High-throughput movable panel direct air recovery system

Abstract

A system and method for direct air capture are described. The system includes a plurality of adsorption panels movable in a linear direction (or circular configuration) and one or more fans configured to move air across the adsorption panels, such adsorption panels being orientable vertically or horizontally with respect to the ground. The system may include a stand-alone regeneration box including a system of headers, ducts, and valves configured to deliver and remove a plurality of gases to and from the regeneration box. The regeneration box includes a plurality of chambers such that steps such as oxygen removal and panel cooling can be performed independently of and simultaneously with the thermal preheating and desorption of CO 2 on the panels. The desorption panels may be configured to achieve countercurrent flow to the hot gas used for thermal preheating and desorption. A multistage heat pump may facilitate the reuse of waste heat and the decarbonization of process heating requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The subject matter described herein relates to systems and methods for direct air capture.

Background Art

[0002] Direct air capture (DAC), which is a method of recovering CO 2 from the atmosphere directly, is one of several means of reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. DAC is advantageous in that it can address emissions from dispersed sources (e.g., cars, airplanes) rather than being attached to specific emission sources such as a particular plant.

[0003] The main challenges of DAC are low cost and high-efficiency air contact. The challenges associated with current DAC processes include providing a system capable of processing air containing a huge volume flow rate of carbon dioxide, and also providing means for providing energy for regeneration at an acceptable cost.

[0004] Conventional DAC systems relied on the mechanical operation of connected (“train”-shaped) adsorption panels that followed a discontinuous process, orbited in an elliptical path, and entered a single-zone regeneration chamber along the same path. This required (i) the need to move a significant amount of mass (discontinuously), (ii) a relatively complex movement system, and (iii) a regeneration box with only a single zone for performing extensive desorption functions internally over a long period of time. There is a need to provide a DAC system with a sufficiently simplified design that enables carbon dioxide recovery in a highly reliable and repeatable manner, and further a cost-effective and scalable DAC system. Furthermore, there is a need for a system that minimizes the risks associated with the mechanical operation of the panels, and also a system that improves the continuity and efficiency of the regeneration process of the monolithic panels.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0005]

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[0006] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a simplified scalable direct air capture (DAC) system that recovers CO 2 from air or gas and produces a CO 2 product with a purity of more than 95%. The system of the present invention results in a reduction in the cost of DAC.

[0007] In many embodiments, CO 2Describe an advanced DAC process designed not only to reduce the cost of recovery but also the energy load associated with the recovery process. This process involves a simplified continuous movement of individual adsorption panels (each panel may have multiple adsorption units which may be in a monolithic or alternative configuration) within the air stream, in a single plane, or alternatively in multiple planes, as compared to one or more previous generation processes that require a substantially complex movement of connected adsorption panels discontinuously around an elliptical configuration. By using individual adsorption panels that move continuously within the air stream (and also within the regeneration region in certain embodiments), the relative complexity required for starting and stopping the connected panels is substantially eliminated, such that there is no need to move a substantial mass with large inertia, and it is contemplated that the overall mechanical risk and process risk of the plant are significantly reduced. Further, by reducing the complexity of the mechanical movement of the adsorption panels, the flexibility of the substrate and sorbent configuration and overall volume can be increased, enabling a significant improvement in the system throughput. These advantages improve the reliability of the plant, enhance scalability, and reduce the capital expenditure per unit throughput. In the following description, the phrases "move continuously" or "continuous movement" may refer to one or more panels moving at a substantially constant speed.

[0008] In many embodiments, a mobile system for recovering carbon dioxide is also described. Accordingly, the implementation of the processes or methods described herein can be carried out by one or more types of devices and is considered to fall within the scope of the present invention. The use of the term "process" in this context is meant to include or be synonymous with the term "method".

[0009] The system and process utilize a simplified movement of individual adsorption panels, such that instead of mechanically moving the connected adsorption panels discontinuously around an ellipse, such panels are moved individually and continuously within an air stream across a single plane (or alternatively multiple planes) for the purpose of carrying out the process and recovering carbon dioxide.

[0010] Furthermore, in this process, the movement of the panels required for the carbon recovery stage is separated from the movement of the panels required for the regeneration stage, thus significantly improving the flexibility to optimize the size of the regeneration box and the zones within that box (without any impact on the critical carbon recovery steps within the air stream). This enables the use of a regeneration box with multiple individual zones to carry out the various steps required for the desorption of carbon dioxide in the current design and process, compared to one or more processes of previous generations that used a regeneration box with a single multi-functional zone to carry out the entire desorption process. By using multiple zones for different steps of the regeneration process, several advantages are expected, such as (i) the ability to more efficiently specialize each zone for a specific function (air removal, preheating, CO 2 desorption, adsorber cooling), and (ii) an increase in the continuity of the gas flow. Additionally, by regenerating multiple panels at once, the production capacity is improved compared to a single-panel, single-zone regeneration box system. These advantages lead to a reduction in energy demand, an improvement in scalability, and a decrease in operating and capital expenditures per unit of throughput.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Adsorption / Desorption Cycle As seen in Figure 1, an air stream (e.g., ambient air) containing CO 2 in at a low concentration ([CO 2 ) can be adsorbed by a solid sorbent, such that the concentration of CO 2 in the air stream after adsorption ([CO 2 out ​​) becomes low ([CO 2 in >[CO 2 out ).

[0012] Next, CO 2 can be desorbed from the sorbent contained in a solid sorbent support structure such as a monolith or other form of sorption unit (several such sorption units are arranged aligned within the panel), and CO 2 can be extracted. The desorption of CO 2 can be carried out by a temperature swing, and the temperature swing can be brought about, for example, by directly condensing steam on the panel, or by reducing the partial pressure of CO 2 in the desorption chamber, for example, by filling the desorption chamber with another gas such as steam, or by evacuating the desorption chamber, or by combining these treatments. Alternatively, the temperature swing can be brought about by indirect heating. Before and after this, steps may be carried out to maintain the life of the sorbent and achieve a high CO 2 purity. Figure 1 includes a flow diagram of an exemplary regeneration cycle. The arrows indicate the relative movement of the panels within the system. For convenience, the system will be described as a series of steps in which the panel moves step by step from one zone to the next, but it can also be easily understood that the description is applicable to a continuously moving system.

[0013] During regeneration, the panel moves through several zones where it encounters various conditions. In the example shown in Figure 1, the panel

[50] enters the first chamber of zone

[10] , and the first chamber can be isolated by closing the doors

[25] and

[26] at both ends of the chamber. Thereafter, O of the surrounding void 2 ​​The concentration can be reduced by deep evacuation until it drops to about 0.025 - 0.4 bara, or alternatively about 0.05 - 0.2 bara, within the first chamber, or by introducing steam, nitrogen, or another inert gas to displace the remaining air volume, or by combining both. In an optional step, steam can be introduced into the first chamber of zone

[10] while maintaining a vacuum to displace the remaining air or other inert gas. One advantage of introducing atmospheric steam into a vacuum environment is that since the steam is superheated under vacuum conditions, it can displace a portion of the air before condensing. Even if a portion of the steam condenses, the temperature at which the steam can condense limits the extent to which the panel can be heated due to the vacuum environment, minimizing the undesirable release of CO 2 during this step.

[0014] In another embodiment, chamber

[10] may be flushed with an inert gas such as N 2 to completely or partially displace the air prior to the application of vacuum or the use of steam.

[0015] In a subsequent step, the vacuum may be released from the first chamber within zone

[10] by introducing a gas. This gas can be fresh steam, steam mixed with CO 2 from alternative zone

[11] , or an alternative gas such as CO 2 or nitrogen. The temperature can rise to a temperature of about 70 - about 115 °C, alternatively about 70 °C - about 105 °C, alternatively about 80 - about 105 °C, alternatively about 90 °C - about 103 °C, alternatively about 95 - about 100 °C due to the condensation of the steam. As the pressure in the first chamber approaches atmospheric pressure, the door

[26] to the adjacent zone can be opened and the panel

[50] can be moved into the first steam treatment zone

[11] .

[0016] In zone

[11] , the gas flows through the panel

[50] to complete the heating stage and can desorb CO 2 . This desorption can be achieved with steam, steam from an alternative zone and CO 2It may be due to a mixture with or some other gas. In the example shown in Figure 1, CO from zone

[12] 2 and a mixture of steam are used to heat the panel to a temperature of about 70 °C to about 125 °C, alternatively about 80 °C to about 115 °C, alternatively about 80 to about 105 °C, alternatively about 90 °C to about 103 °C, alternatively about 95 to about 100 °C. Vaporous CO 2 is recovered, the water vapor condenses, and the refrigerant can be boiled in a heat pump cycle. Vaporous CO 2 may contain about 2 to 70 vol% CO 2 , alternatively about 10 to 40 vol% CO 2 .

[0017] After a given period, the panel

[50] can then move to the next zone (the second steam treatment zone

[12] as shown in the example shown in Figure 1). In the second steam treatment zone

[12] , the panel

[50] is kept at a high temperature, for example, by introducing fresh steam into a plenum that promotes a uniform flow profile within the panel, to promote the desorption of CO 2 . As shown in Figure 1, the steam and desorbed CO 2 exiting zone

[12] flow upstream with respect to the movement of the panel and can flow countercurrently through the panel within zone

[11] . The advantage of this countercurrent profile is that the adsorption panel in zone

[12] is subject to a lower partial pressure of CO 2 than the panel in zone

[11] , which promotes the desorption of CO 2 from the panel within zone

[12] .

[0018] The steam and desorbed CO 2 exiting zone

[11] can flow upstream with respect to the movement of the panel and may be able to flow countercurrently to zone

[10] via block valve

[29] (see Figures 5A - 5B). The advantage of applying vaporous CO 2 from zone

[11] to the chamber of zone

[10] is that most of the panel heating is done with the steam that has already been used to desorb the panel further along the train, so the overall amount of steam used for regeneration is reduced. In addition to this, CO 2Depending on the content, the system can reach ambient pressure at a lower temperature (compared to using fresh steam), enabling the transfer door to open earlier within the cycle. CO 2 As the partial pressure of CO 2 increases, some CO 2 may be further adsorbed onto the panel

[50] , but that CO

[0019] will be released again in zones

[11] and

[12] . 2 The ratio of the CO adsorbed on the panel 2 to the concentration of CO in the gas phase 2 usually equilibrates over time to a consistent value influenced by factors including the amount of adsorbent within the panel and the temperature of the system. A set of adsorption isotherms can be derived that represent a set of curves correlating the amount of CO 2 per unit mass of adsorbent to the concentration of CO 2 in the vapor phase at a given temperature. Usually, as the temperature rises and the vapor concentration of CO 2 decreases, the equilibrium loading amount of CO onto the panel decreases.

[0020] For example, by heating the panel and flowing steam through the loaded panel to reduce the vapor phase CO 2 concentration, when moving away from the equilibrium state, a "driving force" is set up. This driving force represents how far the system is from the equilibrium state and can be expressed as the difference between the current CO 2 concentration in the gas phase and the CO 2 concentration in the gas phase that would be in equilibrium with the current loading amount of CO onto the panel at the current system temperature. The rate at which CO 2 migrates from one phase (e.g., the adsorbed state) to the other phase (e.g., the vapor phase) is usually proportional to this driving force. 2

[0021] If the loaded panel is desorbed in a simple batch process (a single chamber where steam is supplied and the mixture of steam and desorbed CO 2 is removed), the driving force is high at the start of the desorption process. The adsorbed CO​2 The concentration is high and the vapor phase has relatively little CO 2 In this case, when the vapor is flowed faster, additional vapor dilutes the desorbing CO 2 so the driving force increases, and when the vapor is flowed more slowly, the driving force decreases. Assuming a constant vapor flow rate into the chamber, over time the driving force decreases. That is, as CO 2 desorbs, the concentration of adsorbed CO 2 continues to decrease. Therefore, to approach complete desorption, the vapor must be flowed for a sufficiently long time until the CO 2 concentration in the vapor phase is quite low.

[0022] Countercurrent flow of vapor through one or more panels can be characterized as a system where the freshest vapor flows through the panel / panel section with the most desorption (section with less adsorbed CO 2 before the vapor flow contacts sections of the panel with less desorption. One important advantage of this system as described here is that countercurrent flow can be achieved, for example, by stepping multiple panels through the vapor as shown in FIG. 9, or by passing the vapor back and forth through the panel(s) as shown in FIG. 6A. In this process, countercurrent flow is desirable because it provides a way to "reuse" the vapor that has already contacted the panel and desorbed some CO 2 while maintaining a good driving force for CO 2 desorption.

[0023] Consider a simple example of two panels (a first panel and a second panel) in countercurrent flow. The first fully loaded panel at the first position closest to the vapor inlet contacts fresh vapor that has not yet contacted the panel. The second panel contacts the vapor that has already passed through the first panel, after the first panel. Thus, the vapor contacting the second panel contains a small amount of CO 2 concentration and the driving force to desorb vapor from that second panel is slightly reduced. However, if the vapor flowing into the second panel is 1% CO2 and in the equilibrium state of 10% CO 2 the loss of its driving force is relatively small (10 - 1 = 9 instead of 10 - 0 = 10), and the "spent" steam can still desorb CO 2 from the second panel. When the second panel moves to the first position closest to the steam inlet, the second panel has already been partially withdrawn. At the first position, the panel is exposed to fresh steam. The panel at the first position experiences a similar time profile as an equivalent panel in simple batch desorption, but since the panel starts in a partially unloaded state, it reaches a given level faster (and encounters less fresh steam) than an equivalent simple batch panel. Thus, overall, due to the countercurrent flow, the panel can reach an equivalent desorption level while using less steam (or the panel is desorbed more completely with the same amount of steam).

[0024] This simple example considers only two panels, but it can be easily understood how the general principle can be extended to systems with more countercurrent stages. The advantage embodied by the invention described herein is a series of methods that can achieve this countercurrent flow and thus enable more efficient use of steam and / or more effective desorption of CO 2 from the adsorption panel. In some embodiments, this countercurrent flow can be applied to any other desorption step described herein, including but not limited to replacement of air with an inert gas or cooling / drying of the desorbed panel.

[0025] When the final steam cycle within zone

[12] is completed, the door

[27] to the adjacent chamber within the downstream zone

[13] opens and the panel

[50] moves to the next step of the regeneration cycle. Within zone

[13] , the panel

[50] can be dried and / or cooled by evaporation of the condensate on the surface of the panel. This drying and / or cooling can be achieved by lowering the partial pressure of water within the chamber of zone

[13] by introducing an inert gas such as nitrogen, for example, or by pulling a vacuum. The target partial pressure of water within zone

[13] may be between about 0.02 and about 0.4 bara, alternatively between about 0.05 and about 0.2 bara, alternatively between about 0.08 and about 0.12 bara.

[0026] The phrase "cooling the panel" may mean drying and / or cooling the panel, as will be described at length below with respect to the "cooling section" or "cooling zone"

[13] . Thus, the term "cooling zone"

[13] may refer to a drying / cooling zone that can provide drying and / or cooling of the panel.

[0027] Figure 1 shows a 4-zone regeneration box, but it is clear that additional zones can be added. For example, a pre-purge zone

[10] can be added to further reduce the risk of air ingress into the hot zone, CO 2 To reduce the risk of loss and / or to increase the number of panels to complete the air purge / preheat step within a given time, one or more chambers may be included. Further, additional zones can be added to the central steam section (between zone

[11] and the final cooling zone

[13] ) to further expand the countercurrent steam flow in that section. Further, the steam flow can pass successively through several "sub-zones" within a given panel to provide another level of countercurrent steam flow. Finally, the final cooling section, zone

[13] , can be divided into two or more chambers to more appropriately isolate the hot panels (coming out of the desorption section) from the ambient air (to reduce the risk of deactivation of the sorbent) and / or to increase the number of panels that can be cooled within a given time.

[0028] In another embodiment, the loading

[10] or unloading

[13] zone can be made closer to continuous operation by using multiple doors. These doors can be placed closer to each other than the length of one panel in order to reduce the size of the overall unit. One possible embodiment of this approach, as applicable to the first inert purge step, is shown in FIG. 10. At time t1, the newly loaded panel

[50] can enter the purge zone

[10] through the open doors [25a - 25d]. Thereafter, door [25a] can close, and while the vacuum is being drawn, panel

[50] can begin to move slowly forward. The moving speed of the panel and the speed of drawing the vacuum can be adjusted such that at the desired pressure, panel

[50] reaches door [26a] and passes through door [25b] (e.g., as indicated by time t2, about 2 seconds after t1). Next, door [25b] can close and door [26a] can open. In some embodiments, while the vacuum is maintained, it may be possible to allow vapor to flow into the chamber formed between door [25b] and door [26b] to eliminate the remaining oxygen. At time t3 (e.g., about 4 seconds after t1), the vapor sweep can be completed and the chamber can be slightly pressurized. Next, door [25c] can close and door [26b] can open, and the resulting chamber can begin to be repressurized. At time t5 (e.g., about 8 seconds after t1), panel

[50] can approach the end of the purge zone

[10] , can be at the same pressure as the downstream vapor box in zone

[11] , and be ready to discharge panel

[50] through door [26d].

[0029] Other embodiments of this system may have more or fewer doors, and their spacing may vary. Although FIG. 10 shows "knife" doors, other styles of doors can also be used. In yet other continuously moving embodiments, instead of doors, seals are attached to the panel surface, such that the panel moves continuously through different zones and the seal contacts different parts of the panel frame, creating a sealed space similar to the effect of opening and closing doors in alternative embodiments.

[0030] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6A, the panels within the stripping zone

[11] move continuously through a vapor stream that forces the panels to pass through multiple times. FIG. 6B shows the vapor stream section at t1 in more detail. In this embodiment, as seen in FIG. 6A, at the start of the cycle, a new panel [50c] may be quickly moved from the oxygen purge chamber (zone

[10] ) to the vapor treatment chamber (zone

[11] ) and aligned with the panels [50a - 50b] already in place. Next, the three panels may move at a constant speed through a vapor stream that flows back and forth between the panels. The pattern of the vapor flow generally snakes or alternates between different sides of the chamber such that the vapor and gas circulate through each panel multiple times. For example, as seen in FIG. 6B, a plenum

[22] may be set off by a baffle

[24] with a width of about 1 / 4 of the length of the panel. The vapor may flow from the rear to the front at the second and fourth quarters of the panel

[50] and from the front to the rear at the first and third quarters of the panel

[50] . Thereafter, the three panels [50a - 50c] may move smoothly through this vapor stream throughout the cycle. In this embodiment, at time t1, referring to FIG. 6B, the leading edge of panel [50a] is exposed to fresh vapor flowing from the inlet plenum

[21] to the transfer plenum [22a] on the opposite side of the chamber, and the second quarter of the tip panel [50a] is exposed to vapor flowing from the transfer plenum [22b] to the transfer plenum [22c] on the opposite side of the chamber, and some of the CO collected from its leading edge 2is exposed and the following is done in the same way. Thereafter, the steam can flow from the transfer plenum [22c] to the transfer plenum [22d] on the same side of the chamber. Thereafter, the steam can flow through the panel from the transfer plenum [22d] to the transfer plenum [22e] on the opposite side of the chamber. Thereafter, the steam can flow from the transfer plenum [22e] to the transfer plenum [22f] on the same side of the chamber. Thereafter, the steam can flow through the panel from the transfer plenum [22f] to the transfer plenum [22g] on the opposite side of the chamber. Thereafter, the steam can flow from the transfer plenum [22g] to the transfer plenum [22h] on the same side of the chamber. Thereafter, the steam can flow through the panel from the transfer plenum [22h] to the transfer plenum [22i] on the opposite side of the chamber. Thereafter, the steam can flow from the transfer plenum [22i] to the transfer plenum [22j] on the same side of the chamber. Thereafter, the steam can flow through the panel from the transfer plenum [22j] to the transfer plenum [22k] on the opposite side of the chamber. Thereafter, the steam can flow from the transfer plenum [22k] to the transfer plenum [22l] on the same side of the chamber. Thereafter, the steam can flow through the panel from the transfer plenum [22l] to the transfer plenum [22m] on the opposite side of the chamber. Thereafter, the steam can flow from the transfer plenum [22m] to the transfer plenum [22n] on the same side of the chamber. At the end of the panel train, the rear 1 / 4 of the panel [50b] is exposed to the steam and gas flowing from the transfer plenum [22n] to the discharge plenum

[23] . This steam and gas has already passed through the panel seven times (reaching [22n] via

[21] to [22a - 22m]), and thus, a significant amount of CO 2is being collected. At time t3 in FIG. 6A, half of the leading panel [50a] may be out of the vapor stream, and the third quarter of the leading panel [50a] may be exposed to fresh vapor. At t4, the panel [50a] is completely out of the active vapor stream, and the leading quarter of the central panel [50b] is in the fresh vapor stream. The cycle is complete with respect to the vapor treatment of the leading panel [50a], and there is remaining time until the panel [50a] advances into the cooling chamber and the next panel [50d] moves to the predetermined position to resume the cycle. One advantage of this form of continuously moving panel is that the flow of vapor and CO 2 becomes closer to continuous, and all sections of the panel experience very similar time / temperature / CO 2 concentration profiles. Another attractive feature is the ability to achieve a multi-stage countercurrent vapor flow while maintaining a reasonable number of panels in the vapor treatment zone. With respect to FIGS. 6A-6B, eight passes of vapor and gas through multiple panels were described, but this system may alternatively have a plenum system in which the gas passes through at least about 3 times, alternatively at least about 4 times, alternatively at least about 5 times, alternatively at least about 6 times, alternatively at least about 7 times, alternatively at least about 8 times, alternatively at least about 9 times, alternatively at least about 10 times, alternatively at least about 11 times, alternatively at least about 12 times through a subset of the panels. In some embodiments, this system may alternatively have a plenum system in which the gas passes through at least about 2 times, alternatively at least about 3 times, alternatively at least about 4 times, alternatively at least about 5 times, alternatively at least about 6 times, alternatively at least about 7 times, alternatively at least about 8 times through a single panel.

[0031] In an alternative embodiment of the serpentine flow of vapor through the panel, the vapor may be ducted around the panel so that the vapor always approaches the same face of the panel. Thus, instead of entering front to back (from one face to the other), the vapor can move consistently in a "corkscrew" fashion from the top face to the bottom face (or vice versa if the panel is horizontal), or from right to left (or always left to right) consistently in the vertical direction. By maintaining the direction of gas flow through the panel, the performance of the system may be improved, particularly when the moving speed of the panel increases and the gas flow decreases.

[0032] In another alternative embodiment where the gas flow direction is consistent with respect to the panel, this continuous vapor flow can be achieved by changing the direction of movement within the vapor treatment zone, as shown in FIG. 9. In this embodiment, the panel enters from the left into zone

[10] at the bottom of the figure, moves into the vapor treatment zone

[11] , where it moves upward, and then exits through the vacuum cooling zone

[13] from right to left. This embodiment is distinguished from other versions in that the vapor treatment zone

[12] achieves both lateral movement of the panel and countercurrent flow of vapor and panel. These panels may be spaced apart (as shown in the figure) or loaded at a higher density. They may move continuously or in a series of steps. The vapor treatment chamber may be completely filled (as shown in the figure) or the panels may be concentrated in a part of the vapor treatment zone (e.g., near the vapor source or near the vapor removal point). In a normal cycle, newly loaded panel [50i] is 2 loaded into the purge or vacuum chamber (zone

[10] ) and can be subjected to vacuum and / or gas sweep to remove oxygen. Next, the vacuum can be broken and the panel can be moved into the vapor treatment chamber (zone

[11] ), where panels 50b - 50h are stacked parallel to each other such that the faces of adjacent panels 50b - 50h are parallel, and then gradually moved laterally towards the parallel stacked ends near the vapor inlet. As the panel moves through the vapor flow near the cooling chamber (zone

[13] ), it gradually has a lower concentration of CO2 is encountered, and the desorption of CO from the panel is promoted. When the panel reaches the end of the steam treatment zone

[11] , the panel is moved into the cooling chamber (zone

[13] ), where the temperature of the panel is lowered using vacuum and / or sweep gas, and then the panel is equilibrated to ambient pressure and removed from the cooling chamber in zone

[13] . The arrows indicate the relative movement of the panel within the system. 2

[0033] One advantage of the present invention is that the steam can potentially move countercurrently to the panel within the steam treatment zone. This allows the steam with the lowest CO concentration to contact the panel with the lowest residual level of adsorbed CO, thus reducing the total amount of steam required for desorption of the panel. The degree of improvement is a function of the adsorption isotherm (a curve representing the equilibrium concentration of CO in the gas phase compared to the adsorbed phase), but in most cases, increasing the number of countercurrent stages results in a reduction in the overall steam usage. As an interaction effect, keeping the panel at a high temperature for a long time can have a negative effect because the adsorbent may decompose, especially in the presence of oxygen at high temperatures. Therefore, increasing the number of panels in countercurrent may be limited. Thus, there is an additional advantage in limiting the time the panel stays in the steam treatment zone. This can be achieved, for example, by spacing the panels (as shown in Figure 9) or by moving the steam back and forth within the panel (as shown in Figure 6). 2 2 2

[0034] ​​​​In some embodiments, the limitation on the speed at which the panel can be stepped through the system can be the time required to open the door, the time required to move the panel in and out of different zones, or the time required to complete an oxygen purge or panel cooling activity. FIG. 11 shows one possible approach for reducing such constraints. That is, two inlet chambers [10a and 10b] and two outlet chambers [13a, 13b] can be connected to a single vapor treatment chamber (zone

[11] ). The chambers in zones [10a] and [13a] can be connected to one adsorption box, while zones [10b] and [13b] can be connected to a second adsorption box that operates out of phase with the first adsorption box. Note that the term "adsorption box" can refer to any structure (i.e., "adsorption structure") in which adsorption occurs on the adsorption panel

[50] . The panel

[50] can be loaded alternately from zones [10a] and [10b], such that the panel

[50] enters the chamber of the vapor treatment zone

[11] at twice the frequency that it can be processed in either of zones [10a and 10b]. Similarly, the panel is alternately removed to the cooling chambers in zones [13a] and [13b], such that the panel

[50] exits the vapor treatment zone

[11] at twice the frequency that it can be processed in the cooling zones [13a and 13b]. By making the stepping frequency in the vapor treatment zone

[11] higher than the stepping frequency in the loading / unloading zones

[10] ,

[13] , more stages of countercurrent vapor / panel contact within the vapor treatment box are possible without increasing the average time spent in the vapor treatment zone per panel. The relative movement of the panel within the system is indicated by the arrows.

[0035] FIG. 11 considers an embodiment that takes into account both two purge or vacuum chambers in zone

[10] and two cooling chambers in zone

[13] , although alternative configurations can readily be envisioned. For example, one inlet and two outlets, or two inlets and one outlet are also possible. Furthermore, configurations can readily be devised in which multiple inlet or outlet chambers can be attached to one or both sides of the streaming box.

[0036] Figure 12A shows another possible variant that allows for a relatively long oxygen purge in zone

[10] or a cooling step in zone

[13] , while moderately maintaining the residence time of the panels in the steam treatment zone

[11] and allowing an increase in the number of panels in the steam treatment zone

[11] . In this embodiment, two panels [50a, 50b] may be simultaneously loaded into the chamber within the oxygen purge zone

[10] and their cycles may be completed together. Next, the two panels [50a, 50b] can be loaded together into the chamber within the steam treatment zone

[11] and stepped through the steam until removed in the cooling zone

[12] . The arrows indicate the relative movement of the panels and the steam within the system.

