Reaction canister and agitation routines for FLUE gas processing

Abstract

Disclosed embodiments include a flue gas processing system with (i) a canister dock assembly comprising canister docks configured to accommodate reaction canisters, (ii) a flue gas service header that receives flue gas from a flue gas source, (iii) a service duct that routes flue gas from the flue gas service header to a set of two or more reaction canisters, and (iv) a return duct that routes flue gas from the set of two or more reaction canisters to a flue gas return header, that in turn, routes flue gas from the return duct to a system exhaust output. In some embodiments, the airflow path from the flue gas service header through a portion of the service duct and a portion of the return duct for each reaction canister in the set of two or more reaction canisters is substantially the same distance.

Description

REACTION CANISTER AND AGITATION ROUTINESFOR FLUE GAS PROCESSING CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to both (i) U.S. Provisional App. 63 / 721,858 titled “Reaction Canister for Flue Gas Processing,” filed on Nov. 18, 2024, and currently pending and (ii) U.S. Provisional App. 63 / 721,872 titled “Reaction Canister Agitation Routines,” filed on Nov. 18, 2024, and currently pending. The entire contents of U.S.Provisional Apps. 63 / 721,858 and 63 / 721,872 are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This application also incorporates the entire contents of the following applications by reference: (i) U.S. Provisional App. 62 / 475,400, titled “Flue gas carbon and heat capture and recirculation system,” filed on Mar. 23, 2017, and now expired; (ii) U.S. App. 15 / 928,741, titled “Flue gas carbon and heat capture and recirculation system,” filed on Mar. 22, 2018, and issued as U.S. Pat. 10,537,851 on Jan. 21, 2020; (iii) Canadian App. 2,998,917, titled “Flue gas carbon and heat capture and recirculation system,” filed on Mar.22, 2018, and currently pending; (iv) U.S. Provisional 63 / 344,379 titled “Systems and Methods for Processing Flue Gas Carbon Dioxide,” filed on May 20, 2022, and now expired; (v) PCT / IB2023 / 000295 titled “Systems and methods for processing flue gas carbon dioxide,” filed on May 19, 2023, and currently pending; (vi) U.S. Provisional App.63 / 509,841 titled “Canister Dock Assembly,” filed on Jun. 23, 2023, and now expired; (vii) PCT / CA2024 / 050847 titled “Canister Dock Assembly,” filed on Jun. 21, 2024, and currently pending; and (viii) PCT / IB2023 / 000294 titled “Flue Gas Processing System” filed on May 19, 2023, and currently pending.FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to flue gas processing systems and methods of monitoring, operating, and controlling flue gas processing systems.BACKGROUND

[0004] Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels contribute to the greenhouse effect, which scientific studies have linked to human-caused climate change. One significant source of greenhouse gas emissions comes from fossil-fuel burning appliances in commercial buildings and homes, including but not limited to boilers for radiators, hot water heaters, furnaces, condensing boilers, and other gas-fired appliances and equipment.SUMMARY

[0005] The combustion of hydrocarbon fuels such as natural gas, which mainly contains methane (CH4) will generate flue gas that includes carbon dioxide (CO2) which is a greenhouse gas. Flue gas processing systems can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from flue gas generating appliances by extracting and / or capturing carbon dioxide from the flue gas before expelling the processed flue gas into the atmosphere. In the context of some disclosed embodiments, processed flue gas is flue gas that has been processed (or treated) by disclosed flue gas processing systems (e.g., within a reaction canister) to substantially reduce its carbon dioxide content through chemical reactions, and in some instances, filtration. In some embodiments, processing the flue gas to reduce its carbon dioxide content through chemical reactions (and perhaps also with filtration) additionally includes reducing the content of other impurities in the flue gas. After processing, the processed flue gas is characterized by lower greenhouse gas content and improved compliance with environmental regulations while maintaining inert components such as nitrogen, oxygen, and water vapor and any residual thermal energy for potential reuse or safe exhaust.

[0006] In operation, the flue gas processing system routes flue gas from a flue gas generating appliance (e.g., a boiler, furnace, hot water heater, or other natural gas fired appliance) into a reaction chamber that contains a chemical reactant. In some embodiments, the chemical reactant includes an anhydrous metal hydroxide. However, other types of chemical reactants could be used, too. In some embodiments where the chemical reactant includes an anhydrous metal hydroxide, the anhydrous metal hydroxide includes the crystalline flake forms of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide (KOH), or magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2). Other anhydrous metal hydroxides could be used, too. These metal hydroxides have an affinity for carbon dioxide. In the reaction chamber, the chemical reactant reacts with carbon dioxide in the flue gas in an exothermic reaction that generates a carbonate product and heat. In some embodiments where the chemical reactant includes an anhydrous metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide (KOH), or magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2), the carbonate product includes sodium carbonate (Na2COs), potassium carbonate (K2CO3), or magnesium carbonate (MgCOs), respectively. Other products include sodium bicarbonate, lithium carbonate, and calcium carbonate.

[0007] For example, exposing the flue gas to sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in the reaction chamber causes the carbon dioxide (CO2) in the flue gas to react with the sodium hydroxide to generate sodium carbonate (Na2COs) and water (H2O) according to the chemicalreaction NaOH + CO2 — > Na2COs + H2O effectively trapping the carbon dioxide in the carbonate product. As a result, the flue gas exiting the reaction chamber contains less carbon dioxide than the flue gas that entered the reaction chamber. And as such, the flue gas exhaust from the flue gas processing system contains less carbon dioxide than the flue gas generated by the flue gas generating appliance.

[0008] Further, the carbonate products produced by the chemical reaction have commercial value in other applications. For example, sodium carbonate can be used in the manufacture of exfoliants, toothpastes, bath oils and salts, bubble bath, moisturizers, and other products. Potassium carbonate can be used in the manufacture of glasses, soaps, fertilizers, and food additives. And magnesium carbonate can be used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

[0009] In addition to removing carbon dioxide from the flue gas and generating useful byproducts, flue gas processing systems according to some disclosed embodiments also provide heat recovery by using the heat generated from the exothermic chemical reaction for other purposes, such as heating water, air, or other perhaps other liquids that can be used for other purposes.

[0010] U.S. App. 15 / 928,741 titled “Flue Gas Carbon and Heat Capture and Recirculation System,” filed on Mar. 22, 2018, and issued as U.S. Pat. 10,537,851 (Cardiff ‘851) on Jan. 21, 2020, discloses systems and methods for processing flue gas that includes carbon dioxide. Cardiff ‘851 describes, among other features, routing flue gas from a flue gas generating appliance into a reaction chamber that contains an anhydrous metal hydroxide. In the reaction chamber, the carbon dioxide (CO2) in the flue gas reacts with the anhydrous metal hydroxide to generate a carbonate product. In addition to capturing the carbon dioxide from the flue gas, the resulting carbonate product can be retrieved from the reaction chamber and used for other purposes. For example, the carbonate products are used to make soap products available from CleanO2 Carbon Capture Technologies, Inc. The entire contents of U.S. App. 15 / 928,741 are incorporated herein by reference.

[0010] U.S. Provisional App. 63 / 344,379 titled “Systems and Methods for Processing Flue Gas Carbon Dioxide,” filed on May, 20, 2022 (the Cardiff ‘379 Provisional), and currently pending, discloses systems and methods for controlling and monitoring flue gas processing equipment, including without limitation, the flue gas processing systems disclosed and described in Cardiff ‘851. Some embodiments include, among other features, (i) collecting measurement data from one or more flue gas parameter sensors, including sensors at a flue gas inlet, flue gas source, and / or a flue, and (ii) based on the measurement data(including when the measurement data from certain flue gas parameter sensors exceeds certain threshold levels), controlling the operation of the flue gas processing system including (a) starting, stopping, and / or controlling the speed of one or more fans arranged to control the flow of flue gas through the flue gas processing system and / or (b) starting, stopping, controlling the speed of, and / or controlling the frequency of activation of an agitation system configured to agitate chemical reactant and / or carbonate product contained within a reaction chamber, such as the reaction chamber described in Cardiff ‘851. The Cardiff ‘379 Provisional also discloses arrangements where a flue gas processing system is connected to a Wide Area Network (WAN) and / or the Internet for remote monitoring and operation. The entire contents of U.S. Provisional App. 63 / 344,379 are incorporated herein by reference.

[0011] Existing systems such as the ones described in Cardiff ‘851 are very effective at extracting carbon dioxide from flue gas and generating useful carbonate products.However, as mentioned in the Cardiff ‘379 Provisional, for example at paragraphs 79 and 124, one challenge is that flue gas from a flue gas generating appliance often contains too much or too little moisture that can negatively affect the progression of the chemical reaction between the chemical reactant (e.g., the anhydrous metal hydroxide) and the carbon dioxide in the flue gas.

[0012] Some level of moisture in the flue gas is desired and / or required to help the reaction between the carbon dioxide and the anhydrous metal hydroxide. However, the control system needs to stay ahead of moisture accumulation, otherwise the reaction chamber may fdl with water over time. The fan maintains sufficient air flow to remove water vapor and keep the carbonates in dry powder form. In turn, if moisture levels are too high, then the anhydrous metal hydroxide will tend to “clump” together into large solid object(s). If such “clumping” occurs, then the material risks becoming unusable, resulting in wasted material and time. Further, it is possible that the clumps are so large and heavy that they cause damage to the overall device, including for example the device agitator and / or the chamber itself.

[0013] Embodiments disclosed both herein and also in PCT App.PCT / IB2023 / 000294 titled “Flue Gas Processing System” fded on May 19, 2023 and PCT / IB2023 / 000295 titled “Systems and Methods for Processing Flue Gas Carbon Dioxide,” fded on May 19, 2023, both of which are currently pending, overcome or at least ameliorate the effects of too much or too little moisture in the flue gas via one or more of several features, individually or in combination with each other, to achieve technical improvements in the operation of flue gas processing systems. The entire contents of PCT Apps.PCT / IB2023 / 000294 and PCT / IB2023 / 000295 are incorporated by reference.

[0014] Flue gas processing systems according to some disclosed embodiments employ a new canister dock assembly that is configured to accommodate a plurality of separate reaction canisters rather than a single reaction chamber as disclosed in the examples described in Cardiff ‘851. Each reaction canister housed within the new canister dock assembly contains chemical reactant. In some disclosed embodiments, flue gas is routed to each of the separate reaction canisters, and separate exothermic chemical reactions occur inside each separate reaction canister.

[0015] By distributing the chemical reactions across the plurality of reaction canisters, the individual exothermic chemical reactions occurring in each reaction canister are happening on a much smaller scale as compared to the larger-scale exothermic chemical reaction that would occur in a single, large reaction chamber. These smaller-scale reactions are easier to monitor and control as compared to larger-scale reactions in a single, large reaction chamber. Further, smaller-scale reactions tend to be less susceptible to excess moisture conditions than larger-scale reactions in a single, large reaction chamber at least in part because there is less flue gas (and thus, less moisture) within a single, smaller reaction canister at any one time as compared to the amount of flue gas within a single, large reaction chamber.

[0016] For example, sensors can be used to monitor aspects of the reactions occurring in each individual reaction canister, such as (i) temperature of the flue gas within each reaction canister, (ii) temperature of the chemical reactant / carbonate product mix in each reaction canister, (iii) the amount of carbon dioxide in the flue gas within each reaction canister, (iv) humidity of the flue gas within each reaction canister, (v) viscosity of the chemical reactant / carbonate product mix in each reaction canister, (vi) the speed, torque, and / or current draw of each agitator within each reaction canister that is agitating the chemical reactant / carbonate product mix in each reaction canister, and / or (vii) the weight and / or mass of the contents of each reaction canister. Sensors to monitor the above-listed aspects can be located within each reaction canister and / or located in each canister dock of the canister dock assembly (described further herein).

[0017] Individualized monitoring of each reaction canister enables identification of which reaction canisters contain sufficient carbonate product to warrant harvesting. As used herein, “harvesting” includes removing the carbonate product from a reaction canister.Additionally, individual reaction canisters can be monitored to identify specific reaction canisters that may exhibit the above-described moisture-induced “clumping” problem so that those reaction canisters may be more closely monitored and / or removed and replacedpreferably before the contents of the reaction canister have “set up” into the hard, brick-like form. Also, because each of the reaction canisters are separate from each other, any moisture-induced “clumping” (or any other reaction-related problems) in one reaction canister will not affect other reaction canisters housed within the same canister dock assembly. As a result, even if the contents of one reaction canister “clump” and spoil the reaction product, the clumping in that one reaction canister will not spoil the contents of the other reaction canisters. Further, because smaller volumes of reactant are handled in any given single reaction canister as compared to the larger volumes of reactant processed in existing large reaction chamber configurations, there is less risk that the process “goes bad.” Or if the process does “go bad,” the bad result is confined to a smaller reaction canister and affects a smaller amount of chemical reactant. The fouled canister can be disabled, while the remaining canisters continue to process chemical reactant in the ordinary course. As a result, embodiments that use smaller reaction canisters reduce the risk of over or under processing that result in fouled batches and chemical waste.

[0018] An additional benefit of using a plurality of reaction canisters rather than a single reaction chamber as described in Cardiff ‘851 is that different chemical reactants can be used to generate different carbonate products in the different reaction canisters whereas with the single reaction chamber configuration, the flue gas processing system can only use one type of chemical reactant and generate one type of carbonate product at a time. For example, a first set of one or more reaction canisters may contain a first reactant (e.g., sodium hydroxide (NaOH)), and a second set of one or more reaction canisters in the same flue gas processing system may contain a second reactant (e.g., potassium hydroxide (KOH) or magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) that is different than the first reactant. Using different reactants in different reaction canisters enables a single flue gas processing system to produce a variety of reaction products, thereby enabling system operators to make more efficient use of resources by tailoring reaction products output by the system more closely to commercial demands for those reaction products.

[0019] A further benefit of using a plurality of reaction canisters rather than a single reaction chamber as described in Cardiff ‘851 is that a system with a plurality of smaller reaction canisters will typically require less power to operate than a system with a single, large reaction chamber. In operation, agitating the contents (i.e., the chemical reactant and carbonate product mixture) contained in a single, large reaction chamber requires a large and powerful agitator motor, which requires electrical energy to drive. Agitating the contents contained in a smaller reaction canister requires a smaller and less powerful agitator motor,which requires less electrical energy to drive as compared to the larger motor used with a single reaction chamber. Operating a set of smaller motors typically will require less electrical power than operating one large motor because the individual motors in the set of smaller motors can be selectively activated, and in many cases, not activated all concurrently.

[0020] Additionally, in some instances, operating a set of smaller motors at the same time can still require less power than operating a single, larger motor. For example, operating a set of 12 volt motors tends to draw less power than operating a single 24 volt motor.Additionally, implementations that use a set of smaller, lower-power motors may also draw less regulatory scrutiny than implementations that require a higher-power motor. Also, because smaller, lower-power motors tend to be less expensive than larger, higher-power motors, some implementations that employ a set of smaller, lower-power motors may be less expensive to manufacture than implementations that employ a larger, higher-power motor.

[0021] Embodiments that employ a set of smaller reaction canisters are also less likely to experience maintenance / repair related downtime than embodiments that employ a large / single reaction chamber. For example, when there is a failure with an embodiment that employs a single, large reaction chamber (e.g., a broken agitator, a failed motor, bad seal, “clumped” reaction chamber contents), the entire flue gas processing system is taken offline to fix the problem. By contrast, with embodiments that employ a set of smaller reaction canisters, a failure within an individual canister (e.g., a broken agitator, a failed motor, bad seal, “clumped” reaction canister contents) affects only that individual reaction canister. The other reaction canisters in the flue gas processing system can continue to operate even if the failed canister is otherwise offline awaiting repair and / or replacement and / or being repaired and / or replaced.

[0022] Further, embodiments that use a set of smaller reaction canisters tend to be less likely to fail in the first instance as compared to embodiments that use a single, large reaction chamber. For example, smaller reaction canisters employ smaller agitator motors with smaller gears and paddles that tend to be less likely to fail than larger motors with larger gears and paddles employed in a large reaction chamber because of the lower overall power and lower overall torque required by the smaller motors as compared to the larger motors. In general, smaller motor and agitator components will be less electrically and mechanically stressed than larger motor and agitator components.

[0023] Embodiments that employ a set of smaller reaction canisters also tend to be easier and less costly to repair than embodiments that employ larger reaction chambers at least in part because the mechanical components (e.g., motors, gears, agitator paddles, and soon) tend to be smaller, less costly, and generally more easily replaceable than the comparatively larger mechanical components employed in embodiments with a single large reaction chamber.

[0024] Further, in some instances, embodiments that employ a set of smaller reaction canisters tend to weigh less than embodiments that employ a single, large reaction chamber at least in part because the smaller mechanical components used in the smaller reaction canisters weigh less than the larger mechanical components used in a single, larger reaction chamber. Even where the total weight of all of the smaller mechanical components might exceed the weight of the mechanical components of the single, larger reaction chamber, the total weight of the flue gas processing system can be distributed over a larger footprint (if desired) to facilitate installation in locations that may have lower floor-loading constraints, e.g., lower maximum pound per square foot / kilogram per square meter loading limitations.

[0025] A further advantage of embodiments that employ a set of smaller reaction canisters over embodiments that employ a single, larger reaction chamber is that smaller canisters are generally easier for technicians to handle, access, and maintain. For example, it is easier to load a smaller amount of chemical reactant into a smaller reaction canister than to load a large amount of chemical reactant into a larger reaction chamber. Similarly, it is easier to harvest a smaller amount of reaction product from a smaller reaction canister than it is to harvest a larger amount of reaction product from a larger reaction chamber. Additionally, handling smaller amounts of chemical reactant exposes technicians to smaller amounts of chemical reactants at a time. And when handling smaller amounts of chemical reactant, any spill that may occur tends to be easier to clean up and less likely to contaminate a large area as compared to larger spills that may occur when handling larger amounts of chemical reactants.

[0026] Further, in some instances, using smaller canisters enables individual canisters to be removed from the flue gas processing system and transported to a remote canister processing facility (i.e., remote from the location where the flue gas processing system is installed) where the reaction product can be harvested from the reaction canisters and the reaction canisters can be refdled with fresh chemical reactant before redeployment to another flue gas processing system. By comparison, embodiments that employ a single, larger reaction chamber typically require that the reaction product be harvested from the chamber and the reaction chamber to be refdled on-site (i.e., the location where the flue gas processing system is installed). Processing smaller canisters off-site reduces the likelihood of an on-site spill and / or cleanup.

[0027] Yet another advantage of using smaller reaction canisters is that smaller reaction canisters provide increased reaction surface area between the chemical reactant and the flue gas (and thus, faster reaction times) as compared to implementations that employ a single, larger reaction chamber. As a result of the increased surface area contact between the chemical reactant and the flue gas, embodiments that employ a set of smaller reaction canisters tend to generate more reaction product at a higher quality as compared to the reaction product generated in a single, larger reaction chamber.

[0028] Yet another advantage of using smaller reaction canisters is reduced exposure to the environment as compared to implementations that employ a single, larger reaction chamber. With a single, larger reaction chamber, the chemical reactant in the reaction chamber is generally exposed to more flue gas than chemical reactant in a smaller reaction canister at least in part because of the additional physical airspace required for agitating the comparatively greater contents of the single, larger reaction chamber as compared to the physical airspace required for agitating the contents of the smaller reaction canister. The reduced exposure to flue gas (and moisture) by using smaller reaction canisters enables tighter environmental control of the chemical reactions in each reaction canister as compared to implementations that employ a single, larger reaction chamber.

[0029] In addition to a canister dock assembly configured to house a plurality of individual reaction canisters, flue gas processing systems according to some disclosed embodiments additionally or alternatively employ a flue gas conditioning module that is arranged to control the relative humidity of the flue gas from the flue gas generating appliance before the flue gas is exposed to the chemical reactant, for example, by lowering the relative humidity in the flue gas to help prevent the moisture-induced “clumping” described above. In some instances, the new flue gas conditioning module functions as a “water knockout” module by removing water vapor from the flue gas before the flue gas is exposed to the chemical reactant. This new flue gas conditioning module can be used with the single reaction chamber embodiments described in Cardiff ‘851 to reduce the moisture in the flue gas before the flue gas is passed into the reaction chamber. This new flue gas conditioning module can also be used with the new canister dock assembly disclosed above to reduce the moisture in the flue gas before the flue gas is passed into the plurality of reaction canisters.

[0030] In operation, the flue gas conditioning module is configured to reduce the relative humidity within the flue gas before introducing the flue gas to the chemical reactant(s) within a reaction chamber (e.g., a single reaction chamber or an individualreaction canister). In operation, the flue gas conditioning module reduces the relative humidity of the flue gas in any of several different ways, including but not limited to (i) heating the flue gas received from the flue gas source to reduce the relative humidity of the flue gas, and then passing the heated flue gas from the flue gas conditioning module to the reaction chamber and / or reaction canister(s), (ii) cooling the flue gas received from the flue gas source to cause water vapor in the flue gas to condense and water to fall out of the flue gas and into a water collection area, and then passing the cooled flue gas from the flue gas conditioning module to the reaction chamber and / or reaction canister(s), or (iii) a dual-stage process that includes first, cooling the flue gas received from the flue source to cause water vapor to condense and fall out of the flue gas, and then reheating the cooled flue gas to further reduce the relative humidity of the flue gas before passing the flue gas from the flue gas conditioning module to the reaction chamber and / or reaction canister(s).

[0031] In some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module includes an inlet configured to receive flue gas from a flue gas source and an outlet configured to pass flue gas to a reaction chamber (e.g., in Cardiff ‘851) or a canister dock assembly that is configured to house a plurality of individual reaction canisters.

[0032] Embodiments that additionally or alternatively employ a flue gas conditioning module can provide several advantages.

[0033] For example, in some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module is entirely passive / structural, and does not require any outside sources of electricity, heating, or cooling. As a result, some such embodiments provide nothing but an “upside” from an energy standpoint.

[0034] Some embodiments employ a cooling coil with an electric-powered pump. Although pump-equipped embodiments are not entirely passive / structural in that such embodiments will require at least some electricity to operate, even these embodiments provide an improvement in system operation by controlling the moisture in the flue gas passed to either a set of reaction canisters or a single, large reaction chamber.

[0035] For example, flue gas conditioning embodiments with and without electric-powered pumps or other flue gas conditioning components improve the performance of flue gas processing systems by allowing more direct control over moisture in flue gas that is processed by the flue gas processing system. In particular, prior flue gas processing systems tend to manage the effects of excess moisture in the flue gas by employing dynamic fan control and / or dynamic agitation procedures. Flue gas processing systems that include a flue gas conditioning module according to some embodiments additionally manage the amount ofmoisture within the flue gas that is provided to a set of reaction canisters and / or a single, large reaction chamber.

[0036] Additionally, because a flue gas conditioning module enables direct control of moisture within the sourced flue gas, e.g., including reducing the amount of moisture in the flue gas processed in the reaction canisters and / or reaction chamber, flue gas processing systems that include a flue gas conditioning module can be connected to a wider variety of flue gas generating appliances, including flue gas generating devices that tend to produce moisture-laden flue gas such as condensing appliances and / or co-generation units.

[0037] Further embodiments disclosed herein describe additional features and attributes of canister dock assembly configurations and individual canister dock configurations.

[0038] For example, some embodiments disclosed herein include incorporation of a reverse return configuration for routing flue gas through a plurality of reaction canisters seated within the plurality of canister docks of a canister dock assembly. As described in detail herein with reference to Figure 2D and elsewhere, aspects of the reverse return configuration help to overcome some technical challenges when processing flue gas in a plurality of reaction canisters housed within a canister dock assembly according to some embodiments.

[0039] In particular, technical challenges can arise as a result of differences in air pressure between and among the plurality of reaction canisters as a result of distributing the flue gas to the plurality of reaction canisters. These air pressure differences can give rise to differences in air flow rates of flue gas through the different reaction canisters, which can, in turn, result in some reaction canisters receiving more flue gas than other reaction canisters, thereby causing the chemical reactions within the different reaction canisters to progress at different rates which can lead to challenges both with (i) inconsistent reaction product in the different reaction canisters because of how reaction times affect the purity and consistency of the final reaction product and (ii) managing the efficient harvesting of reaction product from reaction canisters because reaction canisters experiencing faster reaction times (because of receiving comparatively more flue gas) will be ready for harvesting sooner than reaction canisters experiencing slower reaction times (because of receiving comparatively less flue gas), thereby potentially necessitating more trips by technical personnel to the flue gas processing system to harvest reaction product from the reaction canisters, among other drawbacks.

[0040] To overcome or at least ameliorate these technical challenges, the reverse return configuration in some embodiments is arranged so that the airflow path of the flue gas through the flue gas routing assembly and each reaction canister is the same or substantially the same for all of the reaction canisters. This reverse return arrangement, along with other features and aspects of the flue gas processing system, helps to maintain a constant air pressure and even air flow through every reaction canister, thereby promoting more consistent flue gas processing by all of the reaction canisters in the plurality of reaction canisters installed within the canister dock assembly.

[0041] Some embodiments additionally include one or more temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate sensors (and perhaps other sensors) disposed at one or more locations within the reverse return arrangement and / or individual reaction canisters to monitor conditions of the flue gas traversing the flue gas processing system and / or the status or state of the chemical reactions occurring within the individual reaction canisters. In some embodiments, the sensor data collected from these sensors is used to control one or more fans configured to adjust the flow rate of the flue gas traversing the flue gas processing system in general, and in some instances, adjust the flow rate of the flue gas within the reverse return configuration in particular, thereby enabling automated control over flue gas processing, and in some instances enabling more consistent flue gas processing over time and more consistent reaction product.

[0042] Additional features and benefits of the reverse return configuration are shown and described herein.

[0043] Additionally, some embodiments disclosed herein also include several canister dock features to address challenges that arise in the context of flue gas processing systems configured to process flue gas via a plurality of individual reaction canisters. As described in detail herein with reference to Figures 5A-E and elsewhere, aspects of different canister dock features help to overcome some technical challenges in the context of deploying, operating, monitoring, and / or maintaining flue gas processing systems configured to process flue gas via a plurality of reaction canisters according to some embodiments.

[0044] For example, some canister dock embodiments include, among other features, for each canister dock, one or more (or all) of (i) a canister dock opening arranged to receive a reaction canister only when the reaction canister is correctly oriented relative to the canister dock opening, thereby reducing the likelihood of improper or incorrect reaction canister installation, (ii) one or more rolling members configured to facilitate installation of a reaction canister into the canister dock and removal of the reaction canister from the canister dock,(iii) a locking mechanism (in some instances, an electronically-controlled locking mechanism) configured to engage a reaction canister while installing the reaction canister into the canister dock, securely lock the reaction canister in place while the reaction canister is processing flue gas, and release the reaction canister to facilitate removal of the reaction canister for harvesting the reaction product contained therein, (iv) an electric motor configured to drive an agitator enclosed within a reaction canister when the reaction canister is seated within the canister dock, (v) one or more sensors for monitoring the status of the chemical reaction within a reaction canister seated within the canister dock, including but not limited to (a) a load sensing arrangement including a weight sensor and a hinge or hinge-like mechanism, where the load sensing arrangement is configured to monitor the weight of a reaction canister installed within the canister dock to assess the progress of the chemical reaction occurring within the reaction canister based in part on how the weight of the reaction canister changes over time, and (b) an amperage sensor configured to monitor current drawn by an electric motor when the electric motor is driving an agitator within the reaction canister to assess the progress of the chemical reaction occurring within the reaction canister based in part on how much current is required to operate the agitator, and (vi) a canister dock controller comprising one or more processors, where the canister dock controller is configured to monitor and control operational aspects of a reaction canister seated within the canister dock.

[0045] The present disclosure also describes various features and benefits of reaction canisters for use with the disclosed flue gas processing systems. In some embodiments, the disclosed reaction canisters include, among other features: (i) an outer surface enclosing an interior volume, wherein the interior volume is configured to accommodate a chemical reactant that reacts with carbon dioxide; (ii) an input port configured to pass flue gas comprising carbon dioxide from a flue gas generating appliance into the interior volume of the reaction canister after the reaction canister has been inserted into a canister dock of a canister dock assembly that is fluidly connected to the flue gas generating appliance; (iii) one or more agitator structures disposed within the interior volume of the reaction canister and configured to be driven by a motor within the canister dock assembly that is mechanically coupled to the one or more agitator structures when the reaction canister is inserted into the canister dock of the canister dock assembly, wherein the one or more agitator structures, when driven, facilitate chemical reaction between the chemical reactant contained within the interior volume of the reaction canister and flue gas; and (iv) an output port configured to pass processed flue gas out from the interior volume of the reaction canister to an exhaustport on the canister dock assembly while the reaction canister is inserted into the canister dock of the canister dock assembly.

[0046] The present disclosure also describes various features and benefits of reaction canister agitation routines for use with the disclosed flue gas processing systems. In some embodiments, the disclosed reaction canister agitation routines include, among other features: (i) determining whether a flue gas generating appliance connected to a canister dock assembly is one of (a) generating flue gas or (b) not generating flue gas; (ii) after determining that the flue gas generating appliance is not generating flue gas, agitating one or more reaction canisters of a plurality of reaction canisters installed within the canister dock assembly according to an idle agitation routine; and (iii) after determining that the flue gas generating appliance is generating flue gas, agitating one or more reaction canisters of the plurality of reaction canisters according to an active agitation routine, wherein the active agitation routine is different than the idle agitation routine.

