Method for concentration recovery of specific component in fluid utilizing renewable energy and device of renewable energy utilization type for concentration recovery of specific component in fluid

Abstract

The present invention concentrates and recovers a specific component contained in a fluid by utilizing renewable energy by stepwise concentrating a specific component contained in a fluid through a plurality of separation membranes and discharging the same by means of a multistage or multi-cylinder type pump or a plurality of pumps, which is provided with a plurality of separation membranes on a suction port or supply piping of a fluid containing a specific component to be separated and concentrated, and is driven by being connected to a rotary shaft of a heat engine driven by a heat source of renewable energy, a hydraulic engine driven by flowing water or a wind power engine driven by wind power.

Description

Method for concentrating and recovering specific components in a fluid using renewable energy and renewable energy-based device for concentrating and recovering specific components in a fluid

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for concentrating and recovering specific components contained in a fluid, such as concentrating and recovering carbon dioxide contained in the atmosphere or combustion exhaust gas, or separating and concentrating and recovering carbon dioxide and methane from biogas, by utilizing renewable energy, without emitting carbon dioxide that is associated with the use of fossil fuels or electricity derived from fossil fuels, and to a renewable energy-based fluid component concentration and recovery device to which this method is applied.

[0002] While it is possible to generate electricity and utilize heat using renewable energy, there is a need for technology to effectively utilize unused renewable energy in places where it is difficult to supply electricity via power lines or thermal energy using heat pipes.In particular, there is a need for efficient carbon dioxide separation and capture technology that utilizes unused renewable energy as a measure to prevent global warming and to capture and reduce carbon dioxide that has accumulated in the atmosphere.

[0003] As technologies that can solve these problems, there are disclosed a method in which renewable energy sources that do not increase carbon dioxide, such as geothermal steam, hot spring heat, flowing river water, and heat from biomass combustion, are used to suck in and compress air, combustion exhaust gas, or biogas and supply it to a gas separation membrane, where the carbon dioxide gas contained in the air, combustion exhaust gas, or biogas is compressed, cooled, and recovered as liquefied carbon dioxide or dry ice (Patent Document 1), and a method in which a vacuum pump or suction blower driven by the energy of geothermal fluid or flowing water is provided in the flow path of carbon dioxide gas that permeates a gas separation membrane, and carbon dioxide is sucked and recovered from the air, combustion exhaust gas, or biogas (Patent Document 2).

[0004] JP 2023-10479 A JP 2023-36490 A

[0005] As described above, the conventional technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 makes it possible to efficiently separate and capture carbon dioxide by utilizing renewable energy, and to recover the captured carbon dioxide as liquefied carbon dioxide or dry ice. However, these technologies have the following two problems.

[0006] First, all of the conventional technologies are equipped with only one carbon dioxide separation membrane or one stage, which means that the concentration of carbon dioxide that can be recovered through the separation membrane is low, or when separation and recovery at a higher concentration is performed, the amount of carbon dioxide separated and recovered is reduced.

[0007] Separation membranes that separate and recover specific components contained in gases or liquids typically have two performance indicators: selectivity, which indicates the ability to recover a specific component with high purity, and permeability, which indicates the ability to recover a large amount of a specific component.In addition to the fact that these two performance indicators are in a contradictory relationship, it is difficult to achieve perfect performance for either performance indicator.

[0008] In other words, the more selective a membrane is selected, the lower the permeability and the smaller the amount of separated and recovered, but it is not possible to completely eliminate impurities in the separated and recovered fluid.On the other hand, the more permeable a membrane is selected, the greater the amount of separated and recovered, but the lower the selectivity, so the separated and recovered fluid will contain a large amount of impurities and the concentration of specific components in the separated and recovered fluid will be reduced.

[0009] In particular, in the technology disclosed in the prior art for separating and recovering carbon dioxide contained in air or combustion exhaust gas, nitrogen, the main component in air or combustion exhaust gas, is contained as an impurity in large amounts in the separated and recovered carbon dioxide gas, and in the technology for separating and recovering carbon dioxide from biogas, methane, the main component in biogas, is contained as an impurity in large amounts in the separated and recovered carbon dioxide gas. However, no method for removing these impurities or for suppressing the incorporation of impurities has been disclosed, and therefore, when the separated and recovered carbon dioxide is used in commerce and industry, the quality of the gas is reduced, reducing its utility value. Furthermore, when the separated and recovered carbon dioxide is liquefied or converted into dry ice for transportation or underground storage, both nitrogen and methane have physical properties that make them more difficult to liquefy or solidify than carbon dioxide, which hinders the liquefaction or dry ice production process, posing the problem of reducing production efficiency and the quality of the product.

[0010] On the other hand, in order to minimize the influence of the above-mentioned impurities, conventional technologies that apply separation membranes with high selectivity and low permeability increase the purity of the separated and recovered carbon dioxide gas and make it easier to liquefy or turn it into dry ice, but there is a problem that the amount of separated and recovered decreases, limiting production volume.

[0011] Therefore, as a means for solving these problems, a method can be considered in which the concentration of a specific component in the separated and recovered fluid is increased in stages while maintaining the separated and recovered volume by passing the fluid through multiple separation membranes with low selectivity and high permeability in a layered manner, or a method in which a large amount of fluid containing a specific component is separated and recovered first using a separation membrane with low selectivity and high permeability, and then the fluid is passed through separation membranes with gradually changing properties in the second and subsequent stages so that the membranes have higher selectivity and lower permeability than the upstream separation membranes, thereby increasing the separated and recovered concentration while suppressing a decrease in the separated and recovered volume.However, the prior art does not disclose a concentration method using multiple separation membranes as described above, or a method of increasing the purity of the separated and recovered fluid while maintaining the separated and recovered volume by passing the fluid through a combination of separation membranes with different selectivities and permeabilities in multiple stages, and it has been impossible to realize such a method.