[0037] In an alternative embodiment, an odd number of panels may be held within the chamber of the steam treatment zone

[11] . This means that the subsequent panel [50b] at the inlet has an extra step period in the steam and encounters fresh steam during that extra period. The subsequent panel [50b] may be exposed to steam with a higher CO 2 concentration than the preceding panel [50a] in embodiments where there are an even number of panels within the chamber of zone

[11] , but in such embodiments, the subsequent panel [50b] will not.

[0038] Figure 12A shows an embodiment where two panels are loaded at a time, but alternative configurations where more than two panels are loaded at a time can be easily envisioned. Similarly, Figure 12A shows an embodiment with an odd number of panels in the steam treatment zone, but alternative configurations with an even number of panels held can be easily envisioned. When loading more than two panels at a time, it is also conceivable to adjust the number of panels held in the steam treatment zone to achieve a removal pattern that maximizes the uniformity of panel detachment.

[0039] Figure 12B shows a possible time series of events that enable a single adsorption wall or panel row

[54] to supply panels [50a - 50e] to the double - width panel loading system

[62] shown in Figure 12A. The panel

[50] can move along the adsorption wall

[54] and gradually protrude beyond the end of the adsorption wall

[53] into a standby area or standby zone (e.g., as shown in Figure 2). When panel [50a] is completely released from adsorption and exits the adsorption box

[60] , panel [50a] can be transferred onto the lateral transfer device

[62] . The loaded first panel [50a] can then move within the lateral transfer device

[62] to make room for the second panel [50b] to be loaded. Subsequently, the two panels can be loaded together into the oxygen purge zone

[10] of the regeneration box. In this embodiment, the panel moves with the lateral movement device. One can easily envision a system where the lateral transfer device remains stationary while the panel moves across its surface.

[0040] By moving the panel quickly, the stepping movement frequency within the regeneration chamber can be reduced, and as a result, for a given residence time, both the capital efficiency and the number of counter - current stages within the steam treatment zone can be improved. At the same time, for tall and thin panels (high aspect ratio), the adsorption wall can be made shorter for the same area, thus capital can be saved. Unfortunately, a high aspect ratio can cause distortion forces in the panel frame and increase the risk of the panel falling, making it difficult to accelerate the panel for rapid in - and - out movement to the regeneration system.

[0041] In an alternative embodiment, as seen in Figure 17A, the panel

[50] exiting the panel track can be loaded into a device that rotates the panel by 90°, thereby enabling the panel to be loaded into the regeneration chamber with a much lower aspect ratio. Advantageously, the door(s) within the regeneration chamber can be made smaller, and thus sealing with these rotated panels can be made easier.

[0042] In an alternative embodiment, the adsorption panel

[50] may be made from sub-units

[78] . Once the panel is removed from the adsorption box, the panel can be segmented and rearranged into a more convenient shape for regeneration. In one embodiment, the panel

[50] of FIG. 17B may be separated into sub-units [78a - 78c] as seen in FIG. 17C. These sub-units can then be rearranged so that their maximum surface areas are aligned to form a block that is 1 sub-unit high, 1 sub-unit long, and 3 sub-units wide (as seen in FIG. 17D). Alternatively, the sub-units can be arranged so that their edges are in contact (as seen in FIG. 17E) to form a block that is 1 sub-unit high, 3 sub-units long, and 1 sub-unit wide. Any of these configurations may be more suitable for higher acceleration forces than the original orientation of the panel.

[0043] FIG. 17B shows a panel that can be segmented into three sub-units, but in an alternative embodiment, the panel may be segmented into as few as two sub-units, or a number of ten or more sub-units. FIG. 17B shows reconfiguring all sub-units for simultaneous processing, but in an alternative embodiment, the sub-units can be processed independently (one at a time), or in other convenient groupings, such as two at a time, for example.

[0044] In a further embodiment, by adding a waiting zone between oxygen removal

[10] and steam treatment

[11] and / or between steam treatment

[11] and cooling

[13] , the concept of loading a plurality of panels into the oxygen purge chamber of zone

[10] or the final cooling chamber of zone

[13] can be combined with the concept of uniform panel steam treatment. This enables, for example, two panels to emerge from oxygen purge simultaneously. Next, one panel enters the direct steam flow, and the other panel is transferred to the steam flow after a half-step waiting. Similarly, at the other end

[11] of the steam box, one panel leaves the steam flow in a half-step and enters the waiting zone to merge with the second panel in a full-step, resulting in both panels being able to enter the cooling zone

[13] together. It is easy to understand how to process three, four, or more panels together in zones

[10] and / or

[13] while maintaining a uniform time / temperature profile of the panels within the steam treatment zone

[11] by expanding this example.

[0045] One possible advantage of the horizontal steam treatment system shown in FIG. 9 is that it may be possible to keep the regeneration chambers relatively close to each other. FIG. 13B shows a method of arranging the adsorption boxes [60a - 60f] and the lateral transfer units [62a - 62f] in a star shape with the side-flow regeneration chambers [61a - 61f], and maintaining good separation of the adsorption boxes [60a - 60f] while keeping the regeneration chambers [61a - 61f] close to each other. By keeping the regeneration chambers [61a - 61f] close to each other, the length of the low-pressure gas piping required for multiple regeneration units to share common downstream processing equipment can be minimized.

[0046] The isolation doors

[26] ,

[27] at the inlets and outlets of zones

[11] and

[13] are shown as swing doors in FIG. 9, but other designs are also conceivable, including "guillotine" or knife doors that slide to a predetermined position, or "rotating barrels" that rotate on a vertical axis and move to a predetermined position with the chord of a circle as the sealing part.

[0047] Figure 14 shows some possible embodiments of the door. The swing door

[70] rotates about a pivot

[71] , thereby moving out of the path of panel movement when open, but sealing against the wall when closed. In the case of a knife or guillotine door

[72] , the door moves out of the path of panel movement in the open position, but then slides to a predetermined position in the closed position to close the chamber. Optionally, the sealing performance of the door may be improved by a rotary cam

[73] that presses the sliding door

[72] against the frame. The barrel or rotating door

[74] rotates about a pivot

[75] . The door

[75] is connected to the pivot by one or more mounting arms

[76] located outside the movement zone of the panel. When open, the barrel door is located outside the movement area and then rotates to a predetermined position to create a sealing portion. Optionally, the pivot portion

[75] can be attached to the movement system so that the door can be swung to a predetermined position and then firmly pressed against the door frame to improve the sealing performance.

[0048] In other embodiments of this process, the panel can move continuously between different zones, which can be achieved by forming a sealing portion against the surface of the moving panel, as shown in Figure 36. Figure 36A shows a side view of one possible configuration. The lower support strut

[0111] is designed to be at the same height (in the same plane) as the entire panel frame

[95] to provide a continuous flat surface for forming the lower seal. A sealing strut

[0128] may be added to the upper part of the panel, with its upper surface being at the same height as the upper surface of the outer frame to provide a continuous flat sealing surface. The sealing strut

[0128] may be a single element that contacts the sealant

[92] located between the panels. In some embodiments, the sealing strut

[0128] may have an extension

[0129] that minimizes the gas flow between rows of panels (e.g., [94a] and [94b] or [94b] and [94c]) and provides rigidity to the sealing surface

[0128] .

[0049] Figure 36B shows a plan view of the adsorption unit support and panel configuration. The adsorption unit

[90] is supported by a mesh supported by support struts

[0110] . The individual adsorption units

[90] can be arranged in a linear array (6×1 in Figure 36B, although more or fewer units may be used) with the support struts

[0110] passing between the arrays. The space between the arrays and the support struts

[0110] and the frame

[95] may be filled with a deformable sealant

[92] , which prevents the flow of air around the adsorption unit

[90] and provides some buffering action to the brittle adsorption unit against the stress caused by thermal expansion or movement of the panel. The sealant

[92] can also give some variation in the size of the individual adsorption units

[90] . The sealant

[92] may also be used between the individual adsorption units

[90] and between the adsorption unit

[90] and the support struts

[0110] . As shown in Figure 36A, the support struts

[0110] may be aligned with the lower sealing struts

[0111] and the upper sealing struts

[0128] .

[0050] Some possible embodiments of mechanisms within a structure surrounding a panel that can be used to complete a seal within a system moving continuously are identified in FIGS. 37A - 37C. FIG. 37A shows an embodiment where a sealing block

[0125] is in contact with at least one sealing strut

[0128] . The sealing block

[0125] is intended to prevent the movement of gas from one array of suction units within panel

[94] to an adjacent array by creating a contact point between the sealing block

[0125] and the upper sealing strut

[0128] (the same seal is also created between the sealing block

[0125] at the bottom of the panel and the lower sealing strut

[0111] ). This contact seal creates a partition between sets of suction unit arrays

[94] and allows a gas such as air to flow through one array set without mixing with the gas flowing through another array set. The sealing block

[0125] may be made of a metal, polymer, or other material that provides a smooth surface and allows it to contact the sealing strut

[0128] . A slight pressure can be applied in a direction perpendicular to the movement of the panel to improve the contact and seal between the upper sealing strut

[0128] or lower sealing strut

[0111] and the sealing block

[0125] . The material of the sealing block

[0125] may have a low coefficient of friction with respect to the panel frame

[95] and the sealing strut

[0128] . The width of the sealing block

[0125] may be at least wide enough for the sealing block

[0125] to contact at least two sealing struts

[0111] or

[0128] when the panel

[50] is in a given position. This ensures that at least one sealing strut

[0111] or

[0128] can always be in contact with the sealing block

[0125] even as the panel moves. To improve the seal, the sealing block

[0125] may be made large enough to contact two, three, four, or more sealing struts

[0111] or

[0128] at once. In some embodiments, the sealing block

[0125] may be static and the panel may move.

[0051] Figures 37B-1 to 37B-3 show alternative embodiments in which the static seal block (

[0125] in Figure 37A) is replaced by one or more roller seals

[0126] . As shown in Figures 37B-2 and 37B-3, a plurality of roller seals can be grouped together and arranged to conform to the surface of the panel. For example, the plurality of roller seals

[0126] can contact the surface of the suction units

[90] of the suction unit array (e.g., [94b] in Figure 36A) and then be deformed to account for the raised seal struts

[0128] . Alternatively, the roller seals can contact the mesh support

[0103] and be arranged to deform in consideration of the lower support / seal strut

[0111] , or they can be arranged to contact only the seal struts (upper

[0128] , lower

[0111] ). Some rollers can be used such that at least one of them contacts the seal strut within a given section of the panel enclosure. One possible advantage of using rolling seals is that the wear rate and friction associated with seal formation may be less than when using a stationary seal block (such as

[0125] in Figure 37A).

[0052] Figures 37C-1 and 37C-2 show another possible embodiment in which the seal is formed by a continuous belt

[0127] . The belt

[0127] may be long enough to cover at least two seal struts

[0128] , or it may cover three, four, or more. Similar to the rollers shown in Figures 37B-1 to 37B-3, the belt seal

[0127] may be able to reduce wear and friction. Figures 37C-1 and 37C-2 show one possible embodiment of the belt in both a plan view (Figure 37C-1) and a side view (Figure 37C-2). The upper belt [127a] may contact three upper seal struts

[0128] , and the lower belt [127b] may contact three lower support struts

[0111] .

[0053] The description of FIG. 37 is applicable to a system in which the adsorption unit array

[94] is arranged on a horizontal panel. It is easy to envision a design that supports the horizontal panel on a mesh (shown in FIG. 36), or a design that supports it in other ways (such as the ways shown in FIGS. 30 and 32), or a design with the panel arranged vertically.

[0054] In yet another embodiment, the horizontal panels may be arranged circularly in the form of large "disks" or "toruses" as shown in FIG. 44A. In this embodiment, there are two adsorber trains

[54] and two regeneration stations

[61] , but fewer numbers (one each) or more numbers (three, four, five or more) are also conceivable. Compared with FIG. 21, one of the advantages of this configuration is that since each panel [50a] moves continuously in a circular shape, it does not require different "tracks" [54a and 54b], or the need to transfer between tracks, eliminating the transfer station

[62] at the end of the linear adsorption track [54a]. Furthermore, the forces applied to the panels [50a, 50b, and 50c] remain continuous. The advantage of continuous operation is that the forces for accelerating and decelerating when the panel [50a] moves from the track [50a] to the lateral transfer station

[62] , the forces for accelerating and decelerating when the panel [50b] moves to align with the track [54b], and the force for accelerating the panel

[50] from the lateral transfer station

[62] to the adsorption track [54b] are eliminated. Since there are no accelerating and decelerating forces during normal operation, the power requirements of the system can be reduced, and it may become possible to use a lighter panel frame with lower thermal inertia.

[0055] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 44B, each panel

[50] may be in the shape of a "slice" of a disk / ring. In another embodiment shown in FIG. 44C, the concept of the panel

[50] can even be eliminated so that there is no discontinuous movement, and the disk can be composed of wide segments of one suction unit

[90] with an upper sealing strut

[0128] and a lower sealing strut

[0111] . The disk can be composed of a radial row

[0133] of suction units

[90] having a sealing surface separating adjacent rows, or can be composed of spokes (see FIG. 44D, rows [133a] to [133e]). Thus, instead of 120 panels that are 12 suction units

[90] wide, a circular system can have 1440 spokes that are 1 suction unit

[90] wide. Within the playback area (

[61] in FIG. 44A), air purge, steam desorption, cooling, and other possible zones can be configured in a similar shape to appropriately fit each segment with respect to sealing and gas exchange.

[0056] In the adsorption step, since ambient air is used, the temperature of the air supply can vary depending on the time of day or season. As a result, uncontrollable disturbances may occur within the system, and at some points (e.g., during winter nights), the heating requirements may be greater compared to other points (e.g., during summer days). One way to reduce this variability is shown in FIG. 18, which shows an embodiment where a portion of the air used for adsorption is preheated. Since the air contains oxygen that can cause degradation by sorption, the range in which the panel [50a] is preheated may be, for example, less than 40°C, less than 30°C, or less than 20°C, or alternatively from about 20°C to about 40°C, alternatively from about 20°C to about 30°C, alternatively above 20°C, alternatively about 25°C, alternatively about 30°C. In the illustrated embodiment, the air sent by the fan

[80] to the last panel [50a] within the panel track

[54] may be preheated in the heat exchanger

[81] by the warm water bypassed from the cooling tower. Using this waste heat stream prevents the air from being heated to a temperature that could damage the sorbent (the return water of the cooling tower can always be less than 45°C), and also reduces the load on the cooling tower (saving energy). In warm weather such as summer, the temperature of the panel may not increase significantly due to this air preheating, but in winter, the panel may be preheated to about 2°C to about 25°C or more. The main advantage of this approach may be that the temperature [50b] of the panel entering regeneration can be more constant throughout the year. Also, the amount of steam required to desorb the panel within the chamber

[11] may be reduced, and the amount of water condensed within the panel in that step may also be reduced. This may be advantageous with respect to the mass transfer rate to / from the panel during desorption

[11] , vacuum cooling

[13] , and subsequent adsorption in the adsorption box

[60] . FIG. 18 shows that an auxiliary fan

[80] may be required to balance the air flow through the heating panel [50a] with the other panels within the panel track

[54] to compensate for the pressure drop across the air preheater

[81] .

[0057] Another possible complementary embodiment of panel heating is also shown in FIG. 18. When most of the oxygen is removed from the panel and its surroundings in the air purge zone

[10] , the panel [50c] can be heated without causing excessive oxidation of the sorbent. In an optional step, a hot inert gas (CO 2 etc.) can be used to preheat the panel in the preheating chamber

[14] . The advantage of preheating the panel is that the steam required in the steam treatment zone

[11] can be reduced, the water condensed on the panel surface can be reduced [50d - 50g], and the mass transfer step can continue without being hindered. In this exemplary embodiment, CO 2 is heated with steam in the heat exchanger

[83] and recirculated over the panel by the fan

[82] , which can minimize the overall use of the hot gas and enable the direct recovery of the condensing steam from the heat exchanger

[83] (enabling the return of cleaner water at a higher temperature to the boiler). When the panel [50c] is not fully loaded when adsorption ends, part of the CO 2 used for preheating may be adsorbed on the panel and provide additional heating. CO 2 may desorb rapidly in the subsequent steam treatment step

[11] . The panel exiting this section may be preheated to about 50 - 95°C, alternatively about 60 - 85°C, or alternatively about 70 - 80°C.

[0058] When residual water on the panel reflows into the adsorption [50k], mass transfer may be restricted, and the sorbent may be more likely to be oxidized due to temperature rise. Therefore, an optional processing step for panel cooling may be adopted. As shown in Fig. 18, an additional cooling chamber

[15] may be used to surround the partially cooled panel [50i] within the vacuum cooling zone

[13] . In this additional cooling chamber

[15] , a gas such as nitrogen or air is recirculated by a fan

[84] through a heat exchanger

[85] and cooled by a cooling fluid such as water or glycol. This cold gas then flows over the warm panel [50i], causing both additional evaporation of water (by reducing the vapor pressure of water on the panel surface) and direct cooling, which may reduce both the temperature of the panel and the residual condensate. The water evaporated from the panel [50i] can then be recondensed in the heat exchanger

[85] , recovered, and returned to the boiler system. The advantages of this optional additional step are both that the panel returned to the adsorption system [50k] becomes cooler (reducing oxidation by the sorbent) and that the liquid water in its internal pore structure is reduced (minimizing mass transfer limitations). The panel exiting this auxiliary cooling station can be at about 10 - 40 °C, alternatively about 20 - 30 °C, or alternatively about 25 °C.

[0059] Optionally, as also shown in Fig. 1, internal heat integration can be achieved by condensing water vapor throughout the system, cooling other heat sources, and generating a warm fluid in one or more condensers

[40] . The energy in this fluid can be upgraded through a series of compressors

[44] , so that this fluid can dissipate heat at a higher temperature and form fresh steam in the boiler

[43] . The heat recycling achievable by using a heat pump significantly reduces the overall energy consumption of this process. By condensing most of the water vapor from the process stream, recycling of water from the condenser

[40] to the boiler

[43] is also made possible, significantly reducing the footprint of the process water.

[0060] CO 2One advantage of using a mixture of steam (or other easily condensable gas) and vacuum to perform the recovery step is that it promotes heat recovery. CO 2 By condensing steam from the product gas and transferring this energy to a heat pump, much energy can be recovered. For example, the vaporous CO 2 exiting zone

[11] can be used to heat water from 60 °C to 70 °C and can condense most of the steam. Then, the 70 °C water can be used to boil liquid butane to form medium-pressure butane gas. Next, the butane gas can be compressed using electricity to produce high-pressure butane vapor that can be condensed to high-pressure butane liquid at 110 °C, which can be used to boil 105 °C warm water to low-pressure steam. The condensed high-pressure butane liquid can then be flashed down to medium-pressure butane gas to continue the cycle. Similarly, the vacuum stream can be used to produce water from 30 °C to 40 °C by cooling the CO 2 using a heat exchanger and condensing most of the steam. Removing this steam not only recovers energy but also significantly reduces the load on the vacuum system. As before, the warm water can be recycled by boiling a low-pressure refrigerant (e.g., ammonia, propane, or butane) to produce steam, compressing it, and condensing it at a high temperature. For example, in this system, 70 °C water can be additionally supplied to the high-pressure loop.

[0061] The product of this process can be a mixture of CO 2 , water, and other gases (e.g., inert gases). The concentration of the inert gas can be controlled by the depth of the vacuum in zone

[10] and the use of sweep steam in zone

[10] . The concentration of water in the CO 2 exiting the recovery condenser can be controlled by the temperature and pressure at which the gas is cooled. The concentration of the product CO 2 is a CO product of about 90 wt% or more, alternatively a CO product of about 93 wt% or more, alternatively a CO product of about 95 wt% or more, alternatively a CO product of about 97 wt% or more 2 product, alternatively a CO 2 product of about 95 wt% or more, alternatively a CO 2 product of about 97 wt% or more2 It may be a product or alternatively may be 99.9 wt% or more. The concentration of water vapor may be about 10 wt%, alternatively about 5 wt%, alternatively about 2 wt%, or alternatively about 0.1 wt%. The concentration of the inert gas may be about 5 wt%, alternatively about 2 wt%, alternatively about 0.5 wt%, or alternatively about 0.1 wt%.

[0062] General plant design concept Since desorption can be carried out much more quickly than adsorption, the plant is designed considering the time ratio of desorption to adsorption by using a plurality of adsorption panels

[50] (usually 60 to 100, but may be 8 or less, or 140 or more) in one regeneration box, whereby the adsorption panels

[50] can continue to have the required adsorption time over multiple regeneration cycles of the individual panels. This includes CO 2 Improve the utilization rate of the capital related to the recovery equipment, whereby there is an advantage that the capital cost per ton of the generated CO 2 can be reduced.

[0063] In past design approaches for these panel-based systems, it was necessary to "train" the connected adsorption panels and physically move them discontinuously inside and outside the in-line regeneration area. However, since a series of connected panels have a significant mass, especially in a discontinuous process, the moving system can present certain mechanical challenges. Furthermore, in previous panel movement designs, it was necessary to move along an elliptical or circular "track". Therefore, regarding the reliability of such systems with relatively high mass, potential risks occur over multiple cycles in outdoor conditions where wind loads and other conditions change, and issues also arise regarding the sealing (against air flow loss) of flat panels over a curved track. The initial generation of batch processes is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 10,512,880, titled "Rotating multi-monolith bed movement system for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere", which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

[0064] Figure 2A shows an exemplary configuration of an adsorption / desorption system, showing an adsorption box

[60] , a regeneration box

[61] , and a transfer station

[62] , through which panels

[50] move. In the adsorption box, two rows of adsorption panels

[50] are arranged side by side, forming two long walls

[54] , and two short solid walls

[53] arranged perpendicular to the two long walls

[54] are provided to prevent air from short-circuiting to the overhead fan

[51] . In one embodiment, an air filter

[52] may be used to minimize the impact of dust and other small particles on the system. The air filter

[52] may be arranged parallel to and facing the outer surface of the long wall

[54] of the adsorption panel

[50] .

[0065] The panel

[50] is configured to move continuously through at least a portion of the suction box

[60] . For example, the panel

[50] moving within the suction box

[60] may move at a substantially constant speed along a track within the suction box

[60] . In one embodiment, the suction box

[60] may include a train of one or more continuously moving panels

[50] therein at a time.

[0066] The horizontal moving panel design presented herein seeks to eliminate potential problems arising from indexing the panel through start-stop motions by moving the suction panel

[50] individually (without connection) continuously in a flat horizontal direction (or alternatively, across additional dimensions) within the air flow. This provides a significant advantage in that when regenerating the panel, much less mass needs to be moved compared to a "train" of connected suction panels. Further, the horizontal moving panel design enables the suction panel

[50] to move continuously, eliminating the start / stop operations required in alternative designs. Also, the regeneration vacuum sealing system is highly reliable using a relatively narrow door that is only slightly wider than the shortest dimension of the panel. This flat door is closed using an actuator (an actuator that is electrical, pneumatic, or hydraulic among others) against a fixed plane, unlike a sealing system with a rounded surface or a sealing system that requires precise alignment with a very large mass movement. In an alternative embodiment, the vacuum chamber / door is eliminated, enabling the entire process to move continuously, which further simplifies the movement of the overall system.

[0067] Another very simple advantage of the horizontal moving panel system is that the flexibility to load much larger amounts of substrate and sorbent is significantly improved, resulting in a significant improvement in throughput. Overall, this offers the possibility of lowering the capital expenditure (and overall cost) per ton of CO 2 produced.

[0068] Furthermore, for the purpose of completing the entire range of steps required for desorption, this design provides multiple individual zones and divides the regeneration cycle into a series of special zones as compared to past designs where the regeneration box had only a single zone. This allows the desorption process to be completed by moving a single panel between zones. The range of steps may be executed either each in a single zone, multiple zones, or in combination with the next step of a given zone and includes the following. That is, (i) removing air (and oxygen which may be harmful to the sorbent at high temperatures) from the adsorption panel by evacuating or sweeping out the air with steam or an inert gas (such as nitrogen), (ii) breaking the vacuum (or discharging nitrogen or other inert gas) with steam, CO 2 , or other alternative gas, (iii) heating the adsorption panel with steam (or other means such as indirect heat or high-temperature CO 2 ), and (iv) cooling the adsorption panel by a combination of applying a vacuum, an inert gas (such as nitrogen), or other direct or indirect cooling methods. Dividing the regeneration box into multiple zones also facilitates the introduction of additional processing steps such as panel preheating

[14] or panel cooling

[15] as shown in FIG. 18.

[0069] It is contemplated that using multiple zones for different steps of the regeneration process will provide a number of advantages. First, this allows a given zone to be specially designed to optimize a particular process (oxygen purge, steam application, cooling, etc.), thereby enhancing the efficiency of that given process step. Second, dividing the regeneration process into separate zones / segments significantly improves the continuity of the gas flow and reduces / eliminates discontinuous flows that can cause inefficiencies (and / or functional problems) in the operation of auxiliary equipment such as heat pumps, vacuum pumps, compressors, etc. By regenerating multiple panels at once, the capacity is improved compared to a single-panel, single-zone regeneration box system. Furthermore, by placing multiple panels in the high-temperature / steam treatment sections (zones 11 and 12), panels approaching the end of the steam treatment / desorption section will have lower CO2 This allows for a counter-flow pattern where partial pressure (high steam flow) is encountered, but that steam is "recycled" for application to panel heating and desorption earlier in the regeneration cycle. This counter-flow steam flow is mostly CO toward the end of the steam run. 2 The advantage is that highly concentrated steam can be utilized to maximize desorption of the depleted panel, and then efficiency is achieved by reusing that steam for application to the previous panel in the steam treatment section, as opposed to the costly and inefficient use of that steam only once, as experienced with single-zone batch regeneration.

[0070] These advantages translate into reduced energy demands, improved scalability, and reduced operational and capital expenditures per unit of throughput.

[0071] Another advantage of the proposed embodiment is that it offers an inherently scalable design. The simplified mobile system is easily adaptable to larger units with relatively low mechanical risks. Secondly, the system is very space efficient, producing a significant amount of CO within a relatively modest footprint. 2 Not only can the units be stacked, but the CO emissions per unit area can be reduced. 2 Finally, given the modular nature of this design, there are clear opportunities to scale up, but also out - leveraging components suited to mass production, accelerating the rate of achievable scale-up and reducing the cost per ton over time.

[0072] In one possible plant layout, the regenerator box

[61] can be placed in the middle of the two sets of adsorption boxes [60a, 60b] close to each other, as shown in Figure 2A. The advantage of this layout is that it is ideal for heat pumps and CO 2Larger and more expensive equipment such as compressors can be placed closer to the playback box, so the length of the required low-pressure / vacuum duct is minimized. To achieve this, the suction panel

[50] can move along two flat "panel walls"

[54] . On one panel wall, the panel moves away from the playback box, and on the other panel wall, the panel moves back. The panel can be switched from one side to the other at some form of lateral transfer station

[62] . The approach shown in Figure 2A involves a transport system that moves the panel 90° with respect to the direction of movement along the wall. The panel

[50] exiting the suction / fan unit

[60] moves to a waiting zone until it is completely disengaged from the air flow. Next, it slides into a support frame supported on a trolley. Next, the trolley and the support, together with the enclosed panel, move laterally to the opposite side of the suction / fan unit, and the panel is lowered into a waiting area and then collected by a transfer system that carries it into the air flow. An enlarged view of the suction / fan unit is shown in Figure 2B. The arrows indicate the relative movement of the panel within the system.

