill the inside of the exterior body, it would be considered a dangerous situation for humans, so it was necessary to ventilate the inside of the exterior body.

[0006] However, adding a ventilation fan or the like for ventilation purposes requires that the ventilation fan be operated at all times, which increases energy consumption.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a carbon dioxide capture device that can ventilate the inside of an exterior body without increasing energy consumption. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present disclosure solves the above-mentioned problems by the following means: For ease of understanding, the following description will be given with reference numerals corresponding to the embodiments of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited to these.

[0009] The first disclosure relates to a system including a plurality of reactors (11) each having an adsorbent (12) therein, each of which performs an adsorption step of drawing a gas containing carbon dioxide into the adsorbent (12) to adsorb the carbon dioxide, and a desorption step of heating the adsorbent (12) under reduced pressure to desorb the carbon dioxide from the adsorbent (12); and a fan (61) for applying a gas flow to the plurality of reactors (11); The carbon dioxide capture device (1) includes: an exterior body (1000) that houses the reactor (11) and the fan (61) therein; a pipeline (101) that is housed in the exterior body (1000), connects the plurality of reactors (11) and the fan (61), and guides gas exhausted from the reactor (11) in the adsorption step to an exhaust port (1020) provided in the exterior body (1000); and a diversion section (1040) that diverts a portion of the gas flowing through the pipeline (101) out of the pipeline (101) and into the exterior body (1000).

[0010] The second disclosure is a carbon dioxide recovery device (1) described in claim 1, characterized in that the diversion section (1040) generates a gas flow within the outer casing (1000) by the diverted gas.

[0011] The third disclosure is a carbon dioxide recovery device (1) described in claim 2, characterized in that the exterior body (1000) has a second exhaust port (1030) provided at a position different from the exhaust port (1020), and the diverting section (1040) generates a gas flow within the exterior body (1000) so that the diverted gas flows toward the second exhaust port (1030).

[0012] The fourth disclosure is a carbon dioxide recovery device (1) according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the diversion section (1040) is a diversion plate arranged to partially protrude into the pipeline (101), or a diversion pipe branched off from the pipeline (101) and piped. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a carbon dioxide capture device that can ventilate the inside of an exterior body without increasing energy consumption. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a carbon dioxide recovery device 1 of the present embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a carbon dioxide recovery device 1 of the present embodiment. [Figure 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the carbon dioxide recovery device 1 taken along the arrow AA in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration relating to the gas flow in the reactor 11 of the carbon dioxide recovery device 1 of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] 1 and 2 are perspective views showing the appearance of the carbon dioxide capture device 1 of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the carbon dioxide capture device 1 taken at the position of arrow AA in FIG. 1. Note that in FIG. 3, only parts necessary for explanation are shown in cross section, and configurations unnecessary for explanation are appropriately omitted. Note that the following explanation will be given using the carbon dioxide capture device 1 as an example of a gas capture device, but the configuration of amount adjustment control using a valve of the present disclosure can be similarly applied to the case of capturing gases other than carbon dioxide.

[0017] The carbon dioxide capture device 1 of this embodiment is applied to, for example, direct air capture (DAC) technology that captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in order to reduce the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide captured by the carbon dioxide capture device 1 is stored underground or reused as fuel or material.

[0018] The carbon dioxide capture device 1 of this embodiment houses main components such as a reactor 11, an adsorption line 101, and a fan 61, which will be described later, inside a roughly rectangular exterior body 1000. For ease of explanation, the wall surfaces surrounding the exterior body 1000 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are referred to as a front surface 1001, a back surface 1002, a right side surface 1003, and a left side surface 1004. The exterior body 1000 is in the form of a container. This allows the carbon dioxide capture device 1 to be easily transported. Furthermore, by making the shape conform to the standards for marine containers, it is highly convenient for marine transportation. Furthermore, by utilizing forklift holes provided in the exterior body 1000, it can be easily transported to an installation site, etc., by forklift.