[0047] Additional features and benefits of the reverse return configuration and other aspects of the canister dock assembly are shown and described herein.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0048] Figure 1 A shows an example of a typical appliance that generates flue gas.

[0049] Figure IB shows a block diagram of an example operating environment that includes a flue gas processing system connected to a flue gas generating appliance according to some embodiments.

[0050] Figure 2A shows an example of a canister dock assembly for a flue gas processing system according to some embodiments.

[0051] Figure 2B shows an example of a flue gas routing assembly for a flue gas processing system according to some embodiments.

[0052] Figure 2C shows aspects of an example canister dock opening configured to accept a reaction canister according to some embodiments.

[0053] Figure 2D shows an example reverse return configuration for routing flue gas from a service duct through a plurality of reaction canisters to a return duct according to some embodiments.

[0054] Figure 3A shows an example of a flue gas conditioning module according to some embodiments.

[0055] Figure 3B shows an example of a flue gas conditioning module according to some embodiments.

[0056] Figure 4A shows an exterior side view of an example reaction canister according to some embodiments.

[0057] Figure 4B shows a front view of an example reaction canister according to some embodiments.

[0058] Figure 4C shows a rear view of an example reaction canister according to some embodiments.

[0059] Figure 4D shows a cutaway side view of an example reaction canister according to some embodiments.

[0060] Figure 4E shows an exploded perspective view of the example reaction canister of Figure 4D according to some embodiments.

[0061] Figure 4F shows a perspective view of the example reaction canister of Figure 4D according to some embodiments.

[0062] Figure 4G shows a perspective view of an example rear cap for a reaction canister according to some embodiments.

[0063] Figure 4H shows an exploded perspective view of an alternative configuration for an example front cover for a reaction canister according to some embodiments.

[0064] Figure 5A shows a first perspective view of an example individual canister dock according to some embodiments.

[0065] Figure 5B shows a second perspective view of an example individual canister dock according to some embodiments.

[0066] Figure 5C shows an underside perspective view of one end of an example canister dock hingeably attached to a canister dock assembly according to some embodiments.

[0067] Figure 5D shows a first perspective view of an example weight sensor arranged to measure the weight of a reaction canister seated within a canister dock according to some embodiments.

[0068] Figure 5E shows a second perspective view of an example weight sensor arranged to measure the weight of a reaction canister seated within a canister dock according to some embodiments.

[0069] Figure 5F shows an example agitator driveshaft coupling arrangement between a canister dock driveshaft and an agitator driveshaft according to some embodiments.

[0070] Figure 6 shows aspects of an example reaction canister agitation method according to some embodiments.

[0071] Figure 7 shows aspects of another example reaction canister agitation method according to some embodiments.

[0072] Figure 8A shows aspects of an example reaction canister agitation routine that includes an idle agitation subroutine and an active agitation subroutine according to some embodiments.

[0073] Figure 8B shows aspects of an alternative agitation subroutine for use with the example canister agitation routine of Figure 8A according to some embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0074] Various objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of various embodiments. Similar reference numerals indicate similar components.I. Example Flue Gas Generating Apparatus

[0075] Figure 1 A shows an example of a typical appliance that generates flue gas.

[0076] The example flue gas appliance shown in Figure 1A is a condensing boiler 100. However, the embodiments disclosed herein are equally applicable to any other type of gas burning appliances now known or later developed that generates flue gas containing carbon dioxide by burning hydrocarbons, including but not limited to, for example, boilers (including a traditional boilers or condensing boilers), furnaces, hot water heaters, or any other natural gas fired appliance now known or later developed.

[0077] Condensing boiler 100 provides natural gas received via a gas input 101 to a burner 102 for combustion. Natural gas is an odorless, gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons predominantly made up of methane (CH4). The methane (CH4) combines with oxygen (O2) during combustion to generate heat and an exhaust gas comprising carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O) according to the chemical reaction CH4 + 2O2 — > CO2+ H2O. Cool water from a cool water input 103 is routed through a heat exchanger 104 where heat from the combustion at burner 102 heats the water to generate hot water, and the hot water from the heat exchanger 104 is routed to a hot water output 105. The hot exhaust gas containing the carbon dioxide and water vapor flows within the condensing boiler 100 from the heat exchanger 104 to a separate condensing stage 106. As the hot exhaust gas with the carbon dioxide and water vapor flows from the heat exchanger 104 into the condensing stage 106,the water vapor in the hot exhaust gas condenses and causes water droplets to occur. The condensed water falls to the bottom of the condensing stage 106 and exits the condensing boiler 100 via drain 107. The remaining exhaust gas with the carbon dioxide and water vapor exits the condensing boiler 100 via outlet 108 and into a flue 109 that is vented to the environment. In some instances one or more fans force the hot exhaust gas out of the condensing boiler 100 and into the flue 109. This hot exhaust gas containing carbon dioxide and water vapor is generally referred to herein as flue gas.

[0078] Because condensing boiler 100 “preheats” the “return” water received at cool water input 103 in the condensing stage 106 as the water is routed through the condensing boiler 100 to the heat exchanger 104, condensing boiler 100 provides warmer water to the heat exchanger 104 as compared to traditional boilers that lack a condensing stage. And because the heat exchanger 104 receives the “preheated” water from the condensing stage 106, the condensing boiler 100 tends to bum less fuel as compared to traditional boilers to generate and output hot water at the same temperature.

[0079] However, the condensing stage 106 causes the water from the water input 103 to absorb some of the heat of the exhaust gas, thereby lowering the temperature of the exhaust gas before the exhaust gas is routed to the flue 109. As a result, the temperature of the flue gas output by the condensing boiler 100 tends to be lower than the temperature of flue gas output by traditional boilers. For example, the temperature of flue gas output by a condensing boiler is typically around 55° C whereas the temperature of flue gas output by a traditional boiler can be as high as or even over 200° C. The lower temperature flue gas output by a condensing boiler increases the likelihood of the above-described moisture-induced “clumping” problem because, at lower temperatures, a greater proportion of the water molecules in the flue gas will be at an energy level that is low enough to transition from the gas to the liquid phase. By contrast, at a higher temperature, a greater proportion of water molecules in the flue gas will have the required energy to become, and stay, in the gas phase.

[0080] Thus, while flue gas conditioning module embodiments disclosed herein can provide advantages for processing flue gas from traditional boilers by, for example, reducing the moisture content in the flue gas before introducing the flue gas to the chemical reactant (e.g., the anhydrous metal hydroxide), the flue gas conditioning module embodiments disclosed herein are especially advantageous for processing flue gas from condensing boilers (and similar appliances that generate lower temperature flue gas) because the water in the lower temperature flue gas generated by condensing boilers tends to condense more readilythan the water in the higher temperature flue gas generated by traditional boilers and similar appliances that do not include a condensing stage.II. Example Operating Environment

[0081] Figure IB shows a block diagram of an example operating environment 110 that includes a flue gas processing system 120 connected to a flue gas generating appliance 100 according to some embodiments.

[0082] The flue gas generating appliance 100 shown in Figure IB is representative of the flue gas generating appliance 100 shown and described with reference to Figure 1A. However, any other type of flue gas generating appliance(s) now known or later developed could be used in operating environment 110.

[0083] The flue gas processing system 120 includes (i) a flue gas conditioning module 122, (ii) a canister dock assembly 126 that houses a plurality of reaction canisters, (iii) a heat recapture module 130, and (iii) a system control module 170. In other embodiments, the flue gas processing system may include additional modules. In further embodiments, the flue gas processing system may not include every module or component shown in the example flue gas processing system 120 illustrated in Figure IB. Further, as described herein, the flue gas conditioning module 122, canister dock assembly 126, and heat recapture module 130 components of the flue gas processing system 120 may be housed in a single chassis, multiple chassis that are directly coupled to each other (e.g., as shown in Figures 2A and 2B), or multiple chassis that are connected via appropriate ductwork, piping, conduits, and / or other suitable structure(s).

[0084] The flue gas conditioning module 122 is configured to receive flue gas from the flue gas generating appliance 100 via connection 150. Connection 150 comprises any appropriate ductwork, piping, conduits, and / or other suitable structure(s) now known or later developed that is / are suitable for routing flue gas from the flue gas generating appliance 100 to the flue gas conditioning module 122.

[0085] The flue gas conditioning module 122 is arranged to control the relative humidity of the flue gas received from the flue gas generating appliance 100 before the flue gas is passed to the individual reaction canisters housed in the canister dock assembly 126. The flue gas that is passed into the individual reaction canisters reacts with chemical reactants contained within the individual reaction canisters to create reaction products as explained in detail herein. In some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 122 lowers the relative humidity of the flue gas received from the flue gas generating appliance 100 to help preventmoisture-induced “clumping” from occurring within the individual reaction canisters of the canister dock assembly 126. In operation, the flue gas conditioning module 122 controls the relative humidity of the flue gas received from the flue gas generating appliance 100 by (i) cooling the flue gas, (ii) heating the flue gas, or (iii) cooling the flue gas and then heating the flue gas.

[0086] The flue gas conditioning module 122 is the same as or similar to any of the flue gas conditioning module embodiments disclosed herein. Additional details on flue gas conditioning module embodiments are described further with reference to Figures 2B, 3A, and 3B, and elsewhere herein, including but not limited to flue gas conditioning module 210, flue gas conditioning module 300, flue gas conditioning module 301, and the alternative embodiments thereof.

[0087] The canister dock assembly 126 is configured to house a plurality of individual reaction canisters. The individual reaction canisters of the canister dock assembly 126 are arranged to receive flue gas from the flue gas conditioning module 122 via connection 152. Flue gas that is passed from the flue gas conditioning module 122 to the individual reaction canisters housed in the canister dock assembly 126 via connection 152 is sometimes referred to herein as “conditioned” flue gas.

[0088] Connection 152 comprises any appropriate ductwork, piping, conduits, and / or other suitable structure(s) now known or later developed that is / are suitable for routing “conditioned” flue gas from the flue gas conditioning module 122 to the reaction canisters housed in the canister dock assembly 126. For example, in some embodiments, the connection 152 includes one or more components of the flue gas routing assembly 202 (Figure 2B).

[0089] The canister dock assembly 126 is the same as or similar to any of the canister dock assembly embodiments disclosed herein. Additional details on canister dock assembly embodiments are described further with reference to Figure 2A and elsewhere herein, including but not limited to canister dock assembly 201 and alternative embodiments thereof. Additional details on reaction canister embodiments are described with reference to Figure 2A, Figures 4A-C, and elsewhere herein, including but not limited to reaction canisters 207a-h, reaction canister 400, and alternative embodiments thereof.

[0090] In some embodiments, the flue gas processing system 120 may include a single, large reaction chamber (not shown) instead of (or even in addition to) the canister dock assembly 126 and the reaction canisters housed therein. In embodiments that include a flue gas conditioning module 122 and a single, large reaction chamber (rather than thecanister dock assembly 126 and individual reaction canisters), the single, large reaction chamber is configured to receive flue gas from the flue gas conditioning module 122 via connection 152.

[0091] Some embodiments of the flue gas processing system 120 include heat recapture module 130. In embodiments that include the heat recapture module 130, the heat recapture module 130 is configured to receive flue gas from the individual reaction canisters housed in the canister dock assembly 126 via connection 154. Flue gas output from the individual reaction canisters is sometimes referred to herein as “processed” flue gas.Connection 154 comprises any appropriate ductwork, piping, conduits, and / or other suitable structure(s) now known or later developed that is / are suitable for routing “processed” flue gas from the individual reaction canisters of the canister dock assembly 126 to the heat recapture module 130. For example, in some embodiments, the connection 154 includes one or more components of the flue gas routing assembly 202 (Figure 2B).

[0092] In some embodiments, the heat recapture module 130 includes a heat exchanger arranged to transfer heat from the “processed” flue gas to a gas or fluid running through the heat exchanger. The recaptured heat can be used for a variety of purposes.

[0093] For example, in some embodiments, the heat recapture module 130 transfers heat from the “processed” flue gas flowing through the heat recapture module 130 to water running through the heat exchanger. The heated water is routed to a hot water reservoir and / or mixed back into water provided to the flue gas generating appliance 100 via return line 158. For example, in some embodiments where the flue gas generating appliance 100 includes a boiler for heating water, the heated water from the heat recapture module 130 can be mixed into the water provided to the boiler. By raising the temperature of the water provided to the boiler, the boiler can bum less natural gas to boil water since boiling warmer water requires less energy than boiling colder water.

[0094] In another example, in some embodiments, the heat recapture module 130 transfers heat from the “processed” flue gas flowing through the heat recapture module 130 to a fluid (gas or liquid) running through the heat exchanger. The heated fluid is routed to a heated fluid reservoir and / or routed to the flue gas conditioning module 122 via return line 160 for use in a heating stage of the of flue gas conditioning module 122. Additional details on heating stage components of a flue gas conditioning module are described with reference to Figures 3 A and 3B and elsewhere herein, including but not limited to heating stage 310, heating stage 311, and alternative embodiments thereof. For example, in some embodiments where flue gas conditioning module 122 includes a heating stage, the heated fluid from theheat recapture module 130 can be used by the heating stage in connection with heating flue gas that is provided to the reaction canisters within the canister dock assembly 126.

[0095] In embodiments that include a heat recapture module 130, the “processed” flue gas is routed from the heat recapture module 130 to the atmosphere via connection 156. Connection 156 comprises any appropriate ductwork, piping, conduits, and / or other suitable structure(s) now known or later developed that is / are suitable for routing “processed” flue gas from the individual reaction canisters of the heat recapture module 130 to the outside atmosphere.

[0096] In embodiments without a heat recapture module 130, the “processed” flue gas is routed from the reaction canisters within the canister dock assembly 126 to the atmosphere via any appropriate ductwork, piping, conduits, and / or other suitable structure(s) now known or later developed that is / are suitable for routing “processed” flue gas from the individual reaction canisters of the canister dock assembly 126 to the outside atmosphere. As mentioned earlier, in some embodiments, the connection 154 includes one or more components of the flue gas routing assembly 202 (Figure 2B).

[0097] In some embodiments, the flue gas processing system 120 includes a system control module 170. The system control module 170 includes (i) one or more sensor interfaces 172, (ii) one or more processors 174, (iii) one or more memory modules 176 that include tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media, and (iv) one or more network interfaces 178.

[0098] The one or more sensor interfaces 172 are configured to receive sensor inputs from sensors throughout the flue gas processing system 120, including but not limited to temperature sensors, carbon dioxide sensors, humidity sensors, viscosity sensors, electrical current / voltage sensors, air flow rate sensors, pH sensors, weight sensors, non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensors, and / or any of the other types of sensors disclosed herein.

[0099] The one or more processors 174 can be any type(s) of processors now known or later developed that are suitable for running software for monitoring and controlling the operation of the flue gas processing system 120. In operation, the one or more processors 174 are configured to execute program instructions that cause the flue gas processing system 120 to perform a variety of features, including but not limited to (i) collecting data from sensors, (ii) controlling operational aspects of the flue gas processing system 120 based at least in the part on the sensor data, (iii) providing operations and management information to one or more computing device(s) / system(s) 148, (iv) implementing flue gas system commands received from the one or more or computing device(s) / system(s) 148, and / or (v)any other beneficial function in connection with managing, monitoring, and operating the flue gas processing system 120.

[0100] The one or more memory modules 176 include tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media. The tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media may be any type of physical data storage media now known or later developed that is suitable for (i) storing the program code executed by the one or more processors 174 to manage, monitor and / or control the flue gas processing system 120, and / or (ii) storing data (e.g., sensor data, operational history data, configuration data, and so on) that is used by the one or more processors 174 in connection with executing the program code and / or used by the computing device(s) / system(s) 148 in connection with managing, monitoring, and / or controlling the flue gas processing system 120.

[0101] The one or more network interfaces 178 include any type of network interface now known or later developed that is suitable for communicating data between the flue gas processing system 120 and one or more computing device(s) / system(s) 148 via a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and / or the Internet shown as LAN / WAN / Intemet 144, which may include network infrastructure suitable for wireless communications (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, ZigBee, cellular (e.g., LTE, 4G, 5G, LoRaWAN, Starlink, Satellite), and / or other suitable wireless communication protocol) and / or wired communications (e.g., Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C), OneWire, Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter (UART) and / or another suitable wired communication protocol). As is known in the art, and as used herein, “WiFi” can refer to several different communication protocols including, for example, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.1 In, 802.1 lac, 802.1 lac, 802.11 ad, 802.11af, 802.11 ah, 802.1 lai, 802.11aj, 802.11aq, 802.1 lax, 802. Hay, 802.15, etc. transmitted at 2.4 Gigahertz (GHz), 5 GHz, and / or another suitable frequencies.

[0102] The components of the system control module 170 are shown in a separate system control module 170 in Figure IB for illustration purposes. In some embodiments, the system control module 170 may be separate from the other components of the flue gas processing system 120. However, in other embodiments, the system control module 170 may be a subcomponent of any of the flue gas conditioning module 122, canister dock assembly 126, or heat recapture module 130. In still further embodiments, various components of the system control module 170 could be integrated within any of the flue gas conditioning module 122, the canister dock assembly 126, the heat recapture module 130, or a separatesystem control module 170. In further embodiments, the system control module 170 could include multiple, separate system control sub-modules. In some embodiments, the system control module 170 (and components thereof) and / or a central control panel (comprising user interface controls, not shown) is located on or adjacent to the flue gas processing in a position that is easily accessible by service / operations personnel and away from potential damage by leaks and / or minor flooding (e.g., above the ground) that may occur in the room where the flue gas processing system is deployed. For example, the system control module 170 and / or a central control panel may be located on the front of the flue gas processing system near the canister dock assembly 201 (Figure 2A) or the flue gas routing assembly 202 (Figure 2B). In other embodiments, the system control module 170 and / or central control panel may be located in a separate housing adjacent to (or in the same room as) the flue gas processing system. Any other suitable arrangement of the components of the system control module 170 and / or central control panel within the flue gas processing system 120 is possible, too.

[0103] Regardless of where the components of the system control module 170 are located, the components of the system control module 170 are configured to interface with the other modules and / or components of the flue gas processing system 120. For illustration purposes, Figure IB shows flue gas conditioning module 122 interfaced to the system control module 170 via link 124, the canister dock assembly 126 interfaced to the system control module 170 via link 128, and the heat recapture module 130 interfaced to the system control module 170 via link 132. In some embodiments, the system control module 170 may additionally interface with the flue gas generating appliance 100. The links 124, 128, and 132 may be any type of proprietary and / or standards-based communication link now known or later developed that is suitable for providing communications between components of the flue gas processing system 120 components.III. Example Flue Gas Processing System

[0104] Figures 2A and 2B show an example of a flue gas processing system 200 including a canister dock assembly 201 (Figure 2A) and a flue gas routing assembly 202 (Figure 2B) according to some embodiments. The canister dock assembly 201 and the flue gas routing assembly 202 are shown separately for illustration purposes. In operation, one or more components of the canister dock assembly 201 in Figure 2A could instead be implemented as components of the flue gas routing assembly 202, and one or morecomponents of the flue gas routing assembly 202 in Figure 2B could instead be implemented as components of the canister dock assembly 201.

[0105] In operation, the flue gas processing system 200 is configured to connect to a flue gas generating appliance, such as a boiler (including a traditional boiler or a condensing boiler 100), a furnace, a hot water heater, or any other natural gas fired appliance now known or later developed. In operation, and as described in further detail herein, flue gas generated by the flue gas generating appliance (e.g., condensing boiler 100 in Figure 1A) is connected to the flue gas processing system 200 via appropriate ductwork, piping, conduits, and / or other suitable structure(s).

[0106] The flue gas processing system 200 includes (i) the canister dock assembly 201 (Figure 2A) and (ii) a flue gas routing assembly 202 (Figure 2B). The canister dock assembly 201 includes a plurality of canister docks, such as individual canister dock 205. Each canister dock is configured to accommodate a separate reaction canister. As such, the canister dock assembly 201 includes a plurality of canister docks configured to accommodate a plurality of individual reaction canisters.

[0107] The canister dock assembly 201 includes a front side 231 comprising a plurality of canister dock openings, such as canister dock opening 236. Although only canister dock opening 236 is specifically identified in Figure 2A, persons of skill in the art will readily see that the canister dock assembly 201 has a separate canister dock opening for each canister dock in the canister dock assembly 201. Thus, in the example embodiment depicted in Figure 2A, the canister dock assembly 201 includes twenty one canister dock openings. As described in further detail below, rather than a 7 column by 3 row configuration (i.e., a 7x3 configuration), alternative embodiments may include more or fewer columns and / or more or fewer rows, including but not limited to, for example, any of a 3x7, 8x3, 3x8, 9x3, 3x9, 7x2, 2x7, 9x4, 4x9, and / or any other array of rows and columns.

[0108] Figure 2C shows aspects of the canister dock opening 236 configured to accept a reaction canister according to some embodiments. Canister dock opening 236 is configured to receive a reaction canister only when the reaction canister is correctly oriented relative to the canister dock opening 236. Because the canister dock opening 236 is configured to receive a reaction canister only when the reaction canister is correctly oriented relative to the canister dock opening 236, the shape of the canister dock opening 236 helps to ensure that reaction canisters are correctly installed into the each canister dock of the canister dock assembly 201. Although the canister dock opening 236 is shown as having a keyhole type shape, other canister dock opening shapes could be used instead. For example, in someembodiments, the canister dock opening may additionally or alternatively include one or more slots and / or protrusions that align with one or more corresponding protrusions and / or slots, respectively, on the outer surface of the reaction canisters intended for installation into the canister dock.

[0109] Figure 2C also shows a passageway 233 arranged to accommodate an extension hose 408 (Figure 4A) or similar piping, duct, or other suitable structure that routes flue gas from a supply port (e.g., supply port 220as in Figure 2A) to the front end 404 of the reaction canister 400 (Figure 4A) where the flue gas enters the reaction canister 400 for processing. In addition to the shape of the canister dock opening 236, aligning an extension hose attachment 406 of the reaction canister (Figures 4A and 4B) with the passageway 233 arranged to accommodate the extension hose 408 additionally helps to ensure that the reaction canister is properly inserted into the canister dock.

[0110] Some embodiments additionally or alternatively include one or more alignment structures 234, 235 that are arranged to interface with corresponding structures on the inside of the front end 404 (Figure 4A) of the reaction canister when the reaction canister is seated within the canister dock. In some example embodiments, one or both of the alignment structures 234, 235 comprise holes, and the corresponding structures on the inside of the front end 404 (Figure 4A) of the reaction canister comprise protrusions designed to interface with the holes 234, 235. In other example embodiments, one or both of the alignment structures 234, 235 comprise protrusions, and the corresponding structures on the inside of the front end 404 (Figure 4A) of the reaction canister comprise holes designed to interface with the protrusions 234, 235.

[0111] In addition to helping to align the reaction canister with the canister dock when installing the reaction canister in the canister dock, one or both of the alignment structures 234, 235 in some embodiments may also provide a way to deliver power and / or communications connections from the canister dock to the reaction canister. For example, in some instances, the alignment structures 234, 235 comprise plugs or similar connections that provide power and / or communications connections from the canister dock to the reaction canister. In some instances, the power and / or communications connections are used by one or more of the interfaces (e.g., screen 422, LED indicators 424a-c, and / or physical control surfaces 426a-b in Figure 4B) for monitoring and / or controlling the operation of individual reaction canisters.

[0112] Some reaction canister embodiments include an agitator motor at the front end 404 (Figure 4A) of the reaction canister 400 (Figures 4A-C). Some alternative reactioncanister embodiments include an agitator motor at the rear end 402 of the reaction canister 400. In other embodiments (described below), each canister dock includes an electric motor 514 (Figures 5A-B) for driving an agitator 562 (Figure 5F) within the reaction canister. But for embodiments where the agitator motor is a component of the reaction canister, the power and / or communications connections can be used to power and / or control the agitator motor in the reaction canister.

[0113] In some embodiments, the one or more alignment structures 234, 235 may additionally or alternatively form components of an electronically controlled latching mechanism configured to (i) engage the reaction canister as the reaction canister is installed into the canister dock, (ii) lock the reaction canister into the canister dock while the reaction canister is seated in the canister dock, thereby holding the reaction canister in place during operation, and (iii) disengage the reaction canister when the reaction canister is to be removed from the canister dock, thereby enabling the reaction canister to be removed from the canister dock to facilitate harvesting of the reaction product from the reaction canister. In some examples, one or both of the alignment structures 234, 235 may comprise and / or interface with one or more locking / releasing components of the electronically-controlled latching mechanism. For example, in some embodiments, one or both of the alignment structures 234, 235 may accommodate a release to disengage an interlock catchment.

[0114] In some embodiments, the components of the latching mechanism (e.g., an electronically-controlled latching mechanism) may additionally or alternatively be located at a different location of the canister dock, such as at the opposite end of the canister dock. Embodiments where the components of the electronically-controlled latching mechanism may additionally or alternatively be located at the opposite end of the canister dock are shown and described further reference to Figures 5A and 5B.

[0115] Additional canister dock features and components are shown and described with reference to Figures 5A-E.

[0116] Returning to Figure 2A, the example canister dock assembly 201 includes an array of canister docks arranged in three columns, where each column includes seven canister docks, for a total of twenty-one canister docks that can accommodate up to twenty-one individual reaction canisters. In the example in Figure 2A, the canister dock assembly 201 is housing only eight reaction canisters 207a-207h of the total twenty-one canister capacity. In operation, the canister dock assembly 201 can accommodate anywhere from a single reaction canister up to a total of twenty-one reaction canisters.

[0117] Figure 2A shows an example canister dock assembly containing a twenty-one canister capacity embodiment for illustration purposes. However, a canister dock assembly as disclosed herein may include any suitable canister capacity. Alternative embodiments include, for example (i) a twenty-eight canister dock configuration that includes four columns, where each column includes seven canister docks, for a total of twenty-eight canister docks that can accommodate up to twenty -eight individual reaction canisters, (ii) an eighteen canister dock configuration that includes three columns, where each column includes six canister docks, for a total of eighteen canister docks that can accommodate up to eighteen individual reaction canisters and (iii) a twenty-four canister-dock configuration that includes four columns, where each column includes six canister docks, for a total of twenty-four canister docks that can accommodate up to twenty-four individual reaction canisters. Other embodiments include anywhere from a two canister dock configuration up to a thirty (or more) canister dock configuration in any suitable arrangement to accommodate the total number of desired reaction canisters. For example, a two canister dock configuration may include two canister docks arranged side-by-side in a single row or one on top of the other in a single column. Other combinations of rows, columns, or other suitable arrangements of canister docks are possible, too.

[0118] Figure 2A also shows a twenty-one canister capacity embodiment where each canister dock is arranged to accept the same-sized reaction canister. In some embodiments, all of the reaction canisters employed with the flue gas processing system 200 may be the same (i.e., same length and diameter). In other embodiments, the reaction canisters employed with the flue gas processing system 200 may be different sizes. For example, some flue gas processing systems may be configured to accommodate reaction canisters having a 6 inch diameter as well as reaction canisters having an 8 inch diameter. In some embodiments, the reaction canister is 8 inches in diameter, 30 inches long, and can accommodate up to 16 kilograms of chemical reactant and generate up to 20 kilograms of carbonate product. In some instances, different sized reaction canisters may be used with different chemical reactants to generate different carbonate products.

[0119] In some instances, embodiments that employ smaller-sized reaction canisters may have certain advantages over embodiments that employ larger-sized reaction canisters.

[0120] For example, smaller reaction canisters can be easier to handle by technicians because they are physically smaller, tend to weigh less (both as a result of their inherent size and as a result of the relative amount of reactant they hold in operation), and can therefore be inserted, removed, and carried more easily than larger, heavier canisters. Additionally,smaller reaction canisters can facilitate faster reaction times between the chemical reactants and the carbon dioxide in the flue gas flowing through the reaction canisters in part because smaller canisters can enable increased surface area contact between the chemical reactants and the flue gas. Further, smaller reaction canisters may allow for more fine-tuned monitoring of the chemical reaction occurring with the reaction canister. Yet another advantage of smaller reaction canisters is that smaller reaction canisters contain smaller agitation systems (described further with reference to Figures 4A-C) that require less power to operate as compared to larger agitation systems in larger reaction canisters or large reaction chamber implementations. In some embodiments, the size of the reaction canisters in a commercial implementation are based at least in part on how often a technician will need to harvest the carbonate product from the reaction canisters, refill reaction canisters with chemical reactant, and so on. In some instances, sizing the reaction canisters appropriately enables more efficient deployment schedules for technicians to harvest and refill reaction canisters.

[0121] In some embodiments, the individual reaction canisters are permanently fixed within each individual canister dock and not removable. In other embodiments, the individual canisters are not removable while the flue gas processing system 200 is in operation, but are removable when the flue gas processing system 200 is not in operation. In other embodiments still, individual reaction canisters can be inserted into and removed from individual canister docks as desired while the flue gas processing system 200 is in operation.

[0122] In any event, when reaction canisters are removed, a first reaction canister can be removed from the canister dock assembly 201 to facilitate harvesting of the carbonate product held therein. After removing the first reaction canister from the canister dock assembly, a second reaction canister containing fresh chemical reactant (e.g., fresh anhydrous metal hydroxide) can be installed into the canister dock that previously held the now-removed first reaction canister.

[0123] In this manner, individual reaction canisters can be removed and the carbonate product can be harvested therefrom without disturbing other reaction canisters installed in the canister dock assembly 201, thereby allowing the flue gas processing system 200 to continue normal flue gas processing operations while carbonate product is harvested from individual reaction canisters. By contrast, in some single reaction chamber implementations, the flue gas processing system typically does not process flue gas while the carbonate product is being harvested from the single reaction chamber. Instead, while the carbonate product is being harvested from the reaction chamber, the flue gas from the flue gas generatingappliance is simply exhausted to the environment in the ordinary course instead of being routed through the flue gas processing system for processing.