[0012] Furthermore, the renewable energy sources that drive gas separation and recovery in conventional technologies are limited to geothermal energy, heat from biomass combustion, or water flow, and no methods are disclosed for using solar heat or wind power as a driving source. As a result, the application of conventional technologies is limited to areas with abundant geothermal resources, biomass resources, and hydroelectric resources, and there is an issue that they cannot be applied to areas with abundant solar radiation or favorable wind conditions.

[0013] On the other hand, solar energy has the problem that it cannot generate electricity or collect heat at night, and the amount of electricity generated and heat collected is unstable depending on the season and weather. Wind energy has the problem that wind conditions change depending on the season and weather, so the driving force for separating and recovering specific components in a fluid fluctuates, and the energy required to compress and cool the separated and recovered components also fluctuates. However, if solar energy could be used in a way that uses solar heat, which has a higher energy conversion efficiency than photovoltaic power generation and can provide a stable energy supply continuously day and night by using heat storage materials and heat medium circulation, or if a method could be applied that is limited to areas where wind energy is constantly available, or if a method that operates only during seasons when a certain amount of wind energy is available is applicable, it would be possible to separate and recover carbon dioxide from outside air in a wide area, but these methods are not disclosed in the prior art.

[0014] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a method for concentrating and recovering specific components in a fluid using renewable energy, which uses renewable energy including geothermal energy, biomass combustion heat, solar heat, and wind power to concentrate and recover specific components contained in the fluid while maintaining the amount of separation and recovery, and a renewable energy-based device for concentrating and recovering specific components in a fluid to which the above-mentioned method is applied.

[0015] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 is characterized by comprising a heat engine using geothermal fluid, biomass combustion heat, or solar heat as a heat source, and a multi-stage or multi-cylinder pump connected to and driven by the rotating shaft of the heat engine directly or via a transmission, and equipped with a plurality of separation membranes on the fluid intake or fluid intake piping for separating specific components contained in the fluid, such that the discharge outlet from the first stage or first cylinder is connected to the intake of the second stage or second cylinder or later, thereby allowing the specific components contained in the fluid to be recovered while being concentrated via the plurality of separation membranes.

[0016] The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that it comprises a hydraulic engine driven by a water flow as an energy source, and a multi-stage or multi-cylinder pump connected to the rotating shaft of the hydraulic engine directly or via a transmission and equipped with a plurality of separation membranes for separating specific components contained in the fluid, with the discharge outlet from the first stage or first cylinder connected to the intake port of the second stage or second cylinder or later, thereby allowing the specific components contained in the fluid to be recovered while being concentrated via the plurality of separation membranes.

[0017] The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that it comprises a wind engine driven by wind power as an energy source, and a multi-stage or multi-cylinder pump connected to the rotating shaft of the wind engine directly or via a transmission and equipped with a plurality of separation membranes for separating specific components contained in a fluid, with the discharge outlet from the first stage or first cylinder connected to the intake port of the second stage or subsequent cylinder, thereby allowing the specific components contained in the fluid to be recovered while being concentrated via the plurality of separation membranes.

[0018] The invention described in claim 4 is characterized by comprising a heat engine using geothermal fluid, biomass combustion heat, or solar heat as a heat source, and a plurality of pumps connected to the rotating shaft of the heat engine directly or via a transmission, and equipped with separation membranes for separating specific components contained in the fluid on the fluid intake or fluid intake piping, with the pump discharge outlets connected to the intake ports of pumps in the second stage or later, whereby the specific components contained in the fluid are recovered while being concentrated via the plurality of separation membranes.

[0019] The invention described in claim 5 is characterized by comprising a hydraulic engine driven by a water flow as an energy source, and a plurality of pumps connected to the rotating shaft of the hydraulic engine directly or via a transmission, and equipped with separation membranes for separating specific components contained in the fluid on the fluid intake or fluid intake piping, with the discharge outlets of the pumps connected to the intake ports of pumps in the second stage or later, thereby allowing the specific components contained in the fluid to be recovered while being concentrated through the plurality of separation membranes.

[0020] The invention described in claim 6 is characterized by comprising a wind engine driven by wind power as an energy source, and a plurality of pumps connected to the rotating shaft of the wind engine directly or via a transmission, and equipped with separation membranes for separating specific components contained in the fluid on the fluid intake or fluid intake piping, with the discharge outlets of the pumps connected to the intake ports of pumps in the second stage or later, whereby the specific components contained in the fluid are recovered while being concentrated via the plurality of separation membranes.

[0021] The invention described in claim 7 is characterized in that a plurality of separation membranes described in claims 1 to 6 are provided so that the permeability of the separation membranes for separating and recovering specific components gradually decreases while the selectivity gradually increases from the fluid intake port and upstream side to the discharge port and downstream side where the specific components have been separated and concentrated from the fluid.

[0022] The invention described in claim 8 is characterized in that the rotary shaft described in claims 1 to 3 or claims 4 to 6 is connected directly or via a transmission to the discharge port of the multi-stage or multi-cylinder pump described in claims 1 to 3 or the discharge port of the most downstream pump in a plurality of pumps described in claims 4 to 6, and further comprises a compressor that compresses the specific component separated and concentrated from the fluid and discharged from the discharge port, and the separated and concentrated specific component is pressurized or liquefied, so that it is recovered as a high-pressure gas or liquid.