[0073] In another embodiment, Figure 3 shows a version of this process with a playback box

[61] and a lateral transfer station

[62] at each end of the suction / fan unit

[60] . The arrows indicate the relative movement of the panel within the system. It is also possible to envision a system with a curved track for connecting from one side to the other such that the panel always moves along the same axis.

[0074] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, a curved track

[64] may be used instead of the lateral transfer station. In this case, the panel

[50] moves from left to right along the wall [54a] of the suction device until it reaches the end. Then, it is transferred to one side of the playback station [60b], and the desorption cycle is completed. Next, the panel moves onto the transfer rail [64a] and is transported to the entrance of the suction wall [54b]. The panel may be supported by a rail or track at the bottom of the panel, may be suspended from a rail at the top of the panel, or may be both.

[0075] In an alternative embodiment, the linear moving wall can be combined with a batch playback box having two doors (shown in FIG. 16) or one door (shown in FIG. 15) in a single chamber. In a single chamber, the inlet door can be opened and the panel can be loaded into the chamber. Next, the door is closed and air can be purged from the chamber, for example, by applying a vacuum and / or by using a sweep gas such as steam. Next, for example, the vacuum is released with steam and the chamber is heated to a temperature at which CO 2 can be desorbed to initiate desorption steam. The desorbed CO 2 can be removed from the chamber and recovered, for example, by sweeping additional steam through the chamber. When sufficient desorption is achieved, the panel may be cooled, for example, by applying a vacuum or by using an inert sweep gas such as nitrogen. When the cooling step is completed and the vacuum is released (if necessary), the inlet door (in the case of a one-door chamber) or the outlet door (in the case of a two-door chamber) can be opened to remove the panel and reset the system for the next cycle. In the case of a two-door chamber, both doors can be opened simultaneously, and a new panel can be loaded while the previous panel is removed.

[0076] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the panel

[50] can move along the wall [54a] of the adsorber until it reaches the end of the wall. The loaded panel

[50] may be transferred into the regeneration box [61a] across the lateral transfer unit [62a]. Next, the door [25a] to the chamber [61a] can be closed and the panel may go through its regeneration cycle. When the regeneration is complete, the panel

[50] can exit the regeneration chamber [61a] and be loaded into the transfer station [62a], where the panel may be moved to align with the adsorption wall [54b]. Thereafter, the panel can function along the wall [54b] until it repeats the regeneration cycle within the regeneration box [61b] / transfer system [62b]. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 16, a two-door regeneration box

[61] is shown. In this case, the panel

[50] can move along the wall [54a] of the adsorber until it reaches the end of the wall. At this point, the panel can be loaded into the regeneration box 61a through the first door [25a], where the panel is sealed and the regeneration cycle is completed. Next, the second door [25b] is opened to allow the panel

[50] to move along the transfer rail [64a] and couple to the adsorption wall [54b]. The panel

[50] can then move along the adsorption wall [54b] and reach the end of the wall. Next, it can be loaded into the regeneration chamber [61b] through the door [25b] for regeneration. Next, it exits through the door [28b] and is returned to the adsorption wall [54a] by the transport rail [64b].

[0077] FIG. 19A shows a possible configuration of the panel

[50] and identifies some of the possible components. The panel

[50] is a larger, more structurally integrated element that can move as a single unit. This consists of a number of individual adsorption units such as monolithic runners

[90] , each adsorption unit being 2 possibly composed of a porous substrate with a high surface area to volume ratio that supports the sorbent. The monolithic runner is a substrate material formed such that air flow paths of medium dimensions (mm scale) separated by porous walls penetrate in one direction. The pores in the walls are CO 2It is coated with an adsorbent that temporarily binds them. The array can include one, two, three, four, or five adsorption units arranged in a row. In some embodiments, the array may be a 2 by 2, 2 by 3, or 2 by 4 adsorption units, or the array may be a 3 by 3 adsorption units. The pores may have a very small diameter such that the system as a whole has a high surface area relative to its total volume. The substrate can be a ceramic material.

[0078] These individual adsorption units

[90] may be assembled into an array

[94] to facilitate the assembly and operation of the panel

[50] . In this embodiment, the panel

[50] includes a set of adsorber arrays

[94] that are in contact with each other or separated by a support shelf or support frame

[91] . As shown in FIG. 19A, the panel

[50] includes 36 monolithic arrays

[94] , and each monolithic array includes six adsorption units

[90] . The support shelf

[91] provides structural rigidity to the panel frame

[95] and prevents the weight of the upper monolithic array from crushing the lower monolithic array. FIG. 19B shows an enlargement of a single monolithic array

[94] . In this embodiment, the highlighted monolithic array includes six adsorption units

[90] separated by a sealant

[92] . The sealant

[92] equalizes the non-uniformity in the sizes of the individual adsorption units

[90] , somewhat relieves the stress caused by the thermal expansion and movement of the frame

[95] and the shelf

[91] , and adheres the panels to each other and fixes them in place. The monolithic array

[94] can be held and supported in a predetermined position by an array frame

[93] . The array frame

[93] may be made of a rigid material such as steel or aluminum, or may be made of a more plastic material such as a silicone foam that absorbs the deformation of the steel frame

[91] caused by thermal expansion and panel movement.

[0079] Alternative panel orientation: horizontal (vs. vertical) Many of the described embodiments utilize the panel in a vertical orientation, whereby the plane of the panel surface is perpendicular to the ground and the gas flows through the panel in a horizontal path. In another embodiment, the panel is horizontally oriented such that the plane of the panel is parallel to the ground and the gas flows through the panel in a vertical path.

[0080] One of the main advantages of having a horizontal panel (horizontally oriented panel) is that it has materially high stability. The panel can be supported at multiple points and thus the risk of tilting is significantly reduced (compared to a vertical orientation). The weight of the panel is also more widely distributed and the center of gravity is at a level similar to those of its support points.

[0081] In one configuration, the panels move continuously together at different levels but within the same vertical plane as shown in FIGS. 20A - 20B (side views). In this configuration, the panels can be configured such that air enters the system between the panels from the side (into the page) and exits through the panels both upwards and downwards (FIG. 20A), or through two or more panel layers (FIG. 20B). In either case, panel [50a] moves along the track at a certain level and is lifted (FIG. 20A) or lowered (FIG. 20B) before leaving the adsorption box

[60] as panel [50b] and then returns to the air flow of another track (panel [50c]). In the embodiment shown in FIG. 20B, the freshest air first flows through the more loaded lower panels (maximizing their loading), then (capturing some of the CO remaining in the air and the overall potential CO 2 portion, and the overall potential CO 2It flows through a panel with reduced loading so as to maximize capture. In the embodiments presented in FIGS. 20A - 20B, the track is shown at only two levels, but in alternative embodiments, it can also have 3, 4, 5, or more layers. Air can be fed through the opposite wall by fans facing each other such that the air escapes only up or down through the panel. Alternatively, the wall may be open and the fan may suck air through the panel. Alternatively, the direction of air flow may change because the pressure in the volume between or under the panels may be higher than the volume above (and below) the panels. Alternatively, blades or other means can be used to redirect the incoming air flow from horizontal to vertical.

[0082] FIG. 21 shows an alternative possible configuration where the panel

[50] moves on parallel suction tracks

[54] at the same height in opposite directions (see the arrows). In this embodiment, the panel moves continuously along the panel track [54a] within the suction region and air blows through vertically. A given panel [50a] moves into the lateral transfer station

[62] as seen for panel [50b] when it reaches the end position of the suction track [54a]. This panel can move from one track to the other at the same height and then return to the start position of the second track [54b] as panel [50c]. In this embodiment, two tracks are shown, but in alternative embodiments, only one track or instead 3, 4, 5, or more tracks may be present in parallel.

[0083] Figure 22 shows one possible embodiment of a playback system within a horizontal orientation system and shows a side view of the system. Panel [50a] may exit the adsorption system and enter the air purge zone

[10] at the same height as the adsorption track. The panel may then exit the air purge zone

[10] and enter the preheating zone

[14] at the same height as the air purge zone. Next, panel [50b] may be lowered into the heating gas, which may surround a plurality of panels (see, for example, [50c]) in this zone, allowing countercurrent heating to occur. Panel [50d] then moves from the preheating zone

[14] to the steam treatment zone

[11] at a low height and may then move upward by the downward flow of steam. As seen in Figure 22, the panels within the steam treatment zone

[11] may move in a direction opposite to the steam flowing into the chamber. In one embodiment, a plurality of panels may be surrounded by the steam treatment zone

[11] (such as panels [50e] and [50f] in this figure) and may rise until they reach the height of the adsorption system. The upper panel [50f] may then be transferred from the steam treatment zone

[11] to the cooling zone

[13] at the height of the adsorption system. When cooling is complete, panel [50g] may be transferred from the cooling zone

[13] to a panel return system that returns the panel to the adsorption track.

[0084] The main advantage of operating with a plurality of panels within the preheating box

[14] is that in a system operating at a constant rhythm, the time available for preheating individual panels is increased. That is, if a new panel enters the heating system once per minute and there is only one panel in the heating system, the maximum time available to heat that panel is 1 minute. If there are two panels with a 1-minute cadence, the maximum heating time is 2 minutes, and so on. Therefore, by increasing the number of panels in the heating zone and fixing the rhythm, it should be possible to increase the amount of energy that can be transferred to a given panel. Also, reversing the gas flow across the panels means that the colder gas contacts the coldest panels, and the gas exiting the heating chamber remains colder throughout the cycle, maximizing the driving force of the outside air heater.

[0085] Further advantages of panels arranged horizontally are also shown in FIG. 22. That is, unlike the case of the vertical direction, it is not necessary to match the length of the vapor zone

[11] to the distance between the panel walls. As a result, the vapor treatment chamber can be made smaller, and it becomes easier to bring the panel frames closer to or into contact with each other. This makes it easier to seal the gaps between the panels, and thus it is possible to minimize the flow of high-temperature gas / vapor that bypasses inside the frame.

[0086] FIG. 22 shows one possible embodiment of the regeneration system. In alternative embodiments, additional operating steps (such as additional panel cooling) may be applied, and / or panel preheating may be performed independently of the altitude change. In other embodiments, the discharge level of the vapor chamber may be at a different height from the panel track, in which case there is an additional device for changing the height of the panel. FIG. 22 also shows a linear design, which may be particularly useful in a "two adsorber" configuration similar to that shown in FIG. 2A. In other embodiments, a lateral transfer device can be used to perform part of the regeneration step along a second adsorption track. FIGS. 23A-23C show some possible embodiments of this approach and provide a top view of the approximate location of the equipment.

[0087] In FIG. 23A, the panel moves along the panel track [54a] towards the removal zone, then moves to the air purge zone

[10] , and then moves to the preheating chamber

[14] . In one embodiment, the panel moves downward within the preheating chamber

[14] , and then exits from a lower-level track in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the panel entered the preheating chamber and moves into the vapor treatment chamber

[11] . Next, the panel can be lifted as it moves through the vapor treatment chamber

[11] and then move through the door into the cooling chamber

[13] . In this embodiment, the moving direction out of the vapor treatment chamber is orthogonal to the entering direction in order to minimize the total space and moving distance required for the panel. After cooling, the panel can move through the staging area and then return to the adsorption system on the track [54b].

[0088] Figure 23B shows an alternative configuration that allows the panel to move along the long axis along the adsorption track [54a], then exit the staging area, and move in the second axial direction to laterally enter the air purge chamber

[10] . After exiting the purge chamber, the panel moves through the staging area, where it changes direction and enters the preheating chamber

[14] at the same height as the adsorption track. The panel may then be lowered within the preheating chamber

[14] and then moved to the steam treatment chamber

[11] , where it may be raised. Next, the panel may be transferred into the cooling chamber

[13] , and after completing the cooling step, enter the staging area and be returned to the delivery adsorption track [54b].

[0089] Figure 23C shows yet another possible embodiment where the adsorption tracks [54a] and [54b] can be separated from each other by a greater distance. In this configuration, the panel can leave the panel track [54a] and enter the staging area, where the panel can move away from the panel track [54a] and then move orthogonally into the purge zone

[10] . From there, the panel can move through the upper door into the preheating chamber

[14] , where it can be lowered and heated, and then move through the lower door into the steam zone

[11] . The panel can then exit the steam treatment chamber

[11] through the upper door and enter the cooling chamber

[13] . From the cooling chamber

[13] , the panel can move to the transfer area and change direction orthogonally and be reloaded onto the delivery adsorption track [54b].

[0090] Figures 24A - 24C show some possible embodiments of a multi - track adsorption system. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 24A, there may be two parallel adsorption tracks [54a] operating adjacent to a parallel staging area. Next, the panel may be loaded into two separate but parallel air purge zones

[10] and into an independent pre - heating chamber

[14] . The panel may continue to move in the same direction and then enter the steam desorption chamber

[11] and finally enter the cooling chamber

[13] . The panel may then be collected in the staging area and returned to the parallel adsorption track [54b] for delivery. The advantage of this configuration is that the panel moves in the same direction through all of the regeneration steps and the isolation doors, and the lateral movement is deferred to a single end - station. However, with this approach, more space may be required and additional travel distance / time may be needed to return to the panel track.

[0091] Figure 24B shows an embodiment where the two central tracks [54a] can make a "return" trip and pass the panel from the adsorption area through the staging area to the parallel purge zone

[10] . The panels on these parallel tracks may be arranged alternately with respect to their order so that they can enter and leave the air purge zone

[10] at different times and be transferred to a common pre - heating zone

[14] at different times. If the pre - heating zone lowers the panel, subsequent panels may be "stacked" vertically, such that the panels move within the same vertical plane but may occupy different heights at any given time. The panels may or may not be in physical contact with each other. Next, the panel may exit the pre - heating chamber

[14] and enter the steam desorption zone

[11] , where the panel is exposed to a hot gas (e.g., steam or steam / CO 2rise along the downward flow of the mixture). The panels are drawn from the steam treatment zone

[11] in alternating directions and transported to independent cooling chambers

[13] , and then, in this embodiment, can be returned to the "delivery" panel track [54b] that occupies the two outer tracks. One advantage of this configuration is that the size of the doors to the vacuum chambers

[10] and

[13] can be kept relatively small. On the other hand, the common preheating

[14] and / or steam treatment chamber

[11] can enclose more panels and get closer to a continuous countercurrent without increasing the overall residence time of the individual panels in the hot zone.

[0092] Figure 24C shows an alternative configuration of a dual-track adsorption

[54] / air purge

[10] / cooling

[13] system with a common preheating

[14] and desorption

[12] system, where both the delivery [54b] and return [54a] adsorption tracks may be adjacent to each other. The layout of the station is also configured to minimize the number of places where the panels change direction within the enclosed space.

[0093] Figures 25A - 25C show several embodiments that combine a dual-track adsorption system with separate vacuum zones (

[10] and

[13] ) but share the preheating

[14] and steam treatment

[11] systems. All of these embodiments are configured such that the panels do not change direction within the horizontal plane during the processing steps, and all lateral movement occurs on the tracks outside the processing zones. In Figure 25A, the adsorption track [54b] is extended and the long transfer zone shown in Figure 24C is added for additional CO 2 to be available for capture. In Figure 25B, a portion of that space can be used to perform secondary cooling

[15] similar to that described in Figure 18. Figure 25C shows multi-chamber cooling in zone

[13] similar to that described in Figure 6B.

[0094] FIG. 26 shows yet another embodiment of a process combining a single track adsorption system with separate vacuum steps. The panel may move along the return adsorption track [54a] before entering the staging area, where the panel may move forward into one air purge zone [10b] or move laterally and then into another air purge zone [10a]. The operation of these air purge zones may be staggered in time to continuously move the panel within the adsorption track [54a] and into the common preheating chamber

[14] . Using additional transfer station space allows for ensuring the time to move the panel while quickly executing the processing steps, so that the transfer distance of the panel (i.e., the transit time, e.g., the movement to air purge zone [10a] instead of [10b]) can be lengthened and synchronized with panels having a short transit time. In this embodiment, the panel can move from the air purge

[10] to the common preheating

[14] and steam treatment zone

[11] , where panels from different air purges can be stacked to improve countercurrent performance. After passing through the steam treatment zone

[11] , the panel is separated again and passes through an independent cooling chamber

[13] and can then be returned onto the same outgoing panel track [54b].

[0095] A plan view of another possible embodiment of the horizontal orientation system is shown in FIG. 38. In this configuration, CO 2 The preheating [14a - 14c] zones and the steam [11a - 11f] zones are configured horizontally to avoid the height variations of the panel shown in FIG. 22. Rather, the gas flow within these zones can be set to flow back and forth across different planes of the chamber through the continuously moving panel (as shown in FIG. 6), although the gas flow may also be sent around the panel by ducts between passes, such that the gas flow through the panel is always in the same direction.

[0096] In FIG. 38, the panel can move continuously across the entire adsorption train [90a], and the last panel of the train can gradually move away from the air flow and fill the transfer area [65a]. When the panel is completely out of the air flow, the panel can move quickly into the air purge chamber [10a], where oxygen can be removed by a combination of evacuation, vapor, N 2 substitution with or other inert gas, and heating. The panel can move quickly from the air purge chamber [10a] to another transfer area [65b], and then the panel can be continuously moved to the (optional) CO 2 preheat zones [14a - 14c], where heated CO 2 / vapor can flow through sub - sections of the panel to achieve a counter - flow of the panel against the hot gas (details are shown in FIG. 6). For example, the hot gas can rise through zone [14c], then move downward through zone [14b], and then rise again through [14a]. Alternatively, the hot gas can rise through [14c], be sent around the train through ducts, flow through [14b], be sent around again through ducts, and then rise through [14a]. The pre - heated panel can then proceed directly to the steam treatment zone [11a] (or, optionally, CO 2When the preheating zone is not utilized, it proceeds directly to this zone from the air purge chamber). Here too, since the steam can pass through the panels in a series of sub-chambers, a countercurrent pattern is achieved. For example, while the steam flows into [11f], then in sequence through [11e], [11d], [11c], [11b], [11a], the panel can move from zone [11a] to [11f]. When the panel leaves the steam treatment zone [11f], the panel enters the transition area [65c], and when completely out of the steam, the panel quickly moves to the cooling chamber [13a], where it is cooled and dried with a combination of vacuum, nitrogen, air, or other gases, as a result of which the water evaporates and the temperature of the panel drops. When the cooling cycle is completed, the panel can move to the transition zone [65d], where the panel can be added to the train of panels within the adsorption system [90b]. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 38, there are two adsorption trains [90a and 90b] and two parallel desorption trains, but other configurations similar to those shown in FIGS. 24 - 27 (such as when there is only one desorption train) can also be easily envisioned. Similarly, FIG. 38 shows a design with three preheating sub-chambers and six steam sub-chambers in each desorption train. Embodiments with fewer (0 - 2), or more (4 - 10) preheating sub-chambers and fewer (1 - 5) or more (7 - 14) steam generation sub-chambers can be easily envisioned.

[0097] FIG. 41 shows an exemplary single-plane, continuous, horizontally oriented system having a single playback area. As shown in FIG. 41, the system can include three adsorption train sections [90a-90c], two lateral transfer units [62a and 62b], and a single playback chamber

[61] . The panel can move continuously from the first adsorption train [90a] through the first lateral transfer unit [62a], the second adsorption train [90b], the third adsorption train [90c], the second lateral transfer unit [62b], and then reach the playback chamber

[61] . In other embodiments, the movement may be in the reverse direction. The illustrated layout includes a single playback chamber

[61] along one of two parallel tracks within the DAC system and may be suitable for smaller scale DAC operations, for example, when the total adsorption track is relatively short.

[0098] FIG. 39 shows another exemplary embodiment of a process in which panels move continuously through the system and an inert gas such as nitrogen is used instead of a vacuum to (i) be able to replace air in the purge step

[10] and (ii) be able to provide cooling in the cooling step

[13] . The advantage of the continuous regeneration system is that it is not necessary to accelerate the panels in and out of the vacuum chamber, and thus the overall cadence of panel movement can be increased. In this embodiment, the panel can move continuously out of the adsorption region

[90] and directly into the countercurrent air replacement zone

[10] , where an inert gas such as nitrogen can be used to replace the air in the void space around and inside the panel. Since the individual adsorption units are composed of a series of narrow air flow channels, it can be expected that the air replacement is essentially close to plug flow, that is, the air flow channels function much like a series of parallel drinking straws. In this embodiment, the air replacement chamber may be divided into two sub-chambers, an upstream region [10a] and a downstream region [10b], separated by a gas seal [120b]. Fresh inert gas [115a] can enter the downstream sub-chamber [10b] and replace the gas in the void space of the panel. The gas flow rate can be set such that a given amount of gas is introduced into the downstream sub-chamber [10b] within the time required for a point within the panel to move through the same sub-chamber. The volume of gas introduced may be between 1 and 2 times the void volume of the sealed sub-chamber, whereby all the inflowing gas in the void space is replaced, although the volume of gas may have a volume of 1 / 2 to 1 times the void volume, or 2 to 3 times the void volume, or more.

[0099] The gas introduced into the sub-chamber [10b] downstream of the air purge section replaces the gas in the upstream sub-chamber [10a], whereby the air in the panel can be replaced outside the system. When the gas flow rate is carefully balanced, the nitrogen in the downstream sub-chamber [10b] replaces the gas in the panel entering that sub-chamber, so that most of the gas flowing from the downstream to the upstream sub-chamber [10a] becomes air containing a small amount of nitrogen. The gas flowing into the upstream sub-chamber [10a] can completely replace the incoming air, so that very little nitrogen escapes with the replaced air from the upstream sub-chamber [10a], thus reducing nitrogen loss. Although two sub-chambers are shown in FIG. 39, more chambers may be included.

[0100] The panel moves from the air replacement chambers [10a, 10b] to the nitrogen recovery chamber

[0121] via a seal set [120c] as described in FIGS. 37A - 37C-2. Optionally, the nitrogen recovery chambers [121a, 121b] may be operated under a slight vacuum (0.5 bara, alternatively 0.25 - 0.75 bara, alternatively 0.05 - 0.95 bara) to facilitate the recovery and removal of nitrogen. This reduced pressure can be achieved using a fan or a vacuum pump [122a], so that the recovered nitrogen partially replaces the need for fresh N 2 and replaces it partially.

[0101] The nitrogen replacement can be steam, CO 2 or steam and CO 2can be achieved using a mixture with. The steam treatment chamber

[11] may have a plurality of sub-chambers [11a] to [11f]. This replacement is similar to that described for air replacement within chamber

[10] , and the replacement gas mixture enters the downstream sub-chamber [121b] at a rate sufficient to replace 1 to 2 void volumes per panel transfer time (or, in an alternative process, less than 1 void volume, or 2 to 3 void volumes, or more). Thus, the panel void space exiting chamber [121b] may mainly contain steam, while the gas exiting chamber [121b] and entering [121a] may mainly contain the replaced N 2 and may contain. This N 2 rich mixture then replaces the N 2 gas entering the upstream sub-chamber [121a] with that from the panel from sub-chamber [10b].

[0102] N 2 The panel entering the recovery chamber

[0121] may be relatively cold and adsorb ambient air, so a mixture of CO 2 and steam may interact with the panel, and some of the CO 2 may be adsorbed and some of the steam may condense to heat the panel. The replacement of N 2 may not be as straightforward as that observed in the air replacement chamber

[10] , but the same basic principle applies, i.e., most of the N 2 is replaced and a'standing wave' is formed where only a small amount of CO 2 and water vapor escape to the nitrogen recovery fan [122a].

[0103] N 2 The potential advantage of operating the recovery chamber

[0121] at a slight vacuum is that the temperature at which steam can condense is more restricted. For example, at 0.5 bara, the condensation temperature of pure water is 81 °C, so this is the hottest temperature at which the panel can be subjected to the action of steam condensation. It may be advantageous to maintain the panel temperature below the level at which significant CO 2 desorption occurs.

[0104] Gas short-circuiting and reverse mixing between sub-chambers can potentially affect the overall performance of the system, so sealing between the gas spaces of the sub-chambers may be required. As the differential pressure across different sections increases, the flow rate through the seal gap increases. Therefore, it may be beneficial to have a larger multi-contact point seal [120a] around the vacuum section.

[0105] N 2 From the recovery section

[0121] , the panel moves through the seal [120e] to the continuous vapor section

[11] , where the vapor flows from the sub-chamber [11f] through the sub-chambers [11e], [11d], [11c], and [11b] to the sub-chamber [11a], countercurrent to the direction of panel movement (flowing from [11a] to [11f] by passing through the seals [120f] to [120j] in sequence), to effect efficient desorption of 2 CO and minimize the residual level of CO on the panel exiting the desorption zone. The vapor flow through the panel may "snake" (crossing different sides) as shown in FIG. 6, or the gas may be ducted around the chamber containing the panel like a "corkscrew" and always enter the panel from the same side (as shown here). 2

[0106] After steam treatment, the panel can move continuously within the cooling chamber [13a], sequentially move through [13b], [13c], and [13d], where again, the panel encounters the countercurrent of the inert gas [115b] flowing from [13d] to [13a]. In this figure, four cooling stages in four sub-chambers [13a] - [13d] are contemplated, although fewer or more stages may be incorporated. The purpose of the cooling chamber

[13] is both to cool and dry the panel by flowing a warm and dry oxygen-free gas such as nitrogen over the hot and wet panel. As the panel advances from [13a] to [13d], the gas moves in the opposite direction (from [13d] to [13a]). The incoming gas may be of low humidity and can be heated by the heater

[0123] to 20 - 30 °C or 15 - 40 °C or 10 - 50 °C. Since the gas flowing into the cooling chamber [13d] has low humidity, water can evaporate from the surface of the panel, cooling both the panel and the gas. When the gas flows into the sub-chamber [13c], the gas may come into contact with a warmer panel section, causing the gas to warm up and further water to evaporate.

[0107] Optionally, the gas flowing into [13a], [13b], and [13c] may be reheated. This may increase the evaporation rate, and as a result, may increase the moisture content and temperature of the gas entering the condenser 124. Also, the required gas flow rate may be decreased to achieve the loading of a given residual water onto the panel that exits the region 130 and re-enters the adsorption region 90.

[0108] The gas flow and the inlet temperature are carefully managed such that the gas coming out of the sub-chamber [13a] of the inlet panel is warm (65 - 85 °C or 55 - 90 °C or 45 - 100 °C) and near saturation, while the panel coming out of the sub-chamber [13d] is cold (20 - 30 °C or 15 - 40 °C or 10 - 50 °C) and the moisture level is low. The hot and wet gas discharged from the sub-chamber [13a] is sent to the condenser

[0124] , cooled to a low temperature (5 - 10 °C or 0 - 25 °C or -5 - 45 °C), and a part of the water vapor is condensed to supply energy to the heat pump. The dried gas can then be recirculated to the gas heater

[0123] via the fan [122b].

[0109] The void space within the panel exiting the last cooling sub-chamber [13d] may be filled with the gas injected into the cooling chamber

[13] . This gas, for example, N 2 can be partially recovered through the fan [122c] with countercurrent displacement with air to minimize the overall loss of nitrogen. Figures 40A - 40B show one possible embodiment of the gas recovery system.