[0124] In addition to removing and replacing individual reaction canisters for the purpose of harvesting carbonate product from the flue gas processing system 200 and replenishing chemical reactant for the flue gas processing system 200, the individual removability of the reaction canisters facilitates ease of maintenance and repair. For example, a faulty reaction canister can be removed and replaced with a new reaction canister without affecting the operation of the other reaction canisters installed within the canister dock assembly 201. Individual removability of the reaction canisters in this manner decreases the cost of operation and improves the efficiency of the flue gas processing system.

[0125] In some embodiments, the canister dock assembly 201 is configured to provide electrical power and communications connectivity to each of the plurality of reaction canisters installed within the canister dock assembly 201. For example, in some embodiments, each canister dock includes a reaction canister interface, such as reaction canister interface 209. Although only reaction canister interface 209 is identified in Figure 2A, each canister dock has its own reaction canister interface that is configured to provide electrical power and communications connectivity to each reaction canister installed therein. Additional canister dock details are shown and described with reference to Figures 5A-E.

[0126] As described also with reference to Figures 4A-C, components to facilitate the monitoring and operation of the reaction canisters can be either integrated within the individual reaction canisters or integrated within the canister dock assembly 201. For example, agitator motors may be implemented within individual reaction canisters 207a-h or integrated within the canister dock assembly 201 (e.g., within an individual canister dock 205). Similarly, interfaces (e.g., screen 422, LED indicators 424a-c, and / or physical control surfaces 426a-b in Figure 4B) for monitoring and / or controlling the operation of individual reaction canisters 207a-h may be components of the individual reaction canisters 207a-h or components of the canister dock assembly 201 and positioned adjacent to each canister dock and / or on a central control panel connected to the system control module 170 (Figure IB). Further, sensors (e.g., temperature sensors, carbon dioxide sensors, humidity sensors, viscosity sensors, electrical current / voltage sensors, air flow rate sensors, pH sensors, weight sensors, non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensors, and / or any of the other types of sensors disclosed herein) may be components that are integrated within individual reaction canisters 207a-h or components that reside (at least in part) on the canister dock assembly 201. In operation, any motor(s), sensor(s), and / or other component(s) associated with monitoring,operating, and / or controlling an individual reaction canister(s) may be located in any suitable location on any of the reaction canister(s), canister dock assembly 201, or any other component or module of the flue gas processing system 200.

[0127] To aid in illustration, the canister dock assembly 201 (Figure 2A) is shown separate from the flue gas routing assembly 202 (Figure 2B). In operation, the canister dock assembly 201 and the flue gas routing assembly 202 can be deployed together or separately from each other.

[0128] For example, in some implementations, the canister dock assembly 201 rests on and / or attaches to platform 204 of the flue gas routing assembly 202, and mounting mechanisms 203a and 203b on the canister dock assembly 201 attach to the mounting mechanisms 206a and 206b, respectively, on the flue gas routing assembly 202, thereby attaching the canister dock assembly 201 to the flue gas routing assembly 202. For illustration purposes, only two mounting mechanisms are identified in Figure 2A, but implementations where the canister dock assembly 201 is attached to the flue gas routing assembly 202 may include several mounting mechanisms on each of the canister dock assembly 201 and the flue gas routing assembly 202 to facilitate secure attachment of the two components to each other.

[0129] However, in other embodiments, the canister dock assembly 201 may be deployed separately from the flue gas routing assembly 202. For example, in some implementations, the canister dock assembly 201 may be installed in a location that is more easily accessible than the flue gas routing assembly 202 to facilitate easy physical access to the reaction canisters housed within the canister dock assembly 201.

[0130] The flue gas routing assembly 202 includes several components and / or structures that, individually or in combination, route flue gas (i) from the flue gas generating appliance (e.g., condensing boiler 100) to the canister dock assembly 201 and the individual reaction canisters installed therein, and (ii) from the canister dock assembly 201 to other connected equipment and / or the environment. As used herein, routing flue gas includes providing an enclosed structure (e.g., a pipe, duct, conduit, and / or other structure) via which the flue gas can travel from component-to-component and processing stage to processing stage from the flue gas generating appliance, through the flue gas processing system 200, and to other connected equipment and / or out to the environment.

[0131] The flue gas routing assembly 202 receives flue gas from a flue gas generating appliance (e.g., condensing boiler 100 or other natural gas fired appliance) at inlet 208. The inlet 208 may be connected to any of (i) an output port of the flue gas generating appliance,(ii) a flue (e.g., flue 109 in Figure 1A) that is connected to the flue gas generating appliance, and / or (iii) any suitable ductwork, piping, conduits, and / or other appropriate structure that allows flue gas to flow from the flue gas generating appliance to the flue gas processing system 200.

[0132] For example, in some implementations, the flue gas generating appliance (e.g., condensing boiler 100) and the flue gas processing system 200 may be collocated in the same room. In some implementations, the output of the flue gas generating appliance (e.g., outlet 108 in Figure 1A) may be connected to inlet 208 of the flue gas routing assembly 202 via appropriate intra-room ductwork, piping, conduits, and / or other suitable structures. In some implementations, the inlet 208 of the flue gas routing assembly 202 may be connected to a flue extending from the flue gas generating appliance (e.g., flue 109 in Figure 1A) via appropriate intra-room ductwork, piping, or other suitable structure. Depending on the distance between the flue gas generating appliance and the flue gas processing system 200 within the room, some embodiments may include one or more fans to force the flue gas through the intra-room ductwork, piping, conduits, and / or other suitable structures between the flue gas generating appliance the flue gas processing system 200.

[0133] In some embodiments, the flue gas generating apparatus may be located in a first room, and the flue gas processing system 200 may be located in a second room (separate from the first room) via appropriate inter-room ductwork, piping, conduits, and / or other suitable structures. Depending on the distance between the flue gas generating appliance in the first room and the flue gas processing system 200 in the second room, some embodiments may include one or more fans to force the flue gas through the inter-room ductwork, piping, conduits, and / or other suitable structures between the flue gas generating appliance the flue gas processing system 200.

[0134] Flue gas entering the flue gas routing assembly 202 via inlet 208 is passed to the flue gas conditioning module 210. The flue gas proceeds through the flue gas conditioning module 210 and then out of the flue gas conditioning module 210 via outlet 212.

[0135] In some embodiments, inlet 208 is a component of the flue gas conditioning module 210. In some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 210 includes a separate inlet that is connected to inlet 208. In either implementation, the inlet of the flue gas conditioning module 210 is configured to receive flue gas that has been generated by the flue gas generating appliance.

[0136] The flue gas conditioning module 210 is configured to cause flue gas that exits the flue gas conditioning module 210 at outlet 212 (sometimes referred to herein as“conditioned” flue gas) to have a lower relative humidity than the flue gas entering the flue gas conditioning module 210 via inlet 208. For example, in some scenarios, the flue gas conditioning module 210 is configured to reduce the relative humidity of flue gas from about 90-100% relative humidity at the inlet 208 to about 60-75% relative humidity (or even lower) at outlet 212. Additional details of the flue gas conditioning module 210 are shown and described with reference to Figure 3A and Figure 3B.

[0137] In some embodiments, the configuration of the flue gas conditioning module 210 (and thus, the functions performed by the flue gas conditioning module 210) depend on the configuration of the flue gas processing system 200. For example, in some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 210 is configured to reduce the relative humidity of the flue gas by heating the flue gas. In other embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 210 is configured to reduce the relative humidity of the flue gas by cooling the flue gas to remove water vapor from the flue gas. In still further embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module is configured to reduce the relative humidity of the flue gas by first cooling the flue gas to remove water vapor from the flue gas, and then further reducing the relative humidity by heating (or reheating) the cooled flue gas.

[0138] In the example embodiment shown in Figure 2B, the conditioned flue gas exits the flue gas conditioning module 210 at outlet 212 and enters the flue gas service header 214. The flue gas service header 214 distributes the conditioned flue gas to three service ducts 218a, 218b, and 218c via three service duct ports 216a, 216b, and 216c, respectively. Each service duct has a plurality of supply ports (e.g., supply port 220as) where each supply port is configured to route flue gas from the service duct to a respective reaction canister. Note, while a particular number of service ducts and supply ports are depicted in Figure 2B, a different number of service ducts and / or supply ports might be implemented, perhaps depending on the number and arrangement of canister docks that are implemented.

[0139] For ease of illustration and to avoid obscuring details in the drawings, Figure 2B only labels a single supply port 220as. However, service duct 218a includes seven individual supply ports, where each supply port is configured to route flue gas from the service duct 218a to a respective reaction canister installed within the canister dock assembly 201. Similarly, service duct 218b includes seven individual supply ports, where each supply port is configured to route flue gas from the service duct 218b to a respective reaction canister installed within the canister dock assembly 201. Service duct 218c includes seven individual supply ports, where each supply port is configured to route flue gas from theservice duct 218c to a respective reaction canister installed within the canister dock assembly 201.

[0140] The flue gas passed from the service ducts 218a, 218b, and 218c to the individual reaction canisters installed in the canister dock assembly 201 is processed within the individual reaction canisters. Additional details of an individual reaction canister are shown and described with reference to Figures 4A-C.

[0141] In the embodiment shown in Figure 2B, flue gas entering an individual reaction canister is processed within that individual reaction canister and then passed to a return duct via an exhaust port on the return duct. The flue gas passed from an individual reaction canister to a return duct via an exhaust port on the return duct is sometimes referred to herein as “processed” flue gas.

[0142] For example, the flue gas routing assembly 202 includes three return ducts 224a, 224b, and 224c, where each return duct has seven exhaust ports, such as exhaust port 222as. For ease of illustration and to avoid obscuring details in the drawings, Figure 2B only labels a single exhaust port 222as. However, return duct 224a includes seven individual exhaust ports, where each exhaust port is configured to route “processed” flue gas from an individual reaction canister installed within the canister dock assembly 201 to the return duct 224a. Similarly, return duct 224b includes seven individual exhaust ports, where each exhaust port is configured to route “processed” flue gas from an individual reaction canister installed within the canister dock assembly 201 to the return duct 224b. Likewise, return duct 224c includes seven individual exhaust ports, where each exhaust port is configured to route “processed” flue gas from an individual reaction canister installed within the canister dock assembly 201 to the return duct 224c. Note, while a particular number of return ducts and exhaust ports are depicted in Figure 2B, a different number of return ducts and / or exhaust ports might be implemented, perhaps depending on the number and arrangement of canister docks that are implemented.

[0143] Each return duct 224a, 224b, and 224c has a corresponding return duct port (e.g., return duct port 226c) that routes processed flue gas from the return duct to a return header 228. Figure 2B only shows a single return duct port 226c for return duct 224c because the return duct ports for return ducts 224a and 224b are not visible in the diagram (they are obscured by return ducts 224a and 224b). The return header 228 collects processed flue gas from the return ducts 224a, 224b, and 224c via their corresponding return duct ports, and routes the processed flue gas to flue gas exhaust output 230.

[0144] Thus, in operation, the path of flue gas through the flue gas processing system 200 is from the inlet 208 to the flue gas conditioning module 210, to the outlet 212, to flue gas service header 214, to the service ducts 218a-c, to the individual reaction canisters (e.g., reaction canisters 207a-h), to the return ducts 224a-c, to the return header 228, and then to the exhaust output 230. As described with reference to Figure IB, some embodiments may additionally include a heat recapture module (e.g., heat recapture module 130). The example shown in Figure 2B does not illustrate a heat recapture module. However, a heat recapture module similar to the heat recapture module 130 described in Figure IB could be used with flue gas processing system 200 to perform any of the heat recapture module functions described with reference to Figure IB.

[0145] Although the flue gas service header 214, service ducts 218a-c, return ducts 224a-c, return header 228, and related components are illustrated as components of the flue gas routing assembly 202, in some embodiments, the flue gas service header 214, service ducts 218a-c, return ducts 224a-c, return header 228, and related components may be (i) components of the canister dock assembly 201, or (ii) a set of standalone components separate from the flue gas routing assembly 202 and the canister dock assembly 201.

[0146] In some embodiments, one or more fans (e.g., exhaust fan(s) 232) are configured to force flue gas through the flue gas processing system 200. In some embodiments, the entire flue gas processing system is “closed” and “under pressure” such that a single fan 232 at the end (or alternatively at the front or middle) of the flue gas processing system 200 is able to drive airflow through the entire flue gas processing system 200. Some embodiments force the flue gas through the flue gas processing system 200 by “pulling” the gas through the system so that, if a leak forms somewhere along the path of the flue gas, the flue gas processing system 200 will tend to pull outside air (via the leak) into the flue gas processing system 200 rather than pushing flue gas out of the system 200 (via the leak) and into the room where the flue gas processing system 200 is located.

[0147] For example, in some configurations, one or more fans are configured to force flu gas through one or more of (i) from the inlet 208 through the flue gas conditioning module 210 to the outlet 212, (ii) from the flue gas conditioning module 210 through the flue gas service header 214 and the service ducts 218a, 218b, and 218c into the plurality of reaction canisters installed within the canister dock assembly 201, (iii) from the plurality of reaction canisters installed within the canister dock assembly 201 through the return ducts 224a, 224b, and 224c and the return header 228 to the exhaust output 230. As used herein, forcing the flue gas through one or more components of the flue gas processing system 200includes any combination of pushing the flue gas (e.g. via a blowing action) and / or pulling the flue gas (e.g., via a suction function). In some embodiments, raising and / or lowering the air temperature at different stages within the flue gas processing system 200 may additionally or alternatively be used to assist with routing and / or forcing the flue gas through the various components and / or processing stages of the flue gas processing system 200.

[0148] In some embodiments, individual service ducts 218a, 218b, and 218c and / or individual supply ports may include individual fans to control airflow on a service duct by service duct basis and / or on a supply port by supply port basis. Similarly, in some embodiments, individual return ducts 224a, 224b, and 224c and / or individual exhaust ports may include individual fans to control airflow on a return duct by return duct basis and / or on an exhaust port by exhaust port basis. In further embodiments, individual reaction canisters may include individual fans.

[0149] In some embodiments, the individual reaction canisters are connected to the service ducts and return ducts in a “reverse return” configuration where the first reaction canister (e.g., reaction canister 207a) served by a service duct (e.g., service duct 218a) is the last reaction canister returned by that service duct’s corresponding return duct (e.g., return duct 224a). In particular, for each individual reaction canister installed in the canister dock assembly 201, the airflow path from the flue gas service header 214 through the service duct (e.g., service duct 218a) that provides “conditioned” flue gas to the input of the reaction canister, and from the output of the reaction canister through the return duct (e.g., return duct 224a) taking “processed” flue gas away from the individual reaction canister to the return header 228 is substantially the same distance. Because the distance of each airflow path for each reaction canister installed within the canister dock assembly 201 is substantially the same, the pressure drop along each airflow path through each reaction canister is substantially the same, thereby resulting in even flow of (i) “conditioned” flue gas from the flue gas conditioning module 210 to all of the reaction canisters in the canister dock assembly 201 and (ii) “processed” flue gas from each of the reaction canisters to the return header 228.

[0150] Figure 2D shows an example reverse return configuration 240 for routing flue gas from a service duct through a plurality of reaction canisters to a return duct according to some embodiments.

[0151] As mentioned above, the example flue gas processing system 200 (Figures 2A and 2B) includes (i) three service ducts 218a, 218b, and 218c, each of which has seven supply ports, and (ii) three return ducts 224a, 224b, and 224c, each of which has seven exhaust ports.

[0152] The reverse return configuration 240 depicted in Figure 2D shows how flue gas is routed from the first of the three service ducts (i.e., service duct 218a) through a set of seven reaction canisters (i.e., reaction canisters 207a-g, also depicted in Figure 2A) and then from the set of seven reaction canisters to the first of the three return ducts (i.e., return duct 224a). The set of components comprising the service duct 218a, reaction canisters 207a-g, and return duct 224a is sometimes referred to herein as a “column.” In typical embodiments, the routing of the flue gas through the first column (including service duct 218a, reaction canisters 207a-g, and return duct 224a) is substantially the same distance (e.g., from a duct length standpoint) as (i) the routing of the flue gas through the second column (i.e., service duct 218b, any reaction canisters connected to service duct 218b, and return duct 224b) and (ii) the routing of the flue gas through the third column (i.e., service duct 218c, any reaction canisters connected to service duct 218b, and return duct 224c).

[0153] In operation, flue gas enters the service duct 218a from the flue gas service header 214 (Figure 2B) via service duct port 216a. Each of the reaction canisters 207a-g is connected to the service duct 218a via its own supply port. As depicted in Figure 2B, the supply ports are components of the service duct. In particular, reaction canister 207a is connected to the service duct 218a via supply port 220ai, reaction canister 207b is connected to the service duct 218a via supply port 220a2, reaction canister 207c is connected to the service duct 218a via supply port 220as, reaction canister 207d is connected to the service duct 218a via supply port 220a4, reaction canister 207e is connected to the service duct 218a via supply port 220as, reaction canister 207f is connected to the service duct 218a via supply port 220a6, and reaction canister 207g is connected to the service duct 218a via supply port 220a7.

[0154] In some embodiments, and as shown and described in more detail with reference to the example reaction canister depicted in Figures 4A-C, an extension hose 408 (Figure 4A) or similar piping, duct, or other suitable structure routes flue gas from the supply port to the reaction canister, such as the front end 404 of the reaction canister 400 where the flue gas enters the reaction canister 400 for processing. In such embodiments, the flue gas is supplied to the front end 404 of the reaction canister 400 and exhausted from the rear end 402 of the canister 400. As explained with reference to Figure 4A, the designation of the rear end 402 and front end 404 of the reaction canister 400 is arbitrary and for ease of illustration and explanation only. In some circumstances, the rear and front ends could be switched.

[0155] Nevertheless, in such embodiments, the flue gas (e.g., conditioned flue gas) is supplied to one end of the reaction canister and flue gas (e.g., processed flue gas) isexhausted from the opposite end of the reaction canister. The one-way air flow configuration (i.e., in one end and out of the opposite end) takes advantage of fluid dynamics in combination with the agitator paddles / blades 560 (Figure 5F) disposed within the reaction canister to facilitate the chemical reaction between the chemical reactant within the reaction canister and the carbon dioxide within the flue gas without needing to rely upon a more complicated arrangement of baffles and / or ducts internal to the reaction canister which would be required (or at least desired) if both the flue gas input and flue gas output were located at the same end of the reaction canister.

[0156] In such embodiments, the extension hose is also part of the airflow path. But to the extent that the extension hose for each reaction canister is the same (or substantially the same) length, including the same length extension hose for each reaction canister lengthens the airflow path for each extension canister by the same amount. Thus, the airflow path from the flue gas service header 214 through a portion of the service duct 218a with the extension hose and the portion of the return duct 224a for each reaction canister 207a-g is still substantially the same distance.

[0157] Each reaction canister 207a-g is also connected to the return duct 224a via its own exhaust port. As depicted in Figure 2B, the exhaust ports are components of the return duct. In particular, reaction canister 207a is connected to the return duct 224a via exhaust port 222ai, reaction canister 207b is connected to the return duct 224a via exhaust port 222a2, reaction canister 207c is connected to the return duct 224a via exhaust port 222as, reaction canister 207d is connected to the return duct 224a via exhaust port 222a4, reaction canister 207e is connected to the return duct 224a via exhaust port 222as, reaction canister 207f is connected to the return duct 224a via exhaust port 222a«, and reaction canister 207g is connected to the return duct 224a via exhaust port 222a?.

[0158] Paths 250, 252, 260, and 262 are shown to illustrate the reverse return arrangement. As mentioned earlier, with the reverse return arrangement, the airflow path from the flue gas service header 214 through a portion of the service duct 218a and a portion of the return duct 224a for each reaction canister 207a-g is substantially the same distance.

[0159] Path 250 illustrates the path of flue gas as the flue gas (e.g., conditioned flue gas) enters the service duct 218a from the flue gas service header 214 via service duct port 216a and travels a relatively short distance from the service duct 218a into reaction canister 207a via supply port 202ai. As shown in Figure 2B, service duct ports (including service duct port 216a) for each of the service ducts are positioned near the top of flue gas routing assembly 202.

[0160] Path 252 illustrates the path of flue gas as the flue gas (e.g., processed flue gas) leaves reaction canister 207a and enters return duct 224a via exhaust port 222ai and travels a relatively long distance through the return duct 224a and out to the return header 228 (Figure 2B) via return duct port 226a. As shown and described with reference to Figure 2B, return duct ports (e.g., return duct port 226a) for each of the return ducts are positioned near the bottom of the flue gas routing assembly 202.

[0161] Path 260 illustrates the path of flue gas as flue gas (e.g., conditioned flue gas) enters the service duct 218a from the flue gas service header 214 via service duct port 216a and travels a relatively long distance from the service duct 218a into reaction canister 207f via supply port 202ae.

[0162] Path 262 illustrates the path of flue gas as flue gas (e.g., processed flue gas) leaves reaction canister 207f and enters return duct 224a via exhaust port 222a-, and travels a relatively short distance through the return duct 224a and out to the return header 228 (Figure 2B) via return duct port 226a.

[0163] The total distance of the airflow path that the flue gas travels from the flue gas service header 214 through a portion of the service duct 218a and a portion of the return duct 224a for reaction canister 207a is the sum of path 250 and path 252. Similarly, the total distance of the airflow path that the flue gas travels from the flue gas service header 214 through a portion of the service duct 218a and a portion of the return duct 224a for reaction canister 207f is the sum of path 260 and path 262. The total distance of the airflow path within the reverse return configuration 240 for the flue gas processed by reaction canister 207a (i.e., the sum of paths 250 and 252) is substantially the same as the total distance of the airflow path within the reverse return configuration 240 for the flue gas processed by reaction canister 207f (i.e., the sum of paths 260 and 262).

[0164] Although Figure 2D illustrates the reverse return configuration 240 for two reaction canisters, persons of skill in the art can see that the airflow path for flue gas within the reverse return configuration 240 for each of the reaction canisters 207a-g is substantially the same distance based on (i) the positioning of service duct port 216a near the top of the service duct 218a and (ii) the positioning of return duct port 226a near the bottom of the return duct 224a.

[0165] The example reverse return configuration 240 shown in Figure 2D is just one example of a reverse return configuration. Some embodiments may not include any type of reverse return configuration. For embodiments that do include a reverse return configuration, other configurations, positions, and arrangements of the supply header, serviceduct, return duct where the airflow path for flue gas within the reverse return configuration for each of the reaction canisters is substantially the same distance could be used as well.

[0166] For example, in some embodiments, and with reference to service duct 218a and return duct port 226a for ease of explanation, service duct 218a may alternatively be subdivided into seven separate service subducts (not shown), where each service subduct feeds a separate reaction canister in the column, and return duct 224a may be subdivided into seven separate return subducts, where each return subduct is attached to a separate reaction canister in the column. Subdividing service duct 218a and the return duct 224a into seven smaller subducts can provide more control over the distance of the airflow path of the flue gas through the reverse return configuration 240. However, the multiple subduct arrangement might require additional elements such as more internal ducts, and as a result may be more complicated and expensive to manufacture, and add weight to the overall flue gas processing system. Nevertheless, the multiple subduct arrangement can provide more precise airflow paths for each reaction canister than embodiments without the multiple subduct arrangement.

[0167] The reverse return configuration has several advantages over other arrangements where the airflow path for flue gas through a set of reaction canisters for each of the reaction canisters is not substantially the same distance.

[0168] First, since the airflow path for flue gas within the reverse return configuration 240 for each of the reaction canisters is substantially the same distance, the reverse return configuration 240 distributes the airflows and air pressure more evenly across all of the reaction canisters, thereby making the reverse return configuration 240 inherently more balanced than alternatives where the airflow path for flue gas through a set of reaction canisters for each of the reaction canisters is not substantially the same distance.

[0169] Second, in a reverse return configuration, if one of the reaction canisters becomes clogged, is removed, or otherwise becomes unavailable, then the geometry of the reverse return configuration 240 results in equal redistribution of the airflow among the other reaction canisters in the reverse return configuration. For example, in some embodiments, if the chemical reactant and / or reaction product clog (or starts to clog or otherwise block) any inlet, inlet filter, outlet, and / or outlet filter of an individual reaction canister to a point where the flow rate of the flue gas from the reaction canister inlet to the reaction canister outlet is less than a threshold flow rate, then the individual reaction canister and / or the canister dock assembly can react by closing one or more dampers that control the flow of the flue gas to that individual reaction canister. With the reverse return configuration, once the one or moredampers are closed to effectively remove that individual canister from flue gas processing, the geometry of the reverse return configuration 240 results in equal redistribution of the air pathway distances, airflow, and air pressure among the other reaction canisters because of how the air pathways through the reaction canisters (and the lengths of the air pathways in particular) are implemented in the reverse return configuration. Dampers controllable to remove individual reaction canisters from flue gas processing enable “hot swapping” of reaction canisters during operation, thereby enabling individual reaction canisters to be removed and replaced without disrupting operation of the other reaction canisters in the flue gas processing system.

[0170] Although the reverse return configuration 240 provides the above-described and other advantages, further technical challenges with multi reaction canister flue gas processing require additional considerations, too. For example, in some instances, the flue gas that enters a reaction canister near the top of a column (e.g., reaction canister 207a) could in practice be warmer than the flue gas that enters a reaction canister near the bottom of the column (e.g., reaction canister 207g) because the flue gas will tend to lose heat as it travels down the service duct 218a, thereby causing different reaction conditions (e.g., different temperatures and perhaps different relative humidity levels as a result of the different temperatures) for reaction canisters near the top of the column as compared to reaction canisters near the bottom of the column. Thus, in some embodiments, the service duct 218a (and service ducts 218b and 218c, too) are insulated to reduce the amount of heat that the flue gas loses as it travels within the service duct 218a to each reaction canister. Controlling the heat of the flue gas by insulating the service ducts 218a, 218b, and 218c helps to provide flue gas to each reaction canister in the column at close to the same temperature (and corresponding relative humidity), thereby enabling more consistent reaction conditions among all of the reaction canisters in the column.

[0171] As mentioned earlier, in some embodiments, the entire flue gas processing system 200 is “closed” and “under pressure” so that one or more fans can drive airflow through the entire flue gas processing system 200. Some embodiments are implemented with a single fan 232 positioned after the return header 228 (Figure 2B).

[0172] Some embodiments force the flue gas through the flue gas processing system 200 by “pulling” the gas through the system so that, if a leak forms somewhere along the path of the flue gas, the flue gas processing system 200 will tend to pull outside air (via the leak) into the flue gas processing system 200 rather than pushing flue gas out of the system 200 (via the leak) and into the room where the flue gas processing system 200 is located. In someembodiments, and as mentioned earlier, the entire flue gas processing system is “closed” and “under pressure” such that a single fan (e.g., fan 232 in Figure 2B) at the end of the flue gas processing system 200 is able to drive airflow through the entire flue gas processing system 200 by “pulling” the gas through the system so that, if a leak forms upstream of the fan 232, the fan 232 positioned at the end of the flue gas processing system 200 will tend to pull outside air (via the leak) into the flue gas processing system 200 rather than pushing flue gas out of the system 200 (via the leak).

[0173] In some embodiments, the one or more fans are configured to maintain an airflow through at least the reverse return configuration 240 of between about 100 cubic feet per minute to about 150 cubic feet per minute. In some embodiments, the one or more fans are configured to maintain an airflow through at least the reverse return configuration 240 of between about 100 cubic feet per minute to about 350 cubic feet per minute.

[0174] Figure 2D shows an optional service duct fan 270 positioned at the service duct port 216a and configured to draw flue gas (e.g., conditioned flue gas) from the flue gas service header 214 into the service duct 218a via the service duct port 216a. While the example embodiment in Figure 2D shows the service duct fan 270 at the service duct port 216a, in other embodiments, a service duct fan could instead be positioned elsewhere within the service duct 218a, such as near the middle or the bottom of the service duct 218a. In some instances, each of the other columns also includes a similarly-configured service duct fan, i.e., similarly-configured service duct fans for each of service duct 218b and service duct 218c. Some embodiments may additionally or alternatively include return duct fans for each of the return ducts 224a, 224b, and 224c. For example, Figure 2D shows an optional return duct fan 272 positioned at the return duct port 226a and configured to draw flue gas (e.g., processed flue gas) from the return duct 224a and into return header 228 via the return duct port 226a. Some embodiments may additionally or alternatively include any one or more fans at the at each input to each reaction canister or at each output from each reaction canister.

[0175] Regardless of how many fans are used and / or the position(s) of the fan(s) within the air flow path, the airflow rate is a tradeoff between reaction volume and flow friction / energy losses. A higher flow rate can in some instances increase the rate of the chemical reaction within the reaction canisters by bringing more flue gas into contact with the chemical reactant within the reaction canisters over a shorter duration of time. However, the higher flow rate requires operating the one or more fans at higher fan speeds, which requires more energy. Similarly, more precise control over the airflow at different stages of the airflow path in some instances may require more fans, which would also require more energy to operate than fewer fans. Other such tradeoff considerations involving the airflow exist.