[0023] The invention described in claim 9 is characterized in that the heat engine described in claim 1 or claim 4 is a turbine or reciprocating steam engine that uses geothermal fluid, heat from biomass combustion, or solar heat as a heat source, or a turbine or reciprocating combustion engine that is driven by the combustion energy of biomass fuel.

[0024] The invention described in claim 10 is characterized in that the pump described in claims 1 to 6 is either a positive displacement pump classified as a reciprocating pump or a rotary pump, or a non-positive displacement turbo pump classified as a centrifugal pump, a mixed flow pump, or an axial flow pump.

[0025] The invention described in claim 11 is characterized in that the compressor described in claim 8 is either a positive displacement compressor classified as a reciprocating compressor, a swash plate compressor, a diaphragm compressor, a screw compressor, a scroll compressor, a rotary compressor, a rotary piston compressor or a slide vane compressor, or a centrifugal or axial non-positive displacement turbo compressor.

[0026] The invention described in claim 12 is characterized in that a heat exchanger is provided at the discharge port of the pump described in claims 1 to 6 or in the piping flow path of the discharge fluid, or at the discharge port of the compressed fluid from the compressor described in claim 8 or in the piping flow path of the compressed fluid, and one or more of cold energy contained in river water, lake water, or seawater, or cold energy contained in geothermal heat, groundwater heat, or snow and ice heat is supplied to the heat exchanger, or a radiator fan is provided to cool specific components concentrated and recovered from the fluid using outside air to lower the temperature, or to recover them by condensing, liquefying, or solidifying.

[0027] The invention described in claim 13 is characterized in that a heat exchanger is provided at the discharge port of the pump described in claim 1 or claim 4 or in the piping flow path of the discharged fluid, and further includes an absorption refrigerator or adsorption refrigerator that is driven using as a heat source the hot water discharged from the steam-liquid separator of the geothermal fluid described in claim 1 or claim 4, or the high-temperature heat contained in the steam, hot water, or heat medium obtained after driving the heat engine described in claim 1 or claim 4, and by supplying the cold heat obtained from the refrigerator to the heat exchanger, the specific components concentrated and recovered from the fluid are cooled to lower their temperature, or are recovered by condensing, liquefying, or solidifying.

[0028] The invention described in claim 14 is characterized in that a heat exchanger is provided in the discharge port of the pump described in claim 2 or claim 5 or in the piping flow path of the discharged fluid, and cold heat obtained from the flowing water after driving the hydraulic engine described in claim 2 or claim 5 is supplied to the heat exchanger, thereby cooling the specific components concentrated and recovered from the fluid to lower their temperature, or recovering them by condensing, liquefying, or solidifying them.

[0029] The invention described in claim 15 is characterized in that the pump described in claim 3 or claim 6 is provided with one or more of a radiator that radiates heat to outside air or an electrically driven heat pump refrigerator in the discharge port or in the piping flow path of the discharged fluid, and the specific components concentrated and recovered from the fluid are recovered by lowering the temperature by heat radiation or by blowing cold air, or by condensing, liquefying, or solidifying.

[0030] The invention of claim 16 is characterized in that, in the method of concentrating and recovering a fluid component of any one of claims 1 to 15, a measuring device is provided at the discharge port of the pump or compressor, in the piping flow path of the discharged fluid, or in the piping flow path for discharging the non-specific components that do not permeate the separation membrane, for measuring one or more of the temperature, pressure, flow rate, and concentration of the concentrated and recovered fluid or the fluid of the non-specific components generated in the concentration and recovery process, and one or more flow control valves are provided in the intake port, discharge port, or piping flow path through which the concentrated and recovered fluid or the fluid of the non-specific components generated in the concentration and recovery process flows, and a control device is further provided which controls the aperture of the flow control valve based on measurements obtained from the measuring device, thereby controlling one or more of the temperature, pressure, flow rate, and concentration of the fluid component to be concentrated and recovered.

[0031] The invention described in claim 17 further comprises a steam turbine generator or a binary generator driven by hot water discharged from the steam-liquid separator of the geothermal fluid described in claim 1 or claim 4, or by high-temperature heat contained in the steam, hot water, or heat medium obtained after driving the heat engine described in claim 1 or claim 4, and the electricity obtained from the generator is supplied to one or more of the absorption chiller or adsorption chiller described in claim 13, the measuring device described in claim 16, a flow control valve, or a control device.

[0032] The invention described in claim 18 is characterized in that it further comprises a hydroelectric generator driven by flowing water after driving the hydroelectric engine described in claim 2 or claim 5, and the electricity obtained from the generator is supplied to and operated by one or more of a water pump that supplies flowing water to the heat exchanger described in claim 14, a measuring instrument described in claim 16, a flow control valve, or a control device.

[0033] The invention described in claim 19 is characterized in that a wind power generator is further provided in the vicinity of the wind engine described in claim 3 or claim 6, and the electricity obtained from the generator is supplied to one or more of the blower fan or electrically driven heat pump refrigerator mounted on the radiator described in claim 15, the measuring instrument described in claim 16, the flow control valve, or the control device to operate them.

[0034] The invention described in claim 20 is characterized in that the fluid supplied to the suction port of the pump described in claims 1 to 6 is either biogas, combustion exhaust gas or air, and the separation membrane described in claims 1 to 7 is either a carbon dioxide separation membrane or a methane separation membrane.