[0019] The exterior body 1000 is provided with a reactor 11, an adsorption line 101, and a fan 61. In this embodiment, two opposing surfaces in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extension direction (longitudinal direction) of the piping of the adsorption line 101 are provided with eight reactors 11 on each surface, for a total of 16 reactors 11. A fourth valve 24 (described later) is connected to each of the reactors 11, and the reactors 11 are arranged in parallel to the adsorption line 101. That is, the adsorption line 101 is branched and connected to each of the reactors 11. The adsorption line 101 is a duct that connects the multiple reactors 11 with the fan 61 and guides gas exhausted from the reactors during the adsorption process to an exhaust port 1020 provided in the exterior body 1000. Note that the arrangement of the reactors 11 relative to the adsorption line 101 shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example, and other arrangements may be used.

[0020] The reactor 11 includes an adsorbent 12 disposed inside a box-shaped housing. One end of the reactor 11 is connected to intake ports 1010 provided on a right side surface 1003 and a left side surface 1004 of the exterior body 1000 via a third valve 23 (described later), and is disposed so as to be able to draw in air. The other end of the reactor 11 is connected to an adsorption line 101 via a fourth valve 24 (described later).

[0021] One fan 61 is provided at the point where the branched portions of the adsorption line 101 converge. When driven, the fan 61 generates a gas flow from "intake" to "exhaust" in each of the multiple reactors 11 arranged upstream of the adsorption line 101. This supplies atmospheric air into the reactor 11. The fan 61 also exhausts the gas that has passed through the adsorption line 101 from an exhaust port 1020 provided on the front surface 1001.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration regarding the gas flow in the reactor 11 of the carbon dioxide recovery device 1 of this embodiment.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 4, the carbon dioxide capture device 1 of this embodiment includes a reactor unit 10, a fan 61, a vacuum pump 62, a carbon dioxide capture pump 63, and a control device 90.

[0024] The reactor unit 10 is configured by arranging a plurality of reactors 11 in parallel, each of which adsorbs carbon dioxide. In this embodiment, a total of 16 reactors 11 are arranged by a pair of left and right reactor units 10.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the reactor 11 is a carbon dioxide capture reactor including an adsorbent 12, a first valve 21, a second valve 22, a third valve 23, a fourth valve 24, and an adsorbent temperature sensor 27.

[0026] The adsorbent 12 is placed inside the reactor 11 to adsorb carbon dioxide. The adsorbent 12 is a particulate material that has the property of adsorbing carbon dioxide at low temperatures (for example, in the range of -30°C to 50°C) and desorbing (releasing) carbon dioxide at high temperatures (for example, in the range of 50°C to 110°C) when the ambient carbon dioxide concentration is low. Examples of such adsorbent 12 include solid amine carbon dioxide adsorbents formed by supporting amine on a porous material such as silica.

[0027] The first valve 21 is an on-off valve arranged at the connection between the reactor 11 and a carbon dioxide line 103 that captures carbon dioxide. A carbon dioxide capture pump 63 is arranged in the carbon dioxide line 103. The second valve 22 is an on-off valve arranged at the connection between the reactor 11 and a vacuum line 102 in which a vacuum pump 62 is arranged. The third valve 23 is an on-off valve arranged at the inlet that takes in air and the like into the reactor 11. The fourth valve 24 is an on-off valve arranged at the connection between the adsorption line 101 and the reactor 11. A fan 61 is arranged in the adsorption line 101.

[0028] The first valve 21, the second valve 22, the third valve 23, and the fourth valve 24 are all controlled to open and close by a control device 90. The first valve 21, the second valve 22, the third valve 23, and the fourth valve 24 are each configured by, for example, a normally open butterfly valve.

[0029] The adsorbent temperature sensor 27 measures the temperature of the adsorbent 12. Measurement information of the adsorbent temperature sensor 27 is transmitted to the control device 90.

[0030] The vacuum line 102 is branched and connected to each of the reactors 11. The vacuum pump 62 is disposed at the point where the branched portions of the vacuum line 102 converge. When the vacuum pump 62 is driven, it sucks gas from the inside of the reactor 11 through the vacuum line 102, bringing the inside of the reactor 11 into a vacuum state or a state close to a vacuum state.

[0031] The carbon dioxide line 103 branches off and is connected to each of the reactors 11. A carbon dioxide capture pump 63 is disposed at the point where the branched portions of the carbon dioxide line 103 converge. The carbon dioxide capture pump 63 applies suction force to the carbon dioxide flowing through the carbon dioxide line 103, and stores the captured carbon dioxide in a tank (not shown) for storing carbon dioxide.