[0176] However, it may be desirable to have different flow rates in different columns and / or in different reaction canisters. For example, and as described in more detail below, different chemical reactants may benefit from different flow rates. Embodiments that include service duct fans in each service duct (e.g., service duct fan 270 in service duct 218a) and / or return duct fans in each return duct (e.g., return duct fan 272 in return duct 224a) enable the flue gas processing system 200 to use different air flow rates in each column on a column-by-column basis. Embodiments that additionally or alternatively include one or more fans for each reaction canister (e.g., a fan at each supply and / or a fan at each exhaust port and / or a fan within each reaction canister) enable the flue gas processing system 200 to use different air flow rates through each reaction canister on a reaction canister by reaction canister basis.

[0177] In some embodiments, some chemical reactants may benefit from relatively high flow rates of flue gas. In some such embodiments, the flue gas processing system may be operated and / or controlled (e.g., including operating the one or more fans described above) to cause flue gas to flow through individual reaction canisters installed with the canister dock assembly at as high of a rate as reasonably practicable, for example, by operating the aforementioned one or more fans at their highest speed setting. In some configurations, the flue gas processing system may be configured to maintain at least some minimum threshold flue gas flow rate. For example, some embodiments may include maintaining a minimum threshold flue gas flow of about 50 cubic feet per minute. In another example, some embodiments may include maintaining a minimum threshold flue gas flow of about 75 cubic feet per minute. In yet another example, some embodiments may include maintaining a minimum threshold flue gas flow of about 100 cubic feet per minute. Other configurations are possible, too.

[0178] In some embodiments, one or more of temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate sensors (and perhaps other sensors) located within the service ducts, reaction canisters, and / or return ducts can be used to measure the temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate to assess differences in the temperature measurements, humidity measurements, air pressure measurements, pH measurements, and / or air flow rate measurements at the different measurement locations. In operation, the temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate measurements can be used to control the fan speed of the one or more fans, thereby enabling the flue gas processing system to control flow rates on a column-by-column and / or reaction canister by reaction canister basis.

[0179] For example, a temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate sensor may be placed at the entrances to service duct 218a, 218b, and 218c to measure the temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate of flue gas entering each column. And a temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate sensor may be placed at the return duct port of return duct 224a, 224b, and 224c to measure the temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate of flue gas leaving each column. Comparing the sensor measurements at the inputs and outputs of each column enables the flue gas processing system to identify and monitor differences between the columns, and perhaps control flow rates on a column-by-column basis based on the sensor measurements.

[0180] Additionally or alternatively, a temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate sensor may be placed at the reaction canister inlet of each individual reaction canister to measure the temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate of flue gas entering each reaction canister. And a temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate sensor may be placed at the reaction canister outlet of each reaction canister to measure the temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate of flue gas leaving each reaction canister.

[0181] Alternatively, rather than locating the temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate sensors at the reaction canister inlet and / or reaction canister outlet, in some embodiments, the temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate sensors can instead be placed at the supply ports of the service ducts and / or the exhaust ports of the return ducts. Locating the sensors at the supply ports feeding each reaction canister and the exhaust ports via which each reaction canister outputs processed flue gas enables collection of sensor data on a canister-by-canister basis without requiring sensors incorporated within the reaction canisters.

[0182] Implementing the temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, and / or air flow rate sensors within the supply ports and exhaust ports connected to the individual reaction canisters rather than within the individual reaction canisters themselves can be advantageous for several reasons. For example, locating the sensors within the supply and exhaust ports enables lower cost reaction canisters. Additionally, locating the sensors within the supply and exhaust ports enables more consistent data collection over time since the same sensors are used for collecting the data rather than using different sensors in different reaction canisters as reaction canisters are added to and removed from the system. And further, locating the sensors within the supply and exhaust ports rather than the reaction canisters mayminimize risk that the sensors might otherwise be damaged or otherwise disturbed as a result of handling of the reaction canisters.

[0183] Regardless of whether the above-described sensors are components of the reaction canisters (i.e., located in the reaction canister inlets and outlets) or components of canister dock assembly or flue gas routing assembly (i.e., located in the supply ports and exhaust ports), comparing the sensor measurements at the inputs and outputs of each reaction canister enables the flue gas processing system to identify and monitor differences between the reaction canisters, and perhaps control flow rates on a reaction canister by reaction canister basis on the sensor measurements.

[0184] For example, comparing the humidity level of flue gas at the input to a reaction canister with the humidity level of the flue gas at the output from the reaction canister can provide insight into that state of the chemical reaction within the reaction canister. If the humidity level measured at the input to the reaction canister is the same as the humidity level measured at the output from the reaction canister, then the chemical reaction is not generating any moisture, and thus tending to indicate that the reaction product within the reaction canister may be ready for harvesting.

[0185] Controlling flow rates on a column-by -column and / or reaction canister by reaction canister basis can be advantageous particularly in scenarios where (i) different columns and / or different reaction canisters contain different chemical reactants, (ii) different columns and / or different reaction canisters are at different stages of reaction completion (i.e., freshly restocked columns or reaction canisters vs. reaction canisters or columns that may be closer to being ready for harvesting), and / or (iii) different columns and / or different reaction canisters experiencing different flue gas conditions (e.g., warmer or cooler flue gas temperatures, more or less moisture, and so on) despite efforts to control the consistency of the flue gas provided to each of the reaction canisters.

[0186] For example, if a first column houses reaction canisters containing a first chemical reactant (e.g., sodium hydroxide) and a second column houses reaction canisters containing a second chemical reactant (e.g., potassium hydroxide), it may be advantageous to operate the first column and the second column at different air flow rates that are more closely tailored to the different chemical reactants rather than a common air flow rate that may be sufficient for both chemical reactants, but perhaps not ideal for either of the two chemical reactants. In particular, since different chemical reactants can often have different reaction kinetics, controlling the air flow rate of the flue gas through the reaction canisters containing the different chemical reactants can help control the speed of the reaction in thedifferent reaction canisters so that the different canisters are ready for harvesting at about the same time (and / or within the same target time period) despite containing different chemical reactants with different reaction kinetics.

[0187] Embodiments that include service duct fans in each service duct (e.g., service duct fan 270 in service duct 218a) and / or return duct fans in each return duct (e.g., return duct fan 272 in return duct 224a) also enable the flue gas processing system 200 to account for differences in operational conditions within the different sets of reaction canisters within each column.

[0188] For example, the air flow rate measured through a first set of reaction canisters in a first column might be lower than the air flow rate measured through a second set of reaction canisters in a second column even though fans for each column are running at the same speed. This situation can occur if filters within the first set of reaction canisters start to become partially clogged over time, which might be the case if the first set of reaction canisters have been installed (and processing flue gas) for a longer duration of time than the second set of reaction canisters, which may have been replaced and / or re-filled and cleaned more recently than the first set of reaction canisters. In such a scenario, it may be advantageous to increase the fan speed of the fan(s) controlling the air flow rate within the first column to keep the flue gas moving through the first set of reaction canisters in the first column at the same (or substantially the same) flow rate as the flow rate within the second column. Keeping the flow rate of the flue gas through the reaction canisters consistent can provide (i) better predictability and forecasting of reaction canister harvesting schedules and (ii) more consistent reaction product results.

[0189] In another example, the flue gas received by a first set of reaction canisters within a first column may contain more moisture than the flue gas received by a second set of reaction canisters within a second column. As described in detail herein, the chemical reaction between the chemical reactant and the carbon dioxide is affected by the amount of moisture in the flue gas. To help avoid (or at least delay) the “clumping” problems caused by having too much moisture in the flue gas, some embodiments may include increasing the fan speed of the fan(s) controlling the air flow rate within the first column to help dry out the reaction canisters within the first column that may have been receiving flue gas with the greater moisture content.

[0190] Embodiments that include service duct fans in each service duct (e.g., service duct fan 270 in service duct 218a) and / or return duct fans in each return duct (e.g., return duct fan 272 in return duct 224a) enable the flue gas processing system 200 to experiment withdifferent air flow rates in different columns to gather and analyze operational data from actual field deployments to help improve the operation of flue gas processing system deployments.

[0191] In some example implementations, for an individual column, the dimensions of the service duct (e.g., service duct 218a), the extension hose (e.g., extension hose 408 in Figure 4A), the supply ports (e.g., supply ports 220ai-?), and the exhaust ports (e.g., exhaust ports 222ai-?) in combination with fan speeds of the one or more fans function to help control the air flow rate of flue gas through at least the reverse return configuration 240 to between about 100 cubic feet per minute to about 150 cubic feet per minute. In some embodiments, the cross-sectional size of each service duct is about 9 square inches (e.g., about 3 inches by 3 inches), and the cross-sectional size of each extension hose, supply port, and exhaust port is about 2 inches in diameter. However, other dimensions sufficient for helping maintain a desirable air flow rate of the flue gas could be used instead.

[0192] In some embodiments, and as described previously with reference to the system control module 170 (Figure IB) and the components thereof, the flue gas processing system 200 additionally includes one or more network interfaces, one or more processors, and one or more tangible, non-transitory computer readable media comprising program instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the flue gas processing system 200 to perform any one or more (or all) of several functions.

[0193] For example, in some embodiments, the flue gas processing system 200 is configured to monitor and collect sensor data from any one or more (or all) of the sensors disclosed herein, including but not limited to temperature sensors, carbon dioxide sensors, humidity sensors, viscosity sensors, electrical current / voltage sensors, air flow rate sensors, pH sensors, weight sensors, non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensors, and / or any of the other types of sensors disclosed herein. One or more of the above-listed sensors can be implemented at various locations throughout the flue gas processing system 200, such as, for example (i) within the flue gas routing assembly 202, (ii) within the flue gas conditioning module 210, (iii) within the canister dock assembly 201, (iv) within individual reaction canisters, (v) within elements that interconnect any of (i)-(iv), and / or (vi) any other location within the flue gas processing system 200.

[0194] In operation, the flue gas processing system 200 is configured to use the sensor data collected from any of the sensors disclosed herein to monitor and / or control the operation of the flue gas processing system 200, including but not limited to (i) monitoring and / or controlling the operation of the flue gas processing system 200 overall, (ii) monitoring and / or controlling the operation of the flue gas conditioning module 210, (iii) monitoringand / or controlling the operation of individual reaction canisters housed within the canister dock assembly 201, and / or (iv) monitoring and / or controlling the operation of one or more fans configured to control the flow of flue gas through the flue gas processing system 200 (e.g., the one or more fans 232 and any or all of the other fans disclosed herein).

[0195] In some embodiments, the one or more processors are configured to locally monitor and / or control the operation of the flue gas processing system 200 based on at least some of the sensor data. In some embodiments, the one or more processors are configured to send at least some of the sensor data to one or more remote computing devices and / or computing systems via the one or more network interfaces. Remotely monitoring and controlling the flue gas processing system 200 in this manner enables technicians to be dispatched to the flue gas processing system 200 to harvest carbonate product from reaction canisters when the carbonate product is ready to be harvested, based at least in part on the sensor data.

[0196] In some instances, and as described previously with reference to Figure IB, the one or more remote computing devices and / or remote computing systems include one or more cloud servers. In operation, the flue gas processing system 200 is configured to send at least some of the sensor data to the one or more remote computing devices / systems via one or more of a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), and / or the Internet via the one or more network interfaces. In some examples, the one or more remote computing devices / systems store and track the sensor data over time to generate an operational history of the flue gas processing system 200. In some examples, the one or more remote computing devices / systems are additionally configured to monitor and / or control the operation of the flue gas processing system 200 based on at least some of the sensor data. In some embodiments, the flue gas processing system 200 is configured for remote monitoring, management, and operation via the WAN and / or the Internet as described in the Cardiff ‘379 Provisional mentioned previously and incorporated herein by reference.

[0197] For example, in some embodiments, the remote computing device / sy stems monitor the progress of the chemical reactions occurring in each reaction canister and alert the flue gas processing system 200 operator when contents of each reaction canister is ready to be harvested.

[0198] In some embodiments, the contents of the reaction canister are ready to be harvested when substantially all of the chemical reactant within the reaction canister has been reacted with flue gas such that contents of the reaction canister are mostly carbonate product. In other embodiments, it may be advantageous to harvest the contents of the reaction canisterat some point in time before substantially all of the chemical reactant has been reacted with flue gas.

[0199] For example, for some chemical reactants, it may be advantageous to harvest the contents of the reaction canister when between about 75 - 85% of the chemical reactant within the reaction canister has been reacted with flue gas. In some such examples, after about 75 - 85% of the chemical reactant within a reaction canister has been reacted with flue gas, the contents of the reaction canister are harvested from the reaction canister and added to a separate “finishing” tank for further processing.

[0200] In some scenarios, the finishing tank may be at the same location as the flue gas processing system. In other scenarios, the finishing tank may be at a centralized processing facility separate from the location of the flue gas processing system, such as central processing facility arranged to receive and process reaction canister contents from several (and perhaps many) flue gas processing system installations.

[0201] After the contents of a reaction canister have been added to the finishing tank along with the contents of other reaction canisters, the chemical reactant remaining in the combined contents of the reaction canisters is reacted in the finishing tank. For example, if the contents of the reaction canisters are harvested after about 75% of the chemical reactant in the reaction canisters has been reacted, then about 25% of the chemical reactant that was originally added to the reaction canister should still be remaining in the harvested reaction canister contents that have been added to the finishing tank. So, the last 20-25% of the chemical reactant contained in the finishing tank is reacted in the finishing tank (rather than in the individual reaction canisters). In some embodiments, this last 20-25% of the chemical reactant can be reacted with flue gas from another flue gas generating process or appliance, or perhaps reacted with ambient air, which also include carbon dioxide.

[0202] Harvesting the reaction canister contents before all of the chemical reactant contained therein has been reacted and combining the contents of many reaction canisters into a larger, common finishing tank can enable more energy efficient and / or cost effective generation of reaction product.III. Example Flue Gas Conditioning Module Embodiments

[0203] Figure 3A shows an example of a flue gas conditioning module 300 according to some embodiments. Figure 3B shows another example of a flue gas conditioning module 301 according to some embodiments. Flue gas conditioning modules 300 and 301 are the same as or similar to flue gas conditioning module 122 shown and described with referenceto flue gas processing system 120 in Figure 1A and / or flue gas conditioning module 210 shown and described with reference to flue gas processing system 200 in Figure 2B. Further, flue gas conditioning module 300, flue gas conditioning module 301, and alternative embodiments thereof can be implemented with flue gas processing system 120 and / or flue gas processing system 200.

[0204] As mentioned previously, flue gas processing systems such as the ones described in Cardiff ‘851 and the Cardiff ‘379 Provisional use dynamic fan and reaction chamber agitation control. Dynamic fan and reaction chamber agitation control can be used to ameliorate the effects of moisture in flue gas. For example, the flue gas processing systems in Cardiff ‘851 and / or the Cardiff ‘379 Provisional are configured in some embodiments to dynamically increase the speed of a fan configured to force flue gas through the flue gas processing system after (or perhaps in response to) determining that the relative humidity of the flue gas being processed by the flue gas processing system exceeds certain thresholds and / or is otherwise outside of a desired range. Increasing the fan speed tends to increase the rate at which the flue gas flows through the flue gas processing system, which in some instances can force flue gas through the flue gas processing system more quickly before the contents of the reaction chamber can absorb too much moisture and exhibit the undesirable moisture-induced “clumping” described previously.

[0205] Similarly, some prior flue gas processing systems include an agitator within the reaction chamber that is configured to facilitate the chemical reaction between the chemical reactant and the carbon dioxide in the flue gas by agitating the chemical reactant inside the reaction chamber. In some scenarios, the speed and / or frequency (i.e., how often) of agitation can be altered after (or perhaps in response to) determining that the relative humidity of the flue gas being processed by the flue gas processing system exceeds certain thresholds. Increasing the agitation speed or how often the agitation occurs can, in some instances, help prevent (or at least delay) the undesirable moisture-induced “clumping” described previously.

[0206] Some embodiments disclosed herein also control the effects of moisture in flue gas in similar ways, for example, by controlling the flow rate of flue gas through the individual reaction canisters and / or controlling the speed and / or frequency of agitation within the individual reaction canisters. But in addition to controlling the effects of moisture in the flue gas, embodiments that include a flue gas conditioning module also enable reduction of moisture in the flue gas before the flue gas is sent to the individual reaction canisters.

[0207] Because the flue gas conditioning modules 300 and / or 301 reduce and / or otherwise control moisture in the flue gas before the flue gas is sent to the individual reaction canisters, embodiments that include the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 are advantageous for use with flue gas generating appliances that tend to produce flue gas at lower temperatures and / or with higher water content, such as condensing boilers and / or cogeneration units. Further, using a flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 to reduce and / or otherwise control moisture in the flue gas enables the flue gas processing system to be more robust and adaptable to different environmental and operating conditions.

[0208] In some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 is entirely passive in operation and does not require electric power to operate. Such a “passive” implementation of the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 might be particularly beneficial so as to minimize the total energy consumption of the flue gas processing system. In other embodiments, however, the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 may include one or more sensors, pumps, and / or fans (and perhaps other components) that require electric power to operate.

[0209] The flue gas conditioning module 300 (Figure 3A) comprises an inlet 302 configured to receive flue gas from a flue gas generating appliance (e.g., condensing boiler 100 in Figure 1A) and an outlet 304 configured to pass flue gas to a canister dock assembly (e.g., canister dock assembly 201 in Figure 2A) either directly or indirectly via one or more intermediate structures (e.g., a flue gas service header 214, service duct(s) 218a-c, and so on in Figure 2B). The flue gas conditioning module 301 (Figure 3B) likewise comprises an inlet 303 configured to receive flue gas from a flue gas generating appliance and an outlet 305 configured to pass flue gas to a canister dock assembly either directly or indirectly via one or more intermediate structures.

[0210] As mentioned previously, the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 can be implemented with flue gas processing systems that employ a single, large reaction chamber like the flue gas processing systems disclosed in Cardiff ‘851 and the Cardiff ‘379 Provisional. In such scenarios, the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 can be configured to receive flue gas from a flue gas generating appliance (e.g., condensing boiler 100 in Figure 1 A) via inlet 302 / 303, and pass flue gas to the single, large reaction chamber via outlet 304 / 305 either directly or indirectly via appropriate ductwork, piping, conduits, and / or other suitable structure(s).

[0211] In operation, the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 is configured to cause flue gas passed out from the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 via the outlet 304 / 305 tohave a lower relative humidity than the flue gas received from the flue gas generating appliance via the inlet 302 / 303. For example, in some scenarios, the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 is configured to reduce the relative humidity of flue gas from about 90-100% relative humidity at the inlet 302 / 303 to about 60-75% relative humidity (or even lower) at outlet 304 / 305. In some instances, the flue gas passed out from the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 via the outlet 304 / 305 is sometimes referred to herein as “conditioned” flue gas.

[0212] One difference between flue gas conditioning module 300 and flue gas conditioning module 301 is that flue gas conditioning module 300 has a “U-shape” whereas flue gas conditioning module 301 does not have the “U-shape.” As explained further herein, the “U-shape” is beneficial for embodiments that control the moisture in the flue gas by removing water from the flue gas (i.e., the “water knockout” feature) because the “U-shape” provides a convenient area for condensed water to collect. Another difference between the flue gas conditioning module 300 and flue gas conditioning module 301 is that flue gas conditioning module 300 can be arranged to accommodate only a cooling stage 308, only a heating stage 310, or a combination of both the cooling stage 308 and the heating stage 310, whereas flue gas conditioning module 300 is arranged to accommodate only a heating stage 311.

[0213] In some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 300 includes a cooling stage 308 and a heating stage 310. In some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 300 may employ the cooling stage 308 but not the heating stage 310. In some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 300 may include the heating stage 310 but not the cooling stage 308. In some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 300 has the “U-shape” structure shown in Figure 3A regardless of whether the flue gas conditioning module employs one or both of the cooling stage 308 and / or heating stage 310. However, the flue gas conditioning module 300 (Figure 3 A) and the flue gas conditioning module 301 (Figure 3B) may take other suitable shapes or forms.

[0214] In embodiments that employ the cooling stage 308, the flue gas conditioning module 300 includes one or more components disclosed herein that are arranged to perform the cooling stage functions. In embodiments that do not employ the cooling stage 308, the flue gas conditioning module 300 does not (or at least need not) include components that perform the cooling stage functions. Similarly, in embodiments the employ the heating stage 310, the flue gas conditioning module 300 includes one or more components disclosed herein that are arranged to perform the heating stage functions. And in embodiments that do notemploy the heating stage 310, the flue gas conditioning module 300 does not (or at least need not) include the components that perform the heating stage functions. In embodiments that employ both the cooling stage 308 and the heating stage 310, the flue gas conditioning module 300 includes one or more components disclosed herein that are arranged to perform the cooling stage and heating stage functions.

[0215] In some configurations, the cooling stage 308 is configured to cool the flue gas received from the flue gas generating appliance via the inlet 302 to a temperature sufficient to cause water vapor in the flue gas to condense and water to fall out of the flue gas and into a water collection area 318 from where the water can be removed from the flue gas conditioning module 300 via drain 312. The water obtained from the drain 312 can be reused for any suitable purpose.

[0216] In embodiments that additionally include the heating stage 310, the cooled flue gas is then passed from the cooling stage 308 to the heating stage 310, described further below. In embodiments that do not include the heating stage 310, the cooled flue gas is passed through the remainder of flue gas conditioning module 300 and out of the outlet 304. Regardless of whether the heating stage 310 is included or not, after the water vapor in the flue gas has condensed and fallen out of the flue gas, the relative humidity of the flue gas after the cooling stage 308 is generally less than what it was when the flue gas first entered the flue gas conditioning module 300 at inlet 302.

[0217] In some instances, the cooling stage 308 includes a cooling coil contained within the cooling stage 308. In some embodiments, the cooling coil is a “fin and tube” coil, where fins or vanes surround the coil (e.g., an evaporator coil) to create a greater cold surface area to cool the flue gas. In some embodiments, the cooling coil may be similar to the left side (i.e. first portion 316a) of coil assembly 316, described further below. In some embodiments, glycol or another suitable chemical is passed through the cooling coil to provide the cooling effect.

[0218] In some instances, the flue gas conditioning module 300 is arranged to cause flue gas received via the inlet 302 to pass over the cooling coil within the cooling stage 308. The cooling coil is configured to cool the flue gas passing over the cooling coil, and in particular, to cool the flue gas to a temperature that is below the dew point of the flue gas, thereby causing the water vapor in the flue gas in the cooling stage 308 to condense. And as mentioned earlier, when the water vapor in the flue gas in the cooling stage 308 condenses, the water falls out of the flue gas and into the water collection area 318. The water collectedin the water collection area 318 can then be removed from the flue gas conditioning module 300 via drain 312, and then the water can be reused for any suitable purpose.

[0219] As mentioned above, some embodiments include a heating stage but not a cooling stage. For example, in some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 300 (Figure 3 A) includes the heating stage 310 but not the cooling stage 308. In another example, in some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 301 (Figure 3B) includes a heating stage 311 but not a cooling stage.

[0220] In embodiments that include only a heating stage, the heating stage 310 / 311 in the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 is configured to heat the flue gas received from the flue generating appliance via inlet 302 / 303. In some instances, raising the temperature of the flue gas within the heating stage 310 / 311 causes the conditioned flue gas passed out from the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 via the outlet 304 / 305 to have a lower relative humidity than the flue gas received from the flue gas generating appliance via the inlet 302 / 303. In some embodiments, the heating stage 310 / 311 of the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 is configured to heat the flue gas with heat from a domestic hot water source 306 / 307. In some embodiments, the heating stage 310 / 311 may additionally or alternatively heat the flue gas with heat from a heat recapture module (e.g. heat recapture module 130 in Figure IB).

[0221] In some configurations where the flue gas conditioning module 300 includes both the cooling stage 308 and the heating stage 310, the heating stage 310 is configured to heat (or reheat) the cooled flue gas received from the cooling stage 308 and pass the reheated flue gas out of the flue gas conditioning module 300 via the outlet 304 and on to the canister dock assembly (e.g., canister dock assembly 201), or perhaps to a single, large reaction chamber (depending on the specific implementation). By cooling the flue gas in the cooling stage 308 to cause water within the flue gas to condense and fall out into the water collection area 318, and then reheating the flue gas in the heating stage 310, the flue gas conditioning module 300 causes the flue gas passed out from the flue gas conditioning module 300 via the outlet 304 (i.e., the “conditioned” flue gas) to have a lower relative humidity than when the flue gas was initially received from the flue gas generating appliance via the inlet 302.

[0222] In some embodiments that include a heating stage (with or without a cooling stage), the heat source in the heating stage includes a phase change material arranged to change between a fluid form and a solid form. For example, in some instances, at least a portion of the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 is wrapped and / or coated in a phase change material. In some embodiments, the phase change material is in the form of and / orcontained within a sleeve or jacket type material that is wrapped around at least a portion of the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301. In some embodiments, the phase change material covers a substantial portion of the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301. In some instances, the phase change material may cover substantially the entire outer surface of the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301.

[0223] In some embodiments, the phase change material is contained within a large, stationary sleeve that covers at least a portion of the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301. In some instances, the phase change material is positioned on at least a portion of the outer surface of the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301. In some instances, the phase change material is positioned on at least a portion of the inner surface of the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301. In some alternative embodiments, the phase change material is stored in pocket-like compartments on the outer and / or inner surface of the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301.

[0224] In operation, the phase change material helps to maintain heat and / or energy within the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301. Phase change materials are substances that absorb and release thermal energy (known as latent heat) when the phase change material changes between phases. For example, when the phase change material is heated, the phase change material absorbs thermal energy as it transitions from a solid / waxy form to a liquid or quasi-liquid form. When the phase change material is cooled, the phase change material releases thermal energy as it transitions from the liquid or quasi-liquid form to the solid or quasi-solid / waxy form.

[0225] In some embodiments, the heating stage 310 of the flue gas conditioning module 300 (Figure 3A) is configured to transfer heat from the phase change material to the cooled flue gas received from the cooling stage 308. In some instances with either the flue gas conditioning module 300 (Figure 3A) or the flue gas conditioning module 301 (Figure 3B), the temperature of the phase change material can be controlled (i.e., increased, decreased, and / or held constant for some duration) by any suitable method, including, for example, but not limited to (i) controlling the temperature of the phase change material with water from a hot water source (e.g., hot water source 306 / 307), (ii) controlling the temperature of the phase change material via electric conduction heating methods, (iii) controlling the temperature of the phase change material via electric induction heating methods and / or (iv) controlling the temperature of the phase change material via heat from a heat recapture module (e.g., heat recapture module 130 in Figure IB).

[0226] In some instances, it can be desirable to maintain heat via the phase change material in this way because if (or when) the flue gas generating appliance is not burning fuel (and thus not generating flue gas), some of the heat that was generated while the flue gas generating appliance was burning fuel (and thus generating flue gas) that was stored by the phase change material can be used to warm components of the flue gas processing system, including but not limited to the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301. By keeping at least the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 (or at least portion thereof) warm while the flue gas generating appliance is not burning fuel, the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 will, at least in some instances, be within its ideal operating temperature range when the flue gas generating appliance starts burning fuel again, or at least closer to its ideal operating temperature range than it would have been in scenarios where heat is not retained by the phase change material. Keeping the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 within or closer to its ideal operating temperature range enables the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301 to better control the relative humidity of the flue gas, which in turn, leads to more efficient and effective operation of the flue gas processing system.

[0227] As mentioned earlier, in some embodiments that include a heating stage (with or without a cooling stage), the heating stage 310 / 311 is configured to heat the flue gas with heat from water provided by a domestic hot water source 306 / 307. For example, in some embodiments, the heating stage 310 / 311 comprises a series of pipes 314 / 315 (or similar structures) containing hot water (or other hot fluid or hot gas) and arranged to transfer heat from the series of pipes 314 / 315 to the flue gas contained within the heating stage 310 / 311 of the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301. In embodiments that include the cooling stage 308 (Figure 3 A), the flue gas contained within the heating stage 310 includes cooled flue gas received from the cooling stage 308. In either case (i.e., with or without a cooling stage), the heating stage 310 / 311 uses the heat from the hot water (or other hot fluid or hot gas) to heat the flue gas within the heating stage 310 / 311.

[0228] In some embodiments, the heating stage 310 / 311 may use hot water generated by the flue gas generating appliance (e.g., condensing boiler 100) as a heating source for the heating stage 310 / 311.

[0229] In some embodiments of the flue gas conditioning module 300 (Figure 3A) that include both the cooling stage 308 and the heating stage 310, the flue gas conditioning module 300 includes a coil assembly 316 having a first portion 316a disposed within the cooling stage 308 and a second portion 316b disposed within the heating stage 310. In some embodiments, each of the first portion 316a and the second portion 316b is a “fin and tube”coil, where fins or vanes surround the coil (e.g., evaporator coil) to create a greater surface area for heat transfer. In some embodiments, glycol or another suitable chemical is passed through at least a portion of the coil assembly 316.

[0230] In operation, the first portion 316a of the coil assembly 316 absorbs heat from the flue gas in the cooling stage 308, thereby cooling the flue gas and causing water vapor within the flue gas to condense and fall out into the water collection area 318 in the manner described above. The first portion 316a of the coil assembly 316 is also configured to transfer heat absorbed from flue gas within the cooling stage 308 to the second portion 316b of the coil assembly 316 positioned within the heating stage 310. The second portion 316b of the coil assembly 316 is configured to transfer heat from the second portion 316b of the coil assembly 316 to flue gas within the heating stage 310, thereby helping to maintain the temperature of the flue gas within the heating stage 310. In this manner, the first portion 316a of the coil assembly 316 removes heat from the flue gas while the second portion 316b of the coil assembly 316 adds heat to the flue gas.