[0035] The invention described in claim 21 is characterized in that it is a fluid component concentration and recovery device that utilizes renewable energy, which separates and concentrates and recovers specific components contained in a fluid by using renewable energy, by applying the fluid component concentration and recovery method using renewable energy described in claims 1 to 20.

[0036]

[0037] According to the present invention, it is possible to concentrate specific components contained in fluids and separate and recover them with high purity, using a wide range of renewable energy sources, including not only geothermal steam, biomass combustion heat, or hydraulic power, but also solar heat and wind power, and targeting not only gases such as air containing carbon dioxide, combustion exhaust gas, and biogas, but also a variety of fluids including liquids containing specific components.

[0038]

[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus for liquefying and recovering carbon dioxide originating from biomass, which combines a biomass methane fermentation system with a carbon dioxide concentration and recovery apparatus that utilizes geothermal energy in multiple stages, according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus for liquefying and recovering carbon dioxide originating from biomass, which combines a steam turbine driven by a woody biomass combustion boiler with an apparatus for concentrating and recovering carbon dioxide from boiler exhaust gas, according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an airborne carbon dioxide liquefaction and recovery apparatus that concentrates, recovers, and liquefies carbon dioxide in the air driven by a solar heat-utilizing steam turbine, according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an airborne carbon dioxide liquefaction and recovery apparatus that concentrates, recovers, and liquefies carbon dioxide in the air driven by a water turbine, according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an airborne carbon dioxide liquefaction and recovery apparatus that concentrates, recovers, and liquefies carbon dioxide in the air driven by a wind turbine, according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and is not limited to the present embodiment.

[0040] (First embodiment)

[0041] First, a biomass-origin carbon dioxide liquefaction and recovery system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which combines a biomass methane fermentation system and a geothermal energy multistage carbon dioxide concentration and recovery system, will be described with reference to FIG. 1 .

[0042] As shown in Figure 1, this system is composed of a high-temperature methane fermentation tank 2 that uses anaerobic methane fermentation bacteria to produce biogas composed mainly of methane and carbon dioxide from biomass resources 1 for methane fermentation, such as food waste, inedible agricultural parts, or livestock excrement, and a carbon dioxide concentration and recovery system that uses geothermal energy in multiple stages. The carbon dioxide contained in the biogas produced in the methane fermentation tank is separated and concentrated using multiple carbon dioxide separation membranes, and the carbon dioxide is recovered as biomethane and liquefied carbon dioxide.

[0043] Here, the above-mentioned geothermal energy multistage carbon dioxide concentration and capture system is equipped with a steam turbine 5 driven by the geothermal steam obtained by introducing geothermal fluid 3 containing geothermal steam and hot water into a steam-liquid separator 4 to separate the geothermal fluid 3 into high-temperature, high-pressure geothermal steam and hot water, a geothermal steam turbine-driven multistage carbon dioxide concentration and capture system 6 comprising a plurality of rotating blades directly connected to the rotary drive shaft of the steam turbine and stator blades within an airtight pressure vessel, and a plurality of carbon dioxide separation membranes provided within the vessel, and a heat exchanger that cools and liquefies the high-purity, high-pressure carbon dioxide gas discharged from the outlet of this system with cold water obtained using geothermal energy.

[0044] Furthermore, this device is configured to extract and collect biomethane, which is the separation membrane off-gas produced in each compression and concentration process of the multistage carbon dioxide concentration and recovery device 6, and store it, and to supply the highly concentrated carbon-neutral methane from which the inert gas carbon dioxide has been removed as fuel.This makes it possible to supply biogas derived from biomass as biomethane, which has high ignition and combustibility and a high calorific value, and as liquefied carbon dioxide, which is suitable for transportation and use.

[0045] The multistage carbon dioxide concentration and recovery device 6 is configured so that the biogas that has passed through the biogas purification filter 7, which removes hydrogen sulfide and excessive humidity contained in the biogas produced in the high-temperature methane fermentation tank 2, is supplied, and when the first-stage intake compression rotor blades 8 are rotated by the rotary driving force of the steam turbine 5 to suck and compress the biogas at the intake port, the biogas passes through a first carbon dioxide separation membrane 9 provided at the intake port, and carbon dioxide gas in the biogas is selectively sucked and compressed, and is supplied to the second-stage suction compression rotor blades 10.

[0046] Furthermore, the carbon dioxide gas discharged from the second-stage suction compression rotor blades 10 has higher selectivity but lower permeability than the first carbon dioxide separation membrane 9, and therefore requires a higher pressure gas supply and gas suction force.By passing the carbon dioxide gas through the second carbon dioxide separation membrane 11 and then suction-supplying it to the third stage, carbon dioxide gas with higher purity and pressure than that of the second stage is supplied to the intake port of the third stage.

[0047] Similarly, the carbon dioxide gas discharged from the third-stage suction compression rotor blades is passed through third carbon dioxide separation membrane 13, which has higher selectivity but lower permeability than second carbon dioxide separation membrane 11 and therefore requires a higher-pressure gas supply and gas suction force, and then the carbon dioxide gas discharged from the third-stage suction compression rotor blades is passed through fourth carbon dioxide separation membrane 14, which has higher selectivity but lower permeability than third carbon dioxide separation membrane 13 and therefore requires a higher-pressure gas supply and gas suction force.In this manner, the pressure of the separated and recovered carbon dioxide gas increases toward the later stages, and as a result, a higher-pressure gas supply and a higher suction force are required.By selecting and providing carbon dioxide separation membranes with higher selectivity in stages, the carbon dioxide gas discharged from the final stage of the apparatus is configured to be discharged as high-pressure, high-purity carbon dioxide gas suitable for the cooling and liquefaction process in water-cooled heat exchanger 15.