[0110] Figures 40A - 40B show embodiments of a device intended to recover most of the inert cooling gas

[0115] from the interstitial space entering with the panel

[50] from the upstream cooling zone

[13] and minimize the contamination of that gas by the air used to displace that interstitial space. Embodiments of the device are shown which are intended to do this. This separation is achieved by creating a tortuous path for the displacement air to follow, so that the flow in the displacement area is generally in the opposite direction to the flow of the panel, but locally passes through the panel many times. Thus, the flow pattern created in this way is similar to that shown in Figure 6A. This flow pattern is created by forming a series of seals on the opposite side of the panel, and these seals are offset from each other in the direction of movement of the panel by at least one air flow channel. The set of seals creates sub-chambers separated from each other in the direction of movement of the panel, but are connected by air flow channels connecting the opposite faces of the adsorption unit within the panel

[50] . The overall system is configured such that the velocity of the gas flow through the panel interstitial space (air flow channel) is approximately equal to the velocity at which that interstitial space moves forward due to the movement of the panel.

[0111] Figures 40A - 40B show a plan view and a cross - sectional view of an embodiment in which the panel moves continuously through the seal sets [120a - 120d] from the cooling zone

[13] , isolating the mostly air - free cooling zone

[13] from the final gas recovery zone. The seal sets [120a - 120d] assist in guiding the air flow in opposite vertical directions through the panel 50. The seal sets [120a - 120d] include a plurality of seals. As seen in Figure 40B, the plurality of seals can include a full seal [120a] with sealing members on both sides of the panel and a plurality of half - seals [120b - 120d] with sealing members on only one side of the panel. As seen in Figures 40A - 40B, the half - seals [120b, 120b] are disposed on the lower surface of the panel

[50] , and the half - seal [120c] is disposed on the upper surface of the panel

[50] . The seal sets [120a - 120d], together with the side wall

[0139] , the chamber floor

[0135] , and the chamber ceiling or roof

[0137] , form a plurality of sub - chambers (130, 131, 132) through which the air can flow after passing through the panel. For example, as seen in Figure 40B, the sub - chamber

[0130] is bounded by the chamber floor

[0135] , the bottom surface of the panel

[50] , the seal [120a], the seal [120b], and the surrounding wall

[0139] (not shown in Figure 40B).

[0112] In some embodiments, the half seal may contact only a single side of panel

[50] . In embodiments with two or more half seals, a first half seal may contact a first side

[50] of the panel, and a second half seal may contact a second side (opposite the first side)

[50] of the panel, such that the incoming gas forces the gas within the interstitial space of the panel out of the way. In embodiments with three or more half seals, one half seal may contact the first side of the panel, and second and third half seals may contact the second side (opposite the first side) of the panel, such that the gas first flows through the panel in a first direction orthogonal to the plane defined by the panel

[50] , then flows across the face of the panel

[50] , causing the gas to flow in the opposite direction across the entire panel. The flow rate of the gas in one direction may be such that a standing wave can be set up and the majority of the gas within the interstitial space of the panel entering the zone is recovered with minimal mixing of the replacement gas, substantially coinciding with the movement of the interstitial space of the panel in the opposite direction.

[0113] Panel 50 continues to pass through the recovery zone past seal [120b], where the seal is shown to be only at the bottom of the panel. Half seal [120b] prevents gas from flowing from subchamber

[0132] to subchamber

[0130] and allows gas to flow in reverse through panel

[50] from subchamber

[0132] to subchamber

[0131] . Since there is no seal on the upper surface of the opposite panel [120b], gas can freely flow into subchamber

[0131] . Next, panel

[50] can move past half seal [120c] on the upper surface of the panel and finally past half seal [120d] on the lower surface of the panel.

[0114] In FIGS. 40A - 40B, as the panel moves from left to right, air moves from right to left. As seen in the cross - sectional view of FIG. 40B, the system can be arranged such that air enters the panel air flow channels between seals [120c] and [120d] and can flow down through the panel in a direction orthogonal or perpendicular to the plane defined by panel

[50] , displacing the gas within those channels. This system can be operated such that air pushes the gas within the interstitial space of the panel through panel

[50] into sub - chamber

[0132] , and then air is pushed through another section of the panel in a direction orthogonal to the plane defined by panel

[50] , but in a direction opposite to the air flow entering sub - chamber

[0132] , into sub - chamber

[0131] . Air is pushed out of sub - chamber

[0131] , through yet another portion of the panel's interstitial space, in a direction orthogonal to the plane defined by panel

[50] and in a direction opposite to the flow of air entering sub - chamber

[0131] , into sub - chamber

[0130] . At an appropriate flow rate, as the gas moves from sub - chamber

[0132] to

[0131] and further to

[0130] , the concentration of the inert purge gas

[0115] increases such that sub - chamber

[0130] can be filled mainly with inert cooling gas

[0115] .

[0115] Air flows into the gas flow channels within the adsorption unit contained in panel

[50] in the space in front of half - seal [120c] and flows orthogonally through panel

[50] . This air moves the gas within the interstitial space of the panel within the gas flow channels into sub - chamber

[0132] . From sub - chamber

[0132] , the gas can rise through the flow channels of the panel and be pushed into a further sub - chamber

[0131] , displacing the gas within those channels. Finally, after sub - chamber

[0131] , the gas can be moved into sub - chamber

[0130] by air through the gas flow channels. From sub - chamber

[0130] , vacuum pump

[0122] can draw gas out of sub - chamber

[0130] and at least a portion of the recovered gas can be returned into the cooling zone

[13] .

[0116] The gas moved to the sub-chamber

[0131] may also include the gas

[0115] supplied through the gas flow path of the panel

[50] towards the sub-volume

[0130] , as shown in FIG. 40B. The gas

[0115] may be an inert gas such as N 2 and so on. In some embodiments, the interstitial space or gas flow channel within the panel moving beyond the seal [120a] may be filled with N 2 and the sub-chamber

[0130] may also be filled with N 2 and so on. Therefore, the gas within the sub-chamber

[0130] may contain N 2 and this can be recycled to the cooling zone

[13] to reduce the use of fresh N 2

[0115] . In some embodiments, the gas within the sub-chamber

[0130] may be essentially pure N 2 and so on. If the half-seal [120c] leaks slightly, or there is reverse mixing of the gas moved from the sub-chamber

[0132] to the sub-chamber

[0131] , the gas within the sub-chamber

[0131] may contain gases other than N 2 and so on, but the overall risk of these gases returning to the cooling zone

[13] can be minimized. Similarly, the gas within the sub-chamber

[0132] should be N 2 and so on, and it should return the gas mainly containing the same gas as in the sub-chamber

[0131] to the sub-chamber

[0131] . If the half-seal [120d] leaks, if an air flow enters the channel above the sub-chamber

[0132] , or if the gas mixes excessively within the panel flow channel, the gas within the sub-chamber

[0132] can be slightly contaminated. However, any impurities may be within the moving panel, and if the gas flow is properly controlled, the impurities may move forward with the panel before flowing into the sub-chamber

[0131] .

[0117] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 40A to 40B, the sub-chambers [130 to 132] are shown with different sizes for the sake of explanation. Of course, the sub-chambers may be of the same size, or may be of a size different from the sizes shown. Although this system is shown as having three sub-chambers, it is possible to envision a similar system having one, two, four, five, or more partitions. The seals [120a to 120d] are shown as being large enough to seal only one sealing strut

[0128] , but as explained elsewhere, they may be larger.

[0118] In yet another embodiment of the fully continuous process, (as shown in FIGS. 44A to 44C) the horizontal panels can be arrayed in a circular pattern, eliminating the need for transfer stations at the ends of the linear array and allowing a constant force to be applied throughout.

[0119] In different embodiments of the design, it is possible to have a fan with blades oriented to rotate in a vertical plane or a horizontal plane (or actually some other angle). Some possible embodiments of the fan arrangement for operating the panel in the horizontal plane are shown in FIGS. 27A - 27B. These show four standing panel tracks [54a - 54b] supported by a set of structural support elements

[55] . Since the panel tracks are drawn from end to end, in this figure they flow into or out of the page. In FIG. 27A, the fan [51a] is installed horizontally under the panel tracks [54a and 54b] and, in forced draft mode, pushes air up through the panel tracks [54a and 54b]. This can provide the advantage of having the mass of the fan motor near the ground and may make it possible to decouple the stress associated with the rotating equipment from the mechanical support of the panel. FIG. 27A also shows an alternative embodiment where the fan [51b] is installed on the panel tracks [54c and 54d] on the panel and can draw air through the panel in induced draft mode. This can provide a fan installation area that is approximately the same as the area of the panel, and this design can accommodate a larger fan diameter. One of the possible advantages of an induced draft fan is that it can minimize the turbulence of the air flowing through the panel and can increase the discharge air velocity from the system without additional equipment. The higher the vertical discharge velocity, the more advantageous it can be in terms of the air flow pattern of the system and can reduce the amount of used air that recirculates into the inlet of the suction device.

[0120] In yet another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 27B, the fan [51c] can be installed vertically within the wall of a building operating in forced draft mode. Thereby, the mass of the fan and its rotating equipment can be closer to the ground. The fan of this embodiment may be away from the panel tracks [54a and 54b] and may be upstream of a rain screen and a filter (not shown), so that the turbulent flow downstream of the fan can be dissipated before the air encounters the panel. In yet another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 27B, a fan [51d] with a larger diameter can be installed vertically, but installed at a position away from the edge of the panel track [54d] with a transition section of the building, so as to redirect the air flow.

[0121] FIGS. 28A - 28B show some possible embodiments regarding the arrangement of the air filter. Four panel tracks [54a - 54d] are shown in a side view from the edge of the track. In this embodiment, the panel tracks [54a - 54d] are erected and supported by a structural element

[55] . In FIG. 28A, the filter [52a] may be arranged vertically within the wall of the building, or the filter [52b] may be arranged horizontally under the panel tracks [54c and 54d]. When the filter [52a] is installed on the wall, it can be installed relatively far from the panel track [54a] and can be installed downstream of the fan (not shown), so the filter [52a] can help dissipate the flow from the fan. By arranging the filter [52b] under the panel, more area can be made available for the filter, and as a result, the pressure drop generated for air filtration can be reduced.

[0122] Figure 28B shows two possible embodiments that allow for a larger filtration area while maintaining the separation of the filter

[52] from the panel track

[54] . The filter [52c] may be angled, and the filter [52d] may be vertical, but may be recessed from the edge of the panel track [54d]. The fan may be placed upstream of the filter, between the filter and the fan, or downstream of both the filter and the fan, and thus various optional combinations of the fan and the filter can be easily envisioned.

[0123] When the panel is in the horizontal direction, precipitation is likely to affect the air transfer surface, so some form of rain countermeasures may be required. Figures 29A - 29C show some possible embodiments of such precipitation protection. In Figure 29A, a chevron set

[96] can be used to capture precipitation and direct it to a rain collection chevron / trough

[98] . In this embodiment, the chevron can be placed between the panel track

[54] and the exhaust fan

[51] to maintain the vertical velocity of the exhaust port of the fan as high as possible. However, it is easy to come up with systems where the fan is placed under the chevron or a system that uses a chevron in combination with a vertical or horizontal induced draft fan under the panel. One advantage of having chevrons

[96] and

[98] between the fan

[51] and the panel track

[54] is that any small components that may fall during lubrication or maintenance from the fan can be prevented from hitting the panel track

[54] . In embodiments where the fan is under the chevron or in an induced draft mode, the chevron may also function as the roof of the building. In some embodiments, the system may replace the upward-facing chevron

[96] with a fan

[51] operating within a notch in a flat roof. The downward-facing chevron

[98] may be spread to a width larger than the diameter of the fan to capture water droplets. In some embodiments, the downward-facing chevron

[98] may extend along the width of the building. In some embodiments, the trough may have the shape of a circular dish or an inverted cone to cover a diameter somewhat larger than the projected diameter swept by the fan and may be provided with a drain to remove water accumulated during a storm. In some embodiments, the cross-section of the trough may generally be in a chevron shape (as shown), or generally in a V-shape, generally in an L-shape, generally in a U-shape, generally in a straight shape, or in an irregular shape. In some embodiments, the cross-section of the trough may include a shallow concave dish shape along its upward-facing surface.In some embodiments, the trough(s) and / or chevron(s) can be angled with respect to vertical, spaced apart from each other, and / or overlap each other in the vertical direction to allow air to flow while preventing rain from flowing in. The chevron or trough can extend across the building (perpendicular to the direction of panel movement) or along the building (parallel to the direction of panel movement). The trough / chevron can have different lengths, for example, to approach the opening of a circular fan (the longer troughs are aligned with the center of the opening and the shorter troughs are near the sides of the opening). Shapes and arrangements other than those shown and described herein may be used for the trough(s) without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0124] FIG. 29B shows two alternative configurations in which a chimney or chimney [97a, 97b] is used. Since precipitation tends to fall obliquely at an angle and the exhaust of the fan tends to generate a certain degree of vortex, sediment can hit the wall of the chimney

[97] and flow downward and be collected in the trough

[98] at the bottom of the chimney. Two possible embodiments of the chimney are shown. That is, [97a] is shown to operate with an induced draft fan (however, it may also be operated with a forced draft). The upper part of the chimney can be tapered inward to reduce the exhaust area, thereby increasing the velocity of the air exiting the system. This increase in velocity (and the rise of the exhaust point) can help minimize air recirculation (i.e., minimize the depleted air exiting the system being drawn back into the inlet air stream). Chimney [97b] is shown with an induced draft fan

[51] and no exhaust taper. The walls of the precipitation collection trough

[98] can be placed at a sufficiently low height so that any precipitation that penetrates past the fan hits the side walls of the chimney [97b] and easily flows into the trough

[98] . 2 In some embodiments, the trough(s) and / or chevron(s) can be angled with respect to vertical, spaced apart from each other, and / or overlap each other in the vertical direction to allow air to flow while preventing rain from flowing in. The chevron or trough can extend across the building (perpendicular to the direction of panel movement) or along the building (parallel to the direction of panel movement). The trough / chevron can have different lengths, for example, to approach the opening of a circular fan (the longer troughs are aligned with the center of the opening and the shorter troughs are near the sides of the opening). Shapes and arrangements other than those shown and described herein may be used for the trough(s) without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0125] Figure 29B shows an alternative configuration that can be coupled to a separated panel track (such as that shown in Figure 23C for example). The chimney

[97] is relatively narrow and collects air from two separated adsorption tracks [54a and 54b] within a relatively wide open space. Precipitation that falls through the chimney can be picked up by a precipitation collection trough

[98] . As shown, a forced draft fan is envisioned, but it would also be possible to mount an induced draft fan on top of the panel or in the narrower portion of the chimney

[97] .

[0126] Figures 43A - 43B show an alternative embodiment of a precipitation mitigation system with a wide precipitation collection funnel

[98] under the fan

[51] . The precipitation collection funnel

[98] may be circular or rectangular when viewed from above and may have a diameter / width greater than the diameter of the fan

[51] . Further precipitation protection can be provided by the building roof

[0117] and by a cowling

[0118] around the fan

[51] , and the above - mentioned cowling

[0118] also improves the air flow pattern through the fan

[51] . When rain falls obliquely, additional protection can be provided by incorporating a plurality of precipitation deflection rings [99a - 99c], which can collect obliquely falling raindrops and drip them directly into the precipitation collection funnel

[98] . The plurality of precipitation deflection rings [99a - 99c] may be disposed above or below the fan

[51] . The air flow direction profile of these precipitation deflection rings can be made very narrow so as to minimize the resistance to the air flow. Figures 43A - 43B show three precipitation mitigation rings [99a - 99c], but more or fewer rings may be included. The rings may have the same height or different heights (as seen in Figure 43A) to minimize the possibility of precipitation ingress into the panel train

[54] . In some embodiments, the rings may be concentric. The precipitation mitigation rings are shown above the fan, but the rings may also be disposed below the fan

[51] , but above the collection funnel

[98] .

[0127] Referring to FIG. 19A, the forces acting on the suction unit

[90] within the panel

[50] are different when the panel is in the horizontal and vertical directions. In particular, in the horizontal direction, due to the influence of gravity, the suction unit

[50] may be pulled downward and deviate from the plane of the panel

[50] surface. To address this problem, several different approaches can be applied. In FIG. 19A, the support shelf

[91] can be used in combination with an adhesive that functions as the array frame

[93] of FIG. 19B to effectively adhere the array

[94] in place. As an additional measure, physical support can be supplemented to the adhesive.

[0128] FIGS. 30A - 30D show some possible embodiments of the physical support structure. The arrays [94a] and [94b] can be composed of a single suction unit or a plurality of suction units coupled together in groups of suction units such as 2×1, 2×2, or 2×3, for example. Since the sizes of these arrays may vary slightly, the support system is designed to accommodate this variation. FIG. 30A shows a side view of an embodiment in which the monolithic array [94a] or [94b] is supported from below by a combination of a vertical support

[0100] and an edge support

[0101] . In this example, the size of the edge support can be large enough to accommodate both the larger [94a] and the smaller array [94b]. The edge support

[0101] may be directly connected to the vertical support

[0101] or may be connected by a spring clip that adapts to variations in the size of the suction unit array [94a or 94b]. The support may also be two sub - structures having a vertical component 100 and a horizontal component 101.

[0129] Figure 30B shows a plan view of three different possible embodiments of the edge support. Support [101a] embodies a shelf that supports the entire length of the array on all four sides. As an additional variation of this system, embodiments where only 1, 2, or 3 are supported can also be considered (see FIGS. 35A - 35C). Support [101b] shows an embodiment where only the corners of the array (not shown) can be supported, and support [101c] embodies an example where the edge support does not extend the full length of the edge of the array. FIGS. 35A - 35C show additional variations that can support only 1, 2, or 3 corners and can support only 1, 2, or 3 sides. The advantage of not covering much of the lower surface area of the array is that more surface is exposed to the air flow, which may contribute to the adsorption of CO 2 2 . The advantage of having a larger support area is that the array

[94] is held more securely in place.

[0130] Figure 30C shows a side view of an alternative embodiment where a tapered support

[0102] is used. In this embodiment, a larger array [94a] can be placed slightly higher relative to a smaller array [94b]. The advantage of this approach is that the surface of the air flow is not blocked. Figure 30D shows a plan view of this configuration. Figure 30C shows a continuous taper, but a stepped profile can also be envisioned.

[0131] Figure 34 shows an alternative embodiment for supporting a panel. A spring clip

[0108] can be attached to a vertical support at a first end and forms a support shelf at a second end for use in supporting the bottom of the array

[94] .

[0132] Alternative embodiments for supporting the panel from below are shown in FIGS. 31A and 31B. In FIG. 31A, a mesh of fine elements

[0103] is formed, supported between vertical supports

[0100] , giving rigidity to the mechanism and maintaining sufficient tension in the mesh

[0103] to minimize sag. To minimize the interaction between the mesh

[0103] and the array, the mesh can be partially removed near the center of the array

[94] by notches

[0104] . In some embodiments, the array

[94] may be located above the notch. In this embodiment, the mesh

[0103] extends parallel and perpendicular to the support

[0100] . In an alternative embodiment, the mesh extends diagonally such that each strand is supported by the frame

[0100] . Additional vertical supports

[0100] extending perpendicular to those shown, or a mesh

[0103] with strands omitted that extend parallel to the support

[0100] are also conceivable.

[0133] FIG. 31B shows another embodiment of this concept, where the support wires

[0105] are more widely spaced and arranged obliquely with respect to the support

[0100] . The advantage of using fewer support wires

[0105] is that there is less blockage of the surface of the array

[94] . The advantage of using more support wires

[0105] is that the weight held by each individual strand is less, so it can be thinner.

[0134] Another approach for supporting the array

[94] is shown in FIG. 32. A collar

[0106] that is coupled to or placed on the support may be connected to the array

[94] by, for example, a tension fit or using an adhesive. The collar

[0106] may rest on the support

[0100] , or the collar

[0106] may be adhered to the support, or the support may be inserted into the collar, or the support may be provided with a spring clip (one embodiment is similar to the device shown in FIG. 34) to hold the support in a predetermined position and compensate for size variations. The height of the collar may be a part of the height of the array (as shown in the figure), but may also be a larger part of the overall height, or even higher than the height of the array. The width of the collar

[0106] may be sufficient to account for variations in the width of the array

[94] , and the lower surface of the collar may rest on the upper surface of the support

[0100] , or the variations may be absorbed by an elastic or springy connection (e.g., the spring clip shown in FIG. 34). FIG. 32 shows elements that can also be easily envisioned in other embodiments described herein. A sealant

[92] can be used to provide a cushion between the arrays

[94] and prevent gas from bypassing the internal gas channels of the arrays

[94] .

[0135] FIG. 33 shows another modified embodiment for supporting the suction unit

[90] . In this embodiment, the manufacturing process can be adapted to include a support surface

[0107] at the edge of the suction unit

[90] . In this embodiment, the corners can be enlarged to engage an edge support [101b] as shown in FIG. 30B.

[0136] Some possible embodiments regarding the connection between the mesh

[0103] and the support strut

[0110] are shown in FIGS. 42A - 42E. In FIG. 42A, the mesh

[0103] can be sandwiched between the support strut

[0110] and a lower strut

[0111] that can be located under the mesh. In this embodiment, the support strut

[0110] can be located above the mesh

[0103] and can be connected to the panel frame (

[95] in FIG. 36), but this strut

[0110] can also be located under the mesh. The lower support strut

[0111] is shown as being free - floating and attached to the upper support strut

[0110] , but it can also be the main support and can function as the lower sealing surface of the seal shown in FIG. 37. The advantage of the design shown in FIG. 42A is that the mesh remains flat and the volume of the space under the mesh

[0103] and the lower surface of the lower support strut

[0111] are minimized.

[0137] FIGS. 42B - 42D show three other possible configurations for the interaction between the upper

[0110] and lower

[0111] support struts. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 42B, the lower support strut [111a] has a triangular shape that can be set in an appropriately shaped opening of the upper support strut [110a]. This configuration has the advantage of reducing the void space directly under the mesh, but has the potential drawback of needing to deform the support mesh

[0103] . FIG. 42C shows an alternative configuration where the lower support strut [111b] has a truncated - elliptical profile. FIG. 42D shows another possible configuration where a larger support strut [111c] is at the same height as the lower surface of the adsorption unit

[94] and the mesh

[0103] is deformed around the lower strut. One of the advantages of this configuration is that when the lower strut [111c] is attached to the panel frame (

[95] in FIG. 36), the upper strut [110c] does not need to support the load and can mainly play a role in preventing the movement of the mesh. Therefore, it may be possible to omit the upper strut [110c] to reduce the total weight of the panel.

[0138] Figure 42E shows yet another embodiment of a mesh support system in which the support strut

[0110] takes the form of an "n"-shaped component that crimps the edges of two sections of the mesh

[0103] .

[0139] Horizontal Moving Panel DAC System In many embodiments, a direct air recovery system is described in which individual adsorption panels are continuously and linearly moved within an air stream and then each panel is moved from the air stream to a regeneration box with multiple zones to cause the necessary desorption stage to occur.

[0140] In many embodiments, as shown in Figure 2A, each adsorption panel

[50] of the system moves along a given wall, track, or row of panels [54a], then enters a multi-zone regeneration box [61a], then enters an adjacent wall, track, or row of panels [54c], and during exit transport, is transported via a lateral transfer station [62b] to the opposite / adjacent wall, track, or row [54d], returns along its entire surface, then enters a second multi-zone regeneration box [61b], then enters an adjacent wall, row, or row of panels [54b], exits by lateral movement by the lateral transfer station [62a], and the entire process can be repeated. In some embodiments, as seen in Figure 2A, the panels

[50] are arranged end-to-end with each other and can be serviced by a fan

[51] at the upper (or opposite end). One advantage of this design is that the parallel units in this configuration more easily fit into a rectangular housing of relatively standard shape. Another important advantage is that since the length of the adsorption panel is quite long (over 250 feet), placing a fan above (or at the opposite end) of the panel significantly promotes the air flow over the entire length of the adsorption panel. The fan sucks up the air, fresh air flows in through the filter, and then flows into the panel within the adsorption box. The air flow changes from horizontal (through the filter / panel) to vertical (through the fan) within the adsorption box.

[0141] Figure 2A shows one possible configuration of a combination of a plurality of fans

[51] and a plurality of sets of moving adsorption panels

[50] / multi-zone playback boxes [61a, 61b], whereby two operating units are formed. For example, as seen in Figure 2A, the adsorption box [60a] may be rectangular with a width of 10 to 100 feet, a height of 10 feet, alternatively about 20 feet, alternatively about 30 feet, alternatively about 40 feet, alternatively about 50 feet, alternatively about 60 feet, alternatively about 70 feet, alternatively a width of about 70 to about 320 feet, alternatively about 120 to about 640 feet, alternatively about 240 to 1280 feet. In one embodiment, the adsorption wall (Figure 2B

[54] ) may be about 240 feet wide × 19 feet high, 180 feet wide × 25 feet high, or alternatively 40 to 640 feet wide and 5 to 50 feet high. Alternatively, the wall of the adsorber may be 240 to 12800 feet wide and 25 to 100 feet high. Alternative configurations may aggregate the walls of the adsorber, as with other configurations. The number of fans

[51] may be 5 to 20, or alternatively 1 to 6, or alternatively 15 to 60, or more.

[0142] In an alternative embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, playback boxes

[61] may be provided at both ends of the adsorption box

[60] . In an alternative embodiment (Figure 4), additional adsorption boxes [60a - 60f] may be arranged in parallel so that the adsorption boxes [60a - 60f] and the playback boxes [61a, 61b] can share a common centralized downstream device (vacuum pump, heat pump, compressor). Other alternative embodiments may have a greater number of playback boxes (three or more). In some embodiments, a plurality of adsorption walls (54) may be vertically stacked in any of these configurations with a plurality of fans. In other embodiments, a plurality of adsorption boxes are arranged in parallel (Figure 13A) or in a non-parallel pattern such as the star configuration shown in Figure 13B.

[0143] As yet another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, the panel track can be operated in a horizontally oriented state (alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 44A - 44C, horizontal panels can be arranged along a circular track, and the fans shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B can be operated in a state where they are horizontally oriented above [51b] or below [51a] the panel, or the fans can be operated in a state where they are vertically oriented [51c or 51d] below [54a - 54d] the panel track).

[0144] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, it is shown that the playback boxes [61a, 61b] provide services in parallel to six separate adsorption boxes [60a - 60f]. The panels of each adsorption box [60a - 60f] are played back simultaneously, and the panels within the adsorption boxes [60a - 60f] are arranged such that the surfaces of the panels are in a parallel configuration. The arrows indicate the relative movement of the panels within the system. In an alternative embodiment, these adsorption boxes [60a - 60f] can be oriented end - to - end within a longer and thinner playback box.

[0145] The number of panels

[50] in the adsorption mode is typically significantly larger than the number of panels in the desorption or regeneration mode. The ratio of the number of panels in the adsorption mode to the number of panels in the desorption or regeneration mode can be as small as 2:1, or can be between 2:1 and 12:1, between 12:1 and 36:1, between 36:1 and 144:1, or even higher. Using more panels in the adsorption mode allows each panel to spend more time adsorbed before desorption, so that additional CO 2 is desorbed. This can result in advantages in terms of capital efficiency and also in terms of energy efficiency, as the amount of CO 2 generated per unit of renewable energy increases. This design also enables efficient heat recovery and transfer throughout the system.