[0231] In operation, it can be desirable to reheat the flue gas because it can be important to not “chill” the flue gas too much. First, the downstream chemical reaction in each of the reaction canisters performs better with hotter flue gas, which will have a lower relative humidity. Additionally, removing too much heat from the flue gas return can, in some instances, negatively affect HVAC systems and / or the function of the connected flue gas generating appliance. One reason for removing moisture from the flue gas is to prevent the moisture from affecting the chemical reaction(s) in the reaction chambers, e.g., to prevent or at least ameliorate the effects of the moisture-induced “clumping” described above.Further, since the flue gas is “reheated” in some instances, the heat can either be used to assist convection with category 1 and / or category 3 appliances, or perhaps redirected into the building where the system is installed, i.e., with category 4 appliances.

[0232] As is known in the art, a category 1 appliance operates with a nonpositive vent static pressure and with a vent gas temperature that avoids excessive condensate production in the vent, a category 2 appliance is an appliance that operates with a nonpositive vent static pressure and with a vent gas temperature that is capable of causing excessive condensate production in the vent, a category 3 appliance is an appliance that operates with a positive vent static pressure and with a vent gas temperature that avoids excessive condensate production in the vent, and a category 4 appliance is an appliance that operates with a positive vent static pressure and with a vent gas temperature that is capable of causing excessive condensate production in the vent.

[0233] In some embodiments, to control how much moisture the flue gas conditioning module 300 removes from the flue gas as it travels through the flue gas conditioning module 300 from the inlet 302 to outlet 304, the flue gas processing system (e.g., flue gas processing system 200) controls one or both of (i) a flow rate of coolant through at least the first portion 316a of the coil assembly 316 and / or (ii) a flow rate of the flue gas over at least the first portion 316a of the coil assembly 316.

[0234] For example, in some embodiments, coil assembly 316 may be attached to one or more pumps configured to control the flow rate of coolant through the first portion 316a of the coil. Some embodiments may additionally or alternatively include one or more fans configured to control the flow rate of flue gas over the first portion 316a of the coil assembly 316 at least in part by controlling a flow rate of flue gas through flue gas processing system in general (e.g., flue gas processing system 200) and / or the flow rate of flue gas through the flue gas conditioning module 300 in particular. In some instances the flow rates (e.g., coolant and / or flue gas) are controlled in an ongoing / dynamic nature. In other instances, the flow rates (e.g., coolant and / or flue gas) are set and / or initialized at installation based on operating characteristics and / or the system configuration. In some embodiments, the flow rate(s) of the coolant and / or flue gas are remotely monitored and controlled from a remote control location. For example, in some embodiments, one or more computing device(s) / system(s) 148 (Figure IB) remote from the flue gas processing system are configured to monitor and control the flow rate(s) of the coolant and / or flue gas). In some instances, the flow rate(s) of the coolant and / or flue gas are configured and initialized when the flue gas processing system is installed. In such instances, the flow rate(s) of the coolant and / or flue gas are based on the flue gas processing system configuration, including but not limited to the mechanical room(s) in which the components of the flue gas processing system are installed, how the flue gas processing system is connected to the flue gas generating appliance, and / or aspects of the flue gas generating appliance itself (e.g., the type of appliance, operational characteristics / specifications of the appliance, and so on).

[0235] In some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 300 controls the temperature and humidity of the “conditioned” flue gas that is provided to the reaction canisters via one or both of the cooling stage 308 and / or the heating stage 310.

[0236] In some embodiments, depending on the type of flue gas generating appliance (which may in some instances affect characteristics of the flue gas that is generated), the flue gas received at inlet 302 may have a temperature of between about 30° C (86° F) to 43° C (109° F) at a relative humidity of between about 55% to 100% relative humidity.

[0237] In some embodiments both with and without the cooling stage 308, the flue gas conditioning module 300 is configured to heat the flue gas in the heating stage 310 to a temperature of about 60° C (140° F) or higher. In some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 300 is configured to heat the flue gas in the heating stage 310 to a temperature of about 71° C (160° F) or higher.

[0238] Further, in some examples, the flue gas conditioning module 300 is configured to output “conditioned” flue gas at outlet 304 with relative humidity of less than about 75%. In some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 300 is configured to reduce the relative humidity of the flue gas to less than about 50-55%. Reducing the relative humidity to less than about 75%, or even less than about 50-55% can be accomplished by removing water vapor from the flue gas via the cooling stage 308, individually or in combination with heating the flue gas via heating stage 310 as described above.

[0239] In some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 300 includes temperature and / or humidity sensors arranged to measure the temperature and / or humidity of the flue gas at one or more points within the flue gas conditioning module 300 / 301.

[0240] For example, some embodiments may include any one or more (or all) of (i) a first temperature sensor and / or a first humidity sensor positioned at the inlet 302 / 303 to measure the temperature and / or humidity of the flue gas at the inlet 302 / 303, (ii) a second temperature sensor and / or a second humidity sensor positioned within the cooling stage 308 to measure the temperature and / or humidity of the flue gas within the cooling stage 308, (iii) a third temperature sensor and / or a third humidity sensor positioned within the heating stage 310 / 311 to measure the temperature and / or humidity of the flue gas within the heating stage 310 / 311, and / or (iv) a fourth temperature sensor and / or a fourth humidity sensor positioned at the outlet 304 / 305 to measure the temperature and / or humidity of the flue gas at the outlet 304 / 305.

[0241] In some embodiments, temperature and / or humidity measurements within the flue gas conditioning module 300 (including temperature and / or humidity measurements at various stages within the flue gas conditioning module 300) are used to control one or both of (i) a flow rate of coolant through cooling coil in the cooling stage 308 and / or (ii) a flow rate of the flue gas through the flue gas conditioning module 300.

[0242] In some embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 300 may include one or more pumps configured to control the flow of coolant through the cooling coil based on whether and the extent to which the flue gas at one or more points within the flue gas conditioning module is within a desired temperature and / or humidity range. Similarly, insome embodiments, the flue gas conditioning module 300 may additionally or alternatively include one or more fans configured to control the flow rate of flue gas through the flue gas conditioning module 300 based on whether and the extent to which the flue gas at one or more points within the flue gas conditioning module is within a desired temperature and / or humidity range.

[0243] For example, in some instances, data from one or more (or all) of the temperature and / or humidity sensors (individually or in combination with any of the other sensors described herein) is / are monitored by the one or more processors of (i) the flue gas processing system 200 and / or (ii) a remote computing device / system. And based on the sensor data, the flue gas processing system 200, individually or in combination with the remote computing device / system, may control the operation of the one or more coolant pumps and / or fans of the flue gas conditioning module 300.IV. Example Reaction Canister Embodiments

[0244] Figure 4A shows an external side view of an example reaction canister 400 according to some embodiments. Figure 4B shows a front view of an example reaction canister 400 according to some embodiments. Figure 4C shows a rear view of an example reaction canister 400 according to some embodiments. Figure 4D shows a cutaway side view of another example reaction canister 401 according to some embodiments. Figure 4E shows an exploded perspective view of the example reaction canister 401 of Figure 4D according to some embodiments. Figure 4F shows a perspective view of the example reaction 401 canister of Figure 4D according to some embodiments. Figure 4G shows an example rear cap 450 for a reaction canister 401 according to some embodiments. Figure 4H shows an exploded perspective view an alternative configuration for an example front cover for a reaction canister according to some embodimentsA. Reaction Canister Overview

[0245] Reaction canister 400 (Figures 4A - 4C) and reaction canister 401 (Figures 4D - 4F) are similar to or the same as the reaction canisters 207a-h shown and described with reference to Figure 2A. Reaction canisters 400 and 401 in Figures 4A - 4F are shown with slightly different features for illustration purposes. Reaction canister 400 (Figures 4A - 4C) can include any feature and / or component shown and / or described with reference to reaction canister 401 (Figures 4D - 4F), and reaction canister 401 (Figures 4D - 4F) can include anyfeature and / or component shown and / or described with reference to reaction canister 400 (Figures 4A - 4C) except to the extent that such features might be mutually exclusive.

[0246] Reaction canister 400 (and 401) is configured to be installed within any one of a plurality canister docks in a canister dock assembly, such as canister dock assembly 201 shown and described with reference to Figure 2B. In operation, the reaction canister 400 (and 401) is inserted / slid into an individual canister dock. In some instances, the canister dock includes a locking and / or seating mechanism that holds the reaction canister 400 (and 401) in the canister dock until the reaction canister 400 (and 401) is unlocked / unseated from the canister dock.

[0247] The reaction canister is configured to hold a chemical reactant. In some embodiments, the chemical reactant includes a chemical reactant that reacts with carbon dioxide contained in flue gas that is fed into the reaction canister as described previously.

[0248] The chemical reaction between the chemical reactant and the carbon dioxide in the flue gas is or includes an exothermic chemical reaction between the chemical reactant and the carbon dioxide in the flue gas to generate heat, water, and a carbonate reaction product.

[0249] In some embodiments, the chemical reactant comprises an anhydrous metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, or magnesium hydroxide.

[0250] For example, in some embodiments, the anhydrous metal hydroxide comprises sodium hydroxide (NaOH), the carbonate product comprises sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), and the exothermic chemical reaction comprises:NaOH + CO2— > H2O + Na2CO3.

[0251] In other example embodiments, the anhydrous metal hydroxide comprises potassium hydroxide (2K0H), the carbonate product comprises potassium carbonate (K2CO3), and the exothermic chemical reaction comprises:2KOH + CO2 — > H2O + K2CO3.

[0252] In further example embodiments, the anhydrous metal hydroxide comprises calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2), the carbonate product comprises calcium carbonate (Ca2CO3). and the exothermic chemical reaction comprises:Ca(OH)2+ CO2H2O + Ca2CO3.

[0253] And in yet further example embodiments, the anhydrous metal hydroxide comprises magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2), the carbonate product comprises magnesium carbonate (MgCO3). and the exothermic chemical reaction comprises one or both of:2Mg(OH)2+ C02Mg2(OH)2CO3+ H20; and / or Mg2(OH)2CO3+ CO22MgCO3+ H2O.

[0254] The reaction canister 400 (and 401) includes a rear end 402 and a front end 404. The designation of the rear end 402 and front end 404 of the reaction canister 400 (and 401) is arbitrary and for ease of illustration and explanation only. In some circumstances, the rear and front ends could be switched.

[0255] The front end 404 in some example embodiments includes an extension hose attachment 406 that connects to an extension hose 408. The rear end 410 of the extension hose 408 is configured to connect the extension hose 408 to a supply port (e.g., supply port 220as in Figure 2B) on a service duct (e.g. service duct 218a in Figure 2B). In operation, flue gas flows from the supply port on the service duct, through the extension hose 408, and into the reaction canister 400 via the extension hose attachment 406. Extension hose 408 is shown in Figure 4A for ease of illustration. The extension hose 408 in some embodiments may be a component of the reaction canister 400. In other embodiments, the extension hose 408 may be a component of the canister dock assembly (e.g., canister dock assembly 201 in Figure 2A). In some embodiments, the extension hose 408 may be separate from the canister dock assembly and the reaction canister 400. Embodiments where the extension hose 408 is separate from the canister dock assembly and the reaction canister 400 allow for scenarios where different extension hoses can be used for different types / configurations of canister dock assemblies and / or reaction canisters. Although the example reaction canister 400 employs an extension hose 408, the flue gas may be supplied to and exhausted from the reaction canister 400 via any suitable combination of structures, such as ports, hoses, tubes, pipes, ducts, or any other structure now known or later developed that is suitable for routing gas in the manners disclosed herein.

[0256] The flue gas routed into the reaction canister 400 (and 401) in this manner is processed within the reaction canister 400 (and 401) by, for example, reacting the carbon dioxide in the flue gas with the chemical reactant contained within the reaction canister 400 (and 401).

[0257] Processed flue gas exits the reaction canister 400 (and 401) via the rear end 402 of the reaction canister 400 (and 401). The rear end 402 of the reaction canister 400 (and 401) is configured to connect to a reaction canister interface (e.g., reaction canister interface 209) in the canister dock assembly (e.g., canister dock assembly 201). The reaction canister interface routes processed flue gas from the rear end 402 of the reaction canister 400 (and 401) to an exhaust port (e.g., exhaust port 222as in Figure 2B) on a return duct (e.g., returnduct 224a in Figure 2B). After leaving the reaction canister 400 (and 401), the processed flue gas is routed to the environment. For example, with reference to Figure 2B, in some embodiments, after leaving the reaction canister 400 (and 401), the processed flue gas is routed to the exhaust output 230 via the return header 228.

[0258] In alternative embodiments, the flue gas may be supplied to the reaction canister 400 (and 401) at the rear end 402 and exhausted from the reaction canister at the front end 404 via the extension hose 408. And as mentioned above, although the example reaction canister 400 (and 401) employs an extension hose 408, the flue gas may be supplied to and exhausted from the reaction canister 400 (and 401) via any suitable combination of structures, such as ports, hoses, tubes, pipes, ducts, or any other structure now known or later developed that is suitable for routing gas in the manners disclosed herein.

[0259] In some embodiments, the reaction canister interface (e.g., canister interface 209 in the canister dock assembly 201 shown and described with reference to Figure 2B) includes a motor configured to drive an agitation system that is at least partially contained within the reaction canister 400 (and 401). When the reaction canister 400 (and 401) is seated in the canister dock and connected to the reaction canister interface, the motor in the canister dock connects to a driveshaft or similar mechanism connected to the agitation system within the reaction canister 400 (and 401). In operation, the agitation system includes one or more physical structures (e.g., paddles, blades, stirrers, or similar) that are driven by an electric motor to spin, rotate, oscillate, or otherwise move within the reaction canister. In operation, movement of the physical structures stirs, mixes, and / or agitates the chemical reactant contained within the reaction canister 400 (and 401), thereby facilitating a chemical reaction between the chemical reactant and carbon dioxide in the flue gas that flows through the reaction canister 400 (and 401).

[0260] As mentioned above, in some embodiments, each reaction canister interface (e.g., reaction canister interface 209) includes a motor configured to drive the physical mixing / stirring / agitation structure within the reaction canister 400 (and 401). However, in other embodiments, the reaction canister 400 (and 401) may include an integrated motor to drive the physical mixing / stirring / agitation structure within the reaction canister 400 (and 401), where the reaction canister’s integrated motor is powered via an electrical connection at the reaction canister interface.

[0261] In some embodiments, the reaction canister 400 (and 401) may be passive with no electrical components. In other embodiments, the reaction canister 400 (and 401) includes one or more active electrical components, e.g., sensors, processors, communicationports, motors, and so on. In embodiments where the reaction canister includes one or more active electrical components, the reaction canister interface (e.g., reaction canister interface 209) is configured to provide electrical and / or communications interfaces to the reaction canister 400 (and 401) via one or more electrical and / or communications connections located at the rear end 402 of the reaction canister 400 (and 401). In some embodiments, the electrical and / or communication connections may alternatively be located elsewhere on the reaction canister 400 (and 401) , such as the front end 404 of the reaction canister 400 (and 401).

[0262] In some embodiments, the reaction canister 400 (and 401) includes one or more sensors configured to sense one or more aspects of (i) a condition of an internal volume of the reaction canister 400 (and 401) or (ii) the chemical reaction between the chemical reactant and the carbon dioxide in the flue gas that is routed through the reaction canister 400 (and 401).

[0263] In some embodiments, the reaction canister 400 (and 401) is configured to control one or more aspects of the chemical reaction between the chemical reactant and the conditioned flue gas within the reaction canister 400 (and 401) by one or more of (i) controlling a speed of the agitation system within the reaction canister 400 (and 401), how frequently the agitation system within the reaction canister 400 (and 401) is activated, and / or a direction of rotation of the agitation system within the reaction canister 400 (and 401), (ii) controlling an amount of flue gas received into the reaction canister 400 (and 401), for example, by opening, closing, or otherwise controlling a flue gas input damper on or associated with the reaction canister 400 (and 401), and / or (iii) controlling how long flue gas remains in the reaction canister 400 (and 401) before being passed out of the reaction canister 400 (and 401), for example, by opening, closing, or otherwise controlling a flue gas output damper on or associated with the reaction canister 400 (and 401). For example, the flue gas input dampers and / or flue gas output dampers may be components of the reaction canister 400 (and 401) or components separate from the reaction canister 400 (and 401) but associated with the reaction canister 400 (and 401) , and implemented, for example at the supply port and / or return duct port that connect to the reaction canister 400 (and 401) to the other components of the flue gas processing system.

[0264] In some embodiments, the reaction canister 400 (and 401) is, and / or elements thereof are, individually addressable and individually manageable by a software program, e.g., a flue gas processing system software program, referred to as a FGPS software program. In some embodiments, the FGPS software program is implemented by a system controlmodule 170 (Figure IB) individually or in combination with one or more computing device(s) / system(s) 148 separate from the flue gas processing system. For example, when the reaction canister 400 (and 401) is installed within a canister dock of the canister assembly along with a plurality of other reaction canisters installed in a corresponding plurality of other canister docks of the canister assembly, the reaction canister 400 (and 401) and each of the other reaction canisters are individually addressable and individually manageable by the FGPS software program. In some instances, the FGPS software program may be configured to monitor and manage the operation of the flue gas processing system, including monitoring and managing the operation of the reaction canister 400 (and 401) and each of the other reaction canisters.

[0265] Because each reaction canister is individually addressable and manageable, each reaction canister can be managed by the FGPS software program according to its particular state / progress, which can result in improved operation. For example, the agitation system within each reaction canister can be individually monitored and controlled based at least in part on sensor data that monitors the state of the chemical reaction progressing within the reaction canister 400 (and 401).

[0266] In some embodiments, the FGPS software program may be implemented by any one or more of the following systems and / or components, individually or in combination with each other to effectuate management and / or operation of the flue gas processing system and the reaction canisters installed therein: (i) one or more processors in the reaction canister 400 (and 401) and / or each of the other reaction canisters, (ii) one or more processors (e.g., the one or more processors 174 of the system control module 170 in Figure IB) in the flue gas processing system (e.g. flue gas processing system 120), (iii) one or more processors at a computing device and / or computing system separate from the flue gas processing system (e.g., computing device(s) / system(s) 148 in Figure IB), including but not limited to a computing device configured to monitor and / or control the flue gas processing system, a cloud computing system configured to monitor and / or control the flue gas processing system, or any other suitable computing device that is suitable for monitoring and / or controlling a flue gas processing system.

[0267] Some installations may include two or more flue gas processing systems located at an individual site. The two or more flue gas processing systems can be connected to two or more flue gas generating appliances. In such installations, the flue gas processing systems can be operated to process flue gas generated by the two or more flue gas generating appliances. In some such installations, a first flue gas processing system (of the two or moreflue gas processing systems) is configured as a primary flue gas processing system, and the other flue gas processing system(s) (of the two or more flue gas processing systems) is / are configured as secondary flue gas processing system(s). In operation, the primary flue gas processing system can, at least in some embodiments, be configured to control aspects of each of the two or more flue gas processing systems at the installation. But regardless of whether a particular installation has a single flue gas processing system or several flue gas processing systems, the FGPS software program can be configured to manage all of the reaction canisters at the installation at least in part based on the individual addressability of the reaction canisters.

[0268] To implement individual addressability of the reaction canisters, some embodiments include assigning a label to each reaction canister. In some instances, the labels may include digital labels assigned to each reaction canister. In some instances, the digital label (or aspects thereof) is displayed on the physical reaction canister 400 (and 401). For example, in some embodiments, the front face 420 (Figure 4B) of the reaction canister 400 (and 401) includes a screen 422 configured to display information including not limited to one or more digital labels associated with the reaction canister 400 (and 401) (or components thereof). In some instances, the digital label (or aspects thereof) might be physically affixed to the canister such as in the form of a coating / paint, sticker, and / or etching into the surface of the canister. In some instances, the digital label might be implemented with an radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. In some instances, the digital label might be implemented with a QR code, a bar code, or similar code that can be scanned by a code scanner or a digital camera (e.g., on a smartphone or tablet), and then used as a key to lookup canister attributes from a database. In some embodiments, a label 454 (Figure 4D) is imprinted or etched onto the outer surface 412 (Figures 4D - 4F) of the reaction canister 401 (or 400), the front cover 432 (Figures 4D - 4F), the front cap 442 (Figures 4D - 4F), the front bracket 444 (Figures 4D - 4F), the rear bracket 449 (Figures 4D - 4E), and / or the rear cap 450 (Figures 4D, 4E, and 4G). In some embodiments, the label is printed onto a sticker or decal that is affixed to any suitable location on the reaction canister. Although Figure 4D shows the label 454 on the side of the front cap 442 for illustration purposes, the label 454 could instead be placed in any other suitable location on the reaction canister 401. In some embodiments, the label is placed in a location on the reaction canister 401 that can be viewed / accessed by a technician (e.g., to scan the label if necessary) while the reaction canister 401 is seated in a canister dock.

[0269] In some instances, a digital label includes a unique identifier (“unique ID”, or “UID”), which in some examples may take the form of a string, an integer, and / or a hexadecimal address, that may be combined with details of the chemical reactant contained within the reaction canister 400 (and 401), including the type of chemical reactant and how much chemical reactant is in the reaction canister 400 (and 401). In some embodiments, the digital label includes information that enables the screen 422 to display the contents of the reaction canister to a technician perhaps along with other information about the reaction canister 400 (and 401).

[0270] In some embodiments, the digital label may uniquely identify the reaction canister 400 (and 401) without providing any additional metadata about the reaction canister 400 (and 401) or its actual and / or intended contents. In operation, the digital label can be used for looking up the contents of the reaction canister 400 (and 401) in a database, which may be any type of remote centralized database, decentralized database, or public / private server / Blockchain that provides information regarding the uniquely-identified reaction canister 400 (and 401).

[0271] In still further embodiments, the digital label may uniquely identify the reaction canister 400 (and 401) and also provide additional information about the actual and / or intended contents of the reaction canister 400 (and 401). One advantage of including the actual and / or intended contents of the reaction canister 400 (and 401) with the digital label (for example, as part of the digital label) is that the information about the reaction canister 400 (and 401) and the actual and / or intended contents is self-contained in the digital label, and thus, a remote database lookup is not required.

[0272] In some embodiments, the digital label associated with the reaction canister 400 (and 401) can be used to track the operational history of the reaction canister 400 (and 401), such as (i) where the reaction canister 400 (and 401) has been installed, including, for example the name / location of the canister dock assembly, the specific canister dock of the canister dock assembly, GPS coordinates of the installation, and / or similar information that identifies relevant and useful information about the current installation and / or installation history of the reaction canister 400 (and 401), (ii) when carbonate product was harvested from reaction canister 400 (and 401), (iii) when the reaction canister 400 (and 401) was installed / removed from one or more canister dock(s), (iv) when the reaction canister 400 (and 401) was serviced and by whom, (v) maintenance and alarm history associated with operational states and / or faults experienced by the reaction canister 400 (and 401), and / or (vi)any other relevant and useful operational history associated with the reaction canister 400 (and 401).

[0273] In some embodiments, when an individual reaction canister is inserted into a canister dock, the reaction canister communicates with the above-described FGPS system to inform the FGPS system that it has been seated into a canister dock. In addition to informing the FGPS system that it has been seated into the canister dock, the reaction canister in some embodiments may additionally communicate one or more other operational attributes associated with the reaction canister to the FGPS system, including but not limited to one or more of (i) a temperature of the flue gas within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (ii) a temperature of the chemical reactant within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (iii) a temperature of a reaction product within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (iv) an amount of carbon dioxide in the flue gas within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (v) a humidity of the flue gas within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (vi) a viscosity of the chemical reactant within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (vii) a viscosity of the reaction product within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (viii) a speed of the one or more agitator structures within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (ix) a torque of the one or more agitator structures within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (x) a current draw of a motor configured to drive the one or more agitator structures within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (xi) a weight of the chemical reactant and the reaction product within the interior volume of the reaction canister; and / or (xii) a mass of the chemical reactant and the reaction product within the interior volume of the reaction canister. In operation, the reaction canister may be configured to communicate any one or more (or all) of the above-listed operational attributes (as well as other operational attributes) of the reaction canister to the FGPS system in an ongoing manner (e.g., periodically, semi-periodically, according to a schedule, intermittently, continuously, etc.) while the reaction canister remains seated in the canister dock.

[0274] For example, in some embodiments, the reaction canister (e.g., reaction canister 400 (Figures 4A - 4C) and / or reaction canister 401 (Figures 4D - 4F) additionally includes (i) one or more communication interfaces, (ii) one or more processors, and (iii) tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media storing program instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the reaction canister to perform, among other features: (a) collect operational data from the one or more sensors and (b) transmit at least some of the operational data collected from the one or more sensors to a computing system (e.g., the FGPS system) via the one or more communication interfaces.

[0275] In some embodiments, the reaction canister 400 (and 401) includes one or more indicators configured to convey one or more of (i) a status of the chemical reaction within the reaction canister 400 (and 401), and / or (ii) any other status of the reaction canister 400 (and 401), including but not limited to the status of a power connection, a communication connection, a temperature, a humidity level, an operational state, and / or any other status or state that would be useful to convey.

[0276] For example, and with reference to Figure 4B, in some embodiments, the indicators include one or more light emitting diode (LED) indicators 424a, 424b, and 424c. For example, the one or more LEDs 424a-c could in some instances be Red-Green-Blue (RGB) LEDs, where green indicates that the reaction canister 400 (and 401) is in a good operational state (e.g., processing, ready to process, charging), red indicates that the reaction canister 400 (and 401) is a failure, fault, or locked state, and blue indicates that the reactant within the reaction canister 400 (and 401) is ready to be harvested. Other combinations of LEDs and blinking patterns could indicate other states and / or conditions, too. For example, different colors and / or patterns of blinking could indicate different chemical reactants contained within the reaction canister 400 (and 401) and / or different states and / or statuses of the reaction canister 400 (and 401).

[0277] In some embodiments, and with reference to Figure 4B, the reaction canister 400 (and 401) may include a user interface comprising one or more physical control surfaces 426a and 426b. The physical control surfaces 426a-b can be any type of physical control surface, such as buttons, switches, knobs, sliders, or other types of control surfaces that, when activated, actuated, and / or otherwise manipulated, cause the reaction canister 400 (and 401) to perform one or more functions. Example reaction canister functions include, without limitation, powering on / off, recording a sensor measurement from a sensor inside of or otherwise associated with the reaction canister 400 (and 401) , sending operational data associated with the reaction canister 400 (and 401) to one or more processors (e.g., one or more processors on the flue gas processing system and / or one or more processors in a computer device / computer system separate from the flue gas processing system), or any other desirable reaction canister functions. In some embodiments, actuating one of the physical control surfaces causes an agitator motor arranged to drive the one or more agitator structures 439 to change the position of the one or more agitator structures 439 (e.g., rotate the agitator structures 439 by 5-10 degrees) in instances where the agitator structures 439 are “stuck” and / or where the agitator structures 439 need to be moved slightly to enable removal of the reaction product from the reaction canister.

[0278] In some embodiments that include the screen 422, the screen 422 may be any type of screen (e.g., a display screen, a touch screen, or similar) that is configured to receive user inputs and / or display configuration and / or operational information about the reaction canister 400 (and 401), including but not limited to the current operational state of the reaction canister 400 (and 401), the state of the chemical reaction occurring within the reaction canister 400 (and 401), whether the reaction canister 400 (and 401) is / is not properly seated within the canister dock, sensor data measurements from one or more sensors within and / or associated with the reaction canister 400 (and 401), and / or any other desirable information associated with monitoring, managing, and / or operating the reaction canister 400 (and 401).

[0279] In some embodiments, one or more for the screen 422, LED indicators 424a-c, and / or physical control surfaces 426a-b are located on the canister dock assembly (e.g., canister dock assembly 201 in Figure 2A) rather than on the front face 420 of the reaction canister as shown in Figure 4B.

[0280] For example, in some embodiments, one or more of the screen 422, LED indicators 424a-c, and / or physical control surfaces 426a-b associated with an individual reaction canister are positioned on the canister dock assembly adjacent to each canister dock (i.e., interfaces for each reaction canister are positioned next to each reaction canister).

[0281] In another example, in some embodiments, the individual canister is configured to connect to a portable computing device (e.g., a mobile phone, tablet, etc.) via Bluetooth, WiFi, USB, or other suitable wireless and / or wired connection, where the portable computing device provides one or more user interfaces for configuring, operating, controlling, and / or monitoring operational aspects of the reaction canister. Similarly, in some embodiments, the flue gas processing system is additionally or alternatively configured to connect to the portable computing device, and the portable computing device provides one or more user interfaces for configuring, operating, controlling, and / or monitoring operational aspects of the flue gas processing system (including one or more of the reaction canisters).

[0282] In another example, in some embodiments, one or more of the screen 422, LED indicators 424a-c, and / or physical control surfaces 426a-b associated with all of the individual reaction canisters are positioned on the canister dock assembly in a common control array (i.e., all of the interfaces for all of the reaction canisters are in one, common control / monitoring area on the canister dock assembly such as a central control panel or similar). In such embodiments, the common control / monitoring area is akin to a full dashboard of indicators and / or controls that show the status and / or operational state of eachreaction canister. In some embodiments, the common / control monitoring area is a component of and / or interfaces with the system control module 170 (Figure IB).