[0048] In this system, the low-temperature steam discharged from the steam turbine 5 after driving it and the high-temperature water supplied from the steam-liquid separator 4 are supplied to a binary power generation facility 16 to generate renewable energy, and the obtained electricity is supplied to an absorption chiller 17 driven by the low-temperature steam and hot water after the binary power generation facility is in operation and its associated cooling tower, a cold water circulation pump 18 for circulating the cold water obtained from the chiller to the water-cooled heat exchanger 15, a gas blower 19 for recovering and storing biomethane, measuring devices 20, 21, and 22 for measuring the temperature, concentration, and flow rate of the recovered carbon dioxide gas and liquefied carbon dioxide, and the biomethane extracted and recovered as off-gas, flow control valves 23, 24, and 25 for controlling the biogas supply amount, the off-gas recovery amount, the liquefied carbon dioxide recovery flow rate, etc. based on data obtained from the measuring devices, and a control device 26 for controlling the opening of these control valves in accordance with the measurement results of the various measuring devices.

[0049] Here, the aperture adjustment of the flow control valve using the control device of this device is desirably controlled so as to maximize the concentration or flow rate of the carbon dioxide gas to be concentrated and recovered, depending on the flow rate and concentration of the carbon dioxide gas to be concentrated and recovered, and the pressure and flow rate in the gas flow path of the biomethane to be extracted and recovered. For example, if the gas flow path pressure of the biomethane to be extracted and recovered becomes excessively high, it will be more likely to be mixed in as an impurity that passes through the separation membrane. Therefore, when the concentration of the carbon dioxide gas to be concentrated and recovered decreases, the aperture of the flow control valve provided in the gas flow path of the biomethane to be extracted and recovered can be opened to reduce the pressure and increase the amount of biomethane to be extracted. This makes it possible to increase the concentration of carbon dioxide to be separated and concentrated while increasing the amount of biomethane to be extracted and recovered.

[0050] Furthermore, the hot water generated after the absorption chiller is put into operation is used to heat and keep warm the high-temperature methane fermentation tank 2, thereby promoting methane fermentation before being discharged. Geothermal energy is effectively utilized in multiple stages, from driving a steam turbine for separating and concentrating biogas, to a binary power generation facility for supplying power for operating the system, to driving an absorption chiller for liquefying the separated and concentrated carbon dioxide, and heating the methane fermentation tank. This makes it possible to operate the separation of biogas components and the concentration and recovery of carbon dioxide using geothermal energy without emitting carbon dioxide (Second Embodiment).

[0051] Next, a biomass-origin carbon dioxide liquefaction and recovery system according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which combines a woody biomass combustion boiler with a system for concentrating and recovering carbon dioxide from boiler combustion exhaust gas, will be described with reference to FIG. 2 .

[0052] As shown in Figure 2, the device of the second embodiment is different in that the carbon dioxide in the combustion exhaust gas generated from the boiler is compressed and supplied to each cylinder from separation membrane 9 to separation membrane 11 and separation membrane 13 by a multi-cylinder carbon dioxide concentration, capture and compression device 28 driven by a crankshaft connected to the rotating shaft of a steam turbine 5 that operates using steam generated by supplying woody biomass to a boiler 27 as a heat source, and the carbon dioxide is concentrated and compressed as it passes through the separation membranes.

[0053] Furthermore, this system is equipped with a woody biomass combustion exhaust gas purification device 29 such as a bag filter or electrostatic precipitator, in order to remove components such as dust and tar contained in the exhaust gas from woody biomass combustion, along with sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, before supplying it to the concentration and recovery compressor. Also, since the off-gas generated by the separation membranes between each cylinder is a gas primarily composed of nitrogen and oxygen that can be released into the atmosphere, the off-gas from each cylinder is bled at the appropriate time by opening and closing control using a cam mechanism via a solenoid valve or the crankshaft, and the bleed air is released into the atmosphere without being recovered.

[0054] With this configuration, in the carbon dioxide concentration and recovery process via a separation membrane, it is possible to efficiently concentrate carbon dioxide in combustion exhaust gas originating from woody biomass and recover it as liquefied carbon dioxide as a reciprocating piston compression engine with higher suction and compression efficiency than a non-positive displacement turbine compressor, without providing a large-area separation membrane.

[0055] In this configuration, the separation membranes provided in the connecting flow section between multiple cylinders may be multiple separation membranes with the same characteristics provided in layers from the upstream side to the downstream side, but as in the first embodiment, it is preferable to provide a membrane with low selectivity and highest permeability at the most upstream side, and then provide membranes with gradually increasing selectivity and decreasing permeability from the second membrane onwards. (Third embodiment)

[0056] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention, an airborne carbon dioxide liquefaction and recovery system that concentrates, recovers, and liquefies carbon dioxide in the air by being driven by a solar-heat-utilizing steam turbine, will be described with reference to FIG.

[0057] As shown in Figure 3, this device uses solar thermal energy, the amount of energy that can be utilized varying depending on the time of day, weather, and season, to separate and concentrate carbon dioxide in the air and recover it as liquefied carbon dioxide. To this end, first-stage turbo pump 31 and second-stage turbo pump 32 are connected to the rotating shaft of steam turbine 5, which is driven by a continuous supply of solar thermal energy via a circulating heat medium from solar thermal collection system 30 having a heat medium thermal storage tank, and turbo compressor 33 pressurizes the concentrated and recovered carbon dioxide. Air that is purified and supplied through intake air dust removal filter 34 is concentrated and pressurized in stages through carbon dioxide separation membrane 9, separation membrane 11, and separation membrane 13 to become high-purity high-pressure carbon dioxide gas, but is otherwise the same as the other embodiments.