[0032] Next, the control device 90 will be described. The control device 90 controls the operation of each part of the carbon dioxide capture device 1. The control device 90 controls the operation of devices used for adsorption and desorption of carbon dioxide, such as driving and stopping. The control device 90 controls the opening and closing of the first valve 21, second valve 22, third valve 23, and fourth valve 24 provided in each reactor 11. The control device 90 also controls the fan 61, vacuum pump 62, and carbon dioxide capture pump 63.

[0033] The control device 90 is, for example, a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The control device 90 may be configured as one device or as multiple devices.

[0034] <Carbon dioxide capture> Next, the control for recovering carbon dioxide by the control device 90 will be described. The carbon dioxide recovery device 1 alternately performs an adsorption process in which the adsorbent 12 in the reactor 11 adsorbs carbon dioxide in a gas such as the air that has been taken in, and a desorption process in which the carbon dioxide adsorbed by the adsorbent 12 is desorbed, and the desorbed carbon dioxide is compressed and stored in a tank (not shown), thereby removing and recovering carbon dioxide from the air. In this embodiment, the adsorption process and the desorption process are performed with a ratio of adsorption process time:desorption process time=7:1.

[0035] The adsorption step is a step of adsorbing carbon dioxide to the adsorbent 12 in the reactor 11. In the adsorption step, the third valve 23 and the fourth valve 24 of the reactor 11 are opened, and the first valve 21 and the second valve 22 are closed. The fan 61 is driven to generate a gas flow from upstream to downstream, and a gas containing carbon dioxide (e.g., atmospheric air) is drawn in through the third valve 23. The drawn in gas passes through the adsorbent 12 in the reactor 11. At this time, the inside of the reactor 11 is at room temperature (25°C), and the carbon dioxide in the gas is adsorbed by the adsorbent 12. Gases other than carbon dioxide, such as nitrogen and oxygen, are exhausted to the outside of the carbon dioxide recovery device 1 through the fourth valve 24 and the adsorption line 101.

[0036] The desorption step is a step of desorbing carbon dioxide from the adsorbent 12 in the reactor 11. In the desorption step, the first valve 21, the third valve 23, and the fourth valve 24 of the reactor 11 are closed, and the second valve 22 is opened. The vacuum pump 62 is operated to suck air into the reactor 11 and reduce the pressure to create a vacuum state or a near-vacuum state. At the same time, a heat medium serving as a heat source flows through the reactor 11 to supply thermal energy and raise the temperature of the adsorbent 12 in the reactor 11.

[0037] By controlling the temperature rise of the adsorbent 12, the adsorbent 12 is also heated to a predetermined temperature (e.g., 80°C) sufficient for the desorption step, and the carbon dioxide adsorbed in the adsorbent 12 is desorbed. Next, the second valve 22, the third valve 23, and the fourth valve 24 are closed, the first valve 21 is opened, and the carbon dioxide recovery pump 63 is driven, and the desorbed carbon dioxide is stored in a tank (not shown) through the carbon dioxide line 103. In this embodiment, each step is controlled so that 12 of the 16 reactors 11 perform the adsorption step and the remaining four perform the desorption step.

[0038] With the above-described configuration, the carbon dioxide capture device 1 of this embodiment desorbs carbon dioxide from the reactor 11 and captures it in a carbon dioxide tank (not shown) or the like via the carbon dioxide line 103. Therefore, during the desorption process, high-concentration carbon dioxide flows through the line from the reactor 11 to the carbon dioxide tank via the carbon dioxide line 103. Because high-concentration carbon dioxide is harmful to the human body, it is undesirable, even in the unlikely event, for the interior of the exterior body 1000 to be filled with carbon dioxide. Therefore, the carbon dioxide capture device 1 of this embodiment is provided with a diverter 1040 as a configuration for ventilating the interior of the exterior body 1000 during operation.