[0283] In such embodiments, the common control / monitoring area may additionally or alternatively display information from one or more sensors implemented throughout the flue gas processing system, including but not limited temperature, humidity, air pressure, pH, air flow rate sensors, weight sensors, and / or amperage sensors (and perhaps other sensors) disposed at one or more locations within the flue gas processing system, including but not limited to individual reaction canisters, the canister dock assembly 201, and / or the flue gas routing assembly 202. For example, the common control array may display information such as (i) air temperature at one or more measurement points, (ii) humidity at one or more measurement points, (iii) air pressure at one or more measurement points, (iv) pH at one or more measurement points, (v) air flow rate at one or more measurement points or perhaps output or otherwise reported or indicated by one or more fans, (vi) weight of individual reaction canisters, (vii) current draw of individual reaction canisters.

[0284] The common control array may display other operational information about the state of the flue gas processing system and / or individual reaction canisters, including but not limited to (i) power on / off state of individual reaction canisters, (ii) whether individual reaction canisters are “locked” or “unlocked” via the electronically-controlled latching mechanism, (iii) status / state of individual reaction canisters and the chemical reactions therein, (iv) whether one or more fdters in an individual reaction canister or elsewhere require changing, and (v) other relevant operational information. Further, as described previously with reference to Figure IB, any of the aforementioned sensor measurement and / or other operational data can be sent to and displayed by one or more computing devices(s) / system(s) 148.

[0285] In further embodiments, one or more of the interfaces (screen 422, LED indicators 424a-c, and / or physical control surfaces 426a-b) are on the front face 420 of the reaction canister 400 (and 401) , and one or more of the interfaces (screen 422, LED indicators 424a-c, and / or physical control surfaces 426a-b) are on the canister dock assembly adjacent to the reaction canister and / or in a common control / monitoring area.

[0286] In operation, regardless of whether the above-described screen 422 and / or LED indicators 424a-c are located on the reaction canister, on the canister dock assembly 201 (Figure 2A) adjacent to each reaction canister, or a common control / monitoring area on the canister dock assembly 201 (or elsewhere on the flue gas processor system), one or more of the screen 422 and / or LED indicators 424a-c (or other suitable indicators) are configured toenable monitoring of individual reaction canisters on an individualized basis. For example, regardless of the location, the indicators in some embodiments are configured to convey one or more of (i) a status of the chemical reaction within the reaction canister 400 (and 401), and / or (ii) any other status of the reaction canister 400 (and 401), including but not limited to the status of a power connection, a communication connection, a temperature, a humidity level, an operational state, and / or any other status or state that would be useful to convey.

[0287] Similarly, regardless of whether the physical control surfaces 426a-b are located on the reaction canister or on the canister dock assembly 201 (Figure 2A), the physical control services 426a-b (or other suitable control surfaces) are configured to control aspects of the individual reaction canisters on an individualized basis. For example, the aspects of the individual reaction canisters controllable via the physical control services 426a-b (or other suitable control surfaces) in some embodiments include (i) powering the individual reaction canister on / off, (ii) activating a reaction canister safety interrupt that pauses flue gas processing for the reaction canister while leaving the reaction canister otherwise operational (e.g., by halting the agitator (if applicable) and activating one or more dampers to block flue gas from entering and / or leaving the reaction canister), and / or (iii) activating a flue gas system safety interrupt that pauses flue gas processing for the entire flue gas processing system while leaving the flue gas system otherwise operational (e.g., by halting one or more fans that would otherwise draw flue gas through the system and / or activating one or more dampers to block flue gas from entering and / or leaving the flue gas processing system).

[0288] In addition to activating a reaction canister safety interrupt via the physical control surfaces, some embodiments additionally or alternatively include automatically activating one or more safety interrupts during operation of the flue gas processing system after (or perhaps in response to) detecting any of several conditions. For example, some embodiments include activating a reaction canister safety interrupt after detecting (or perhaps in response to detecting) any of (i) that the reaction canister has been removed from its canister dock, (ii) that the reaction canister door / front panel is opened, (iii) that the electronically-controlled locking mechanism for the reaction canister has been disengaged, (iv) that the reaction canister is not correctly installed into its canister dock, and / or (v) any other scenario where it would be advantageous to activate the safety interrupt for a particular reaction canister because of operational and / or safety reasons.

[0289] In operation, using safety interrupts to temporarily halt flue gas processing for an individual reaction canister or for the entire flue gas processing system is advantageous forany of (i) servicing an individual reaction canister, (ii) harvesting reaction product from and / or adding chemical reactant to an individual reaction canister, perhaps without removing the reaction canister from its canister dock, (iii) servicing the entire flue gas processing system, and / or (iv) harvesting reaction product from and / or adding chemical reactant to several reaction canisters (or even all of the reaction canisters), perhaps without removing the reaction canisters from their canister docks.

[0290] Figure 4C shows a rear view of an example reaction canister 400 according to some embodiments. The rear face 421 of the reaction canister 400 includes four slot structures 428a-d, a driveshaft passthrough 430, and a reaction canister output port 431.

[0291] The four slot structures 428a-d are configured to receive four corresponding locking members 520a-d (Figure 5 A). As the reaction canister 400 is pushed into a canister dock 500 (Figures 5A-B), each of the locking members 520a-d on the canister dock 500 intersects with the corresponding slot structure 428a-d on the rear face 421 of the reaction canister 400.

[0292] At least a portion of each locking member 520a-d on the canister dock 500 enters its corresponding slot structure 428a-d on the rear face 421 of the reaction canister 400. In some embodiments, after at least a portion of each locking member 520a-d on the canister dock 500 has entered its corresponding slot structure 428a-d on the rear face 421 of the reaction canister 400, the locking members 520a-d are manipulated (e.g., via rotation powered by an electric motor) to move from the larger portions of the slot structures 428a-d to the smaller portions of the slot structures 428a-d, thereby mechanically locking the reaction canister 400 into the canister dock 500. Additional details and alternative embodiments are described herein with reference to Figures 5A-B.

[0293] In the example embodiment shown in Figure 4C, the driveshaft passthrough 430 is configured to receive a driveshaft 518 (Figure 5 A) extending from a canister dock 500. As explained with reference to Figure 5A, some canister dock embodiments include an electric motor 514 configured to drive the driveshaft 518. When the reaction canister 400 is seated within the canister dock 500 (Figure 5 A), the driveshaft 518 connects to the driveshaft passthrough 430 via the rear face 421 of the reaction canister 400. In operation, the driveshaft passthrough 430 is attached to an agitator 562 (Figure 5F) enclosed within the reaction canister 400. In operation, the electric motor 514 drives the driveshaft 518 to operate the agitator 562 enclosed within the reaction canister 400 via the driveshaft passthrough 430 of the reaction canister 400 when the reaction canister 400 is seated in the canister dock 500.

[0294] The reaction canister output port 431 is configured to exhaust flue gas (e.g., processed flue gas) from the reaction canister 400. In some embodiments, when the reaction canister 400 is seated within a canister dock (e.g., canister dock 500 shown and described with reference to Figures 5A-B), flue gas passes from the reaction canister 400 via the reaction canister output port 431 on the reaction canister 400 and the reaction canister interface 506 on the canister dock to the return duct of the column in which the reaction canister 400 is installed. Additional details about return ducts (and columns that include a service duct and a return duct) are shown and described with reference to Figures 2B (showing a flue gas routing assembly 202 with three columns) and 2D (showing details of an individual column).

[0295] Figure 4D shows a cutaway side view of an example reaction canister 401 according to some embodiments, Figure 4E shows an exploded perspective view of the example reaction canister 401 of Figure 4D according to some embodiments, and Figure 4F shows a perspective view of the example reaction canister 401 of Figure 4D according to some embodiments.

[0296] The example reaction canister 401 in Figure 4D includes an outer surface 412. The outer surface 412 of the reaction canister 401 encloses an interior volume 414. As described earlier, the interior volume 414 is configured to accommodate a chemical reactant that reacts with carbon dioxide.

[0297] The reaction canister 401 also includes a canister input port 416. In some embodiments, a flue gas supply adapter 409 extends from the top of the outer surface 412 of the reaction canister 401 and provides a path 418 for flue gas to pass from an extension hose (e.g., extension hose 408 in Figure 4A) into the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401 via the canister input port 416.

[0298] The placement of the flue gas supply adapter 409 on the top of the outer surface 412 in the position depicted in Figures 4D - 4F has several advantages.

[0299] First, the placement of the flue gas supply adapter 409 enables a compact canister dock array configuration where, when the canister docks are arranged for a square circle-packing formation (e.g., the arrangement of aligned rows and columns shown in Figure 2A) multiple reaction canisters can be accommodated in a closely -packed (and space-saving) arrangement because the flue gas supply adapter 409 can fit within the “open space” between adjacent reaction canisters.

[0300] Second, placement of the flue gas supply adapter 409 at the top of the reaction canister allows the reaction canister to be filled with a desired amount of chemical reactant while not blocking the canister input port 416. Other advantages exist.

[0301] In the example embodiment depicted in Figures 4D - 4F, the canister input port 416 is on the top of the reaction canister 401 and faces generally upward into the bottom of the flue gas supply adapter 409 extending from the top of the outer surface 412 of the reaction canister, and the front cover 432 of the reaction canister is separate from the flue gas supply adapter 409 and the canister input port 416. However, in other embodiments, the canister input port 416 may be located and / or arranged differently. For example, in other embodiments, the canister input port might be located on a side, in the middle of or proximate the middle of, and / or at the rear or proximate the rear of the reaction canister. Further, as mentioned previously, in some embodiments, the canister input may be at (or near) the rear end 402 of the reaction canister 401 and the canister output may be at (or near) the front end 404 of the reaction canister 401 (rather than the input positioned near the front end 404 and the output positioned near the rear end 402 as shown in Figure 4D). Other examples exist.

[0302] As another example, Figure 4H shows an exploded perspective view of a configuration for an example alternative front cover 433 for a reaction canister 401 according to some embodiments. The alternative front cover 433 configuration has an “offset” or “teardrop” shape that is designed to facilitate placement of the alternative front cover 433 in close proximity with array of canisters and still be capable of receiving an extension hose (e.g., extension hose 408 in Figure 4A) from the canister dock assembly in which the reaction canister is seated. In some embodiments, the alternative front cover 433 additionally includes a motor configured to drive the agitator 462 (i.e., the combination of the drive shaft 438 and the one or more agitator structures 439 connected thereto). In such configurations, the motor is disposed within the alternative front cover 433 rather than within the canister dock as described earlier.

[0303] The alternative front cover 433 includes a front cover body 434, a front cover rear plate 435, and a front cover front plate 437. The front cover body 434 covers (or at least substantially covers) the front end 404 of the reaction canister 401.

[0304] The front cover body 434 includes an integrated extension hose connection 407 on the backside of the front cover body 434 (also depicted in the “Rear View” inset of Figure 4H) that connects to an extension hose (e.g., extension hose 408 in Figure 4A). In operation, the alternative front cover 433 communicates / passes flue gas via path 419 from integrated extension hose connection 407, through the front cover body 434 (e.g., via ahollowed out path within the front cover body 434 structure), and the passageway 436 within the front cover rear plate 435 which is fluidly connected to the reaction canister input port.

[0305] The integrated extension hose connection 407 (Figure 4H) is a different structure than the flue gas supply adapter 409 (Figures 4D - 4F), but the two structures serve similar purposes at least in part in that both the integrated extension hose connection 407 of Figure 4H and the flue gas supply adapter 409 of Figures 4D - 4F both enable flue gas to flow into the reaction canister 401.

[0306] In particular, flue gas flows via path 419 through the integrated extension hose connection 407 within the front cover body 434 and into the interior volume 414 (Figures 4D and 4E) of the reaction canister 401 (Figures 4D-4E) via passageway 436 within the front cover rear plate 435 (Figure 4H). So, for embodiments that include the alternative front cover 433 configuration, the canister input port for the reaction canister may be fluidly connected to the passageway 436 (or perhaps even formed at least in part by passageway 436) of the alternative front cover 433 whereas for embodiments that include front cover 432 instead of alternative front cover 433, the canister input port 416 for the reaction canister may instead be positioned on or near the top side of the reaction canister 401 as depicted in Figures 4D, 4E, and 4F.

[0307] Returning to Figure 4D, the canister input port 416 is configured to pass flue gas comprising carbon dioxide from a flue gas generating appliance (e.g., condensing boiler 100 in Figures 1A-1B) into the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401 after the reaction canister has been inserted into a canister dock (e.g., canister dock 205 of Figure 2A or canister dock 500 of Figures 5A-5B) of a canister dock assembly (e.g., canister dock assembly 201 in Figure 2A). In operation, and as described earlier, the canister dock assembly is fluidly connected to the flue gas generating appliance, for example as shown in Figure IB. For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 4D, flue gas comprising carbon dioxide flows via path 418 through the canister input port 416 and into the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401 via the flue gas supply adapter 409.

[0308] As mentioned briefly above, the flue gas supply adapter 409 is configured to provide a connection sufficient for flue gas to flow from (i) a flue gas supply line (e.g., extension hose 408 in Figure 4A) extending from a supply port on the canister dock assembly (e.g., canister dock assembly 201 in Figure 2A) and (ii) the input port 416 of the reaction canister 401.

[0309] In some embodiments, the flue gas supply adapter 409 includes an input damper 411 hingeably moveable (e.g., via spring hinge 413) between an open position and aclosed position. In operation, the input damper 411 is configured to stay in the open position while the flue gas supply adapter 409 is connected to a flue gas supply line. For example, when an extension hose 408 (Figure 4A) is inserted into the flue gas supply adapter 409, the end of the extension hose pushes the input damper 411 inward to the open position, thereby enabling flue gas to pass from the extension hose into the flue gas supply adapter 409 and onward to the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401 via path 418. And when the extension hose is disconnected from the flue gas supply adapter 409, the spring hinge 413 causes input damper 411 to close. In some embodiments, the input damper is additionally or alternatively operated by one of a mechanical actuator or a pressure actuator.

[0310] In some embodiments, the flue gas supply adapter 409 additionally includes a replaceable filter arranged to allow flue gas to flow from the flue gas supply line (e.g., extension hose 408) into the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401 while blocking particles of chemical reactant and reaction product from escaping from the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister via the flue gas supply adapter 409. In other embodiments, such a filter may not be included in the flue gas supply adapter 409, and may instead be placed elsewhere inline with path 418. However, some embodiments may not include a filter for the flue gas supply adapter 409 or otherwise.

[0311] The reaction canister 401 also includes one or more agitator structures 439 disposed within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401. The one or more agitator structures 439 are attached to a driveshaft 438 that extends through at least a portion of the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister. The driveshaft 438 and the one or more agitator structures 439 together are sometimes more generally referred to as an agitator 462. The driveshaft 438 is configured to be driven by a motor, such as motor 514 (Figures 5A and 5B) in a canister dock 500 (Figures 5A and 5B). Driving the driveshaft 438 of the agitator 462 via the motor causes the one or more agitator structures 439 of the agitator 462 to move within the interior volume 414, thereby facilitating a chemical reaction between the chemical reactant contained within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401 and the carbon dioxide in flue gas that flows through the interior volume 414 of reaction canister 401.

[0312] The reaction canister 401 also includes an output port 431 configured to pass processed flue gas out from the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401 to an exhaust port of a flue gas processing system when the reaction canister 401 is inserted into a canister dock of a canister dock assembly of the flue gas processing system. For example, in some embodiments, the output port 431 of the reaction canister 401 is configured to pass processed flue gas from the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401 to an exhaust port (such asone of exhaust ports 222ai-7 in Figure 2D) of a flue gas routing assembly (such as flue gas routing assembly 202 in Figure 2B) that is connected to a canister dock assembly (such as canister dock assembly 201 in Figure 2A) of a flue gas processing system 200 (such as system 200 in Figures 2A and 2B) when the reaction canister 401 is inserted into the canister dock (such as canister dock 500 in Figures 5A and 5B) of the canister dock assembly.

[0313] In some embodiments, the output port 431 has a crescent or semi-crescent shape. In other embodiments, the output port 431 may take any other suitable shape.

[0314] In some examples, the reaction canister 401 additionally includes a tray 440 affixed to a bottom side of the outer surface 412 of the reaction canister 401. In some embodiments, the tray 440 is permanently affixed to the bottom of the reaction canister 401. In other embodiments, the tray 440 may be removable.

[0315] In operation, the tray 440 is configured to slide along one or more canister dock rolling members at least partially protruding from a canister dock base of a canister dock when the reaction canister 401 is inserted into and removed from the canister dock. For example, with reference to Figures 4D, 4E, 5A, and 5B, in some configurations, the tray 440 is configured to slide along one or more canister dock rolling members 504 protruding from a canister dock base 502 of the canister dock 500 when the reaction canister 401 is inserted into and removed from the canister dock 500. In some examples, the tray 440 comprises one or more recesses 441a, 441b, 441c, and 441d, where each of the recesses 441a, 441b, 441c, and 441 d is configured to accept a corresponding canister dock rolling member 504 protruding from the canister dock base 502 when the reaction canister 401 is correctly inserted into the canister dock 500.

[0316] In some embodiments, rather than the canister dock base including rolling members and the tray 440 including recesses to accept the rolling members on the canister dock base, the tray 440 has one or more rolling members and the canister dock base has recesses configured to accept the rolling members on the tray 440. For example, with reference to Figures 4D, 4E, 5 A, and 5B, in some configurations, elements 441a-d on the tray 440 are rolling members (rather than recesses) arranged to enable the reaction canister 401 to roll along a canister dock base 502 of the canister dock 500 when the reaction canister 401 is inserted into and removed from the canister dock 500. In such examples, at least a portion of each of the one or more rolling members 441 a-d is arranged to fit within a corresponding recess 504 in the canister dock base 502 when the reaction canister 401 is correctly inserted into the canister dock 500.

[0317] In some embodiments tray 440 and / or reaction canister 401 itself includes at least one of the rolling members positioned at a location near the rear end of the reaction canister 401 in a manner that allows the reaction canister 401 to be pulled like a rolling suitcase. For example, when the reaction canister is removed from the canister dock, one or more wheels or other suitable rolling members near the bottom of the reaction canister enable the reaction canister to roll along the ground when pulled by the handle 448 on the front cap 442.

[0318] The example reaction canister 401 also includes a front bracket 444 mounted to the front end 404 of the reaction canister 401. The front bracket 444 includes a driveshaft receiver 445 facing toward the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401 and configured to receive a front end of the driveshaft 438 connected to the one or more agitator structures 439 within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401.

[0319] The reaction canister driveshaft 438 extends through the interior volume of the 414 of the reaction canister 401 and exits the rear of the reaction canister via a reaction canister driveshaft passthrough 451 on the rear cap 450 (described further below). The portion of the reaction canister driveshaft 438 extending through the reaction canister driveshaft passthrough 451 includes a mating member 456. The mating member 456 on the driveshaft 438 is configured to engage a corresponding mating member on a drive mechanism connected to a drive motor arranged to drive the agitator 462 (i.e., the driveshaft 438 and one or more agitator structures 439 connected thereto). Additional details regarding how the driveshaft 438 is coupled to a drive mechanism connected to a motor within the canister dock are shown and described with reference to Figure 5F.

[0320] The combination of the mating member 456 on the reaction canister driveshaft 438 and the corresponding mating member 552 (Figure 5F) on the canister dock driveshaft 518 (Figure 5F) with the first knob 554a near one end of the mating member 552 and the second knob 554b near the other end of the mating member 552 (referred to as the driveshaft coupling arrangement 550 in Figure 5F) provides flexibility when inserting and removing the reaction canister because the mating member 456 on the reaction canister driveshaft 438 does not need to be perfectly aligned with the driveshaft coupling arrangement 550 of the canister dock upon insertion and / or removal. However, the mating member 456 on the reaction canister driveshaft 438 is capable of readily engaging the driveshaft coupling arrangement 550 of the canister dock after the reaction canister 401 has been inserted into the canister dock because the member 552 on the canister dock can be rotated to cause the first knob 554aand the second knob 554b to engage the mating member 456 on the reaction canister driveshaft 438.

[0321] When agitation is stopped, the motor in the canister dock can rotate the driveshaft coupling arrangement 550 (Figure 5F) to a position that allows the first knob 554a and the second knob 554b to disengage the mating member 456 on the reaction canister driveshaft 438, thereby enabling the reaction canister 401 to be removed from the canister dock more easily as compared to a situation where the first knob 554a and the second knob 554b might otherwise tightly engage the mating member 456 on the reaction canister driveshaft 438. As mentioned earlier, the electric motor 514 (Figures 5A and 5B) within the canister dock in some configurations comprises a DC brushless motor. In some embodiments, the electric motor 514 may be any of a DC brushed motor, a servo motor, a stepper motor, or any other type of electric motor now known or later developed that is suitable for driving an agitator (e.g., agitator 462 in Figures 4D and 4E and / or agitator 562 in Figure 5F) in the manner described herein.

[0322] In embodiments where the electric motor 514 (Figures 5A and 5B) comprises a stepper motor, the position of the coupling arrangement 550 (Figure 5F) at any given time is known based on the position of the stepper motor. In operation, when the motor 514 is activated to start agitating the contents of the reaction canister 401 (sometimes referred to generally as agitating the reaction canister), the motor 514 “ramps up” its torque to cause the coupling arrangement 550 to smoothly engage the mating member 456 (Figure 4D) on the reaction canister driveshaft 438 so as to prevent (or at least substantially avoid) a scenario where the first knob 554a and the second knob 554b of the coupling arrangement 550 “strike” (or “strike” with an undesirable amount of force) the mating member 456 of the canister driveshaft 438 when the motor 514 starts up.

[0323] In some embodiments, the reaction canister 401 additionally includes a front cap 442 arranged to seal the front end 404 of the reaction canister 401. The front cover 432 covers at least a portion of the front cap 442. In operation, the front cap 442 interfaces with the front bracket 444. In some embodiments, the front cap 442 is moveable between an open position and a closed position. For instance, in some embodiments, the front cap 442 is hingeably moveable (e.g., via hinge 443 in Figure 4E) between an open position and a closed position. In the closed position, the front cap 442 is configured to seal the front end 404 of the reaction canister 401. And in the open position, the front cap 442 reveals at least enough of the front bracket 444 to allow (i) chemical reactant to be added to the interior volume 414of the reaction canister 401 and (ii) reaction product to be removed from the interior volume 414 of reaction canister 401.

[0324] In some configurations, the hinge 443 is positioned on the outside of the front cap 442 and configured to allow the front cap 442 to open and close against the front bracket 444. Some configurations include one or more seals, gaskets, or similar structures on one or both of the (i) the surface of the front bracket 444 that physically interfaces with the front cap 442 and / or (ii) the surface of the front cap 442 that physically interfaces with the front bracket 444. In operation, the one or more seals, gaskets, or other structures seal the front cap 442 against the front bracket 444, thereby preventing (or substantially reducing the likelihood) of flue gas within the reaction canister 401 from escaping via the front cap 442. In some configurations, the hinge 443 also includes and / or works in cooperation with a tightening mechanism (e.g., a wing nut or similar) that enables the front cap 442 to be held down tightly against the front bracket 444 when in the closed position.

[0325] Rather than an external hinge 443 as depicted in Figure 4E, some embodiments may alternatively implement an internal hinge. In such embodiments, the internal hinge functions in substantially the same way as the external hinge 443 except that the internal hinge is not visible from the outside of the reaction canister 401 when the front cap 442 is in the closed position against the front bracket 444.

[0326] In some configurations, the hinge for the front cap 442 individually or in combination with the geometry of the front cap 442 is arranged so that, when the front cap 442 of the reaction canister 401 is in the open position, the front cap 442 does not interfere with (or at least reduces the likelihood of interference with) an adjacent reaction canister. For example, opening the front cap on one reaction canister does not block the front cap on an adjacent reaction canister from opening.

[0327] To facilitate adding chemical reactant to the reaction canister 401 and removing reaction product from the reaction canister 401, the front bracket 444 additionally includes one or more openings or passthroughs. For example, the front bracket 444 includes passthrough 446 that allows both (i) chemical reactant to be introduced into the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401 via path 447, and (ii) reaction product to be removed from the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401 via path 447. In operation, passthrough 446 allows chemical reactant to be added to the reaction canister and reaction product to be removed from the reaction canister 401 without having to remove the agitator structures 439.

[0328] In some embodiments, one or more (or all) of the front cover 432, the front cap 442, the front bracket 444, the outer surface 412 of the reaction canister 401, the rear bracket 449, and / or the rear cap 450 are made via a “brake bending” process or other suitable metal fabrication technique where a machine bends sheet metal (e.g., stainless steel or other suitable metal alloy) into a desired shape as compared to a sheet metal stamping and forming technique. In some configurations, one or more (or all) of the front cover 432, the front cap 442, the front bracket 444, the rear bracket 449, and / or the rear cap 450 are formed from a 3D printing process. In some embodiments, the front cover 432 and / or the front cap 442 can include a product or company name, logo, or other iconography.

[0329] In some embodiments, the body 460 (Figures 4E and 4F) of the reaction canister 401 is in whole or in part formed from composite materials in addition to or instead of stainless steel or other suitable metal alloy. For example, in some embodiments, the body 460 of the reaction canister 401 is formed from carbon fiber. In some configurations, the outer surface 412 of the body 460 of the reaction canister 401 is formed from carbon fiber while an inner surface of the body 460 of the reaction canister 401 (the surface facing the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401) is formed from stainless steel or other suitable metal alloy.

[0330] Stainless steel is a desirable material for at least the inner surface of the reaction canister 401 because stainless steel tends to be resistant to corrosion. However, other corrosion-resistant metals and metal alloys could be used as well. Carbon fiber is a desirable material for the outer surface 412 of the reaction canister 401 because carbon fiber is both lightweight and durable. However, other durable and lightweight materials could be used as well.

[0331] In some configurations, the front cover 432 includes multi-color LED lighting that is configured to indicate an operational status of the reaction canister. For example, the LED lighting can emit green light when the reaction canister is operating as intended / expected, blue light when the reaction canister is ready for harvesting, and / or red light when the reaction canister is experiencing (or has experienced) a fault condition.

[0332] In some configurations, the LED lights are positioned on the backside of the front cover 432 (i.e., the side facing the front cap 442, and arranged to illuminate the surface of the front cap 442. When viewed from the front of the reaction canister, the colored light reflected from the front cap 442 gives the appearance that the reaction canister is “glowing” with the then-configured color of the LED lighting.

[0333] Returning to the front cap 442, in some configurations, the front cap 442 includes a handle 448 arranged to facilitate general handling of the canister, including facilitating insertion of the reaction canister 401 into the canister dock (e.g., canister dock 500) and removal of the reaction canister 401 from the canister dock. While Figures 4E and 4F depict a folding handle 448, other embodiments include any other type of handle that is sufficient to help facilitate insertion and removal of the reaction canister 401 into and out of the canister dock. In operation, and as described earlier, individual reaction canisters can be inserted into and removed from the canister dock assembly while the flue gas generating appliance is generating flue gas without disturbing the operation of other reaction canisters installed within the canister dock assembly. In some embodiments, handle 448 may be in a location different than on the front cap 442. For example, the handle 448 could instead be integrated with the front cover 432 or positioned elsewhere near the front end 404 of the reaction canister 401 in a location and position useful for facilitating insertion / removal of the reaction canister 401 into / from the canister dock assembly.

[0334] In some embodiments, and as described in more detail with reference to Figure 4B, the front cap a front cap 442 additionally or alternatively includes one or more (or all) of (i) a screen 422 configured to display one or more of a digital label associated with the reaction canister 400, contents of the reaction canister 400, or operational data collected by the one or more sensors, (ii) one or more LED indicators 424a-c configured to indicate an operational state of the reaction canister 400, or (iii) one or more physical control surfaces 426a-b that, when actuated, cause the reaction canister 401 to perform one or more functions.

[0335] The reaction canister 401 also includes the previously-mentioned rear bracket 449 (e.g., Figures 4D-4E). The rear bracket 449 mounted to a rear end 402 of the reaction canister 401 and a rear cap 450 mounted to the rear bracket 449.

[0336] Figure 4G shows a perspective view of an example rear cap 450 for a reaction canister 401 according to some embodiments. In some configurations, the rear cap 450 includes a reaction canister driveshaft passthrough 451 via which at least a portion of the reaction canister driveshaft 438 (Figures 4D and 4E) connected to the one or more agitator structures 439 (Figures 4D and 4E) extends from within the interior volume 414 (Figures 4D and 4E) of the reaction canister 401 to connect to a drive mechanism connected to a drive motor external to the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401. The driveshaft passthrough 451 (Figures 4E and 4G) may have a different shape or configuration than the driveshaft passthrough 430 (Figure 4C), but the two structures serve similar purposes at least in part in that the driveshaft passthrough 451 and driveshaft passthrough 430 both allow atleast a portion of the reaction canister driveshaft 438 to extend from the reaction canister for the purpose of interfacing with the drive mechanism connected to the drive motor that is configured to drive the agitator structures within the reaction canister.

[0337] The rear cap 450 also includes the reaction canister output port 431 (mentioned above and shown in Figures 4E and 4G). In some configurations, the reaction canister output port 431 includes an output damper 452 (Figure 4E) hingeably moveable (e.g., via spring hinge 453 (Figure 4E)) between an open position and a closed position. In operation, the output damper 452 is configured to stay in the open position while the reaction canister 401 is seated in the canister dock. For example, in some embodiments, when reaction canister 401 is seated in the canister dock, an exhaust port (e.g., exhaust ports 222ai shown and described with reference to Figures 2B and 2D) extending from a return duct (e.g., return duct 224a shown and described with reference to Figures 2B and 2D) is inserted into the reaction canister output port 431. The insertion of the return duct into the reaction canister output port 431 pushes the output damper 452 of the reaction canister output port 431 inward to the open position, thereby enabling processed flue gas to pass from the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401 out to the return duct via path 455 (Figure 4D). And when the reaction canister 401 is removed from the canister dock (and thus the exhaust port is removed from the reaction canister output port 431) the spring hinge 453 causes output damper 452 to close.