[0058] By adopting such an embodiment, it becomes possible to efficiently separate and capture carbon dioxide from the local outside air in a location where solar radiation is available, and then concentrate and liquefy and recover it, without relying on renewable energy resources such as geothermal or hydroelectric power, which are unevenly distributed in different regions. This makes it possible to concentrate and recover carbon dioxide from the air simultaneously in a wide range of regions, and to achieve fixation and resource utilization (fourth embodiment).

[0059] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention, an airborne carbon dioxide liquefaction and recovery system that concentrates, recovers, and liquefies carbon dioxide in the air by driving a water turbine, will be described with reference to FIG.

[0060] As shown in Figure 4, this device uses a turbo pump and compressor equipped with multiple separation membranes to concentrate, capture, and liquefy carbon dioxide contained in the air in the same way, but it differs in that it uses the energy of flowing river water and the cold energy contained in the river water as its driving source.

[0061] That is, the driving force for the turbo pump that supplies gas to the multiple separation membranes using a turbo pump and the compressor that pressurizes the separated and concentrated carbon dioxide gas directly utilizes the rotational force of a waterwheel type torque transmission device 35 installed on the river flow path, and to cool the concentrated high-pressure carbon dioxide gas, a gas cooling device 36 that exchanges heat with river water is used, and renewable energy electricity obtained from a hydroelectric power generation facility 37 that generates electricity from the water flow after driving the waterwheel type torque transmission device 35 is used to drive the pump for cooling with flowing water and to drive the measuring devices and control valves that measure the temperature, pressure, and flow rate of each part of the system.

[0062] With this configuration, it becomes possible to concentrate carbon dioxide in the air and recover it as liquefied carbon dioxide even in areas that lack geothermal or biomass resources but are rich in hydroelectric resources (fifth embodiment).

[0063] Next, an airborne carbon dioxide liquefaction and recovery system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, which is driven by a wind turbine to concentrate, recover, and liquefy carbon dioxide in the air, will be described with reference to FIG.

[0064] As shown in Figure 5, the device of the fifth embodiment also separates, concentrates, and liquefies carbon dioxide from the air for recovery. However, since the driving force of the turbo pump and compressor when concentrating and recovering the carbon dioxide through multiple separation membranes is provided by the wind turbine-type torque transmission device 38, the device's operation is limited to times when the wind turbine is operating stably above a certain level.

[0065] Another difference is that the cold energy supply method used to cool and liquefy the concentrated and recovered high-pressure carbon dioxide gas is performed by an electric heat pump refrigerator 40 that is powered by electricity supplied from a wind power generation facility 39 installed near a windmill-type rotational force transmission device 38 used to operate the carbon dioxide separation and concentration device.

[0066] The operation of the device of the fifth embodiment will be limited to when the wind turbine is operating stably above a certain level. However, in order to supply cold energy to liquefy concentrated high-pressure carbon dioxide, as well as to ensure constant stable operation of measuring instruments and control systems for the temperature, gas concentration, flow rate, etc. of each part of the entire system, it is desirable to install a large-capacity storage facility 41 next to the wind power generation facility 39 so that it can be used for charging and discharging.

[0067] By adopting such an embodiment, it becomes possible to liquefy and recover carbon dioxide from the air with high efficiency in areas where there are no geothermal or hydroelectric resources, but where the wind speed required to operate the device is stable.

[0068] As described above, in accordance with the diverse renewable energy sources distributed throughout the region, it will be possible to concentrate and recover carbon dioxide emissions from combustion exhaust gases resulting from the use of power generation facilities and heat utilization facilities, thereby suppressing their release into the atmosphere, or to efficiently recover carbon dioxide originating from biomass or carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as liquefied carbon dioxide, which can then be immobilized underground or used for commercial and industrial purposes such as dry ice, or transported and used as a raw material for producing carbon-neutral fuels, etc.

[0069] Furthermore, this technology is not limited to areas with geothermal resources, hydroelectric resources, or biomass resources, which can operate continuously day and night regardless of weather, but can be used in a wide range of regions, including areas where solar heat and wind power resources can be utilized, and will enable the concentration of carbon dioxide contained in the atmosphere and its recovery as liquefied carbon dioxide, which can be easily transported and used, in accordance with local renewable energy resources.

[0070] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and is not limited to, for example, the separation of biogas components or the separation and recovery of carbon dioxide contained in combustion exhaust gas and air. The present technology can also be applied when concentrating and recovering a specific component from a liquid mixture of various components through a separation membrane, or when cooling and solidifying the concentrated and recovered liquid component, or when adiabatically expanding liquefied carbon dioxide to turn it into dry ice and transporting and using it as solid carbon dioxide.