[0039] The diverter 1040 is a diverter plate made of a substantially plate-shaped member that is arranged downstream of the fan 61 in the suction line 101. One end of the diverter 1040 protrudes into the suction line 101, and the other end is provided outside the suction line 101 and inside the exterior body 1000. An opening 101a is provided in the portion of the suction line 101 where the diverter 1040 is provided. The diverter 1040 diverts a portion of the gas flowing through the suction line 101 out of the suction line 101 and into the exterior body 1000. The diverter 1040 is curved so that the diverted gas flows toward the rear surface 1002.

[0040] 3, the original flow for carbon dioxide capture generated by fan 61 is indicated by an open arrow, and the flow of gas diverted by diverter 1040 is indicated by a black arrow. By operation of fan 61, outside air is introduced into reactor 11 from intake port 1010, carbon dioxide is absorbed by adsorbent 12, and the gas leaving reactor 11 passes through adsorption line 101 and is exhausted from exhaust port 1020. In addition, a portion of the gas pushed out by fan 61 is diverted by diverter 1040, travels from diverter 1040 toward rear surface 1002, and is exhausted from second exhaust port 1030 provided on rear surface 1002. This flow of gas from diverter 1040 to second exhaust port 1030 ventilates the interior of exterior body 1000.

[0041] In this embodiment, the rear surface 1002 is provided with, as second exhaust ports 1030, a second exhaust port 1031 provided below the rear surface 1002 and a second exhaust port 1032 provided above the rear surface 1002. The arrangement and number of the second exhaust ports 1030 can be changed as appropriate.

[0042] As described above, the carbon dioxide capture device 1 of this embodiment is provided with the diverter 1040, and therefore does not require an exhaust fan, and uses part of the gas exhausted by the fan 61 to ventilate the inside of the exterior body 1000. Therefore, the carbon dioxide capture device 1 of this embodiment can ventilate the inside of the exterior body 1000 without increasing energy consumption.

[0043] (Variations) The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible, and these are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0044] (1) In the embodiment, the diverter 1040 has been described as being a curved plate-like member. This is not limiting, and the diverter may be, for example, a flat plate-like member. Furthermore, the diverter is not limited to a plate-like member, and may be a tubular member (diverter pipe) through which the diverted gas can pass. The diverter may have any configuration as long as it is capable of diverting the gas flow from the adsorption line 101.

[0045] (2) In the embodiment, an example has been described in which the exterior body 1000 has the shape of a container. However, the shape is not limited to this, and the exterior body may have, for example, a cylindrical shape or another shape.

[0046] The embodiments and modifications may be used in combination as appropriate, but detailed description thereof will be omitted. The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1. Carbon dioxide capture device 10 Reactor Unit 11 Reactor 12 Adsorbent 101 suction line 101a opening 1000 exterior body 1001 Front 1002 Back 1003 Right side 1004 left side 1010 Air intake 1020 exhaust port 1030 Second exhaust port 1031 Second exhaust port 1032 Second exhaust port 1040 Diversion section

Claims

1. a plurality of reactors each having an adsorbent therein, each reactor performing an adsorption step of drawing a gas containing carbon dioxide into the adsorbent to adsorb the carbon dioxide, and a desorption step of heating the adsorbent under a reduced pressure around the adsorbent to desorb the carbon dioxide from the adsorbent; a fan for providing a gas flow to the plurality of reactors; an exterior housing that houses the reactor and the fan; a conduit housed in the exterior body, connecting the plurality of reactors and the fan, and guiding gas exhausted from the reactors in the adsorption step to an exhaust port provided in the exterior body; a flow dividing section that divides a part of the gas flowing through the pipeline outside the pipeline and into the exterior body; A carbon dioxide capture device comprising:

2. The carbon dioxide recovery system according to claim 1, the flow dividing section causes a gas flow within the exterior body by the divided gas; A carbon dioxide capture device characterized by:

3. The carbon dioxide recovery system according to claim 2, the exterior body includes a second exhaust port provided at a position different from the exhaust port, the flow diverter generates a gas flow within the exterior body so that the diverted gas flows toward the second exhaust port; A carbon dioxide capture device characterized by:

4. The carbon dioxide recovery device according to claim 1 or 2, the flow dividing portion is a flow dividing plate disposed so as to partially protrude into the pipeline, or a flow dividing pipe branched off from the pipeline and piped therein; A carbon dioxide capture device characterized by:

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