[0146] Having multiple panels simultaneously during regeneration offers advantages in terms of both capital efficiency and energy efficiency. From the perspective of capital efficiency, having a single regeneration box with multiple zones containing more adsorption panels can significantly improve throughput and reduce the capital cost per unit of output. Further, by applying steam to a particular zone and then applying that same steam to other panels in other zones, substantial thermal energy efficiency is enhanced compared to the case where each panel requires fresh steam.

[0147] Figure 2A shows a way in which a set of multiple panels

[50] and regeneration boxes [61a, 61b] can be arranged adjacent to each other. In some embodiments, multiple levels of panels can be served by an overhead fan

[51] (or, alternatively, by fans at both ends of a building). In alternative embodiments, the number of layers of panels can be 3, 4, 5, or more, and the fan configurations can also vary. There may be multiple fans (and / or further multiple fans horizontally) in the horizontal direction. The ratio of panels to fans can vary in order to optimize air flow, panel loading, pressure drop, and / or fan efficiency.

[0148] The adsorption box

[60] can include a series of fans

[51] for moving air through the adsorption panels.

[0149] Regeneration chamber In some examples, the regeneration process can be a simple batch operation in which the panels are loaded (as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16) and then a series of regeneration steps are performed. These steps can include air removal, panel heating, CO 2 desorption, and panel cooling. The panel

[50] can be housed within a chamber by being accommodated between a series of movable wall elements (e.g., clam shells) or placed in a fixed container with the door closed to isolate it from the surroundings and perform these steps.

[0150] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5A, a plurality of panels [50a-50d] may be housed within a fixed structure. The panels [50a-50d] are inserted from a narrow end, minimizing the size of the door

[25] and the required sealing area. The playback box

[61] may comprise a plurality of chambers (or zones). In this embodiment, the playback box

[61] includes an initial purge zone

[10] , two vapor treatment zones

[11] and

[12] , and a final cooling zone

[13] . A possible cycle within zone

[10] may include opening the door

[25] and sliding the newly loaded panel

[50] while the door

[26] to the vapor treatment zone

[11] is closed. The chamber of the initial purge zone

[10] may then have air evacuated by means of a vacuum. Optionally, steam may be allowed to enter the chamber while the vacuum is applied to push out the remaining air. Next, the vacuum valve may be closed, and the chamber

[10] may be repressurized with CO 2 , fresh steam, or by connecting zone

[10] to the discharge port from zone

[11] . Once the chamber within zone

[10] has been repressurized, the door

[26] may be opened, the panel

[50] may be advanced within zone

[11] , the fresh steam port may be opened, and the void space created by removing the panel may be refilled. Next, the door

[26] can be closed, and zone

[10] is ready to receive the next panel. Optionally, while loading the next panel, the port to the heat recovery system may be opened to allow the steam within the void space of the chamber of zone

[10] to be recovered as the new panel enters. Alternatively, prior to loading the new panel

[50] , air may be swept through the chamber within zone

[10] to remove the steam (and optionally recover the steam), followed by loading the next panel.

[0151] In an alternative embodiment, in another embodiment, the initial purge segment can be divided into two, three, or more zones to separate the purge step into various components such as a vacuum, followed by an initial steam break, etc. This allows for (i) minimizing the release of steam and CO into the atmosphere 2reducing the losses of (ii), reducing the risk of air intrusion into the hot panel of the subsequent zone, and (iii) improving the panel moving speed for each zone, and the timing of this step better matching the timing required for multiple panels in the steam treatment (and other) steps, etc., several advantages can be obtained.

[0152] In Figure 5B, two steam treatment zones

[11] and

[12] are shown enlarged. In other embodiments, a different number of steam treatment zones may be used. The steam is distributed to a plenum

[21] separated from the panel by a porous wall made of, for example, sintered metal or woven material, which may help evenly distribute the steam flow. In this embodiment, the steam enters the second steam treatment zone

[12] and is forced through the adsorption panel

[50] to the opposite plenum

[22] by a baffle

[24] that separates zone

[11] and zone

[12] on one side of the regeneration box. The steam then flows through plenum

[22] into zone

[11] , passes through the panels

[50] contained in that chamber, and then exits through plenum

[23] .

[0153] In other configurations, the steam treatment section can be longer (e.g., 3, 4, 5, or 6 - 10 zones, or more), and additional baffles can be installed within the plenum to allow the steam to pass through the individual panels multiple times (e.g., passing through the first half of the panel in one direction and the other half in the opposite direction, or dividing the panel into thirds, quarters, fifths, etc. by the flow). In yet another configuration, part of the steam treatment chamber can be left empty to allow the panels to move continuously (as illustrated in FIG. 6). FIG. 6 shows an embodiment with a single steam region

[11] surrounding three panels within a chamber that is approximately four panel lengths. Steam is supplied to the two central panels, and can pass through each of these panels eight times. Each time the steam passes, it flows across a width of approximately one - quarter of the panel length. Three panels [50a, 50b, 50c] are loaded into the region and they move slowly through the steam during all steps. The five rows of FIG. 6 show the positions of the panels at various times (t1 - t5) in the steam treatment process, and the last row shows where the steam - treated panel [50a] exits and a new panel [50d] enters from the left. By moving the panels along a continuous steam flow in this way, at all parts of the panel, time, temperature, and CO 2 The same (or similar) steam profile can occur with respect to loading. In alternative embodiments, different numbers of panels and zones can be utilized for this continuous panel movement through steam, with a minimum of one panel and two zones, or two - five panels and three - six zones, or six - ten panels (or more) and seven - eleven zones (or more) being able to be utilized.

[0154] In some embodiments, the steam treatment zone may be designed to accept a high pressure of 2 or 3 bara or more so that the steam can be utilized at a higher heat value. In such cases, additional reinforcements and associated mechanisms may be required for both the walls of the regeneration box and the doors between the zones to provide sufficient resistance (and sealing) to handle the higher positive pressure.

[0155] In FIGS. 5A - 5B, the steam - treated panel

[50] exiting zone

[12] enters the vacuum cooling zone

[13] through the door

[27] . Next, a valve connecting zone

[13] to a vacuum source is opened, and the chamber is evacuated to reduce the pressure. Due to the reduced pressure, a part of the high - temperature condensed water in the panel

[50] evaporates. As a result, the panel

[50] is cooled and simultaneously dried. To reduce the load on the vacuum pump, the resulting water vapor may be condensed in a heat exchanger so that only non - condensable chargers flow through the vacuum pump. Also, since most of the non - condensable chargers from zone

[13] are rich in CO 2 it is possible to recover the emissions of the vacuum pump as a product. When the temperature of the panel in zone

[13] reaches less than 60°C, or preferably less than 40°C, or less than 30°C, the port to the ambient air is opened and the vacuum can be broken. Next, the last door

[28] opens, and the cold and depleted panel

[50] can be removed. Then, the door

[28] is closed in preparation for the next cycle.

[0156] In an alternative embodiment, the cooling segment may be divided into two, three, or more zones to separate the cooling of the panel into different components (initial vacuum cooling, continuous vacuum cooling, and air - induced vacuum break). This can provide several advantages, such as (i) reducing any risk of loss of CO 2 to the atmosphere, (ii) reducing the risk of air ingress into the hot panels in subsequent zones, and (iii) improving the panel transfer rate per zone such that the timing of this step better matches the timing required for multiple panels in the steam treatment (and other) steps.

[0157] As seen in FIG. 5A, the vacuum chambers in both zone

[10] and zone

[13] have two doors, as opposed to one door. The vacuum chamber with two doors allows for a "flow - through" of the panels, enabling one panel to enter the zone while a second panel is moving. The production rate of the overall process is CO 2Since it is restricted by how quickly it can be removed from the panel, by minimizing the time required to move the panel, the time available for CO 2 removal is maximized. If there is only one door, it is necessary to remove one panel before loading the next panel and to fill the void in the vacuum chamber

[10] or

[13] with gas (usually air). By having two doors and a "flow-through" design, it is possible to move one panel while moving the previous panel, shortening the overall cycle time and minimizing the filling of the void space with unwanted gas.

[0158] Combining this two-door design with a multi-zone regeneration box has further advantages. These advantages include the opportunity to minimize the void space around the panel. This is particularly beneficial for the inlet and outlet zones

[10] and

[13] where air ingress can have a significant detrimental effect. Also, it is possible to keep the high-temperature steam treatment zone constantly warm (minimizing the stress and cost of the heat cycle), widen the steam distribution plenum in the steam treatment zone without adding void space to the vacuum zone (required in a single-zone design), and operate in a mode where multiple panels in the steam treatment zone allow the steam and the panels to flow in opposite directions. The closer the system can approach true countercurrent operation, the more efficient the use of steam and the higher the concentration of CO 2 that can be supplied to the downstream process.

[0159] As shown in FIG. 5A, in some embodiments of the system, doors

[26] ,

[27] , and

[28] can all be opened simultaneously, the panels of zones

[10] ,

[11] , and

[12] can be moved simultaneously to zones

[11] ,

[12] , and

[13] , and the panel of zone

[13] can exit the system simultaneously. In other embodiments, the panel

[50] within zone

[13] can be carried out with door

[27] closed, and the void space can be filled with air. Next, door

[28] can be closed and air can be evacuated by pulling a vacuum and repressurizing with steam or another inert gas, or air can simply be displaced by flushing the void with steam. In other embodiments, the panels within zones

[11] and

[12] can be moved while door

[26] is still closed, such that the movement from zone

[10] occurs later. In yet another embodiment, all four doors can be opened simultaneously, and panels can be loaded into zone

[10] at the same time that the panels move from

[10] to

[11] , from

[11] to

[12] , from

[12] to

[13] , and from

[13] out of the recycling box.

[0160] In other embodiments, the recycling box may be sized to accommodate more panels in the direction of movement, or parallel to the direction of movement. For example, the length of the recycling box may remain approximately that of four panels, but the width may accommodate two, three, four, or more panels, with each panel loaded facing each other. In yet another embodiment, the length of the recycling box may be increased to place multiple panels end-to-end in each zone, and those panels may be advanced together in each step. For example, each zone may accommodate two panels, three to five panels, or five to ten panels (or more), and in each case, the entire set of panels in a zone can be moved from one zone to the next.

[0161] System Overview The DAC system employs a chemisorption process to remove carbon dioxide from the ambient air provided to the process using an air treatment system integrated within the system's package envelope. The chemisorption process is a reversible reaction that is regenerated by utilizing the distribution and recovery of steam.

[0162] As can be seen from FIGS. 2A and 2B, a series of adsorption panels

[50] move continuously within the air flow along a linear plane or row to form the "walls" of panels [54a, 54b] (or alternatively, additional planes). At the end of the adsorption box [60a], each of the panels

[50] exits the air flow generated by the fan

[51] within the adsorption box

[60] and enters the multi-zone regeneration box [61a]. After the panel

[50] exits the regeneration box [61a], the panel

[50] re-enters the adjacent adsorption box [60b] and joins the "wall" of panel [54c]. At the end of the adsorption box [60b], the panel

[50] exits the air flow, moves to the opposite side of the adsorption box [60b] via the lateral movement system [62b], joins another "wall" [54d] of panel [60b], and re-enters the air flow within the adsorption box [60b]. After exiting the air flow within the adsorption box [60b], the panel

[50] enters the next regeneration box [61b].

[0163] FIG. 7A is an exemplary embodiment of a panel movement system. While within the air flow in the adsorption box

[60] , the panels

[50] can each move continuously across the track

[63] . Such movement can be achieved using a stepping motor, or alternatively, hydraulic, pneumatic, electric, or other drive mechanisms, and can include a chain or alternative mechanism to facilitate such movement over the entire length of the track.

[0164] At the distal end of each adsorption box

[60] , after the air flow exits, each panel

[50] may enter the lateral movement unit

[62] and move the panel

[50] to the wall

[54] on the opposite side of the adsorption panel. FIG. 7B shows an exemplary embodiment of the lateral transfer station or lateral unit

[62] . Such a lateral unit

[62] may include an A-frame and other mechanisms for fixing the panel

[50] for the purpose of such lateral movement. The panel

[50] may remain open to ambient conditions during the adsorption stage, but may be sealed from any ambient conditions during the regeneration stage, thereby ensuring an optimal environment for promoting subsequent desorption of the recovered atmospheric CO 2 is ensured.

[0165] FIG. 7C shows an exemplary embodiment of the adsorption box

[60] . The air flow can be supplied from a single or multiple fans

[51] to the panel

[50] , which can typically be an induced draft design, but alternatively can be a forced draft. The diameter of the fan can be as small as about 10 feet, alternatively 10 feet to 30 feet, alternatively 30 feet to 50 feet, or alternatively 50 feet to 70 feet (or more). The fan can be oriented horizontally or vertically. The fans can be arranged stacked vertically, side by side horizontally, or in a combination of horizontal and vertical arrangements. In some embodiments, 3 or 4 (or more) fans are arranged overlapping each other, in other embodiments 3 or 4 (or more) are arranged side by side horizontally, and in other embodiments they can be arranged in a 2×2 fan, 3×3 fan, or 4×4 fan (or more) configuration. The fans can also be arranged in different numbers with respect to height and width, such as height 3×width 2 (3×2), 4×2, 4×3, 5×3, 6×3, 5×4, etc. Also, the number of fans in the height direction can be combined in the range of 1 to 6 (or more), and the number of fans in the width direction can be combined in the range of 1 to 6 (or more).

[0166] Air flow / CO of the panel 2When the adsorption cycle is completed (example in Figure 1), the panel moves along the track to the regeneration box, the door is closed and sealed from the surrounding air, and the panel is ready to start the regeneration and removal steps of CO 2 This can be achieved by removing air using a vacuum pump, followed by adding steam or an inert gas to remove residual oxygen, and finally adding steam to break the vacuum as described above. Next, after the panel moves to the steam treatment zone

[11] , more steam is applied, and then the panel moves to one or more additional zones to continue the steam treatment process. Following the steam step, the panel moves to the final zone (or zones

[13] ), where evacuation is performed to facilitate the removal of the remaining CO 2 and the cooling of the panel. Then, the valve introduces air to break the vacuum, at which point the panel exits the regeneration box along the track and moves to a position where it re-enters the air flow of the next panel wall in the adsorption box and can resume the adsorption cycle.

[0167] At the air flow and the re-entry point to the panel wall, it can be noted that care is taken to ensure that the panel is prepared to re-enter the air flow immediately behind the panel to which it will next move in order to avoid gaps that could negatively affect the air flow. Similarly, roller seals (or alternative types of seals) can be used at the inlet (and outlet) of the panel to minimize the risk of air leakage.

[0168] The regeneration box may complete the entire desorption process through only a single zone or through multiple separate zones, such that a single panel

[50] moves from zone to zone to complete its desorption process. The range of steps is (i) removing air (and oxygen that may be harmful to the sorbent at high temperatures) from the panel

[50] by evacuating or sweeping the air out with steam or an inert gas (such as nitrogen), (ii) breaking the vacuum with steam, CO 2 or other alternative gases, (iii) breaking the vacuum with steam or CO 2(or other means such as indirect heat) heating of panel

[50] , and (iv) cooling of panel

[50] by application of vacuum, inert gas (such as nitrogen), or a combination of other direct or indirect cooling methods. As seen in FIG. 5A, the regeneration box

[61] includes three sections. That is, (i) a preliminary vacuum section (zone

[10] ) where the air around panel

[50] is removed by vacuum (or other means) and then the vacuum is broken with steam, (ii) a central steam treatment section (zones

[11] and

[12] ) where steam is supplied to two (or fewer or more) adsorption panels, and (iii) a cooling section (zone

[13] ) where panel

[50] is subjected to vacuum (or alternative means) for cooling before being again exposed to ambient conditions. In alternative embodiments, various alternative means may be used to remove air, apply heat, and / or cool panel

[50] . Alternative embodiments may include a different number of panels in each section, or additional zones in each section, or both. Further, in certain embodiments, it may be less necessary to remove air or cool panel

[50] , in which case the number and nature of the sections and / or zones, as well as the number of panels in each section and / or in each zone, may vary significantly.

[0169] The doors

[25] ,

[26] ,

[27] , and

[28] of the regeneration box

[61] may be driven by any of electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic means using an actuator located outside the regeneration box

[61] itself. The door seal may be either a single seal or a double seal, and in the case of a double seal, the function of filling the space between the seals with steam may be included.

[0170] Gas may be delivered (or removed) to the regeneration box

[61] via a series of pipes (or ducts) and valves.

[0171] The entire regeneration process may take anywhere from a minimum of 1 minute to a maximum of 4 minutes (or more), and each panel

[50] can move from section to section or zone to zone within that overall time limit. The time for each section can be as short as 10 - 15 seconds, or as long as 45 - 60 seconds, or anywhere in between at 15 - 30 seconds or 30 - 45 seconds.

[0172] In some embodiments, additional steps may be required to further isolate the hot adsorption panel

[50] so that it is not exposed to air when the final panel

[50] is discharged. In that case, additional steps may be added to remove air (either via vacuum or steam sweep, or both) from the cooling section (zone

[13] ) before advancing the hot panel into zone

[13] . In that case, this can be achieved either by providing additional time to remove air from zone

[13] before advancing the hot panel

[50] , or by adding yet another zone to the regeneration box to facilitate an additional buffer against exposure to incoming air.

[0173] The panel

[50] can be of any dimension in a rectangular format, with the dimension of a given side ranging from as small as about 2 feet to as large as 60 feet or more. In embodiments, alternative shapes of the panel and the regeneration plate can also be used, including polygons of various sizes, or circular or elliptical shapes. In an alternative embodiment, the panel is shown in the shape of a "slice" of a disk or ring to accommodate continuous movement along a circular track (Figure 44A) (Figure 44B).

[0174] Also, the entire DAC process unit (adsorption box

[60] and regeneration box

[61] ) may be arranged side by side with each other, which enables the DAC process unit to share downstream processing equipment such as heat pumps and compressors.

[0175] When the DAC units are adjacent to each other (whether stacked or side-by-side), care must be taken to ensure that the CO 2 -poor air exhausted from one unit is not sucked into adjacent units. In some embodiments, ducts (guide vanes or other air flow deflecting devices) can be introduced to ensure proper exhaust of the CO 2 -depleted air from adjacent units.

[0176] The scale of a single unit may be such that the amount of CO 2 recovered is approximately 40,000 - 50,000 tons per year, alternatively 1,000 - 5,000 tons per year, alternatively 5,000 - 40,000 tons per year, or alternatively 50,000 - 100,000 tons per year, or alternatively 100,000 - 300,000 tons per year (or more). Multiple units can be arranged adjacent to each other or stacked to achieve a total volume of 1 million tons / year, or 10 million tons / year or more. With an increase in production volume, (i) the cost of shared process equipment (the cost does not increase proportionally with scale) is dispersed across the entire production volume, and (ii) the transition to a "continuous" process from a process flow perspective (due to an increase in the number of sub-units) improves the operating efficiency of the process equipment and reduces the associated energy costs, thus potentially achieving further cost savings.

[0177] The system may also include an accumulator that enables part of the process flow to operate in a more continuous manner. The system may also include a mechanism to prevent foreign objects from interfering with the operation of the panels. For example, the system may include a screen to prevent insects from entering the system. The system may also include a filter to reduce the accumulation of dirt, dust, and particulate matter. The system may also require periodic cleaning of the adsorption panels.

[0178] The system is designed to ensure that the entire regeneration cycle can be efficiently executed without excessive time allocation, excessive steam breakthrough, or other factors that negatively impact throughput and / or operating costs.

[0179] The main fluid inputs include air, steam, and in certain embodiments, but not limited to, one or more of inert gases such as CO 2 or N 2 , as well as makeup water. What is discharged from the plant is clean air containing water vapor and the product CO 2 , and CO 2 (in addition, possible N 2 / air mixture containing water vapor).

[0180] In a preferred embodiment, steam is used to provide the heat for desorption, the reduced partial pressure of CO 2 , and the power to discharge CO 2 from the regeneration chamber. Alternative embodiments can be readily envisioned. For example, heat can be supplied by embedding heating elements within the adsorption panel. These heating elements can be electrically heated wires or tubes containing a high-temperature fluid. Alternatively, the steam can be replaced with another high-temperature gas that can be easily condensed in a downstream process to separate from CO 2 . Examples of such fluids can include "natural refrigerants" such as butane, pentane, hexane, or other similar hydrocarbons, synthetic refrigerants such as fluorinated hydrocarbons, ammonia, or other similar gases. By applying a vacuum during the heating cycle, the partial pressure of CO 2 can be reduced. It is clear that the steps required for desorption can be achieved in several different ways by creating a separate regeneration space for the panel that can withstand vacuum, high temperature, and high pressure.

[0181] Fan When approaching the adsorption panel, an air flow velocity of about 3 m / s, alternatively about 1 to about 5 m / s, alternatively about 0.2 to about 10 m / s, or alternatively exceeding 12 m / s may be required. Individual adsorption units within the panel may contain a number of small channels similar to a honeycomb, and it may be necessary to press air into these channels. Therefore, the velocity of the air passing through the panel may increase, and the flow velocity of the air passing through the panel is 0.2 to 20 m / s, alternatively 3 to 15 m / s, or alternatively 4 to 10 m / s.

[0182] In some embodiments, air circulation may be provided by a single large fan that substantially matches the length of the adsorption box

[60] , or a series of fans. For example, in the case of an adsorption box that is about 18 feet wide and 260 feet long, 15 fans with a diameter of about 16 feet can be arranged side by side and placed overhead.

[0183] Adsorbent The adsorbent sets the productivity level and regeneration requirements. In this system, an adsorbent designed specifically for DAC can be used. The adsorbent for use with DAC is described in US2019 / 0291077 entitled "PC STRUCTURES INCLUDING SUPPORTED POLYAMINES AND METHODS OF MAKING THE SUPPORTED POLYAMINES", which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. The adsorbent material may have a low molecular weight highly branched polyethyleneimine (PEI) incorporated within the panel substrate. This allows for a high volume of amine loading (i.e., amine sites / adsorbent volume). The solid amine adsorbent interacts with CO 2 through a chemisorption mechanism and has a high CO 2 adsorption capacity at very low CO 2 partial pressures, and has a higher CO 2Exhibit high selectivity for. The polyethyleneimine (PEI) sorbent may have a limited lifespan estimated to be 0.5 to 3 years (mainly due to oxidation and polymer elution), at which point the sorbent on the substrate will need to be replaced. Extensive preliminary investigations have been carried out to establish lifetime goals.

[0184] In other embodiments, other sorbents may be utilized, such as alternative forms of PEI, alternative forms of amine-based sorbents, zeolites, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and other materials that can effectively and selectively recover CO 2 may be used.

[0185] In embodiments, fibrous materials impregnated with sorbent, fabric impregnated with sorbent, flat surfaces of metals, or other materials, or alternative structures and materials designed to optimize the adsorption of CO while limiting pressure drop 2 other forms of substrates containing sorbent can also be used, including.

[0186] downstream process Figures 8A - 8B show exemplary embodiments of downstream processing for a regeneration box. A large vacuum chamber

[46] enables the rapid evacuation of air from zone

[10] or zone

[13] while operating the vacuum pump

[47] with a relatively uniform load. High-temperature steam from zone

[11] , which may contain CO 2 and water, is sent to condenser

[40] , where it can be condensed against a boiling refrigerant such as butane or an alternative gas. The condensate of liquid water from

[40] can be reused to generate more steam, while the remaining uncondensed gas can be directed to a second condenser

[41] operating at a lower temperature. This condenser can be cooled by boiling the refrigerant at a lower pressure. Again, the water from condenser

[41] may be returned to the boiler

[43] , and the remaining gas, here mainly CO 2 but, may be sent to the product compressor

[49] .

[0187] The low-pressure refrigerant from the condenser

[41] can be sent to the low-stage heat pump compressor

[45] , and the low-stage heat pump compressor

[45] may supply it to the accumulator vessel

[39] . The vapor from the medium-pressure accumulator

[39] can be mixed with the medium-pressure refrigerant vapor from the condenser

[40] and supplied to the high-stage compressor

[44] . The high-temperature and high-pressure vapor from the compressor

[44] is collected in the accumulator

[38] , and the vapor is condensed in the boiler

[43] to generate steam for the process.

[0188] Steam containing a large amount of wet CO from zone

[13] can be sent to the condenser

[42] , where most of the water vapor is removed as a liquid and returned to the boiler, while the remaining steam (mainly CO 2 ) can be sent to the vacuum pump

[48] and discharged to the supply source of the product compressor

[49] . 2 ) can be sent to the vacuum pump

[48] and discharged to the supply source of the product compressor

[49] .

[0189] In previous designs, the steam for desorption was generated by burning fuel to create high-temperature gas and then boiling water. The fuel was usually obtained from fossil fuels or at most renewable resources (such as biomass and anaerobic digestion). Therefore, such systems contributed to the atmospheric CO 2 that the DAC system described in this specification is designed to recover. The steam and CO 2 generated by the desorption process were usually separated by condensing water vapor from the CO 2 gas in a condenser cooled by cooling water. Next, the heat transferred to the cooling water was released into the atmosphere by evaporating part of the water in the cooling tower.

[0190] In the process described in this specification, the vaporous CO 2 discharged from the desorption process can be condensed in two steps: a first step at a relatively high temperature (e.g., above 50 °C, alternatively above 60 °C, alternatively about 50 °C to about 80 °C, alternatively about 70 °C, alternatively about 75 °C, alternatively about 77 °C, alternatively about 78 °C) and a second step at a lower temperature (e.g., about 25 °C to about 40 °C, alternatively about 25 °C, alternatively about 30 °C).

[0191] A possible embodiment of this design is shown in FIG. 8B. The first condenser

[40] can recover most of the energy of the vapor CO 2 at a temperature higher than normal. This higher temperature means that the energy can be efficiently upgraded in the vapor generation heat pump (

[38] ,

[40] ,

[43] , and

[44] ). This heat pump uses electricity with the refrigerant compressor

[44] to raise the pressure of the refrigerant (and thus the condensation temperature), creating conditions that allow the refrigerant to be condensed at a high temperature sufficient for the refrigerant to boil water and generate low-pressure steam

[43] . The main advantage of using a heat pump is that the amount of electricity required to operate the compressor

[44] is significantly less than the amount of energy that can be supplied to generate the steam

[43] . Typically, the energy supplied to the steam is one part of the electrical compression energy and two to five parts of the thermal energy recovered by the process condenser

[40] . Further, in certain embodiments, the electricity used to operate this heat pump can be generated without directly emitting CO 2 (e.g., hydro, wind, solar), thereby "decarbonizing" the heat supply to the entire process. As an additional advantage, the heat recovered by the heat pump may be directly reused within the process rather than being discharged to a cooling tower, thus significantly reducing the amount of water used in the cooling tower.

[0192] CO 2 Although the use of electricity obtained from a process that does not directly emit CO may be preferred, the present invention is not limited to this, and the improvements described herein can also be applied to systems driven by fuels such as fossil fuels, renewable resources such as biomass and anaerobic digestion, and such systems are also included within the scope and spirit of the present invention disclosed herein.