[0071] As such, the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and anything that has substantially the same configuration as the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention and exhibits similar effects is included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0072] 1...Biomass resource, 2...High-temperature methane fermentation tank, 3...Geothermal fluid, 4...Steam-liquid separator, 5...Steam turbine, 6...Multistage carbon dioxide concentration and recovery device, 7...Biogas purification filter, 8...First-stage intake compression rotor blade, 9...First carbon dioxide separation membrane, 10...Second-stage suction compression rotor blade, 11...Second carbon dioxide separation membrane, 12...Third-stage intake compression rotor blade, 13...Third carbon dioxide separation membrane, 14...Fourth carbon dioxide separation membrane, 15...Water-cooled heat exchanger, 16...Binary power generation equipment, 17...Adsorption chiller, 18...Refrigerant circulation pump, 19...Biomethane gas blower, 20...Carbon dioxide gas characteristics measurement device, 21...Liquefied carbon dioxide characteristics measurement device, 22... - Extraction gas recovery biomethane characteristic measuring device, 23... Biogas supply flow control valve, 24... Off-gas recovery flow control valve, 25... Liquefied carbon dioxide recovery flow control valve, 26... Multi-stage carbon dioxide concentration recovery control device, 27... Woody biomass boiler, 28... Multi-cylinder carbon dioxide concentration recovery compression device, 29... Woody biomass combustion exhaust gas purification device, 30... Solar thermal collection system, 31... First-stage turbo pump, 32... Second-stage turbo pump, 33... Carbon dioxide gas boost turbo compressor, 34... Intake dust removal filter, 35... Water wheel type torque transmission device, 36... Gas cooling device, 37... Hydroelectric power generation equipment, 38... Wind wheel type torque transmission device, 39... Wind power generation equipment, 40... Electric heat pump refrigerator, 41... Large-capacity power storage equipment

Claims

1. A method for concentrating and recovering a fluid component, comprising: a heat engine using geothermal fluid, biomass combustion heat, or solar heat as a heat source; and a multi-stage or multi-cylinder pump connected to and driven by the rotary shaft of the heat engine directly or via a transmission, the multi-stage or multi-cylinder pump having a plurality of separation membranes for separating specific components contained in the fluid at the fluid intake or fluid intake piping, the discharge outlet from the first stage or first cylinder being connected to the intake of the second or subsequent stage or second or subsequent cylinder, whereby the specific components contained in the fluid are recovered while being concentrated via the plurality of separation membranes.

2. A method for concentrating and recovering a fluid component, characterized in that the method comprises a hydraulic engine driven by a water flow as an energy source, and a multi-stage or multi-cylinder pump connected to the rotary shaft of the hydraulic engine directly or via a transmission and equipped with a plurality of separation membranes for separating specific components contained in the fluid, with the discharge port from the first stage or first cylinder connected to the inlet port of the second or subsequent stage or second or subsequent cylinder, thereby recovering the specific components contained in the fluid while concentrating them through the plurality of separation membranes.

3. A method for concentrating and recovering a fluid component, comprising: a wind engine driven by wind power as an energy source; and a multi-stage or multi-cylinder pump connected to the rotating shaft of the wind engine directly or via a transmission, the multi-stage or multi-cylinder pump having a plurality of separation membranes for separating specific components contained in the fluid, the discharge port from the first stage or first cylinder being connected to the intake port of the second or subsequent stage or second or subsequent cylinder, wherein the specific components contained in the fluid are recovered while being concentrated via the plurality of separation membranes.

4. A method for concentrating and recovering a fluid component, comprising: a heat engine using geothermal fluid, biomass combustion heat, or solar heat as a heat source; and a plurality of pumps connected to the rotary shaft of the heat engine directly or via a transmission, the pumps having separation membranes for separating specific components contained in the fluid at their fluid intake ports or fluid intake piping, with the discharge ports of the pumps connected to the intake ports of second-stage or later pumps, wherein the specific components contained in the fluid are concentrated and recovered via the plurality of separation membranes.

5. A method for concentrating and recovering a fluid component using heat from renewable energy, comprising: a hydraulic engine driven by a water flow as an energy source; and a plurality of pumps connected to the rotary shaft of the hydraulic engine directly or via a transmission, the plurality of pumps being provided with separation membranes for separating specific components contained in the fluid at their fluid intake ports or fluid intake piping, with the discharge ports of the pumps being connected to the intake ports of second-stage or later pumps, thereby recovering specific components contained in the fluid while concentrating them through the plurality of separation membranes.

6. A method for concentrating and recovering fluid components using renewable energy heat, comprising: a wind engine driven by wind power as an energy source; and a plurality of pumps connected to the rotating shaft of the wind engine directly or via a transmission, the pumps having separation membranes for separating specific components contained in the fluid at their fluid intake ports or fluid intake piping, the discharge ports of the pumps being connected to the intake ports of second-stage or later pumps, wherein the specific components contained in the fluid are recovered while being concentrated via the plurality of separation membranes.

7. A method for concentrating and recovering fluid components using renewable energy, characterized in that a plurality of separation membranes as described in claims 1 to 6 are provided so that the permeability of the separation membranes for separating and recovering specific components gradually decreases while the selectivity gradually increases from the fluid intake port and upstream side to the discharge port and downstream side where specific components have been separated and concentrated from the fluid.

8. A method for concentrating and recovering a fluid component using renewable energy, characterized in that the rotary shaft described in claims 1 to 3 or claims 4 to 6 is connected directly or via a transmission to the discharge port of the multistage or multi-cylinder pump described in claims 1 to 3 or the discharge port of the most downstream pump of a plurality of pumps described in claims 4 to 6, and further equipped with a compressor for compressing the specific component separated and concentrated from the fluid discharged from the discharge port, and the separated and concentrated specific component is pressurized or liquefied to be recovered as a high-pressure gas or liquid.

9. A method for concentrating and recovering fluid components using renewable energy, characterized in that the heat engine according to claim 1 or claim 4 is a turbine or reciprocating steam engine using geothermal fluid, heat from biomass combustion, or solar heat as a heat source, or a turbine or reciprocating combustion engine driven by the combustion energy of biomass fuel.