[0338] In some embodiments the reaction canister output port 431 additionally accommodates a filter arranged to allow processed flue gas to flow out from the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401 to the exhaust port on the canister dock assembly while also blocking particles of chemical reactant and / or reaction product from flowing out from the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister via the reaction canister output port 431. In some examples, the filter is replaceable.

[0339] Returning to Figure 4E, in some configurations, the rear bracket 449 is permanently welded or otherwise affixed to the reaction canister 401, and provides a structure onto which the rear cap 450 is mounted. Configurations where the rear bracket 449 is permanently welded or otherwise affixed to the reaction canister 401 to provide a structure for mounting the rear cap 450 provides several advantages.

[0340] First, configurations where the rear bracket 449 is permanently welded or otherwise affixed to the reaction canister 401 to provide a structure for mounting the rear cap 450 to the rear bracket 449 allows the rear cap to be replaced from time to time.

[0341] For example, a first rear cap (having a first configuration) can be used for a first type of chemical reactant while a second rear cap (having a second configuration) can be used for a second type of chemical reactant. This type of modularity can be useful in scenarios where, for example, it may be advantageous to use differently -configured agitator structures 439 for different types of chemical reactants, where the differently -configured agitator structures 439 have different driveshaft 438 configurations that may need to be accommodated by differently-shaped driveshaft passthroughs 451 on the rear cap 450.

[0342] In another example, recall from earlier that the reaction canister output port 431 on the rear cap 450 in some embodiments additionally accommodates a filter arranged to allow processed flue gas to flow out from the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401 to the exhaust port on the canister dock assembly while also blocking particles of chemical reactant and / or reaction product from flowing out from the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister via the reaction canister output port 431. In some configurations, the filter may be removable and replaceable. But in other configurations, the filter may be integrally incorporated into the rear cap 450, so that the filter can be replaced by replacing the entire rear cap 450.

[0343] In yet another example, in some scenarios, it may be advantageous for a reaction canister 401 to use both (i) differently -configured agitator structures 439 (with different driveshaft 438 configurations) and (ii) differently-configured filters with different chemical reactants. For example, a first chemical reactant may have very fine particles which may (i) benefit for a particular type of agitator structure 439 and (ii) a relatively “fine mesh” filter arranged to block very fine particles of the chemical reactant from passing through the reaction canister output port 431. And a second chemical reactant may have comparatively larger particles that may (i) benefit from a different type of agitator structure 439 and (ii) a relatively stronger, “coarse mesh” filter arranged to block the comparatively larger particles from pass through the reaction canister output port 431. In such configurations, a first rear cap 450 (having a first type of filter and a first driveshaft passthrough 451 configuration) can be installed on the reaction canister 401 when the reaction canister 401 is filled with the first chemical reactant, and a second rear cap 450 (having a second type of filter and a second driveshaft passthrough 451 configuration) can be installed on the reaction canister 401 when the reaction canister 401 is filled with the second chemical reactant. Such an arrangement can prevent accidental mismatch between the filter and driveshaft passthroughconfigurations.

[0344] In some embodiments, the reaction canister 401 also includes one or more sensors disposed at one or more locations within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401. In some examples, the one or more sensors include one or more sensors configured to measure one or more (or all) of: (i) a temperature of the flue gas within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401; (ii) a temperature of the chemical reactant within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401; (iii) a temperature of a reaction product within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401; (iv) an amount of carbon dioxide in the flue gas within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401; (v) a humidity of the flue gas within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401; (vi) a viscosity of the chemical reactant within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401; (vii) a viscosity of the reaction product within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401; (viii) a speed of the one or more agitator structures within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401; (ix) a torque of the one or more agitator structures within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401; (x) a current draw of a motor configured to drive the one or more agitator structures within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401; (xi) a weight of the chemical reactant and the reaction product within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401; and (xii) a mass of the chemical reactant and the reaction product within the interior volume 414 of the reaction canister 401.

[0345] In some embodiments, and as mentioned previously, the reaction canister (e.g., reaction canister 400 (Figures 4A - 4C) and / or reaction canister 401 (Figures 4D - 4F)) additionally includes (i) one or more communication interfaces, (ii) one or more processors, and (iii) tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media storing program instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the reaction canister to perform, among other features: (a) collecting operational data from the one or more sensors and (b) transmitting at least some of the operational data collected from the one or more sensors to a computing system (e.g., the FGPS system shown and described with reference to Figure IB) via the one or more communication interfaces.V. Example Canister Dock Embodiments

[0346] Figure 5A shows a first perspective view of an individual canister dock 500 according to some embodiments. Figure 5B shows a second perspective view of the individual canister dock 500 according to some embodiments.

[0347] The individual canister dock 500 depicted in Figures 5A and 5B is the same (or substantially the same) as the canister docks depicted in the canister dock assembly 201shown and described with reference to Figure 2A, including but not limited to canister dock 205. Canister dock 500 is configured to house any of the reaction canister embodiments disclosed and described herein, including but not limited to reaction canisters 207a-h (Figure 2A and 2D), reaction canister 400 (Figures 4A-C), and reaction canister 507 (Figures 5C-D).

[0348] Canister dock 500 has a first end 530 and a second end 532 that is opposite the first end 530. In some embodiments, the first end 530 is the “front” of the canister dock 500 and the second end 532 is the “rear” of the canister dock 500. However, in other instances, the first end 530 could be considered the “rear” of the canister dock 500 and the second end 532 could be considered the “front” of the canister dock 500. Regardless of the front / rear designations, the first end 530 of the canister dock 500 is the end into which a reaction canister is installed into the canister dock 500, and the second end 532 is the end where the canister dock 500 connects to the flue gas routing assembly 202 (Figure 2B).A. Example Canister Dock Rolling Members

[0349] Canister dock 500 comprises a canister dock base 502 along the bottom of the canister dock 500. The canister dock base 502 includes several rolling members 504 over which a reaction canister slides / rolls as the reaction canister is inserted into and removed from the canister dock 500. In some embodiments, the rolling members 504 comprise wheels housed in inlets / recesses in the canister dock base 502. In other embodiments, the rolling members may take any other form now known or later developed that is suitable for enabling a reaction canister to slide in and out of the canister dock 500.,

[0350] The example canister dock 500 depicted in Figures 5A and 5B includes six rolling members (including rolling member 504), but other canister dock embodiments may have more or fewer rolling members than the six rolling members shown in example canister dock 500.

[0351] Although the examples depicted in Figures 5A and 5B show the rolling members 504 along the bottom of the canister dock 500, alternative embodiments may additionally or alternatively include rolling members on the reaction canister. For example, in some embodiments, the reaction canisters may include rolling members, and the canister dock base 502 may be flat and / or include notches to accept the rolling members when the reaction canister is correctly installed into the canister dock 500.B. Example Reaction Canister Interface

[0352] The canister dock 500 also includes a reaction canister interface 506 at the second end 532 of the canister dock 500. The reaction canister interface 506 in Figures 5A and 5B is similar to or the same as reaction canister interface 209 shown and described with reference to Figure 2 A.

[0353] When a reaction canister is seated within the canister dock 500, the reaction canister interface 506 connects the canister dock 500 to at least one of (i) an inlet port of the reaction canister via which flue gas can pass from a service duct (e.g., service duct 218a in Figure 2D) to the reaction canister, or (ii) an output port of the reaction canister via which flue gas can pass from the reaction canister to a return duct (e.g., return duct 224a in Figure 2D). In the example shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the reaction canister interface 506 connects the canister dock 500 to an output port of the reaction canister via which flue gas can pass from the reaction canister to a return duct (e.g., return duct 224a in Figure 2D).

[0354] The reaction canister inlet and output ports are described with reference to Figures 4A-F. In particular, an individual reaction canister 400 (and 401) has a reaction canister inlet port (e.g., comprising or at least in fluid connection with an extension hose attachment 406 in Figure 4A or flue gas supply adapter 409 in Figures 4D-4F) at the front end 404 of the reaction canister 400 (and 401) configured to receive flue gas (e.g., conditioned flue gas) and a reaction canister output port 431 (Figure 4C, 4D, and 4E) at the rear end 402 of the reaction canister 400 (and 401) configured to exhaust flue gas (e.g., processed flue gas) from the reaction canister 400 (and 401). In embodiments consistent with the example reaction canister 400 embodiments shown and described with reference to Figure 4C, the reaction canister interface 506 connects the canister dock 500 to the reaction canister output port 431 via which flue gas (e.g., processed flue gas) can pass from the reaction canister 400 to the return duct of the column in which the reaction canister 400 is installed. Additional details about return ducts (and columns that include a service duct and a return duct) are shown and described with reference to Figures 2B (showing a flue gas routing assembly 202 with three columns) and 2D (showing details of an individual column).

[0355] Returning to Figures 5A and 5B, in some embodiments, the canister dock 500 additionally includes a damper configured to selectively (i) allow flue gas to pass from the reaction canister to the return duct (e.g., any of return ducts 224a-c) while the reaction canister is seated within the canister dock 500, and (ii) block flue gas in the return duct from exiting the return duct at the reaction canister interface 506 when a reaction canister is notseated within the canister dock 500. In some embodiments where the canister dock 500 includes a damper for the reaction canister seated therein, the damper is positioned within (and perhaps is a component of) port 508 on the canister dock 500 via which flue gas (e.g., processed flue gas) passes from the reaction canister seated within the canister dock 500 to an exhaust port (e.g., any of exhaust ports 222ai-7 shown and described with reference to Figures 2B and 2D) of the return duct (e.g., return duct 224a shown and described with reference to Figures 2B and 2D).

[0356] In some embodiments that include the above-described damper, rather than being positioned within (or perhaps a component of) port 508 on the canister dock 500, the damper is instead positioned within (or perhaps a component of) the exhaust port (e.g., any of exhaust ports 222ai-7 shown and described with reference to Figures 2B and 2D) of the return duct (e.g., return duct 224a shown and described with reference to Figures 2B and 2D).C. Example Reaction Canister Interlock Mechanism

[0357] In some embodiments, the canister dock 500 additionally includes an electronically-controlled latching mechanism. In some instances, and as illustrated in the example shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the latching mechanism is implemented by one or more components of the reaction canister interface 506 in combination with one or more components of the reaction canister seated within the reaction canister 500.

[0358] In some embodiments, the latching mechanism can be engaged and disengaged via control(s) on the front of the canister dock assembly. In some examples, the control(s) for engaging and disengaging the latching mechanism are located near the canister dock opening 236 (Figure 2A and 2C) of the canister dock 500. In other examples, the control(s) for engaging and disengaging the latching mechanism are additionally or alternatively located in a central control panel for the flue gas processing system. In some embodiments, the central control panel may be a component of and / or interfaced with the system control module 170 (Figure IB).

[0359] In some embodiments, the electronically-controlled latching mechanism comprises a set of locking members 520a-d. In operation, the locking members 520a-d are configured to (i) engage a reaction canister as the reaction canister is installed into the canister dock 500, (ii) lock the reaction canister into the canister dock 500 while the reaction canister is seated in the canister dock 500, thereby holding the reaction canister in place during operation, and (iii) disengage the reaction canister when the reaction canister is to be removed from the canister dock 500, thereby enabling the reaction canister to be removedfrom the canister dock 500 to facilitate harvesting of reaction product from the reaction canister.

[0360] In some instances, when the reaction canister is inserted into the canister dock, the locking members 520a-d engage corresponding slot structures 428a-d (Figure 4C) on the rear face 421 of the reaction canister 400. As the reaction canister 400 is pushed into the canister dock 500, each of the locking members 520a-d intersects with the corresponding slot structure 428a-d on the rear face 421 of the reaction canister 400. At least a portion of each locking member 520a-d enters its corresponding slot structure 428a-d. In some embodiments, after at least a portion of each locking member 520a-d has entered its corresponding slot structure 428a-d on the rear face 421 of the reaction canister 400, the locking members 520a-d are manipulated (e.g., via rotation powered by an electric motor) to move from the larger portions of the slot structures 428a-d to the smaller portions of the slot structure 428a-d, thereby mechanically locking the reaction canister 400 into the canister dock 500.

[0361] Although four locking members 520a-d and four corresponding slot structures 428a-d are shown in the example embodiment, alternative embodiments may include only a single locking member on the canister dock 500 with a single corresponding slot structure on the rear face 421 of the reaction canister. Some alternative embodiments may include more than one but fewer than four locking members and corresponding slot structures. Further alternative embodiments may include more than four locking members and corresponding slot structures.

[0362] Further, while the example embodiment shows the locking members 520a-d on the canister dock 500 with the slot structures 428a-d on the reaction canister, alternative embodiments may include slot structures on the canister dock with locking members on the reaction canister. And while the example embodiment shows locking members on the rear end 402 of the reaction canister 400, other embodiments may additionally or alternatively include locking members on or near the front end 404 of the reaction canister 400 near the canister dock opening 236 (Figure 2A and 2C). In operation, any type of locking mechanism now known or later developed that is suitable for forming a mechanical interlock between the canister dock and the reaction canister could be used.D. Example Canister Dock Controller

[0363] Returning to Figures 5A and 5B, in some embodiments, the canister dock 500 additionally includes a canister dock controller 512. The canister dock controller 512comprises one or more processors. In some embodiments, the canister dock controller 512 additionally includes tangible, non-transitory computer readable media with program instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the canister dock controller 512, individually or perhaps in combination with one or other computing devices / systems, to perform any of the canister dock and / or flue gas processing system features and functions disclosed herein.

[0364] In operation, the canister dock controller 512 is configured to monitor and control operation of a reaction canister (not shown) seated within the canister dock 500.

[0365] In some embodiments, the canister dock controller 512 comprises a control board that houses the one or more processors and / or computer readable media. In some instances, the control board comprises an Arduino board, a Raspberry Pi board, a Raspberry Pi Pico board, or any other suitable processor or set of processors and memory. In some embodiments, the control board implements predefined logic to control one or more operational functions of the canister dock 500 and / or the reaction canister housed within the canister dock 500. In some embodiments, the canister dock controller 512 communicates and coordinates with the system control module 170 (Figure IB) of the flue gas processing system. In some examples, the canister dock controller 512 for a particular canister dock 500 sends sensor data from sensors within a reaction canister seated within the canister dock 500 and / or sensors associated with that particular canister dock (or the reaction canister seated therein) to the system control module 170, and the system control module 170 collects, aggregates, reports, etc. the sensor data received from all of the canister dock controllers within the flue gas processing system.

[0366] In some embodiments, and as illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B, each canister dock 500 has its own, independent canister dock controller 512. In other embodiments, the first canister dock in a column (or row) contains a canister dock controller 512 with one or more processors configured to monitor and control operation of all the reaction canisters installed in the column (or row) rather than each canister dock 500 having its own independent canister dock controller 512.

[0367] In some embodiments, and as illustrated in Figures 5A-B, the canister dock controller 512 is at the second end 532 of the canister dock 500 near the electric motor 514 (described below).

[0368] In some embodiments, the flue gas processing system includes a central power supply (not shown) that provides electric power to each canister dock controller 512 and each electric motor 514. In some embodiments, the central power supply is positioned within oradjacent to the flue gas processing system in a location that is off the ground (e.g., to avoid damage in the event that the room in which the flue gas processing system is located experiences minor flooding from a water leak or similar problem) and easily accessible by service personnel for maintenance. In some embodiments, the power feed for the canister dock controllers is separate from the power feed for the electric motors in part because the electric motors tend to require higher voltage and greater current than the canister dock controllers. Thus, in some examples, each canister dock 500 has one power line for the canister dock controller 512 and a second power line for the electric motor 514.E. Example Canister Dock Agitator Motor

[0369] In some embodiments, the canister dock 500 additionally includes an electric motor 514 controlled at least in part by the canister dock controller 512. When a reaction canister is seated within the canister dock 500, the electric motor 514 is configured to drive an agitator 562 (Figure 5F) enclosed within the reaction canister. As described previously, the agitator 562 is arranged to facilitate reaction between flue gas and chemical reactant within the reaction canister.

[0370] Some embodiments that include the electric motor 514 also include a drive 516 with a driveshaft 518. With reference to Figures 4A-C again, when a reaction canister 400 is seated within the canister dock 500, the driveshaft 518 of the canister dock 500 connects to a driveshaft passthrough 430 of the reaction canister via the rear face 421 of the reaction canister 400. The driveshaft passthrough 430 is mechanically coupled to the agitator 562 (Figure 5F) enclosed within the reaction canister 400. In operation, the electric motor 514 operates the drive 516 which turns the driveshaft 518 to operate the agitator 562 enclosed within the reaction canister 400 via the driveshaft passthrough 430 of the reaction canister 400 when the reaction canister 400 is seated in the canister dock 500.

[0371] Implementing the electric motor 514 as a component of the canister dock 500 rather than as a component of the reaction canister 400 enables a lighter weight reaction canister 400 since the electric motor 514 is on the canister dock 500 rather than the reaction canister 400. This may tend to make handling of the reaction canister easier, more efficient, and / or safer.

[0372] Although the example in Figures 5A-B and Figure 5F shows a driveshaft 518 extending from the canister dock 500 and a driveshaft passthrough 430 on the reaction canister configured to receive at least a portion of the driveshaft 518, alternative embodiments may instead include a driveshaft extending from the rear of the reactioncanister 400 and a driveshaft passthrough on the canister dock 500 configured to receive at least a portion of the driveshaft extending from the reaction canister. Any other set of components now known or later developed that is suitable for enabling an electric motor on the canister dock 500 to drive an agitator within the reaction canister could be used as well.

[0373] In some embodiments, the electric motor 514 comprises a DC brushless motor. In other embodiments, the electric motor 514 may be any of a DC brushed motor, a servo motor, a stepper motor, or any other type of electric motor now known or later developed that is suitable for driving an agitator 562 in the manner described herein.

[0374] In some embodiments, and as described previously, each canister dock 500 includes an amperage sensor configured to measure the current drawn by the electric motor 514. In some examples, the canister dock controller 512 (described above) uses the amperage sensor to monitor how much current the electric motor 514 draws when driving the agitator 562 within the reaction canister. Situations when the electric motor 514 draws more than a threshold (or otherwise predetermined) amount of current suggest that the mixture of chemical reactant and reaction product within the canister is becoming more difficult to agitate, which could indicate several conditions, including that (i) the reaction canister is experiencing the aforementioned moisture-induced “clumping” and / or (ii) the reaction product in the reaction canister is ready for harvesting.F. Example Canister Dock Weight Sensor Configurations

[0375] Figure 5C shows an underside perspective view of the first end 530 of the canister dock 500 hingeably attached to the first end 531 of the canister dock assembly 501 according to some embodiments. The canister dock assembly 501 shown in Figure 5C corresponds to a portion of the canister dock assembly 201 shown and described with reference to Figure 2 A.

[0376] In the example shown in Figure 5C, the first end 530 of the canister dock 500 is attached to the first end 531 of the canister dock assembly 501 via a moveable attachment mechanism. In some embodiments, the moveable attachment mechanism comprises a hinge 510 (or similar hinge-like structure) having (i) a first portion 522 that attaches to the canister dock base 502 at a first end 530 of the canister dock 500 and (ii) a second portion 524 that attaches to the first end 531 of the canister dock assembly 501 in a manner that allows the first end 530 of the canister dock 500 to pivot relative to the first end 531 of the canister dock assembly 501.

[0377] Figure 5C also shows a reaction canister 507 seated within the canister dock 500 for reference. Additionally Figure 5C shows the bottom side of rolling member 504 (also shown in Figures 5A and 5B) protruding from the bottom of the canister dock base 502 of the canister dock 500.

[0378] Figure 5D shows a first perspective view of an example weight sensor 540 at the second end 533 of the canister dock assembly 501 arranged to measure the weight of a reaction canister seated within the canister dock 500 according to some embodiments. The second end 533 of the canister dock assembly 501 is the end opposite to the first end 531 (Figure 5C) of the canister dock assembly 501.

[0379] In the embodiment shown in Figure 5D, a portion of the canister dock base 502 at the second end 532 of the canister dock 500 rests on the weight sensor 540. The weight sensor 540 is affixed to a shelf 542 at the second end 533 of the canister dock assembly 501. However, the weight sensor 540 could be affixed to any other suitable structure.

[0380] In operation, the weight sensor 540 is configured to monitor a weight of a reaction canister 507 seated within the canister dock 500 over time as flue gas reacts with reactant contained within the reaction canister 507. Because the canister dock 500 is free to pivot at the first end 530 (via the hinge mechanism) while the canister dock 500 rests on the weight sensor 540 at the second end 532 (opposite the first end 530), the force measured by the weight sensor 540 changes as a function of the weight of the reaction canister 507 within the canister dock 500. In operation, the force measured by the weight sensor 540 can be initialized / calibrated at the time that the reaction canister 507 is initially installed into the canister dock 500, e.g., to set an initial weight measurement. And then deviation from the initial weight can be tracked over time to help monitor the status of the chemical reaction occurring within the reaction canister 507.

[0381] In some embodiments, a freshly -filled reaction canister can be weighed before being sent out to the field for installation into a canister dock of a flue gas processing system, and the weight can be logged in a network database. The weight sensor 540 of the canister dock into which the reaction canister is to be installed can be initialized / calibrated before installing the reaction canister into the canister dock. The flue gas processing system can obtain the weight of the new canister from the network database. And when the new canister is installed into the canister dock, the flue gas processing system can record the weight measured by the weight sensor 540. The weight of the new reaction canister may differ from the weight measured by the weight sensor 540 because some of the weight of the reactioncanister is bome by the other end of the canister dock. However, having the two weights can be correlated so that changes in the weight measured by the weight sensor 540 can be used to estimate changes in the total weight of the reaction canister.

[0382] Figure 5E shows a second perspective view of the example weight sensor 540 arranged to measure the weight of a reaction canister seated within the canister dock according to some embodiments. Figure 5E shows a portion of the second end 533 of the canister dock assembly 501 without a canister dock (e.g., canister dock 500 shown in Figures 5A-D) or a reaction canister (e.g., reaction canister 507 shown in Figures 5A-D).

[0383] The above-described canister dock weight sensor configuration can be used both for (i) tracking of the change in weight of the reaction canister 507 housed within the canister dock 500 over time, and (ii) inputs to real-time (or quasi real-time) control techniques, such as the ones described with reference to method 700 (Figure 7).G. Example Driveshaft Coupling

[0384] Figure 5F shows an example agitator driveshaft coupling arrangement 550 between a canister dock driveshaft 518 and an agitator driveshaft 556 according to some embodiments. The driveshaft 556 (Figure 5F) may have a different shape or configuration than the driveshaft 438 (Figures 4D and 4E), but the two structures serve similar purposes at least in part in that the driveshaft 556 and driveshaft 438 are both arranged to drive agitation structures within the reaction canister.

[0385] Referring back to Figures 5A and Figures 4A-C for context, the canister dock 500 includes an electric motor 514 connected to a drive 516 (also shown in Figure 5F) which operates the canister dock driveshaft 518 (also shown in Figure 5F) extending from the canister dock 500. When a reaction canister 400 is seated within the canister dock 500, the canister dock driveshaft 518 drives the agitator 562 enclosed within the reaction canister 400 via the agitator driveshaft 556, which extends through the driveshaft passthrough 430 on the rear face 421 of the reaction canister 400.

[0386] In operation, the electric motor 514 operates the drive 516 which turns the canister dock driveshaft 518. The canister dock driveshaft 518 is coupled to the agitator driveshaft 556 via the driveshaft coupling arrangement 550 to operate the agitator 562 enclosed within the reaction canister 400 when the reaction canister 400 is seated in the canister dock 500.

[0387] Inset 570 shows aspects of an example agitator 562 enclosed within the reaction canister. The agitator 562 includes a paddle / blade 560 structure connected to theagitator driveshaft 556 at three locations along the length of the agitator driveshaft 556 enclosed within the reaction canister 400 (Figures 4A-C). The agitator driveshaft 556 has a mating member 558 configured to engage a corresponding mating member 552 attached to the canister dock driveshaft 518 to form the driveshaft coupling arrangement 550 between the canister dock driveshaft 518 and the agitator driveshaft 556.

[0388] The agitator 562 (Figure 5F) may have a different shape or configuration than the agitator 462 (Figures 4D and 4D), but the two structures serve similar purposes at least in part in that the agitator 562 and agitator 462 are both arranged designed to agitate, stir, blend, mix, and / or chum, etc. the chemical reactant and / or reaction product contained within the reaction canister.

[0389] Similarly, the mating member 558 (Figure 5F) may have a different shape or configuration than the mating member 456 (Figure 4D), but the two structures serve similar purposes at least in part in that the mating member 558 and mating member 456 are both arranged to interface with a corresponding mating member attached to the canister dock driveshaft to form a driveshaft coupling between the canister dock and the reaction canister to enable the motor within the canister dock to drive the agitation structures within the reaction canister.

[0390] Similarly, the paddle / blade 560 (Figure 5F) may have a different shape or configuration than the agitation structures 439 (Figures 4D and 4E), but the two structures serve similar purposes at least in part in that the paddle / blade 560 and agitation structures 439 are both components of the agitator 462 or 562 that are designed to agitate, stir, blend, mix, and / or chum, etc. the chemical reactant and / or reaction product contained within the reaction canister.

[0391] Figure 5F shows aspects of the driveshaft coupling arrangement 550 between the canister dock driveshaft 518 and the agitator driveshaft 556. The agitator driveshaft 556 extends through the driveshaft passthrough 430 of the reaction canister 400. Figure 5F shows the driveshaft passthrough 430 of the reaction canister 400 but does not illustrate the rear face 421 of the reaction canister 400 or the outer enclosure of the reaction canister 400 in order to better illustrate the components involved in driving the agitator 562.

[0392] The mating member 552 on the canister dock driveshaft 518 has a first knob 554a near one end of the mating member 552 and a second knob 554b near the other end of the mating member 552. The first knob 554a has a first guide slot 555a configured to physically interface with one side of the mating member 558 of the agitator driveshaft 556, and the second knob 554b has a second guide slot 555b configured to physically interfacewith the other side of the mating member 558 of the agitator driveshaft 556. When the canister dock driveshaft 518 turns, the first knob 554a and the second knob 554b engage the mating member 558 of the agitator driveshaft 556 and cause the agitator driveshaft 556 to turn in a 1:1 ratio with the canister dock driveshaft 518.

[0393] In some embodiments, when the reaction canister 400 is first inserted in the canister dock 500, the canister dock drive 516 rotates the canister dock driveshaft 518 to cause the mating member 552 to rotate, thereby causing the first knob 554a and the second knob 554b to hit the mating member 558 of the agitator driveshaft 556. Sensors in the drive 516 detect an increase in current required to turn the canister dock driveshaft 518, thereby indicating that the knobs 554a, 554b have contacted the mating member 558 of the agitator driveshaft 556.

[0394] Although the example illustrated in Figure 5F shows knobs 554a, 554b located on the mating member 552 of the canister dock driveshaft 518, in alternative embodiments, the knobs 554a, 554b could instead be located on the mating member 558 of the agitator driveshaft 556. Further, the driveshaft coupling arrangement 550 illustrated in Figure 5F is only one example embodiment. Any other type of coupling suitable for connecting the canister dock driveshaft 518 to the agitator driveshaft 556 could be used instead.H. Example Reaction Canister Agitation Methods

[0395] As mentioned above, in some embodiments, the reaction canister interface (e.g., canister interface 209 in the canister dock assembly 201 shown and described with reference to Figure 2B) includes a motor configured to drive an agitation system that is at least partially contained within the reaction canister 400 (and 401). When the reaction canister 400 (and 401) is seated in the canister dock and connected to the reaction canister interface, the motor in the canister dock connects to a driveshaft or similar mechanism connected to the agitation system within the reaction canister 400 (and 401). In operation, the agitation system includes one or more physical structures (e.g., paddles, blades, stirrers, or similar) that are driven by an electric motor to spin, rotate, oscillate, or otherwise move within the reaction canister. In operation, movement of the physical structures stirs, mixes, and / or agitates the chemical reactant contained within the reaction canister 400 (and 401), thereby facilitating a chemical reaction between the chemical reactant and carbon dioxide in the flue gas that flows through the reaction canister 400 (and 401).

[0396] Aspects of the different agitation methods and routines are described herein for illustration purposes. In general, any one or more suitable features or steps described in any one of the disclosed agitation routines can be used with any other suitable features or steps in any one of the other disclosed agitation routines. For example, aspects of the methods described with reference to Figures 6 and / or 7 can be used with the methods described with reference to Figures 8A and / or 8B. Similarly, aspects of the methods described with reference to Figures 8A and / or 8B can be used with the methods described with references to Figures 6 and / or 7. Further, some embodiments may not implement every block shown in figures or described in the specification. Accordingly, examples that implement fewer than every step shown or described with reference to Figures 6, 7, 8A, and 8B are within the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.1. Example Reaction Canister Agitation Method

[0397] Figure 6 shows aspects of an example reaction canister agitation method 600 according to some embodiments. Method 600 can be performed by any of the flue gas processing systems disclosed and described herein. For example, in some instances, method 600 can be performed by flue gas processing system embodiments comprising two or more rows of canister docks and two or more columns of canister docks, including but not limited to the flue gas processing system embodiments shown and described with reference to Figures 2A-2D.