[0193] In some embodiments, to further improve the overall process efficiency and while the high-temperature heat pump is in a predetermined position, a second-stage heat pump can be economically added to the system and operated in a lower temperature / pressure range. The second-stage heat pump (

[39] ,

[41] , and

[45] , and (when integrated)

[38] ) can collect energy at a lower temperature not only from the product stream (exchanger 41), but also from other low-grade heat sources such as dryer / cooler vapor from the drying / cooling section

[13] (within unit 42) and other locations (e.g., CO 2 emissions from the compressor, emissions from the refrigeration plant). It is inefficient to raise the temperature from the low temperature (e.g., nominally 30 °C) of the second condenser

[41] to create steam, but this heat can be used to boil more butane at an intermediate pressure (within accumulator

[38] ). Using this two-stage heat pump, the power required to upgrade low-temperature energy is significantly less than the energy recovered as steam (e.g., the heat recovered is 1.5 to 3 times the power of 1). However, the efficiency is lower than that of the high-stage heat pump itself (more energy is recovered, but the efficiency is lower). In such a system, the make-up water for the cooling tower is significantly conserved.

[0194] The embodiments described above and in FIG. 8B only show an overview of one possible configuration of the process. For example, the temperature at which heat exchangers

[40] and

[41] collect heat can be increased (allowing for more efficient heat recovery, but reducing the amount of energy collected), decreased, the sizes of heat exchangers

[40] ,

[41] , and

[43] can be increased (able to reduce the temperature difference between the high-temperature side and the low-temperature side, but requiring more capital), decreased, or the efficiency and cooling of the refrigerant compressors (

[44] and

[45] ) can be changed. Although the steam in this embodiment is shown to be generated at 110 °C, the steam temperature can be changed by lowering or raising the discharge pressure of compressor

[44] , for example, down to 90 °C or up to 140 °C.

[0195] The refrigerant shown in Fig. 8B is butane, but several other refrigerants or refrigerant mixtures may be used. Possible refrigerants include, but are not limited to, propane, isobutane, pentane, or similar "natural" refrigerants or "synthetic" refrigerants such as R1336MZZ. Figs. 8A - 8B show the refrigerant directly coupled to the process stream, but a heat transfer fluid such as water can also be used to separate the process from the refrigerant. In other embodiments, additional stages can be added to the heat pump. For example, a three - stage heat pump collects heat at 80°C, 50°C, and 20°C. In still other embodiments, different refrigerants can be used in different stages. For example, ammonia can be used in the lower stage (rising from 20 - 40°C or 0 - 45°C or - 30 - 50°C to 70 - 80°C or 65 - 85°C or 60 - 90°C), and steam can be used in the upper stage (rising from 70 - 80°C or 60 - 85°C or 55 - 90°C to 105 - 110°C or 102 - 120°C or 100 - 140°C). Conventional refrigerants can also be used, and such systems are within the scope and spirit of the present invention.

[0196] In an alternative embodiment, the steam can be supplied by a conventional boiler or by waste heat from another process. Cooling can be supplied by a conventional cooling tower or by integration with another process. In another alternative embodiment, the condensers

[40] ,

[41] , and

[42] can be water - cooled, and the water releases its heat to the heat pump.

[0197] Adsorption process The adsorption process combines a contactor with a very high surface - area - to - volume ratio, an adsorbent with high selectivity for CO 2 and an adsorbent with low pressure drop, all of which are designed to facilitate the movement of large volumes of air for maximizing carbon recovery. The adsorption of CO 2 is a function of the uptake curve, whereby the rate of CO 2 adsorbed into the adsorber decreases as the adsorber fills, so optimizing the adsorption cycle time relative to the desorption time is important for overall CO 2It can have a significant impact on the capacity and cost per ton.

[0198] The adsorption capacity depends not only on the adsorption time but also on the dimensions of the panel (height, width, and length), the porosity of the adsorption panel, the type of adsorbent with its accompanying selectivity for CO 2 the type of adsorbent with its accompanying selectivity for CO, the loading of the sorbent capable of adsorbing CO within the adsorption panel matrix, and the partial pressure of CO 2 in contact with the adsorption panel (i.e., a function of the air flow rate and the CO concentration in that air). Furthermore, since the incremental adsorption capacity is a function of the amount of CO adsorbed on the adsorption panel, successful desorption also has a significant impact on the adsorption stage. This embodiment is designed to optimize the above characteristics to maximize the throughput of CO in the system, thereby increasing the capacity and reducing the cost per ton of the recovered CO 2 the type of adsorbent with its accompanying selectivity for CO, the loading of the sorbent capable of adsorbing CO within the adsorption panel matrix, and the partial pressure of CO 2 in contact with the adsorption panel (i.e., a function of the air flow rate and the CO concentration in that air). Furthermore, since the incremental adsorption capacity is a function of the amount of CO adsorbed on the adsorption panel, successful desorption also has a significant impact on the adsorption stage. This embodiment is designed to optimize the above characteristics to maximize the throughput of CO in the system, thereby increasing the capacity and reducing the cost per ton of the recovered CO 2 in contact with the adsorption panel (i.e., a function of the air flow rate and the CO concentration in that air). Furthermore, since the incremental adsorption capacity is a function of the amount of CO adsorbed on the adsorption panel, successful desorption also has a significant impact on the adsorption stage. This embodiment is designed to optimize the above characteristics to maximize the throughput of CO in the system, thereby increasing the capacity and reducing the cost per ton of the recovered CO 2 in contact with the adsorption panel (i.e., a function of the air flow rate and the CO concentration in that air). Furthermore, since the incremental adsorption capacity is a function of the amount of CO adsorbed on the adsorption panel, successful desorption also has a significant impact on the adsorption stage. This embodiment is designed to optimize the above characteristics to maximize the throughput of CO in the system, thereby increasing the capacity and reducing the cost per ton of the recovered CO 2 1 ton.

[0199] Regeneration process The steps of the regeneration process carried out in the regeneration box (an example of which is shown in FIG. 5) will be described in more detail below.

[0200] The sorbent embedded in the panel

[50] has a risk of being deactivated when exposed to oxygen at a high temperature well above the ambient temperature, i.e., a temperature rise exceeding 35 - 60°C. Therefore, before applying steam during regeneration, a partial vacuum or a deep vacuum can be drawn through a pump-down step. The vacuum can be about 0.20 - 0.50 bar, alternatively about 0.10 - 0.20 bar, alternatively about 0.025 - about 0.20 bar, alternatively about 0.05 bar - 0.1 bar.

[0201] To further improve oxygen replacement, in an optional additional step, a sweep gas can be applied to purge oxygen (as described above, to minimize the risk of sorbent deactivation). In certain embodiments, the sweep gas may be steam. In such cases, to minimize heating of the sorbent, the steam can be applied at a constant temperature, or rate, or duration, or while the regeneration chamber is still in a vacuum state (otherwise there is a risk of sorbent deactivation).

[0202] The sweep gas can also be nitrogen generated from a nitrogen generator at a concentration of about 96% to about 99.9999%. The nitrogen can then be recovered via another process and recycled through the system again.

[0203] In an alternative embodiment, the sweep gas can be the exhaust gas from a gas combustion boiler, but in this case, NO in the emissions that may have an adverse effect on the adsorption medium x and SO x needs to be minimized.

[0204] Alternatively, carbon dioxide itself can be used as the sweep gas, and it is possible to economically reuse and recover carbon dioxide through multiple cycles.

[0205] In some embodiments, the system can be enabled to apply different sweep gases so that process adjustments can be made based on performance / analysis. After the sweep gas is sent to the panel, the sweep gas then moves through a recovery system and can be made available for reuse.

[0206] As long as an inert gas is used for the initial purge, steam can be applied as a secondary purge to remove non-condensable nitrogen and oxygen from any void spaces. This step is important because if the levels of non-condensable nitrogen and oxygen brought into the purification with the unpurified CO 2 product are high, the CO 2This is because it may become difficult to efficiently condense and recover it. The application of this vapor can be combined with the application of a vacuum, which replaces most of the inert gas and prevents the vapor from condensing at a high temperature sufficient to promote oxidation and desorb CO 2 from desorbing.

[0207] In addition to the above, certain next-generation sorbents may be available, thereby substantially eliminating the risk of sorbent inactivation in the presence of oxygen and high heat. Using such sorbents reduces the need for vacuum, sweep gas, and cooling steps, significantly improves the speed and efficiency of the process, and substantially reduces the cost of the system.

[0208] After the O 2 concentration around the sorbent has decreased, heat is applied to the panel for the purpose of desorbing CO 2 . This may be achieved by applying vapor supplied via a vapor pipe / duct attached to the regeneration box. In either case, the gas is supplied / removed via a series of pipes and valves. The vapor can be applied to the panel at a temperature of about 80°C to about 90°C, alternatively about 90°C to about 100°C, alternatively about 100°C to about 125°C, alternatively about 120°C to about 150°C.

[0209] In some embodiments, it is advantageous to use vapor to break the vacuum in the initial zone / chamber within the regeneration box. During this step, the vapor flows into the chamber and condenses on the cooler inner surface. This draws in additional vapor, warms the panel, and this can lead to sufficient heating to initiate the release of CO 2 . When the internal volume of the regeneration chamber reaches an appropriate pressure, e.g., atmospheric pressure, the panel can move to the next zone / chamber. Further vapor condenses to provide a temperature driving force for further desorbing CO 2 , and the excess vapor excludes CO 2 gas from the volume to maintain a low partial pressure and thus maintain an attractive desorption driving force.

[0210] In other embodiments, a preheating step may be used, whereby hot gas (about 50 °C to about 100 °C) is recirculated within the chamber and reheated in an external heat exchanger. The recirculating hot gas may be CO 2 or a mixture of CO 2 and water vapor. Preheating the panel with hot gas may reduce the amount of vapor that condenses on the panel in subsequent steps, and thus may reduce the amount of condensate within the pores of the panel.

[0211] After applying steam to collect CO 2 , the adsorption panel may move to the next zone / chamber, where the adsorption panel may undergo a cooling step by evaporating condensed water on the surface of the panel. This cooling step may be achieved by further reducing the deep vacuum to about 0.20 - 0.30 bar, alternatively to 0.10 - 0.20 bar, or alternatively to 0.01 - 0.1 bar. This vacuum not only helps to evacuate all remaining gases from the system and reduce the amount of water remaining in the adsorber, but also helps to cool the adsorption panel to a level that minimizes potential oxidation of the sorbent. In some embodiments, the adsorption panel may need to be cooled to less than about 60 °C, alternatively about 40 °C, alternatively about 25 °C.

[0212] Additionally or alternatively, nitrogen may be applied to facilitate cooling and remove residual water from the panel. Nitrogen can be moved back through a recovery system to enable reuse. Alternatively, a gas such as air or nitrogen may be used after the initial vacuum cooling step and the gas may be recirculated through a cooler / condenser.

[0213] The duration of the cooling step may vary depending on (i) the target temperature level and the % of water remaining until achieved, and (ii) the size of the vacuum pump and / or blower used to facilitate the cooling step.

[0214] The CO 2is mixed with water vapor (or, in other embodiments, another condensable gas) and an inert, mostly non-condensable gas (N 2 or O 2 etc.). This water vapor (or other condensable gas) is condensed by cooling and / or pressurizing the product stream, making it possible to recover the condensable gas as a liquid stream. The heat released by condensing the vapor is recovered into the process fluid that can be used to supply a heat pump. In either case, the condensed water from the product stream is recovered and can be regenerated and reused (the same applies to excess nitrogen if nitrogen is used as part of the cooling step). The product stream exiting this cooling / compression stage can be 80 - 99 wt% CO 2 and can be recovered directly as a product. Further cooling can increase the CO 2 concentration to as high as 95 - 99.9 wt%.

[0215] The regenerated and recovered CO 2 may then enter a liquefaction / purification step, whereby the CO 2 enters a series of compression and cooling steps to increase the concentration of CO 2 and liquefy it. Compressed CO 2 can have a purity of about 95 wt% - about 99.99 wt%. The collected CO 2 can be immediately utilized in products (such as chemicals, plastics, materials used in concrete, carbon fibers, food, and beverages) or isolated underground. Alternatively, the recovered CO 2 can be stored in a high-pressure, low-temperature tank and periodically transported to locations where CO 2 is utilized in products or alternatively isolated underground.

[0216] When the temperature of the panel drops below the temperature at which rapid deactivation of the sorbent can occur in the presence of oxygen, and the water level remaining in the pore space decreases below the threshold, the panel is released from the regeneration box and can start moving again along the track to resume the air movement and adsorption stage.

[0217] Heat pumps, heat recovery, and other downstream processes Conventional methods of operating a DAC system can involve burning fuel to generate steam, powering the process, and sending waste heat to a cooling tower. This is relatively inefficient in terms of energy use and can impact the carbon reduction effect of the DAC plant.

[0218] In some embodiments, the systems described herein can use a heat pump instead of a boiler that burns fuel and a cooling tower. A heat pump is a device that recovers low-grade heat exiting the process and upgrades the heat for reuse by powering a compressor using an electric motor. In certain embodiments, the electric motor is driven by renewable power and can reduce the carbon emissions during operation of the overall process. The heat pump also eliminates the load on the cooling tower and reduces the water footprint.

[0219] The use of electricity obtained from a process that does not directly emit CO 2 may be preferred to operate the heat pump, but the invention is not limited thereto, and the improvements described herein are applicable to systems driven by fossil fuels, fuels from renewable resources such as biomass and anaerobic digestion, etc., and such systems are also included within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein.

[0220] This process design is set up to recover waste heat at two temperature levels to improve the efficiency of energy upgrading. In the regeneration system, by integrating the heat pump with a cooler step lower than before, the water recovery rate is improved (less water is lost to the atmosphere / less water is replenished to the steam system), and the temperature of the panel transitioning from regeneration to adsorption is lowered (high temperature / O 2 deterioration of the adsorber due to is reduced).

[0221] Optionally, this process is designed to optimize heat recovery and reduce energy requirements. Heat pumps can supply most of the heat required in the process and can be used to recover and reuse heat throughout the system. This can be achieved by using heat pumps that combine medium and high temperature units based on suitable refrigerants such as butane, or isobutane, propane, pentane, or hexane, or similar hydrocarbons, or perfluorocarbons such as R1336mzz. Water tanks are used to facilitate heat transfer between the various components of the heat pump and to temporarily store heat, and can promote the interaction between the adsorption / desorption process of batch CO 2 and the continuous heat pump.

[0222] By recovering thermal energy from the entire system (including steam recovery, high-temperature gases from drying / cooling cycles, and surplus thermal energy from liquefaction / purification steps) and upgrading this thermal energy to above 100 °C, the heat pump may be able to generate almost all of the thermal energy required to produce the necessary steam, eliminating the need for gas combustion boilers (and avoiding emissions from gas-based CO 2 generation).

[0223] To the extent that a given embodiment cannot supply a continuous gas flow, the equipment may be sized to account for ramping up / down of the equipment, or alternatively, an accumulator may be added to smooth the flow. The accumulator may serve to store gas as needed. Alternatively, in the case of a vacuum pump, using a vacuum accumulator can enable more continuous operation of the pump, provide continuous availability of the vacuum, and shorten the time required to achieve a specific level of vacuum within the system. The accumulator may be coupled to the heat pump, such that the discontinuous supply of heat from panel regeneration can be coupled to the continuously operating heat pump.

[0224] Regarding heat pump systems, an effective accumulator can be realized through a water tank associated with such a system. Heat recovery also enables the recovery of water in the form of condensate that can be returned to the boiler. Thus, this system not only recovers energy but also reduces the water footprint.

[0225] Details of operation The present invention will not only significantly advance the state of DAC technology but also greatly reduce the cost per ton of carbon dioxide recovered and optionally sequestered.

[0226] The embodiments described herein include systems, apparatuses, and methods for recovering carbon dioxide from ambient air and mixtures of gases, some of which include but are not limited to ambient air. In one embodiment of the invention disclosed herein, a continuous moving panel system coupled with the multi-zone regeneration box system described throughout this specification is used to recover carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In another embodiment, individual units may be specialized for recovering carbon dioxide from air, while other units may be specialized for recovering carbon dioxide from a mixed gas stream of air and exhaust gas that may include emissions from the energy source of the direct air capture unit (especially using optimized adsorption panels). In yet another embodiment, the adsorption panels within all individual units may be dedicated to recovering carbon dioxide via a mixed gas stream of air and exhaust gas.

[0227] Various aspects of the subject matter are described below in the review of the embodiments described heretofore and / or in the complementation of those embodiments, with emphasis placed on the interrelationship and interchangeability of the embodiments hereinafter. In other words, emphasis is placed on the fact that each feature of an embodiment can be combined with all other features, unless explicitly stated otherwise or logically impossible. The embodiments described herein are rephrased and developed in the following paragraphs without explicit reference to the figures.

[0228] In many embodiments, a system for removing carbon dioxide from ambient air is a plurality of adsorption panels, each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels having a surface and a substrate configured to recover CO 2 from the atmosphere, and each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels being configured to move independently; a plurality of adsorption structures including at least one fan configured to circulate air through a portion of the panels of the plurality of adsorption panels; and at least one regeneration unit including at least one oxygen purge section, at least one CO 2 desorption section, and at least one drying / cooling section.

[0229] In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move continuously through at least a portion of at least one adsorption structure and at least a portion of at least one regeneration unit. In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move continuously through all portions of at least one adsorption structure and all portions of at least one regeneration unit.

[0230] In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move through a plurality of sections of at least one regeneration unit, and one or more sections of at least one regeneration unit are configured to provide a countercurrent flow of one or more gases relative to the direction of movement of the plurality of adsorption panels within the section.

[0231] In some embodiments, at least one oxygen purge section includes a sealable chamber and a first outlet, at least one CO 2 desorption section includes a desorption chamber, a gas inlet, and a gas outlet, and at least one drying / cooling section includes a drying / cooling chamber, a first drying / cooling inlet, and a first drying / cooling outlet.

[0232] In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move through a desorption chamber, and the gas is configured to flow from a gas inlet to a gas outlet such that the gas first contacts the adsorption panel with a large desorption amount and then contacts the adsorption panel with a small desorption amount.

[0233] In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move in a first direction from at least one oxygen purge section toward at least one drying / cooling section through a plurality of sections of at least one regeneration unit, and in each section of the plurality of sections of at least one regeneration unit, the section is configured to facilitate one or more gases flowing through the section in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

[0234] In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels are CO 2 configured to continuously move through each chamber of the plurality of chambers in the desorption section.

[0235] In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels are CO 2 configured to continuously move through the sealable chambers of the desorption section.

[0236] In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move in a first direction from at least one oxygen purge section toward at least one drying / cooling section through a plurality of sections of at least one regeneration unit, and one or more gases are configured to flow through each section within the plurality of sections of at least one regeneration unit in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

[0237] In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move through a drying / cooling chamber, and the gas is configured to flow from a first drying / cooling inlet to a first drying / cooling outlet such that the gas first contacts the adsorption panel with a higher degree of cooling and then contacts the adsorption panel with a lower degree of cooling.

[0238] In some embodiments, at least one oxygen purge section further includes a first inlet and a first outlet, the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move through a sealable chamber, and the gas is configured to flow from the first inlet to the first outlet such that the gas first contacts the adsorption panel with a larger amount of oxygen purge and then contacts the adsorption panel with a smaller amount of oxygen purge.

[0239] In some embodiments, at least one regeneration unit further includes at least one gas recovery section, the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move from an oxygen purge section through the gas recovery section to a CO 2 desorption section, and the gas is configured to flow from a gas recovery inlet of the gas recovery section closer to the CO 2 desorption section to a gas recovery outlet of the gas recovery section closer to the oxygen purge section.

[0240] In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move through a desorption chamber, and the gas is configured to flow from a gas inlet to a gas outlet such that the gas first contacts the adsorption panel with a larger amount of desorption and then contacts the adsorption panel with a smaller amount of desorption.

[0241] In some embodiments, the system further includes a first door, a second door, a third door, and a fourth door, the first door is located at a first end of at least one oxygen purge section, the second door is located between at least one oxygen purge section and at least one CO 2 desorption section, and the third door is located at least one CO2 It is located between the desorption section and at least one drying / cooling section, and the fourth door is located at the end of at least one drying / cooling section.

[0242] In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move continuously through at least one oxygen purge section, at least one CO 2 The desorption section and at least one drying / cooling section, and each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels includes a plurality of arrays held together and a plurality of sealing struts. One pair of the plurality of sealing struts provides a continuous flat sealing surface for engaging one or more seals to prevent gas from moving between adjacent arrays.

[0243] In some embodiments, the first outlet of at least one oxygen purge section is connected to a vacuum source.

[0244] In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move periodically through at least a portion of at least one adsorption structure and / or at least a portion of at least one regeneration unit.

[0245] In some embodiments, at least one oxygen purge section further includes a second inlet connected to a sweep gas source. In some embodiments, the sweep gas is steam, nitrogen, CO 2 , or a combination thereof.

[0246] In some embodiments, the inlet gas is steam.

[0247] In some embodiments, the first drying / cooling outlet of at least one drying / cooling section is connected to a vacuum source.

[0248] In some embodiments, the first drying / cooling outlet of at least one drying / cooling section is connected to a sweep gas source. In some embodiments, the sweep gas is steam, nitrogen, or a combination thereof.

[0249] In some embodiments, the system further includes a plurality of tracks configured to transport a plurality of adsorption panels through and out of at least one adsorption structure and at least one regeneration unit.

[0250] In some embodiments, the system further includes a plurality of tracks configured to transport a plurality of adsorption panels through and out of at least one regeneration unit. In some embodiments, the plurality of tracks are configured in a circular shape, and each track of the plurality of tracks forms a circular section. In some embodiments, the panels of the plurality of adsorption panels include two arcs on opposite sides of the panel and two straight edges on opposite sides of the panel. In some embodiments, the system includes a plurality of adsorption units arranged in a plurality of rows, and each row extends radially. In some embodiments, a plurality of the plurality of rows are arranged like the spokes of a wheel.

[0251] In some embodiments, at least one CO 2 The desorption section further includes an additional desorption chamber and a plenum between the desorption chamber and the additional desorption chamber, and the plenum is configured to allow steam from the additional desorption chamber to flow into the desorption chamber.

[0252] In some embodiments, the first drying / cooling inlet of at least one drying / cooling section communicates with an inert gas source.

[0253] In some embodiments, the plurality of tracks within at least one adsorption structure include a first track and a second track that each extend longitudinally into, through, and out of the at least one adsorption structure. In some embodiments, the system further includes at least one lateral transfer unit configured to move at least one panel from the first track to the second track. In some embodiments, the first track is substantially parallel to the second track.

[0254] In some embodiments, the system further includes at least one standby zone between the at least one adsorption structure and the at least one lateral transfer unit.

[0255] In some embodiments, the at least one lateral transfer unit is configured to include at least two panels of the plurality of adsorption panels.

[0256] In some embodiments, at least one CO 2 The desorption section is configured to laterally move a plurality of panels at once from at least one oxygen purge section to at least one drying / cooling section, and the at least one oxygen purge section and the at least one drying / cooling section are each configured to include two panels of the plurality of adsorption panels. At least one CO 2 The desorption section is configured to include an odd number of panels of the plurality of panels.

[0257] In some embodiments, the sealable chamber of the at least one oxygen purge section is configured to include at least two panels of the plurality of adsorption panels.

[0258] In some embodiments, the desorption chamber is configured to include at least two panels of the plurality of adsorption panels.

[0259] In some embodiments, the desorption chamber is configured to include from about 2 to about 10 panels out of a plurality of adsorption panels.

[0260] In some embodiments, the drying / cooling chamber is configured to include at least two panels out of a plurality of adsorption panels.

[0261] In some embodiments, the desorption chamber is configured to include from 3 to 20 panels out of a plurality of adsorption panels.

[0262] In some embodiments, the sealable chamber is configured to include a number of panels, and the desorption chamber is configured to include a number of panels that is not an integer multiple of the number of panels within the sealable chamber. In some embodiments, the sealable chamber is configured to include 7 panels, and the desorption chamber is configured to include 2 panels.

[0263] In some embodiments, at least one fan is configured to move air at a speed of from about 0.2 m / s to about 15 m / s through at least a portion of the panels of a plurality of adsorption panels.

[0264] In some embodiments, the system includes two adsorption structures and two regeneration units, and the two regeneration units are located between the two adsorption structures.

[0265] In some embodiments, at least one regeneration unit is located at a first end of at least one adsorption structure, and at least one lateral transfer section is located at a second end of at least one adsorption structure.

[0266] In some embodiments, at least one CO 2The desorption section further includes a first plenum associated with a first wall of the desorption chamber and a second plenum associated with a second wall of the desorption chamber, where the first wall of the desorption chamber faces the second wall of the desorption chamber, and the first plenum is connected to a vapor source. In some embodiments, the second plenum is configured to release vapor from the desorption chamber to a recovery system. In some embodiments, at least one CO 2 The desorption section further includes a first at least one baffle disposed within the first plenum and a second at least one baffle disposed within the second plenum.

[0267] In some embodiments, at least one CO 2 The desorption section further includes a first plurality of plenums associated with a first wall of the desorption chamber and a second plurality of plenums associated with a second wall of the desorption chamber, where the first wall of the desorption chamber faces the second wall of the desorption chamber. In some embodiments, each plenum of the second plurality of plenums is connected to an adjacent plenum within the second plurality of plenums. In some embodiments, the first plurality of plenums includes a first plenum, a last plenum, and at least one plenum therebetween, where the first plenum of the first plurality of plenums is connected to a gas inlet and the last plenum of the first plurality of plenums is connected to a gas outlet.

[0268] In some embodiments, the gas inlet is connected to a vapor source.

[0269] In some embodiments, the second plurality of plenums includes a first plenum, a last plenum, and at least one plenum therebetween. In some embodiments, the first plenum of the second plurality of plenums is configured to receive gas from the first plenum of the first plurality of plenums and transfer the received gas to at least one plenum therebetween of the second plurality of plenums. In some embodiments, at least one plenum therebetween of the second plurality of plenums is configured to transfer the received gas to at least one plenum therebetween of the first plurality of plenums. In some embodiments, at least one plenum therebetween of the first plurality of plenums is configured to transfer the received gas to the last plenum of the second plurality of plenums. In some embodiments, the last plenum of the second plurality of plenums is configured to transfer the received gas to the last plenum of the first plurality of plenums.

[0270] In some embodiments, at least one plenum therebetween of the second plurality of plenums includes at least two plenums. In some embodiments, at least one plenum therebetween of the second plurality of plenums includes at least six plenums. In some embodiments, at least one plenum therebetween of the first plurality of plenums includes at least two plenums. In some embodiments, at least one plenum therebetween of the first plurality of plenums includes at least six plenums.

[0271] In some embodiments, the steam treatment chamber further includes a third wall, and at least the adsorption structure and at least one regeneration unit are connected to the steam treatment chamber along the third wall.

[0272] In some embodiments, the steam treatment chamber further includes a third wall and a fourth wall, at least the adsorption structure is connected to the steam treatment chamber along the third wall, and at least one regeneration unit is connected to the steam treatment chamber along the fourth wall.

[0273] In some embodiments, the system further includes at least one standby zone between at least one adsorption structure and at least one regeneration unit.

[0274] In some embodiments, at least one regeneration unit includes a first end and a second end, the first adsorption structure is coupled to the first end of at least one regeneration unit, and the second adsorption structure is coupled to the second end of at least one regeneration unit.

[0275] In some embodiments, the system further includes a first lateral transfer unit and a second lateral transfer unit, the first lateral transfer unit is coupled to the end of the first adsorption structure, and the second lateral transfer unit is coupled to the end of the second adsorption structure.

[0276] In some embodiments, at least one regeneration unit is located at the end of at least one adsorption structure, and at least one lateral transfer section is located opposite at least one adsorption structure with at least one regeneration unit in between.