10. A method for concentrating and recovering fluid components using renewable energy, characterized in that the pump according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is either a positive displacement pump classified as a reciprocating pump or a rotary pump, or a non-positive displacement turbo pump classified as a centrifugal pump, mixed flow pump, or axial flow pump.

11. A method for concentrating and recovering fluid components using renewable energy, characterized in that the compressor according to claim 8 is either a positive displacement compressor classified as a reciprocating compressor, a swash plate compressor, a diaphragm compressor, a screw compressor, a scroll compressor, a rotary compressor, a rotary piston compressor, or a slide vane compressor, or a centrifugal or axial flow non-positive displacement turbo compressor.

12. A method for concentrating and recovering a fluid component using renewable energy, characterized in that a heat exchanger is provided at the discharge port of a pump described in claims 1 to 6 or within the piping flow path of the discharge fluid, or at the discharge port of a compressed fluid from a compressor described in claim 8 or within the piping flow path of the compressed fluid, and the heat exchanger is supplied with one or more cold energy sources selected from the cold energy contained in river water, lake water, or seawater, or the cold energy contained in geothermal heat, groundwater heat, or snow and ice heat, or a radiator fan is provided to cool specific components concentrated and recovered from the fluid using outside air to lower their temperature, or to recover them by condensing, liquefying, or solidifying them.

13. A method for concentrating and recovering fluid components using renewable energy, comprising providing a heat exchanger at the discharge port of the pump described in claim 1 or claim 4 or in the piping flow path of the discharged fluid, and further comprising an absorption or adsorption refrigerator driven by hot water discharged from the steam-liquid separator for geothermal fluid described in claim 1 or claim 4, or by high-temperature heat contained in the steam, hot water, or heat medium obtained after driving the heat engine described in claim 1 or claim 4, and supplying cold heat obtained from the refrigerator to the heat exchanger to cool and lower the temperature of specific components concentrated and recovered from the fluid, or to recover them by condensing, liquefying, or solidifying them.

14. A method for concentrating and recovering fluid components using renewable energy, characterized in that a heat exchanger is provided in the discharge port of the pump described in claim 2 or claim 5 or in the piping flow path of the discharged fluid, and cold heat obtained from the flowing water after driving the hydraulic engine described in claim 2 or claim 5 is supplied to the heat exchanger, thereby cooling and lowering the temperature of the specific components concentrated and recovered from the fluid, or recovering them by condensing, liquefying, or solidifying them.

15. A method for concentrating and recovering fluid components using renewable energy, characterized in that the pump according to claim 3 or claim 6 is provided with one or more of a radiator that dissipates heat to outside air or an electrically driven heat pump refrigerator in the discharge port or in the piping flow path of the discharged fluid, and the specific components concentrated and recovered from the fluid are recovered by lowering the temperature by dissipating heat or blowing cool air, or by condensing, liquefying, or solidifying.

16. A method for concentrating and recovering a fluid component using renewable energy according to any one of claims 1 to 15, further comprising: a measuring device for measuring one or more of the temperature, pressure, flow rate, and concentration of the concentrated and recovered fluid or the fluid of the non-specific component generated during the concentration and recovery process, located at the discharge port of the pump or compressor, in the piping flow path of the discharged fluid, or in the piping flow path for discharging the non-specific component that does not permeate the separation membrane; and one or more flow control valves in the intake port, discharge port, or piping flow path through which the concentrated and recovered fluid or the fluid of the non-specific component generated during the concentration and recovery process flows, and a control device for controlling one or more of the temperature, pressure, flow rate, and concentration of the fluid component to be concentrated and recovered by controlling the aperture of the flow control valve based on measurements obtained from the measuring device.

17. A method for concentrating and recovering fluid components using renewable energy, further comprising a steam turbine generator or binary generator driven by hot water discharged from a steam-liquid separator for geothermal fluid as set forth in claim 1 or claim 4, or by high-temperature heat contained in the steam, hot water, or heat medium obtained after driving the heat engine as set forth in claim 1 or claim 4, and supplying the electricity obtained from the generator to one or more of the absorption refrigerator or adsorption refrigerator as set forth in claim 13, the measuring device as set forth in claim 16, or a flow control valve or control device.

18. A method for concentrating and recovering fluid components using renewable energy, further comprising a hydroelectric generator driven by flowing water after driving the hydraulic engine described in claim 2 or claim 5, and supplying the electricity obtained from said generator to one or more of: a water pump that supplies flowing water to the heat exchanger described in claim 14; a measuring device described in claim 16; a flow control valve; or a control device to operate them.

19. A method for concentrating and recovering fluid components using renewable energy, further comprising providing a wind power generator in the vicinity of the wind engine described in claim 3 or claim 6, and supplying the electricity obtained from said generator to one or more of the blower fan or electrically driven heat pump refrigerator mounted on the radiator described in claim 15, the measuring instrument described in claim 16, a flow control valve, or a control device to operate them.

20. A method for concentrating and recovering fluid components using renewable energy, characterized in that the fluid supplied to the suction port of the pump described in claims 1 to 6 is either biogas, combustion exhaust gas, or air, and the separation membrane described in claims 1 to 7 is either a carbon dioxide separation membrane or a methane separation membrane.

21. A fluid component concentration and recovery device utilizing renewable energy, characterized in that by applying the method for concentrating and recovering fluid components utilizing renewable energy as set forth in claims 1 to 20, specific components contained in a fluid are separated and concentrated and recovered using renewable energy.

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