[0398] Method 600 begins at method block 602, which includes for each reaction canister seated in a canister dock in a first set of canister docks, causing an agitator within the reaction canister to agitate during a first timeframe. When the reaction canister contains a chemical reactant, causing the agitator within the reaction canister to agitate during the first timeframe includes causing the agitator within the reaction canister to agitate the chemical reactant contained within the reaction canister during the first timeframe.

[0399] In operation, the first set of canister docks can correspond to any of (i) a row of canister docks, (ii) a column of canister docks, (iii) some subset of a row of canister docks, (iv) some subset of a column of canister docks, and / or (v) any other set or grouping of canister docks. In some embodiments, the first set of canister docks can be a set of one individual canister dock. In other embodiments, the first set of canister docks can be a plurality (more than one) individual canister docks.

[0400] In some embodiments, causing an agitator within the reaction canister to agitate a chemical reactant contained with the reaction canister during a first timeframe inmethod block 602 includes causing the agitator within the reaction canister to (i) agitate the chemical reactant according to a first agitation routine when the reaction canister contains a first chemical reactant and (ii) agitate the chemical reactant according to a second agitation routine when the reaction canister contains a second chemical reactant.

[0401] In some examples, the first agitation routine comprises agitating the chemical reactant with any one or more of (i) a first speed of agitation, (ii) a first frequency of agitation, (iii) a first duration of an agitation session, and / or (iv) a first air flow rate through the reaction canister. In some examples, the second agitation routine comprises agitating the chemical reactant with any one or more of (i) a second speed of agitation, (ii) a second frequency of agitation, (iii) a second duration of an agitation session, and / or (iv) a second air flow rate through the reaction canister.

[0402] In some embodiments, causing an agitator within the reaction canister to agitate a chemical reactant contained with the reaction canister during a first timeframe in method block 602 includes phasing in activation of the agitators of the reaction canisters in the first set of canister docks. In some embodiments, phasing in activation of the agitators includes (i) activating a first agitator of a first reaction canister in the first set, and (ii) after an inrush current draw caused by initial activation of the first agitator has subsided and the first agitator has started moving, activating a second agitator of a second reaction canister in the first set. In this manner, the agitators in the first set are activated in a phased sequence. Phasing in the activation of the agitators in this manner results in a lower inrush current at startup as compared to activating all of the agitators at the same time.

[0403] Next, method 600 advances to optional method block 604, which includes during the first timeframe, determining that a first agitator in a first reaction canister seated in a first canister dock in the first set is unable to operate.

[0404] In some embodiments, determining that a first agitator in a first reaction canister seated in a first canister dock in the first set is unable to operate in method block 604 includes determining that a first agitator in a first canister seated in a first canister dock in the first set is unable to operate based on sensor information provided by a sensor associated with the first reaction canister. In an example, this may include determining that a first agitator in a first canister seated in a first canister dock in the first set is unable to operate based on amperage required to operate the first agitator exceeding a threshold amperage. In this manner, amperage required to drive the agitator can be used as a proxy for whether to halt flue gas processing within an individual reaction canister.

[0405] Method 600 next advances to optional method block 606, which includes after determining that the first agitator in the first reaction canister is unable to operate, (i) activating an indication that the first agitator in the first reaction canister is unable to operate and / or perhaps sending the indication to the system control module 170 (Figure IB) which may, in turn, forward the indication to the computing device(s) / system(s) 148 (Figure IB), and (ii) causing the first agitator to cease attempting to operate while allowing other operating agitators in the first set to continue operating. In this manner, a problem with one reaction canister in the first set does not affect operation of the other reaction canisters in the first set.

[0406] Next, method 600 advances to method block 608, which includes for each reaction canister seated in a canister dock in a second set of canister docks, causing an agitator within the reaction canister to agitate during a second timeframe, wherein the second timeframe does not overlap the first timeframe. When the reaction canister contains a chemical reactant, causing the agitator within the reaction canister to agitate during the second timeframe includes causing the agitator within the reaction canister to agitate the chemical reactant contained within the reaction canister during the second timeframe.

[0407] In some embodiments, causing an agitator within the reaction canister to agitate a chemical reactant contained within the reaction canister during a second timeframe in method block 608 includes causing the agitator within the reaction canister to (i) agitate the chemical reactant according to the first agitation routine when the reaction canister contains the first chemical reactant and (ii) agitate the chemical reactant according to the second agitation routine when the reaction canister comprises the second chemical reactant.

[0408] In some embodiments, the first set of canister docks and second set of canister docks are different sets of canister docks in a plurality of canister docks. Some embodiments may include two, three, four, five, six, seven, or eight or more sets of canister docks.Activating the agitators of reaction canisters housed in the different sets of canister docks in a round-robin fashion in the manner described in the context of method 600 uses less power than activating all the agitators in all of the reaction canisters housed in all of the sets of canister docks at the same time. For example, a single motor in some embodiments may draw up to between 15-20 amps, so activating all of the agitators in the reaction canisters installed in an entire row or column of 7 canister docks, for example, could draw up to between 105-140 amps which would require a large power supply. Activating fewer than the entire row (or column) at once, for example, in a round-robin fashion, would draw less power than activating the entire row (or column at once). For example, in an embodiment with 7 agitators in a row (or column), each agitator could be activated for some duration time (e.g.,10 seconds) in a serial round-robin fashion. In such an example configuration, each of the 7 agitators would operate for 10 seconds, and then rest for 60 seconds before being activated again. Such a configuration would draw between 15-20 amps to operate the agitators because only one agitator is activated at a time. Any other suitable scheme of operating fewer than an entire row or column at once could be employed as well.

[0409] Additionally, activating the agitators of the reaction canisters housed in the different sets of canister docks in a round-robin fashion in the manner described in the context of method 600 in some instances should generate less noise than activating all the agitators in all of the reaction canisters housed in all of the sets of canister docks at the same time.

[0410] In some embodiments, method 600 can be triggered by a startup signal indicating that the flue gas source has started to generate flue gas. After (or perhaps in response to) receiving the startup signal from the flue gas source, the flue gas processing system according to some embodiments can start to activate the agitators within the reaction canisters according to method 600 and / or variations thereof. In some such embodiments, the agitators in the reaction canisters of the flue gas processing system can be “initialized” at the same (or substantially the same) time after (or perhaps in response to) the startup signal, and then operated differentially on a set by set basis (e.g., row by row, column by column, or any other suitable grouping of all of the reaction canisters into sets), such as in the round robin manner described above.

[0411] In some embodiments, while the flue gas processing system is receiving flue gas from the flue gas source, flue gas flows through each and every active reaction canister, regardless of whether the agitator within the reaction canister is running.2. Example Reaction Canister Agitation Method

[0412] Figure 7 shows aspects of an example reaction canister agitation method 700 according to some embodiments. Method 700 can be performed by any of the flue gas processing systems disclosed and described herein. For example, in some instances, method 700 can be performed by flue gas processing system embodiments comprising two or more rows of canister docks and two or more columns of canister docks, including but not limited to the flue gas processing system embodiments that include canister dock amperage sensors and canister dock weight sensors as described herein.

[0413] Method 700 begins at method block 702, which includes determining, for an individual reaction canister, at least one of whether (i) the reaction canister has been seatedwithin a canister dock and generating reaction product by reacting flue gas with a chemical reactant initially contained within the reaction canister for at least a minimum duration of time, (ii) a weight of the reaction canister is greater than a threshold weight, and (iii) an amperage required to operate the agitator within the reaction canister is greater than a threshold amperage.

[0414] In some embodiments, method block 702 additionally includes determining whether and the extent to which the humidity of the flue gas at the input the reaction canister is different than the humidity of the flue gas at the output of the reaction canister.

[0415] Next, method 700 advances to method block 704, which includes determining whether the reaction canister contains sufficient reaction product such that the reaction canister is ready to be removed from the canister dock when (i) the reaction canister has been seated within the canister dock and generating reaction product by reacting flue gas with the chemical reactant initially contained within the reaction canister for at least the minimum duration of time, (ii) the weight of the reaction canister is greater than the threshold weight, and (iii) the amperage required to operate the agitator within the reaction canister is greater than the threshold amperage.

[0416] In embodiments that additionally include measuring the humidity of the flue gas at the input and output of the reaction canister, the conclusion of whether the reaction canister is ready to be removed from the canister dock may be additionally based on whether the humidity of the flue gas at the input the reaction canister is the same (or substantially the same) as the humidity of the flue gas at the output of the reaction canister.

[0417] Method 700 next advances to method block 706, which includes altering at least one of a speed of agitation, a frequency of agitation, a duration of agitation session, or an air flow rate through the reaction canister when the reaction canister has been seated within the canister dock and generating reaction product by reacting flue gas with the chemical reactant initially contained within the reaction canister and at least one of (i) the weight of the reaction canister is less than the threshold weight, and / or (ii) the amperage required to operate the agitator within the reaction canister is less than the threshold amperage. In some embodiments, method block 706 alternatively includes altering at least one of a speed of agitation, a frequency of agitation, a duration of agitation session, or an air flow rate through the reaction canister when (i) the reaction canister has been seated within the canister dock for at least the minimum duration of time and (ii) at least one of (ii-a) the weight of the reaction canister is less than the threshold weight, and / or (ii-b) the amperagerequired to operate the agitator within the reaction canister is less than the threshold amperage.

[0418] In embodiments that additionally include measuring the humidity of the flue gas at the input and output of the reaction canister, block 706 includes altering at least one of a speed of agitation, a frequency of agitation, a duration of agitation session, or an air flow rate through the reaction canister when the reaction canister has been seated within the canister dock and generating reaction product by reacting flue gas with the chemical reactant initially contained within the reaction canister for at least the minimum duration of time, and at least one of (i) the weight of the reaction canister is less than the threshold weight, (ii) the amperage required to operate the agitator within the reaction canister is less than the threshold amperage, and (iii) the humidity of the flue gas at the input the reaction canister is the same (or substantially the same) as the humidity of the flue gas at the output of the reaction canister.3. Example Reaction Canister Agitation Routines

[0419] Figure 8A shows aspects of an example reaction canister agitation routine 800 that includes an idle agitation subroutine 804 and an active agitation subroutine 806 according to some embodiments.

[0420] Routine 800 can be performed by any of the flue gas processing systems disclosed and described herein. For example, routine 800 can be implemented by a flue gas processing system comprising a canister dock assembly with a plurality of reaction canisters installed therein, individually or combination with a computing system configured to monitor and / or control the operation of the flue gas processing system.

[0421] In some embodiments, one or more (or all) of the features and functionality of routine 800 (including subroutines 804, 806, and 850, and their corresponding function blocks) are performing by a computing system that includes (i) one or more processors, and (ii) tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media with program instructions stored thereon, where the program instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform one or more (or all) of the features and functionality of routine 800. In some configurations, performing one or more (or all) of routine 800 includes causing a flue gas processing system to perform one or more (or all) of routine 800.

[0422] Routine 800 begins at block 802, which includes determining whether a flue gas generating appliance connected to a canister dock assembly is (i) active (for example, generating flue gas) or (ii) inactive (for example, not generating flue gas). In someembodiments, determining whether the flue gas generating appliance connected to the canister dock assembly is active and / or generating flue gas at block 802 includes determining whether the flue gas generating appliance is generating more than some threshold amount of flue gas. Similarly, in some embodiments, determining whether the flue gas generating appliance connected to the canister dock assembly is inactive and / or not generating flue gas at block 802 includes determining whether the flue gas generating appliance is generating less than some threshold amount of flue gas.

[0423] After (and, in some examples, in response to) determining that the flue gas generating appliance is not generating flue gas, some embodiments of routine 800 next involve agitating one or more reaction canisters of the plurality of reaction canisters according to an idle agitation subroutine 804.

[0424] After (and, in some examples, in response to) determining that the flue gas generating appliance is generating flue gas, some embodiments of routine 800 next involve agitating one or more reaction canisters of the plurality of reaction canisters according to an active agitation subroutine 806. The active agitation subroutine 806 is different than the idle agitation subroutine 804.

[0425] In some embodiments, determining that the flue gas generating appliance is (or is not) generating flue gas can be based on any one or more of several factors, considerations, and / or determinations. For example, in embodiments where the flue gas generating appliance includes a burner configured to bum natural gas, the flue gas generating appliance can be monitored to determine when the flue gas generating appliance’s burner is actively burning natural gas. In some embodiments, a controller device (or similar system) associated with the flue gas generating appliance may be configured to send a notification to the flue gas processing system (and / or to a computing system configured to control the flue gas processing system), where the indication is sufficient to inform the flue gas processing system that the flue gas generating appliance is generating flue gas.

[0426] In some embodiments, the flue gas processing system may include one or more sensors positioned at an interface (e.g., at inlet 208 in Figure 2B) between the flue gas processing system and the flue gas generating appliance and configured to detect one or more indications that the flue gas generating appliance is (or is not) generating flue gas, e.g., by detecting any one or more of (i) the temperature of at the interface (or perhaps changes in temperature, a comparison between the temperature at the interface and ambient room temperature), (ii) an amount of carbon dioxide in the air at the interface (or perhaps change in carbon dioxide levels), (iii) an airflow rate (or perhaps change in airflow rate) at the interface,and / or (iv) any other indication suitable for detecting that the flue gas generating appliance is (or is not) generating flue gas. Some embodiments may include obtaining measurements from sensors over some duration of time to increase measurement reliability. In some embodiments, one or more sensors, individually or in combination, may be configured to determine whether more than some threshold amount of flue gas has been detected at the interface between the flue gas processing system and the flue gas generating appliance. In operation, detecting more than the threshold amount of flue gas at the interface between the flue gas processing system and the flue gas generating appliance indicates that the flue gas generating appliance is likely active and generating flue gas, whereas detecting less than the threshold amount of flue gas at the interface between the flue gas processing system and the flue gas generating appliance indicates that the flue gas generating appliance is likely inactive and not generating flue gas.a. Idle Agitation Subroutine

[0427] The idle agitation subroutine 804 includes, after determining that the flue gas generating appliance has not been generating flue gas for a threshold amount of time at block 810, (i) selecting a reaction canister (or perhaps a subset of two or more reaction canisters) from the plurality of agitation canisters to agitate (block 812); (ii) agitating the selected reaction canister (or subset of two or more reaction canisters) for a duration of time according to a set of idle agitation settings (at block 814); (iii) after agitating the selected reaction canister (or subset of two or more reaction canisters) for the duration of time, stopping agitation of the selected reaction canister (at block 816) and recording a state of the selected reaction canister (at block 818).

[0428] In some configurations, determining that the flue gas generating appliance has not been generating flue gas for a threshold amount of time at block 810 involves determining that the flue gas generating appliance is not currently generating flue gas (that is, the threshold amount of time may be any time at all). In some configurations, determining that the flue gas generating appliance has not been generating flue gas for a threshold amount of time at block 810 includes (i) starting a timer after determining that the flue gas generating appliance has stopped generating flue gas, and (ii) after the timer has reached the threshold amount of time, starting execution of the idle agitation subroutine 804.

[0429] In some configurations, after selecting a reaction canister (block 812) (or subset of two or more reaction canisters) and agitating the selected reaction canister(s) (block 814) until stopping agitation of the selected reaction canister(s) (block 816), recording thestate of a selected reaction canister (or a selected subset of two or more reaction canisters) at block 818 includes obtaining measurements from one or more sensors associated with the selected reaction canister(s), and storing the measurements in memory (e.g., in local memory or memory at a remote computing system). For example, obtaining measurements from one or more sensors associated with a reaction includes obtaining measurements for one or more (or all) of: (i) a temperature of the flue gas within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (ii) a temperature of the chemical reactant within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (iii) a temperature of a reaction product within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (iv) an amount of carbon dioxide in the flue gas within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (v) a humidity of the flue gas within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (vi) a viscosity of the chemical reactant within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (vii) a viscosity of the reaction product within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (viii) a speed of the one or more agitator structures within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (ix) a torque of the one or more agitator structures within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (x) a current draw of a motor configured to drive the one or more agitator structures within the interior volume of the reaction canister; (xi) a weight of the chemical reactant and the reaction product within the interior volume of the reaction canister; and (xii) a mass of the chemical reactant and the reaction product within the interior volume of the reaction canister. After obtaining any one or more of the above-listed measurements, any of the obtained measurement data can be included with information used to define the state (or otherwise relating to the state) of the reaction canister.

[0430] After block 818, the idle agitation subroutine 804 returns to block 812, which includes selecting a next reaction canister to agitate (or perhaps selecting a next subset of two or more reaction canisters to agitate at the same time). In operation, the idle agitation subroutine 804 includes repeating the steps at blocks 814, 816, and 818 for each reaction canister (or subset of reaction canisters) selected at block 812 until determining that the flue gas generating appliance has started generating flue gas again. In some embodiments, the idle agitation subroutine 804 may implement block 818 after block 810 (rather than implementing block 812 after block 810) and then return to block 812 to select a canister for agitation at block 814 based at least in part on the data measurements obtained at block 818. In embodiments that may not include block 810, the idle agitation subroutine 804 may implement block 818 after block 802 and then return to block 812 to select a canister for agitation at block 814 based at least in part on the data measurements obtained at block 818.

[0431] While performing the idle agitation subroutine 804, determining that the flue gas generating appliance has started generating flue gas again causes routine 800 to switch from performing the idle agitation subroutine 804 to performing the active agitation subroutine 806. Similarly, while performing the active agitation subroutine 806, determining that the flue gas generating appliance has stopped generating flue gas causes routine 800 to switch from performing the active agitation subroutine 806 to performing the idle agitation subroutine 804.

[0432] Although the idle agitation subroutine 804 can operate by selecting, agitating, and updating the state of a one reaction canister at a time or by selecting, agitating, and updating the state of multiple canisters at a time (i.e., the aforementioned “subset of two or more reaction canisters”), for ease of explanation and to avoid unnecessary confusion, the remainder of this section generally describes aspects of the idle agitation subroutine 804 in the context of selecting, agitating, and updating the state of one reaction canister. However, aspects of the features described below with reference to a single reaction canister are equally applicable for a subset of two or more reaction canisters, sometimes referred to herein simply as a “subset.”

[0433] In some embodiments, selecting a reaction canister from the plurality of agitation canisters to agitate at block 812 includes selecting a reaction canister from an idle agitation queue. In some such embodiments, the idle agitation queue is (or includes) a static ordered list of reaction canisters. In some configurations, the static ordered list may be retrieved from local memory at the flue gas processing system or retrieved from a separate computing system, including but not limited to a cloud-based storage system. Rather than a queue, some embodiments may instead include selecting reaction canisters without the use of a queue, such as selecting reaction canisters at random or selecting reaction canisters according to an arrangement of their installation within the canister dock assembly (e.g., top left to bottom right).

[0434] In some embodiments that include an idle agitation queue, selecting a reaction canister from the idle agitation queue at block 812 includes selecting the first reaction canister (or first subset) in the idle agitation queue.

[0435] In some embodiments that include an idle agitation queue, the idle agitation queue comprises a static ordered list of reaction canisters (or subsets), and selecting a reaction canister (or subset) from the idle agitation queue at block 812 includes (i) determining a most-recently agitated reaction canister (or subset) during a most-recent prior execution of the idle agitation subroutine 804, and (ii) selecting the next reaction canister (orsubset) in the idle agitation queue after the most-recently agitated reaction canister (or subset) during the most-recent prior execution of the idle agitation subroutine 804.

[0436] In some embodiments that include an idle agitation queue, the idle agitation queue comprises a static ordered list of reaction canisters (or subsets), and selecting a reaction canister (or subset) from the idle agitation queue at block 812 includes (i) determining a most-recently agitated reaction canister (or subset) during a most-recent prior execution of (a) the idle agitation subroutine 804 or (b) the active agitation subroutine 806, and (ii) selecting the next reaction canister (or subset) in the idle agitation queue after the most-recently agitated reaction canister (or subset).

[0437] In some embodiments that include an idle agitation queue, selecting a reaction canister (or subset) from the idle agitation queue at block 812 includes, among other features: (i) for each individual reaction canister, determining a priority for the individual reaction canister based at least in part on one more of (a) a type of reactant contained within the individual reaction canister, (b) an amount of reactant contained within the individual reaction canister, (c) a current temperature within the individual reaction canister, (d) a current pH level within the individual reaction canister, (e) a current humidity level within the individual re...

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A reaction canister comprising:an outer surface enclosing an interior volume, wherein the interior volume is configured to accommodate a chemical reactant that reacts with carbon dioxide;an input port configured to pass flue gas comprising carbon dioxide from a flue gas generating appliance into the interior volume of the reaction canister after the reaction canister has been inserted into a canister dock of a canister dock assembly that is fluidly connected to the flue gas generating appliance;one or more agitator structures disposed within the interior volume of the reaction canister and configured to be driven by a motor within the canister dock assembly that is mechanically coupled to the one or more agitator structures when the reaction canister is inserted into the canister dock of the canister dock assembly, wherein the one or more agitator structures, when driven, facilitate chemical reaction between the chemical reactant contained within the interior volume of the reaction canister and flue gas; andan output port configured to pass processed flue gas out from the interior volume of the reaction canister to an exhaust port on the canister dock assembly while the reaction canister is inserted into the canister dock of the canister dock assembly.

2. The reaction canister of claim 1, further comprising:a tray affixed to a bottom side of the outer surface of the reaction canister, wherein the tray is configured to slide along one or more canister dock rolling members protruding from a canister dock base of the canister dock when the reaction canister is inserted into and removed from the canister dock, and wherein the tray comprises one or more recesses configured to accept one or more rolling members protruding from the canister dock base when the reaction canister is inserted into the canister dock.

3. The reaction canister of claim 1, further comprising:a tray affixed to a bottom side of the outer surface of the reaction canister, wherein the tray comprises one or more rolling members arranged to enable the reaction canister to slide along a canister dock base of the canister dock when the reaction canister is inserted into and removed from the canister dock, and wherein at least a portion of each of the one or morerolling members is arranged to fit within a corresponding recess in the canister dock base when the reaction canister is inserted into the canister dock.

4. The reaction canister of claim 1, further comprising:a flue gas supply adapter configured to provide a connection for flue gas to flow from (i) a flue gas supply line extending from a supply port on the canister dock assembly and (ii) the input port of the reaction canister.

5. The reaction canister of claim 4, wherein the flue gas supply adapter comprises at least one of:a replaceable filter arranged to allow flue gas to flow from the flue gas supply line into the interior volume of the reaction canister while blocking particles of chemical reactant and reaction product from escaping from the interior volume of the reaction canister via the flue gas supply adapter; oran input damper hingeably moveable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the input damper is configured to stay in the open position while the flue gas supply adapter is connected to the flue gas supply line, and wherein the input damper is configured to stay in the closed position while the flue gas supply adapter is disconnected connected from the flue gas supply line.

6. The reaction canister of claim 4, further comprising the flue gas supply line.

7. The reaction canister of claim 1, further comprising a front bracket mounted to a front end of the reaction canister, wherein the front bracket comprises:a reaction canister driveshaft receiver facing toward the interior volume of the reaction canister and configured to receive a front end of a reaction canister driveshaft connected to the one or more agitator structures within the interior volume of the reaction canister; anda tower passageway configured to allow reaction product to be removed from the interior volume of the reaction canister.

8. The reaction canister of claim 7, further comprising:a front cap hingeably moveable between an open position and a closed position, wherein in the closed position, the front cap is configured to seal a front end of the reactioncanister, and wherein in the open position, the front cap reveals at least enough of the front bracket to allow reaction product to be removed from the interior volume of the reaction canister.

9. The reaction canister of claim 8, wherein the front cap comprises a handle arranged to facilitate insertion of the reaction canister into the canister dock and removal of the reaction canister from the canister dock.

10. The reaction canister of claim 8, further comprising:a front cover at the front end of the reaction canister, wherein the front cover is arranged to cover at least a portion of the front cap.

11. The reaction canister of claim 8, further comprising:a front cover at the front end of the reaction canister, wherein the front cover is arranged to cover (i) at least a portion of the front cap and (ii) at least a portion of a flue gas supply adapter configured to provide a connection sufficient for flue gas to flow from (a) a flue gas supply line extending from a supply port on the canister dock assembly and (b) the input port of the reaction canister; andwherein the front cover comprises one or more reaction canister mating components configured to physically interface with one or more corresponding alignment structures adjacent to a canister dock opening of the canister dock assembly configured to accommodate the reaction canister.

12. The reaction canister of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more reaction canister mating components is configured to provide power and communication connectivity between the reaction canister and the canister dock assembly when the reaction canister is correctly inserted into the canister dock.

13. The reaction canister of claim 1, further comprising:a rear bracket mounted to a rear end of the reaction canister; anda rear cap mounted to the rear bracket.

14. The reaction canister of claim 13, wherein the rear cap comprises:a reaction canister driveshaft passthrough via which at least a portion of a reaction canister driveshaft connected to the one or more agitator structures extends from within the interior volume of the reaction canister; andthe output port, wherein at least one of: (i) the output port is configured to accommodate a replaceable filter arranged to allow processed flue gas to flow out from the interior volume of the reaction canister to the exhaust port on the canister dock assembly while blocking particles of chemical reactant and reaction product from flowing out from the interior volume of the reaction canister via the output port or (ii) the output port comprises output damper hingeably moveable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the output damper is configured to stay in the open position while the reaction canister is inserted into the canister dock of the canister dock assembly, and wherein the output damper is configured to stay in the closed position while the reaction canister is removed from the canister dock assembly.

15. The reaction canister of claim 14, wherein the reaction canister driveshaft comprises a mating member configured to engage a corresponding mating member on a drive mechanism connected to the motor within the canister dock assembly.

16. The reaction canister of claim 13, wherein the rear cap further comprises one or more slot structures configured to receive one or more corresponding locking members on a canister dock interface of the canister dock while the reaction canister is inserted into the canister dock of the canister dock assembly.

17. The reaction canister of claim 13, wherein the rear cap further comprises one or more reaction canister mating components configured to provide power and communication connectivity between the reaction canister and the canister dock assembly when the reaction canister is correctly inserted into the canister dock.

18. The reaction canister of claim 1, further comprising one or more sensors configured to measure one or more of:a temperature of the flue gas within the interior volume of the reaction canister; a temperature of the chemical reactant within the interior volume of the reaction canister;a temperature of a reaction product within the interior volume of the reaction canister; an amount of carbon dioxide in the flue gas within the interior volume of the reaction canister;a humidity of the flue gas within the interior volume of the reaction canister;a viscosity of the chemical reactant within the interior volume of the reaction canister; a viscosity of the reaction product within the interior volume of the reaction canister; a speed of the one or more agitator structures within the interior volume of the reaction canister;a torque of the one or more agitator structures within the interior volume of the reaction canister;a current draw of a motor configured to drive the one or more agitator structures within the interior volume of the reaction canister;a weight of the chemical reactant and the reaction product within the interior volume of the reaction canister; anda mass of the chemical reactant and the reaction product within the interior volume of the reaction canister.

19. The reaction canister of claim 18, further comprising:one or more communication interfaces;one or more processors;tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media storing program instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the reaction canister to:collect operational data from the one or more sensors; andtransmit at least some of the operational data collected from the one or more sensors to a computing system via the one or more communication interfaces.

20. The reaction canister of claim 1, further comprising:one or more sensors configured to collect operational data relating to one or more operational attributes of the reaction canister; anda front cap comprising one or more of (i) a screen configured to display one or more of a digital label associated with the reaction canister, contents of the reaction canister, or operational data collected by the one or more sensors, (ii) one or more LED indicators configured to indicate an operational state of the reaction canister, or (iii) one or morephysical control surfaces that, when actuated, cause the reaction canister to perform one or more functions.

21. A system comprising:a canister dock assembly comprising a plurality of canister docks;a plurality of reaction canisters, wherein each reaction canister is configured for installation into a corresponding canister dock of the canister dock assembly;one or more processors; andtangible, non-transitory computer-readable media comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the canister dock assembly to perform functions comprising:determining whether a flue gas generating appliance connected to the canister dock assembly is one of (i) generating flue gas or (ii) not generating flue gas;after determining that the flue gas generating appliance is not generating flue gas, agitating one or more reaction canisters of the plurality of reaction canisters according to an idle agitation routine; andafter determining that the flue gas generating appliance is generating flue gas, agitating one or more reaction canisters of the plurality of reaction canisters according to an active agitation routine, wherein the active agitation routine is different than the idle agitation routine.

22. A method of operating a canister dock assembly comprising a plurality of reaction canisters installed therein, wherein the method comprises:determining whether a flue gas generating appliance connected to the canister dock assembly is one of (i) generating flue gas or (ii) not generating flue gas;after determining that the flue gas generating appliance is not generating flue gas, agitating one or more reaction canisters of the plurality of reaction canisters according to an idle agitation routine; andafter determining that the flue gas generating appliance is generating flue gas, agitating one or more reaction canisters of the plurality of reaction canisters according to an active agitation routine, wherein the active agitation routine is different than the idle agitation routine.

23. Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause a computing system configured to operate a canister dock assembly comprising a plurality of reaction canisters installed therein to perform functions comprising:determining that a flue gas generating appliance connected to the canister dock assembly is generating flue gas;after determining that the flue gas generating appliance is generating flue gas: selecting a first subset of one or more reaction canisters from among the plurality of reaction canisters;agitating each reaction canister in the selected first subset of one or more reaction canisters;after agitating each reaction canister in the selected first subset of one or more reaction canisters, selecting a second subset of one or more reaction canisters from among the plurality of reaction canisters; andagitating each reaction canister in the selected second subset of one or more reaction canisters.

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