[0277] In some embodiments, the adsorption structure further includes a preheater configured to heat air before the air is circulated through a portion of the panel by at least one fan.

[0278] In some embodiments, the regeneration unit further comprises a preheating section having a preheating inlet connected to a heating gas source. In some embodiments, the preheating section further includes a preheater outlet, and the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move through the preheating section, and the gas is configured to flow from the preheating inlet to the preheater outlet such that the gas first contacts the more heated adsorption panels and then contacts the less heated adsorption panels. In some embodiments, the heating gas is CO 2 , nitrogen, or a combination thereof at a temperature of at least 40°C. In some embodiments, the heating gas is CO 2 , nitrogen, or a combination thereof at a temperature of at least 100°C or higher. In some embodiments, the preheating section is configured to hold two or more adsorption panels.

[0279] In some embodiments, at least one drying / cooling section of at least one regeneration unit comprises a first drying / cooling section and a second drying / cooling section. In some embodiments, the first drying / cooling section is a vacuum drying / cooling section, and the second drying / cooling section comprises a drying / cooling inlet connected to a cooling gas source.

[0280] In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels are vertically oriented within at least one regeneration unit. In some embodiments, the system further includes a plurality of tracks configured to transport a plurality of adsorption panels through and out of at least one adsorption structure and at least one regeneration unit, and each adsorption panel of the plurality of vertically oriented adsorption panels is transported on a single track.

[0281] In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels are horizontally oriented within at least one regeneration unit. In some embodiments, the system further includes a plurality of tracks configured to transport a plurality of adsorption panels through and out of at least one adsorption structure and at least one regeneration unit, and each adsorption panel of the plurality of horizontally oriented adsorption panels is transported on a track including at least two rails.

[0282] In some embodiments, the plurality of tracks include a first section at a first height and a second section at a second height. In some embodiments, at least one fan of at least one adsorption structure is located above the upper surface of at least one panel of the plurality of adsorption panels. In some embodiments, at least one fan of at least one adsorption structure is located below the bottom surface of at least one panel of the plurality of adsorption panels. In some embodiments, at least one fan of at least one adsorption structure is arranged in an orientation perpendicular to an end of at least one adsorption structure. In some embodiments, at least one adsorption structure further includes a filter located below the bottom surface of at least one panel of the plurality of adsorption panels. In some embodiments, at least one adsorption structure further includes a vertically oriented filter. In some embodiments, at least one adsorption structure further includes a filter oriented at an angle between 0 degrees and 90 degrees with respect to the ground.

[0283] In some embodiments, at least one adsorption structure further includes a chimney located above the plurality of adsorption panels.

[0284] In some embodiments, at least one adsorption structure further includes a plurality of troughs located below the plurality of adsorption panels.

[0285] In some embodiments, each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels comprises a plurality of monolithic arrays held together by a support structure. In some embodiments, the system further includes a deformable sealant positioned between the plurality of monolithic arrays and the support structure. In some embodiments, the sealant is positioned between individual monolithic arrays of the plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0286] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a frame and at least one sealing strut, and the frame and the sealing strut have surfaces in a common plane that can form a movable gas seal with a surface within the enclosure.

[0287] In some embodiments, the system further includes a plurality of sealing struts, and the sealing struts among the plurality of sealing struts are positioned between adjacent monolithic arrays within the plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0288] In some embodiments, the system further includes a sealing surface, the sealing surface is coupled to the support structure, and the sealing surface is configured to contact at least one of the plurality of sealing struts.

[0289] In some embodiments, the sealing surface is a static block, and the plurality of monolithic arrays are configured to move relative to the sealing block.

[0290] In some embodiments, the sealing surface is configured to move along the length of the support structure. In some embodiments, the sealing surface includes a plurality of rollers. In some embodiments, the sealing surface includes a belt. In some embodiments, the sealing surface is configured to contact at least two of the plurality of sealing struts.

[0291] In some embodiments, the sealing surface includes a first opening at the first end and a second opening at the second end, and the openings are configured such that gas flows over or into a portion of a plurality of monolithic arrays contained within a space defined by the sealing surface and at least one sealing strut in contact with the sealing block.

[0292] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a vertical component and a horizontal component, the vertical component being configured to be located between adjacent arrays of the plurality of monolithic arrays, and the horizontal component being configured to be located directly below the bottom surface of an array of the plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0293] In some embodiments, the sealing surface includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being in contact with at least one of a plurality of sealing struts over the first surface of a panel of the plurality of suction panels, and the second portion being in contact with at least one of a plurality of sealing struts over the second surface of a panel of the plurality of suction panels.

[0294] In some embodiments, the sealing surface includes a plurality of seals, each of the plurality of seals being in contact with a single surface of a panel of the plurality of suction panels. In some embodiments, the plurality of seals includes at least two seals, at least one of the at least two seals being in contact with the first surface of a panel of the plurality of suction panels, and the other of the at least two seals being in contact with the second surface of a panel of the plurality of suction panels, the second surface being on the opposite side of the first surface.

[0295] In some embodiments, the horizontal component is a spring clip. In some embodiments, the vertical component and the horizontal component are within a single structure.

[0296] In some embodiments, the support structure includes four side surfaces, each side surface of the four side surfaces being configured to support a side surface of an array of the plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0297] In some embodiments, the support structure includes at least one support located at at least one corner of a quadrilateral configuration, and each of the at least one support is configured to support a corner of an array among a plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0298] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a plurality of spaced-apart ledges disposed along the perimeter of a quadrilateral configuration, and each of the plurality of spaced-apart ledges is configured to support an edge of an array among a plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0299] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a plurality of tapered supports having a bottom width, a first side surface, and a second side surface, and an upper edge, and the first side surface and the second side surface are configured to support a bottom edge of an array among a plurality of monolithic arrays. In some embodiments, the first side surface and the second side surface of the tapered support have a stepped configuration, and the steps of the stepped configuration are configured to support a bottom edge of an array among a plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0300] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a first vertical support and a second vertical support, and a mesh coupled to the first vertical support and the second vertical support, the plane of the mesh is perpendicular to the plane of the first vertical support or the second vertical support, and the mesh further includes an opening configured to receive an array among a plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0301] In some embodiments, the support structure comprises a plurality of sets of upper support struts and lower support struts, and a mesh coupled to the plurality of upper support struts and lower support struts. In some embodiments, the mesh is sandwiched between each set of the plurality of sets of upper support struts and lower support struts. In some embodiments, among the plurality of sets of upper support struts and lower support struts, the upper support struts include female interfacing surfaces, the lower support struts among the plurality of sets of upper support struts and lower support struts include male interfacing surfaces, and the female interfacing surfaces of the upper support struts are configured to receive the male interfacing surfaces of the lower support struts.

[0302] In some embodiments, the male interfacing surface of the lower support strut is triangular. In some embodiments, the male interfacing surface of the lower support strut is concave. In some embodiments, the female interfacing surface of the upper support strut is U-shaped.

[0303] In some embodiments, the upper side of the lower support struts among the plurality of sets of upper support struts and lower support struts is at the same level as the bottom surface of the lowermost row of the plurality of monolith arrays.

[0304] In some embodiments, at least one suction structure further includes a funnel directly below at least one fan.

[0305] In some embodiments, the system further includes a cowling around at least one fan.

[0306] In some embodiments, the system further includes at least one ring attached to the cowling above at least one fan. In some embodiments, the system further includes at least one ring attached to the cowling below at least one fan.

[0307] In some embodiments, the system further includes a trough directly below at least one fan. In some embodiments, at least one ring is a plurality of rings, and the plurality of rings includes at least two rings having different diameters. In some embodiments, at least two rings have different lengths. In some embodiments, at least two rings have different heights.

[0308] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a first vertical support and a second vertical support, and a plurality of support wires coupled to the first vertical support and the second vertical support, the plurality of support wires including at least one pair of intersecting support wires, the intersection of the intersecting support wires configured to be disposed adjacent to the surface of the array among the plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0309] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a collar coupled to a plurality of vertical supports, the collar configured to surround the perimeter of the array among the plurality of arrays.

[0310] In some embodiments, the support structure is incorporated into the array among the plurality of arrays, the support structure including an enlarged corner extending beyond the outer surface of the array among the plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0311] In many embodiments, the method of direct air capture is to circulate air through a plurality of adsorption panels having at least one fan, each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels configured to move independently, circulating, and storing at least one panel of the plurality of adsorption panels in a first chamber of at least one purge section of at least one regeneration unit, reducing the concentration of oxygen contained in the first chamber of at least one purge section of at least one regeneration unit, and at least one CO in at least one panel stored in the second chamber of the desorption section of at least one regeneration unit. 2 Storing at least one panel in the second chamber of the desorption section, and CO from at least one panel stored in the second chamber. 2collecting; storing at least one panel in a third chamber of at least one drying / cooling section of at least one playback unit; and drying and / or cooling at least one panel stored in the third chamber.

[0312] In some embodiments, CO 2 At least one panel stored in the desorption section includes at least a first panel and a second panel, and the first panel enters the desorption section before the second panel, and the desorption gas flows through the desorption section such that it first contacts the first panel and then the second panel.

[0313] In some embodiments, the concentration of oxygen contained in the first chamber is reduced by evacuating the first chamber with a vacuum source. In some embodiments, while the first chamber is being evacuated with a vacuum source, the concentration of oxygen contained in the first chamber is further reduced by adding vapor to the first chamber.

[0314] In some embodiments, CO 2It is collected from the second chamber by applying steam to at least one panel within the second chamber. In some embodiments, the at least one panel has a first face and a second face, and the applied steam flow laterally flows within the at least one panel from the first face to the second face and returns one or more times in a serpentine or corkscrew shape. In some embodiments, the at least one panel has a first face and a second face, and while the at least one panel moves through the first chamber, the second chamber, and / or the third chamber, one or more flows of one or more gases laterally flow within the at least one panel from the first face to the second face and return one or more times in a serpentine or corkscrew shape. In some embodiments, the at least one panel has a first face and a second face, and the applied steam flow flows in a first direction within the at least one panel, enters the first face, and exits from the second face within the second chamber. In some embodiments, the applied steam flow further flows in a second direction, enters the second face, and exits from the first face of at least one panel within the second chamber.

[0315] In some embodiments, the at least one panel has a first face and a second face, and while the at least one panel is within the second chamber, the applied steam flow reciprocates at least once through the first face and the second face of the at least one panel.

[0316] In some embodiments, the at least one panel has a first face and a second face, and the applied steam flow flows through at least a first portion of the first face, a subsequent first portion of the second face, and a subsequent second portion of the first face.

[0317] In some embodiments, at least one panel includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion, and an applied steam flow flows in a first direction through the first portion, then in a second direction through the second portion, and then in a third direction through the third portion, where the second direction is substantially opposite to the first direction and the third direction. In some embodiments, at least one panel further includes a fourth portion, and an applied steam flow flows in a fourth direction through the fourth portion, where the fourth direction is substantially opposite to the first direction and the third direction.

[0318] In some embodiments, the method includes storing at least one panel in at least one additional chamber of at least one regeneration unit and collecting CO 2 from at least one panel stored in at least one additional chamber. 2

[0319] In some embodiments, CO 2 is collected from at least one additional chamber by applying steam to at least one panel within the at least one additional chamber. In some embodiments, the steam applied to at least one panel within the at least one additional chamber flows through a plenum between the second chamber and the at least one additional chamber and is applied to at least one panel within the second chamber to collect CO 2

[0320] In some embodiments, at least one panel is dried and / or cooled by evacuating a fourth chamber with a vacuum source.

[0321] In some embodiments, at least one panel is moved from a first chamber to a second chamber on a track extending through at least one regeneration unit.

[0322] In some embodiments, air is circulated across the faces of the plurality of adsorption panels with at least one fan within the adsorption structure. In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels move along a plurality of tracks within the adsorption structure. In some embodiments, the plurality of tracks include a first track and a second track, and the first track is parallel to the second track. In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorption panels move from the first track to the second track via a lateral transfer section.

[0323] In some embodiments, the method further includes rotating at least one panel by about 90° before housing at least one panel within a second chamber of the at least one desorption section. 2 In some embodiments, the method further includes rotating at least one panel by about 90° before housing at least one panel within a second chamber of the at least one desorption section.

[0324] In some embodiments, each panel of the plurality of panels during the circulation step comprises a plurality of subunits configured in a first configuration, and the method further includes reconfiguring at least one panel of the plurality of panels from the first configuration to a second configuration before housing at least one panel within a first chamber of the at least one purge section. In some embodiments, the second configuration has a lower aspect ratio than the first configuration.

[0325] In some embodiments, at least one CO of at least one regeneration unit 2 At least one panel housed within a second chamber of the at least one desorption section is two panels, and CO 2 is collected from the two panels housed within the second chamber.

[0326] In some embodiments, the method further includes moving at least one panel of the plurality of adsorption panels along a track into a first chamber of the at least one purge section after circulating air around the plurality of adsorption panels.

[0327] In some embodiments, the method reduces the oxygen concentration in the first chamber of at least one purge section and then moves at least one panel of the plurality of adsorption panels along a track into a second chamber of at least one CO 2 desorption section. The method further includes the step of moving.

[0328] In some embodiments, the method further includes the step of collecting CO from at least one panel housed in the second chamber and then moving at least one panel of the plurality of adsorption panels along a track into a third chamber. 2 The method further includes the step of moving.

[0329] In some embodiments, the method further includes the step of heating the air before the air is circulated through the plurality of adsorption panels.

[0330] In some embodiments, the method further includes the step of circulating a heating gas through the plurality of adsorption panels in an additional chamber of at least one regeneration unit before housing at least one panel in the second chamber. In some embodiments, the heating gas is at a temperature of at least 40°C and contains CO 2 , nitrogen, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the heating gas is at a temperature of at least 100°C and contains CO 2 , nitrogen, or a combination thereof.

[0331] In some embodiments, the method further includes the steps of housing at least one panel within a fourth chamber of at least one regeneration unit, and cooling and drying at least one panel within the fourth chamber. In some embodiments, the step of cooling and drying at least one panel within the fourth chamber includes circulating a cooled gas through at least one panel within the fourth chamber. In some embodiments, the step of cooling and / or drying at least one panel within the third chamber includes circulating a gas exiting the fourth chamber into the third chamber. In some embodiments, the method further includes heating a gas exiting the fourth chamber and circulating the heated gas into the third chamber.

[0332] In some embodiments, a plurality of adsorption panels are vertically oriented within at least one regeneration unit. In some embodiments, a plurality of adsorption panels are horizontally oriented within at least one regeneration unit.

[0333] In some embodiments, each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels comprises a plurality of monolithic arrays held together by a support structure.

[0334] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a vertical component and a horizontal component. The vertical component is configured to be located between adjacent arrays of the plurality of monolithic arrays, and the horizontal component is configured to be located directly below the bottom surface of an array of the plurality of monolithic arrays. In some embodiments, the horizontal component is a spring clip. In some embodiments, the vertical component and the horizontal component are within a single structure.

[0335] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a quadrilateral shape, and each side of the quadrilateral shape is configured to support the side surface of an array of the plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0336] In some embodiments, the support structure includes at least one support located at at least one corner of a quadrilateral configuration, and each of the at least one support is configured to support a corner of an array among a plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0337] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a plurality of spaced-apart ledges disposed along the perimeter of a quadrilateral configuration, and each of the plurality of spaced-apart ledges is configured to support an edge of an array among a plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0338] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a plurality of tapered supports having a bottom width, a first side surface and a second side surface, and an upper edge, and the first side surface and the second side surface are configured to support a bottom edge of an array among a plurality of monolithic arrays. In some embodiments, the first side surface and the second side surface of the tapered support have a stepped configuration, and the steps of the stepped configuration are configured to support a bottom edge of an array among a plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0339] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a first vertical support and a second vertical support, and a mesh coupled to the first vertical support and the second vertical support, the plane of the mesh being perpendicular to the plane of the first vertical support or the second vertical support, and the mesh further including openings configured to support an array among a plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0340] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a first vertical support and a second vertical support, and a plurality of support wires coupled to the first vertical support and the second vertical support, the plurality of support wires including at least one pair of intersecting support wires, and the intersection of the intersecting support wires being configured to be disposed adjacent to the surface of an array among a plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0341] In some embodiments, the support structure includes a collar coupled to a plurality of vertical supports, the collar being configured to surround the perimeter of an array among a plurality of arrays.

[0342] In some embodiments, the support structure is incorporated into an array of a plurality of arrays, and the support structure includes an enlarged corner extending beyond the outer surface of the array of the plurality of monolithic arrays.

[0343] In many embodiments, the adsorption structure is a plurality of adsorption panels, each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels having a surface and a substrate configured to recover CO from the atmosphere. Each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels is configured to move independently, a plurality of fans configured to circulate air around the plurality of adsorption panels, at least one track configured to transport the plurality of adsorption panels in the vicinity of the plurality of fans, and a first air filter and a second air filter disposed on both sides of the at least one track. 2 Including a plurality of adsorption panels configured to recover CO from the atmosphere and a substrate, each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels being configured to move independently, a plurality of fans configured to circulate air around the plurality of adsorption panels, at least one track configured to transport the plurality of adsorption panels in the vicinity of the plurality of fans, and a first air filter and a second air filter disposed on both sides of the at least one track.

[0344] In some embodiments, the at least one track includes a first track and a second track each extending longitudinally under a plurality of fans.

[0345] In some embodiments, the at least one track includes a first track and a second track each extending longitudinally over a plurality of fans. In some embodiments, the first track is substantially parallel to the second track. In some embodiments, the system further includes at least one lateral transfer unit configured to move the panel from the first track to the second track.

[0346] In many embodiments, the regeneration unit includes at least one oxygen purge section including a sealable chamber and a first outlet, at least one CO desorption section including a desorption chamber, a vapor inlet, and a gas outlet, and at least one drying / cooling section including a drying / cooling chamber and a first drying / cooling outlet. 2 Including at least one oxygen purge section including a sealable chamber and a first outlet, at least one CO desorption section including a desorption chamber, a vapor inlet, and a gas outlet, and at least one drying / cooling section including a drying / cooling chamber and a first drying / cooling outlet.

[0347] In some embodiments, the first outlet of at least one oxygen purge section is connected to a vacuum source.

[0348] In some embodiments, at least one oxygen purge section further comprises an inlet connected to a sweep gas source. In some embodiments, the sweep gas is steam, nitrogen, or a combination thereof.

[0349] In some embodiments, the first drying / cooling outlet of at least one drying / cooling section is connected to a vacuum source.

[0350] In some embodiments, the first drying / cooling outlet of at least one drying / cooling section is connected to a sweep gas source. In some embodiments, the sweep gas is steam, nitrogen, or a combination thereof.

[0351] In some embodiments, at least one CO 2 The desorption section further includes an additional desorption chamber and a plenum between the desorption chamber and the additional desorption chamber, the plenum being configured to allow steam from an additional steam treatment chamber to flow into the steam treatment chamber.

[0352] In many embodiments, a system for removing carbon dioxide from ambient air is a plurality of adsorption panels, each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels comprising a substrate configured to recover CO 2 from the atmosphere, a plurality of adsorption panels, each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels being configured to move independently, and at least one adsorption structure comprising at least one fan configured to move air through a first portion of the panels of the plurality of adsorption panels, purging air from a second portion of the panels of the plurality of panels, and CO 2configured to perform desorption and drying and / or cooling of a second portion of the panels, at least one regeneration unit including at least one chamber; and at least one transfer unit configured to move the second portion of the panels from at least one adsorption structure to at least one regeneration unit.

[0353] In some embodiments, air is purged from the at least one chamber by applying a vacuum to the at least one chamber.

[0354] In some embodiments, CO 2 is desorbed from the second portion of the panels by flowing steam into the at least one chamber, and the at least one chamber is heated to at least 65°C.

[0355] In some embodiments, the at least one transfer unit includes a first transfer unit and a second transfer unit configured to move the second portion of the panels from at least one regeneration unit to at least one adsorption structure.

[0356] In some embodiments, the second portion of the panels is a single panel.

[0357] In some embodiments, the first portion of the panels includes a different number of panels than the second portion of the panels.

[0358] In some embodiments, the first portion of the panels includes more panels than the second portion of the panels.

[0359] In some embodiments, at least one chamber of the at least one regeneration unit includes a first chamber, a second chamber, and a third chamber, the first chamber configured to purge air from the second portion of the panels, the second chamber configured to desorb CO2 configured to be detached, and the third chamber is configured to dry and / or cool a second portion of the panels among the plurality of panels.

[0360] In many embodiments, CO 2 The regeneration unit for detaching is provided with at least one chamber including a first wall and a second wall, a gas inlet located on the first wall, a gas outlet located on the second wall, and at least one track configured to move at least one panel from the second wall to the first wall in a first direction, and at least one chamber is configured to flow a gas flow in a second direction along a flow path from the gas inlet to the gas outlet, and the second direction is the opposite direction of the first direction.

[0361] In some embodiments, the unit includes at least two tracks.

[0362] In some embodiments, at least one panel has a surface defining a plane, and the plane of the surface is perpendicular to the flow of the gas flowing from the gas inlet to the gas outlet.

[0363] In some embodiments, the gas is vapor.

[0364] In some embodiments, the system further includes an outlet connected to a vacuum source.

[0365] In many embodiments, CO from 2 a plurality of panels including a substrate configured to recover 2A method of detachment, wherein a plurality of panels includes a first portion of a panel and a second portion of a panel adjacent to the first portion, the method comprising flowing a gas stream from a gas inlet through the first portion of the panel and the second portion of the panel among the plurality of panels in a first direction within a first chamber, wherein the first portion of the panel is closer to the gas inlet than the second portion of the panel; removing the first portion of the panel from the first chamber; moving the plurality of panels within the first chamber in a second direction toward the gas inlet such that the second portion of the panel comes in front of the gas inlet, the second direction being different from the first direction; and flowing the gas stream through the second portion of the panel among the plurality of panels in the first direction within the first chamber.

[0366] In some embodiments, the gas is vapor.

[0367] In some embodiments, the first direction is opposite to the second direction.

[0368] In some embodiments, the first portion of the panel and the second portion of the panel each include a single panel.

[0369] In some embodiments, the first portion of the panel and the second portion of the panel each include at least two panels.

[0370] In some embodiments, the plurality of panels includes at least two panels.

[0371] In some embodiments, the method further includes purging oxygen from the plurality of panels before flowing the gas stream through the second portion of the panel among the plurality of panels.

[0372] In some embodiments, the step of purging oxygen is performed within a second chamber.

[0373] In some embodiments, the method further includes drying and / or cooling the plurality of panels in a third chamber after flowing a gas stream through a first portion of the panels among the plurality of panels.

[0374] In some embodiments, the plurality of panels further includes a third portion of the panel adjacent to a second portion of the panel, and the method includes flowing a gas stream from a gas inlet through the first portion of the panel, the second portion of the panel, and the third portion of the panel among the plurality of panels in a first direction within a first chamber, removing the second portion of the panel from the first chamber, moving the plurality of panels in a second direction toward the gas inlet within the first chamber such that the third portion of the panel comes before the gas inlet, and flowing the gas stream through the third portion of the panel among the plurality of panels in the first direction within the first chamber.

[0375] In many embodiments, the regeneration unit for desorbing CO 2 includes at least one chamber having a first wall and a second wall, at least one panel including a substrate configured to recover CO 2 from the atmosphere, a gas inlet located in the first wall, at least one plenum located in the second wall, the second wall facing the first wall, a gas outlet, and at least one track oriented substantially parallel to the first wall and configured to move the at least one panel in a first direction. The at least one chamber is configured to flow a gas stream from the gas inlet through a surface of the at least one panel to the at least one plenum located in the second wall within a first flow path, and the at least one chamber is configured to flow the gas stream from the at least one plenum located in the second wall through the surface of the panel again or through a surface opposite the at least one panel within a second flow path. The first flow path and the second flow path form a meandering flow path or a coaxial screw-shaped flow path.

[0376] In some embodiments, the gas flows from the gas inlet to the gas outlet in a direction substantially opposite to the first direction such that the gas first contacts the panel with a large desorption amount and then contacts the panel with a small desorption amount.

[0377] In some embodiments, the unit further includes at least one plenum located in the first wall or the second wall, and the at least one plenum disposed in the first wall or the second wall is configured to receive the gas flow from the second flow path and flow the gas flow through the surface of at least one panel in the third flow path to at least one plenum on the second wall.

[0378] In some embodiments, the first direction of at least one track is perpendicular to the direction of the first flow path.

[0379] In some embodiments, the at least one plenum located in the second wall includes four plenums.

[0380] In some embodiments, the at least one plenum located in the second wall includes eight plenums. In some embodiments, the at least one plenum located in the first wall includes four plenums. In some embodiments, the at least one plenum located in the first wall includes eight plenums.

[0381] In many embodiments, a plurality of panels including a substrate configured to recover CO 2 from the atmosphere. 2A method of desorbing, the method including flowing a gas stream from a gas inlet through a face of at least one panel of a plurality of panels within a first flow path, flowing the gas stream through a face opposite to that of at least one panel of a plurality of panels within a second flow path, flowing the gas stream through a face of at least one panel of a plurality of panels within a third flow path, and flowing the gas stream through a face opposite to that of at least one panel of a plurality of panels within a fourth flow path, wherein the first flow path and the third flow path are in a first direction, the second flow path and the fourth flow path are in a second direction, and the first direction is opposite to the second direction.

[0382] In many embodiments, a substrate configured to recover CO 2 from a plurality of panels including the substrate. A method of desorbing CO 2 from a plurality of panels including the substrate, the method including flowing a gas stream from a gas inlet through a face of at least one panel of a plurality of panels within a first flow path, flowing the gas stream through a face opposite to that of at least one panel of a plurality of panels within a second flow path, flowing the gas stream through a face of at least one panel of a plurality of panels within a third flow path, and flowing the gas stream through a face opposite to that of at least one panel of a plurality of panels within a fourth flow path, wherein the first flow path and the third flow path are in a first direction, the second flow path and the fourth flow path are in a second direction, and the first direction is the same as the second direction.

[0383] In some embodiments, the first flow path flows from the gas inlet to the first plenum. In some embodiments, the gas flow flows from the first plenum to the second plenum, and the second flow path flows from the second plenum to the third plenum. In some embodiments, the gas flow flows from the third plenum to the fourth plenum, and the third flow path flows from the fourth plenum to the fifth plenum. In some embodiments, the gas flow flows from the fifth plenum to the sixth plenum, and the fourth flow path flows from the sixth plenum to the seventh plenum. In some embodiments, the first plenum, the second plenum, the fifth plenum, and the sixth plenum are located on the second wall of the chamber, the third plenum, the fourth plenum, and the seventh plenum are located on the first wall of the chamber, and the second wall is on the opposite side of the first wall.

[0384] In some embodiments, the first flow path flows through a first portion of at least one panel, the second flow path flows through a second portion of at least one panel, the third flow path flows through a third portion of at least one panel, and the fourth flow path flows through a fourth portion of at least one panel.

[0385] In some embodiments, the method further includes flowing the gas flow through a face of at least one additional panel among a plurality of panels in the fifth flow path, flowing the gas flow through a face on the opposite side of at least one additional panel among a plurality of panels in the sixth flow path, flowing the gas flow through a face of at least one additional panel among a plurality of panels in the seventh flow path, and flowing the gas flow through a face on the opposite side of at least one additional panel among a plurality of panels in the eighth flow path, wherein the fifth flow path and the seventh flow path are in a first direction, and the sixth flow path and the eighth flow path are in a second direction.

[0386] In some embodiments, the gas flow flows from the seventh plenum to the eighth plenum, and the fifth flow path flows from the eighth plenum to the ninth plenum.

[0387] In some embodiments, the gas flow flows from the ninth plenum to the tenth plenum, and the sixth flow path flows from the tenth plenum to the eleventh plenum. In some embodiments, the gas flow flows from the eleventh plenum to the twelfth plenum, and the seventh flow path flows from the twelfth plenum to the thirteenth plenum. In some embodiments, the gas flow flows from the thirteenth plenum to the fourteenth plenum, and the eighth flow path flows from the fourteenth plenum to the fifteenth plenum. In some embodiments, the ninth plenum, the tenth plenum, the thirteenth plenum, and the fourteenth plenum are located on the second wall of the chamber, the eighth plenum, the eleventh plenum, the twelfth plenum, and the fifteenth plenum are located on the first wall of the chamber, and the second wall is on the opposite side of the first wall.

[0388] In some embodiments, the fifth flow path flows through the first portion of at least one additional panel, the sixth flow path flows through the second portion of at least one additional panel, the seventh flow path flows through the third portion of at least one additional panel, and the eighth flow path flows through the fourth portion of at least one additional panel.

[0389] In many embodiments, a method of desorbing CO 2 from a plurality of panels including a substrate configured to recover CO 2 from the atmosphere, the method comprising flowing a gas stream through a plurality of panels in a chamber from a gas inlet to a gas outlet, removing a first portion of the panel closest to the gas inlet of the plurality of panels from the chamber and leaving the remaining portion of the panel within the chamber, moving the remaining portion of the panel within the chamber towards the gas inlet, and adding a second portion of the panel to the remaining portion of the panel at the location in the chamber closest to the gas outlet.

[0390] In some embodiments, the remaining portion of the panel moves continuously through the chamber.

[0391] In some embodiments, the remaining portion of the panel moves periodically through the chamber.

[0392] In some embodiments, the gas inlet is in the first wall of the chamber, the gas outlet is in the second wall of the chamber, the second wall is opposite the first wall, and the remaining portion of the panel moves stepwise from the second wall to the first wall. In some embodiments, the stepwise movement includes from about 2 to about 30 steps. In some embodiments, the stepwise movement includes moving two panels of the remaining portion of the panel together in the stepwise movement.

[0393] In some embodiments, the gas flow continues during the step of moving the remaining portion of the panel within the chamber, during the step of removing the first portion of the panel, and during the step of adding the second portion of the panel.

[0394] In some embodiments, the gas flow continues during the step of removing the first portion of the panel.

[0395] In some embodiments, the gas flow continues during the step of adding the second portion of the panel.

[0396] In some embodiments, the first portion of the panel includes from about 1 to about 5 panels.

[0397] In some embodiments, the second portion of the panel includes from about 1 to about 5 panels.

[0398] In some embodiments, the remaining portion of the panel includes from about 1 to about 40 panels.

[0399] In some embodiments, each panel of the plurality of panels includes a face, and the gas flow flows through each face of the plurality of panels within the chamber.

[0400] In some embodiments, the plurality of panels in the chamber include a first end panel, a last end panel, and at least one panel therebetween, the first end panel being closer to the gas inlet than at least one panel therebetween, the last end panel being closer to the gas outlet than at least one panel therebetween, and the gas flow flowing through the first end panel and then through at least one panel therebetween. In some embodiments, the gas flow flows through at least one panel therebetween and then through the last end panel.

[0401] In some embodiments, the first portion of the panel is removed in a direction orthogonal to the direction from the gas inlet to the gas outlet.

[0402] In some embodiments, the second portion of the panel is moved in a direction orthogonal to the direction from the gas inlet to the gas outlet such that the second portion of the panel is added to the remaining portion of the panel.

[0403] In many embodiments, a system for removing carbon dioxide from ambient air is a plurality of adsorption panels, each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels including a substrate configured to recover CO 2 from the atmosphere, at least one regeneration unit comprising at least one chamber having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, the at least one regeneration unit being configured to desorb CO 2 from the plurality of adsorption panels, the plurality of adsorption panels being configured to move continuously through at least one CO 2 desorption chamber, and a heat pump coupled between the gas outlet and the gas inlet of at least one chamber of the at least one regeneration unit.

[0404] In some embodiments, the heat pump is coupled to the gas outlet of at least one chamber and receives vapor and CO 2A first condenser configured to receive a gas vapor containing [[ID=]], and to condense the gas vapor, a boiler coupled to the first condenser and configured to receive liquid water from the first condenser, the boiler being coupled to a gas inlet and configured to output steam to at least one chamber of at least one regeneration unit, and a first compressor and a first accumulator coupled between the first condenser and the boiler for circulating a refrigerant via a heat pump.

[0405] In some embodiments, the first condenser is configured to condense the gas vapor received from the gas outlet, the heat from the first condenser is transferred to the refrigerant, the vapor form of the refrigerant is supplied to the first compressor at the first refrigerant pressure, the first compressor is configured to compress the vapor form of the refrigerant, the first accumulator is configured to receive the compressed vapor form of the refrigerant and separate the vapor form of the refrigerant from the liquid form of the refrigerant, and the boiler is configured to receive the vapor form of the refrigerant from the first accumulator, boil the liquid water to generate a vapor output to at least one chamber, condense the refrigerant, and output the liquid form of the refrigerant to the first accumulator.

[0406] In some embodiments, the first condenser is configured to condense the gas vapor with respect to the boiling refrigerant.

[0407] In some embodiments, the system further includes an evaporator, the first condenser is configured to condense the gas vapor with respect to the transfer fluid to heat the transfer fluid, and the evaporator is configured to receive a heat transfer fluid and a refrigerant, boil the refrigerant, and cool and reuse the transfer fluid.

[0408] In some embodiments, the system further includes another accumulator and a second compressor. The first condenser is configured to condense the gas vapor against the transfer fluid to heat the transfer fluid. The another accumulator is configured to receive the heated transfer fluid, reduce its pressure, and boil at least a portion of the transfer fluid. The vapor of the transfer fluid is compressed by the second compressor, and the remaining transfer fluid is cooled for reuse.

[0409] In some embodiments, the first condenser is configured to condense the gas vapor against the transfer fluid, and the transfer fluid is used to transfer heat to the refrigerant within the first condenser.

[0410] In some embodiments, the heat pump further includes a second condenser coupled to the first condenser. The first condenser is configured to output the gas vapor that has not been condensed into liquid water to the second condenser. The second condenser is configured to condense the gas vapor that has not been condensed into liquid water in the first condenser and output the liquid water to the boiler.

[0411] In some embodiments, the heat pump further includes a third condenser coupled to the drying / cooling section of at least one regeneration unit. The output gas vapor flows from the drying / cooling section to the third condenser. The third condenser is configured to condense a portion of the gas vapor and output liquid water to the boiler, and transfer heat to the refrigerant at a second refrigerant pressure lower than the first refrigerant pressure.

[0412] In some embodiments, the second condenser is configured to transfer heat to the refrigerant at a second refrigerant pressure lower than the first refrigerant pressure and output the refrigerant in a vapor form.

[0413] In some embodiments, the liquid water from the second condenser is output at a temperature lower than the temperature of the liquid water output from the first condenser.

[0414] In some embodiments, another process stream is cooled by transferring heat to the refrigerant at a second pressure to output the refrigerant in vapor form.

[0415] In some embodiments, the system is at least one regeneration unit comprising at least one chamber having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, the at least one regeneration unit configured to recover CO 2 from at least one panel including a substrate configured to desorb CO 2 from the atmosphere, a first condenser configured to condense the gas vapor with respect to the refrigerant at a first pressure, connected to the gas outlet of the at least one chamber, and configured to receive the gas vapor including the vapor and CO 2 from the at least one chamber, and configured to output liquid water and the refrigerant in vapor form at a first refrigerant pressure, a first compressor configured to compress the refrigerant in vapor form, receiving the refrigerant in vapor form at a first refrigerant pressure and configured to output the compressed refrigerant in vapor form at a third refrigerant pressure, the third refrigerant pressure being higher than the first refrigerant pressure, a first accumulator configured to separate the refrigerant in vapor form and the liquid form of the refrigerant, configured to receive the compressed refrigerant in vapor form at a third refrigerant pressure and configured to output the refrigerant in vapor form and the liquid form of the refrigerant at a third refrigerant pressure, a boiler configured to boil water to generate steam and condense the refrigerant, configured to receive liquid water from the first condenser and the refrigerant in vapor form at a third refrigerant pressure from the first accumulator, configured to output the steam to at least one chamber of the at least one regeneration unit and output the liquid form of the refrigerant to the first accumulator.

[0416] In some embodiments, the first condenser is further configured to output gas vapor that was not condensed to liquid water in the first condenser, and the system includes a second condenser configured to condense the gas vapor that was not condensed to liquid water in the first condenser against a refrigerant at a second pressure, where the second pressure is lower than the first pressure of the first condenser. The system further includes a second condenser that receives from the first condenser the gas vapor that was not condensed to liquid water in the first condenser, is configured to receive refrigerant in vapor form and in liquid form, output liquid water to the boiler, and output the refrigerant in vapor form.

[0417] In some embodiments, the liquid water from the second condenser is output at a temperature lower than the temperature of the liquid water output from the first condenser.

[0418] In some embodiments, the system includes a second compressor configured to compress the refrigerant in vapor form from the second condenser, where the second compressor is configured to receive the refrigerant in vapor form from the second condenser and output a compressed form of the refrigerant in vapor form from the second condenser at a pressure higher than the pressure of the refrigerant in vapor form from the second condenser.

[0419] In some embodiments, the system includes a second accumulator configured to separate the refrigerant in vapor form from the refrigerant in liquid form, where the second accumulator is configured to receive the compressed form of the high-pressure refrigerant in vapor form from the second compressor and output the refrigerant in vapor form to the first compressor and output the refrigerant in liquid form to the second condenser.

[0420] In some embodiments, the refrigerant is butane.

[0421] In many embodiments, CO from the adsorption panel 2The unit for detachment is a detachment chamber in which a plurality of adsorbent panels are moved, and the detachment gas flows in the detachment chamber such that the detachment gas first contacts one adsorbent panel with a large detachment amount among the plurality of adsorbent panels and then contacts another adsorbent panel with a small detachment amount among the plurality of adsorbent panels.

[0422] In many embodiments, a system for removing carbon dioxide from ambient air includes a plurality of adsorbent panels, each panel of the plurality of adsorbent panels having a surface and a substrate configured to recover CO 2 from the atmosphere, and each of the plurality of adsorbent panels being horizontally oriented with its surface aligned with a horizontal plane, a plurality of adsorbent panels, at least one adsorption structure configured to move the plurality of panels, and at least one regeneration unit including at least one CO 2 detachment chamber, and the plurality of adsorbent panels are configured to move continuously through at least one CO 2 detachment chamber.

[0423] In some embodiments, the plurality of adsorbent panels include a first adsorbent panel and a second adsorbent panel, and at least a part of the first adsorbent panel or a part of the second adsorbent panel is CO 2 while outside the CO 2 detachment chamber, and are configured to move continuously within the CO detachment chamber.

[0424] In some embodiments, each panel of the plurality of adsorbent panels includes a plurality of arrays held together and a plurality of sealing struts, and the sealing struts among the plurality of sealing struts are located between adjacent arrays within the plurality of arrays, and the sealing struts among the plurality of sealing struts provide a continuous flat sealing surface for engaging with one or more seals to prevent gas from moving between adjacent arrays.

Claims

1. A system for removing carbon dioxide from ambient air, comprising: A plurality of adsorption panels, each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels having a surface and a substrate configured to recover CO from the atmosphere 2 and the plurality of adsorption panels, each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels being configured to move independently at least one adsorption structure comprising at least one fan configured to circulate air through a portion of the panels among the plurality of adsorption panels; At least one oxygen purge section, at least one CO 2 desorption section, and at least one regeneration unit comprising at least one drying / cooling section, The system including the above.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move continuously through at least a portion of the at least one adsorption structure and at least a portion of the at least one regeneration unit.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move continuously through all portions of the at least one adsorption structure and all portions of the at least one regeneration unit.

4. The at least one oxygen purge section includes a sealable chamber, and the at least one CO 2 The desorption section includes a desorption chamber, a gas inlet, and a gas outlet, and the at least one drying / cooling section includes a drying / cooling chamber, a first drying / cooling inlet, and a first drying / cooling outlet. The system according to claim 1.

5. The plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move through the desorption chamber, and the gas is configured to flow from the gas inlet to the gas outlet such that the gas first contacts the adsorption panel with a large desorption amount and then contacts the adsorption panel with a small desorption amount. The system according to claim 4.

6. The plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move through a plurality of sections of the at least one regeneration unit, and one or more sections of the at least one regeneration unit are configured to provide one or more gas counterflows with respect to the moving direction of the plurality of adsorption panels within the section. The system according to claim 1.

7. The plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move through a plurality of sections of the at least one regeneration unit in a first direction from the at least one oxygen purge section toward the at least one drying / cooling section, and in each section of the plurality of sections of the at least one regeneration unit, the section is configured to facilitate one or more gases to flow through the section in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The system according to claim 1.

8. The plurality of adsorption panels are for the CO 2 The system according to claim 4, configured to move continuously through each of a plurality of chambers in the adsorption / desorption section.

9. The plurality of adsorption panels are the CO 2 The system according to claim 4, configured to move continuously through the sealable chamber of the desorption section.

10. The plurality of adsorption panels includes a first adsorption panel and a second adsorption panel, and the first adsorption panel and the second adsorption panel are configured to continuously move through the desorption chamber simultaneously while at least a part of the first adsorption panel or a part of the second adsorption panel is outside the desorption chamber. The system according to claim 9.

11. the at least one CO 2 The desorption section further includes an additional desorption chamber and a plenum between the desorption chamber and the additional desorption chamber, and the plenum is configured to allow vapor from the additional desorption chamber to flow into the desorption chamber. The system according to claim 4.

12. The first drying / cooling inlet of the at least one drying / cooling section communicates with an inert gas source. The system according to claim 4.

13. The gas inlet is connected to a vapor source. The system according to claim 4.

14. Further including a first door, a second door, a third door, and a fourth door, wherein the first door is located at a first end of the at least one oxygen purge section, and the second door is located between the at least one oxygen purge section and the at least one CO 2 desorption section, the third door is located between the at least one CO 2 desorption section and the at least one drying / cooling section, and the fourth door is located at an end of the at least one drying / cooling section. The system according to claim 4.

15. The first outlet of the at least one oxygen purge section is connected to a vacuum source. The system according to claim 4.

16. The plurality of adsorption panels is configured to move periodically through at least a part of the at least one adsorption structure and / or at least a part of the at least one regeneration unit. The system according to claim 1.

17. The first drying / cooling outlet of the at least one drying / cooling section is connected to a vacuum source. The system according to claim 4.

18. The system according to claim 1, comprising two adsorption structures and two regeneration units, wherein the two regeneration units are located between the two adsorption structures. The system.

19. The adsorption structure further comprises a preheater configured to heat the air before the air is circulated through a part of the panel by the at least one fan. The system according to claim 1.

20. The at least one adsorption structure and the at least one regeneration unit further include a plurality of tracks configured to transport the plurality of adsorption panels through and out of them. The system according to claim 1.

21. The plurality of tracks within the at least one adsorption structure include a first track and a second track each extending longitudinally into, through, and out of the at least one adsorption structure, and the system further comprises at least one lateral transfer unit configured to move at least one panel from the first track to the second track, the system of claim 20.

22. The system according to claim 21, further comprising at least one standby zone between the at least one adsorption structure and the at least one lateral transfer unit.

23. The at least one reproduction unit is located at a first end of the at least one adsorption structure, and the at least one lateral transfer section is located at a second end of the at least one adsorption structure, the system of claim 21.

24. The first track is substantially parallel to the second track, the system of claim 21.

25. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of tracks configured to transport the plurality of adsorption panels through and out of the at least one reproduction unit.

26. The plurality of adsorption panels are horizontally oriented within the at least one reproduction unit, the system of claim 1.

27. The system according to claim 26, further comprising a plurality of tracks configured to transport the plurality of adsorption panels through and out of the at least one adsorption structure and the at least one reproduction unit, and each adsorption panel of the plurality of horizontally oriented adsorption panels is transported on a track including at least two rails.

28. The plurality of adsorption panels are vertically oriented within the at least one reproduction unit, the system of claim 1.

29. The system according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction unit further comprises a preheating section having a preheating inlet connected to a heating gas source.

30. Each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels comprises a plurality of monolithic arrays held together by a support structure, the support structure including a first vertical support and a second vertical support, and a mesh coupled to the first vertical support and the second vertical support, the plane of the mesh being perpendicular to the plane of the first vertical support or the second vertical support, the mesh further including openings configured to receive an array of the plurality of monolithic arrays, the system of claim 1.

31. Each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels comprises a plurality of monolithic arrays held together by a support structure, the system further including a plurality of sealing struts, a sealing strut of the plurality of sealing struts being located between adjacent monolithic arrays within the plurality of monolithic arrays, the system of claim 1.

32. The system of claim 31, further including a sealing surface, the sealing surface being coupled to the support structure, the sealing surface being configured to contact at least one of the plurality of sealing struts.

33. The sealing surface is a static block, and the plurality of monolithic arrays are configured to move relative to the sealing block, the system of claim 32.

34. The sealing surface includes a first opening at a first end and a second opening at a second end, the openings being configured such that gas flows over or into a portion of the plurality of monolithic arrays contained within a space defined by the sealing surface and the at least one sealing strut in contact with the sealing block, the system of claim 32.

35. The sealing surface includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being in contact with at least one of the plurality of sealing struts over a first face of a panel of the plurality of adsorption panels, the second portion being in contact with at least one of the plurality of sealing struts over a second face of a panel of the plurality of adsorption panels, the system of claim 32.

36. The sealing surface includes a plurality of seals, each of the plurality of seals being in contact with a single face of a panel of the plurality of adsorption panels, the system of claim 32.

37. The plurality of seals includes at least two seals, at least one of the at least two seals contacts a first surface of the panel among the plurality of adsorption panels, and the other of the at least two seals contacts a second surface of the panel among the plurality of adsorption panels, and the second surface is on the opposite side of the first surface. The system according to claim 36.

38. Each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels includes a plurality of monolithic arrays held together by a support structure, and the system further includes a deformable sealant located between the plurality of monolithic arrays and the support structure, and the support structure includes a frame and at least one sealing strut, and the frame and the sealing strut have surfaces in a common plane. The system according to claim 1.

39. The system according to claim 38, wherein the sealant is located between individual monolithic arrays of the plurality of monolithic arrays.

40. A method of direct air recovery, circulating air through a plurality of adsorption panels having at least one fan, wherein each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels is configured to move independently, the circulating; accommodating at least one panel of the plurality of adsorption panels in a first chamber of at least one purge section of at least one regeneration unit; reducing the concentration of oxygen contained in the first chamber of the at least one purge section of the at least one regeneration unit; At least one CO of the at least one playback unit 2 storing the at least one panel in a second chamber of the detachable section, Collecting CO from the at least one panel housed in the second chamber 2 and accommodating the at least one panel in a third chamber of at least one drying / cooling section of the at least one regeneration unit; cooling and / or drying the at least one panel housed in the third chamber; The method including the steps of.

41. The CO 2 The at least one panel stored in the stripping section includes at least a first panel and a second panel, and the first panel enters the stripping section before the second panel, and stripping gas flows through the stripping section so as to first contact the first panel and then contact the second panel. The method according to claim 40.

42. said CO 2 The method according to claim 40, wherein the CO is collected from the second chamber by applying steam to the at least one panel in the second chamber.

43. The at least one panel has a first surface and a second surface, and the applied vapor flow flows laterally in the at least one panel from the first surface to the second surface and returns one or more times in a meandering or corkscrew shape. The method according to claim 42.

44. The at least one panel has a first face and a second face, and while the at least one panel moves through the first chamber, the second chamber, and / or the third chamber, one or more flows of one or more gases flow laterally within the at least one panel from the first face to the second face and return one or more times in a meandering or corkscrew shape. The method according to claim 40.

45. The method according to claim 40, further comprising the step of heating the air before the air circulates through the plurality of adsorption panels.

46. accommodating the at least one panel in a fourth chamber of the at least one regeneration unit; cooling and / or drying the at least one panel within the fourth chamber; The method according to claim 40, further comprising the steps of.

47. The step of cooling and / or drying the at least one panel within the fourth chamber includes circulating a cooled gas through the at least one panel within the fourth chamber. The method according to claim 46.

48. The step of cooling and / or drying the at least one panel within the third chamber includes circulating the gas exiting the fourth chamber into the third chamber. The method according to claim 47.

49. The method according to claim 48, further comprising heating the gas exiting the fourth chamber and circulating the heated gas into the third chamber.

50. The plurality of adsorption panels move along a plurality of tracks within the adsorption structure. The method according to claim 40.

51. The plurality of tracks includes a first track and a second track. The first track is parallel to the second track, and the plurality of adsorption panels move from the first track to the second track via a lateral transfer section. The method according to claim 50.

52. The plurality of adsorption panels are horizontally oriented within the at least one regeneration unit. The method according to claim 40.

53. Each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels comprises a plurality of monolithic arrays held together by a support structure. The method according to claim 40.

54. The support structure includes a vertical component and a horizontal component, the vertical component being configured to be located between adjacent arrays of the plurality of monolithic arrays, and the horizontal component being configured to be located directly below the bottom surface of an array of the plurality of monolithic arrays. The method according to claim 53.

55. The support structure includes a first vertical support and a second vertical support, and a mesh coupled to the first vertical support and the second vertical support, the plane of the mesh being perpendicular to the plane of the first vertical support or the second vertical support, the mesh further including openings configured to support an array of the plurality of monolithic arrays. The method according to claim 53.

56. The support structure includes at least one of the following, namely: including a quadrilateral shape, each side surface of the quadrilateral shape being configured to support a side surface of an array of the plurality of monolithic arrays, including at least one support located at at least one corner of a quadrilateral configuration, each of the at least one support being configured to support a corner of an array of the plurality of monolithic arrays, or including a plurality of spaced-apart ledges disposed along the perimeter of a quadrilateral configuration, each of the plurality of spaced-apart ledges being configured to support an edge of an array of the plurality of monolithic arrays, which is the method according to claim 53.

57. CO 2 A playback unit for detaching at least one chamber comprising a first wall and a second wall, Recover CO from the atmosphere 2 at least one panel including a substrate configured to recover a gas inlet located in the first wall, and at least one plenum located in the second wall, the second wall facing the first wall, the at least one plenum, a gas outlet, at least one track oriented substantially parallel to the first wall and configured to move at least one panel in a first direction, comprising, the at least one chamber being configured to flow a gas stream from the gas inlet through a surface of the at least one panel to the at least one plenum located in the second wall within a first flow path. The at least one chamber is configured to flow the gas from the at least one plenum located in the second wall through the surface of the panel again or through the surface on the opposite side of the at least one panel in a second flow path, and the first flow path and the second flow path form a meandering flow path or a coiled screw-shaped flow path, the unit.

58. The unit according to claim 57, wherein the gas flows from the gas inlet to the gas outlet in a direction substantially opposite to the first direction so that the gas first contacts the panel with a large amount of desorption and then contacts the panel with a small amount of desorption.

59. The unit according to claim 57, further comprising at least one plenum located in the first wall or the second wall, and the at least one plenum arranged in the first wall or the second wall receives the gas flow from the second flow path and is configured to flow the gas flow through the surface of the at least one panel in the third flow path to the at least one plenum on the second wall.

60. The unit according to claim 57, wherein the first direction of the at least one track is perpendicular to the direction of the first flow path.

61. A system for removing carbon dioxide from ambient air, A plurality of adsorption panels, each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels including a substrate configured to recover CO from the atmosphere 2 and the plurality of adsorption panels, At least one regeneration unit comprising at least one chamber having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, wherein the at least one regeneration unit is configured to desorb CO from the plurality of adsorption panels 2 and the plurality of adsorption panels are configured to move continuously through the at least one CO 2 desorption chamber, the at least one regeneration unit; a heat pump coupled between the gas outlet and the gas inlet of the at least one chamber of the at least one regeneration unit, the system comprising.

62. The heat pump is coupled to the gas outlet of the at least one chamber, receiving gas vapor including steam and CO from the at least one chamber of the at least one regeneration unit, and configured to condense the gas vapor; a first condenser 2 and a first condenser configured to receive the gas vapor including steam and CO from the at least one chamber of the at least one regeneration unit and to condense the gas vapor a boiler configured to be coupled to the first condenser and receive liquid water from the first condenser, the boiler being coupled to the gas inlet and configured to output steam to the at least one chamber of the at least one regeneration unit, a first compressor and a first accumulator coupled between the first condenser and the boiler for circulating refrigerant through the heat pump, the system according to claim 61, comprising.

63. The first condenser is configured to condense the gas vapor received from the gas outlet, and the heat from the first condenser is transferred to the refrigerant, and the vapor form of the refrigerant is supplied to the first compressor at a first refrigerant pressure, The first compressor is configured to compress the vapor form of the refrigerant, The first accumulator is configured to receive the compressed vapor form of the refrigerant and separate the vapor form of the refrigerant from the liquid form of the refrigerant, The boiler is configured to receive the vapor form of the refrigerant from the first accumulator, boil the liquid water to generate the vapor output to the at least one chamber, condense the refrigerant, and output the liquid form of the refrigerant to the first accumulator. The system according to claim 61.

64. The heat pump further includes a second condenser coupled to the drying / cooling section of the at least one regeneration unit. Output gas vapor flows from the drying / cooling section to the second condenser. The second condenser is configured to condense a portion of the gas vapor and output liquid water to the boiler, transfer heat to the refrigerant at a second refrigerant pressure lower than the first refrigerant pressure, and output the vapor form of the refrigerant. The system according to claim 63.

65. A unit for desorbing CO from the adsorption panel 2 The unit includes a desorption chamber in which a plurality of adsorption material panels are moved, and a desorption gas flows through the desorption chamber such that the desorption gas first contacts one adsorption panel having a large desorption amount among the plurality of adsorption panels and then contacts another adsorption panel having a small desorption amount among the plurality of adsorption panels.

66. A system for removing carbon dioxide from ambient air, comprising a plurality of adsorption panels, each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels having a surface and a substrate configured to recover CO 2 from the atmosphere, and each of the plurality of adsorption panels being horizontally oriented with its surface aligned in a horizontal plane; the plurality of adsorption panels, At least one adsorption structure configured to move the plurality of panels, At least one CO 2 at least one regeneration unit including a detachment chamber, and Comprising, The plurality of adsorption panels pass through the at least one CO 2 desorption chamber and are configured to move continuously, the system.

67. The plurality of adsorption panels includes a first adsorption panel and a second adsorption panel, and at least a part of the first adsorption panel or a part of the second adsorption panel is the CO 2 while outside the desorption chamber, simultaneously the CO 2 The system according to claim 66, which is configured to continuously move within the desorption chamber.

68. Each panel of the plurality of adsorption panels includes a plurality of arrays held together and a plurality of sealing struts. The sealing struts among the plurality of sealing struts are located between adjacent arrays within the plurality of arrays. The sealing struts among the plurality of sealing struts provide a continuous flat sealing surface for engaging with one or more seals to prevent gas from moving between the adjacent arrays. The system according to claim 66.

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