Synthetic fuel production device and production method

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a synthetic fuel production device that makes it possible to achieve a plurality of steps with one device when oil and water are mixed to produce a synthetic fuel. [Solution] In order to continuously perform a step for mixing and reacting water and oil with different specific gravities, and then separating the two types of liquid, the present invention comprises a reaction / separation tank T3, T4 that has an inner reaction tank T3 and an outer separation tank T4, wherein the inner reaction tank T3 reacts a liquid mixture fed by a stirring pump P2 while stirring the liquid mixture, the liquid mixture is discharged to the outer separation tank T4 using a separation tube 3 that is for taking out the liquid mixture from the lower part of the reaction tank T3 to send the liquid mixture to the upper part of the separation tank T4, and the discharged liquid mixture is separated into two types according to the difference in specific gravity to be discharged through an oil discharge port in the separation tank upper part and a water discharge port in the separation tank lower part. The separation tube 3 enables adjustment of the height of an outlet leading to the separation tank in accordance with a reaction period inside the reaction tank T3.

Description

Synthetic fuel production apparatus and production method 【0001】 The present invention relates to a production apparatus for producing a hydrocarbon-based synthetic fuel equivalent to the original oil by adding water to a hydrocarbon-based fuel feedstock, and a production method using the apparatus. 【0002】 In recent years, attempts have been made to increase the amount of oil by mixing water with fossil fuels, reduce the emissions of CO ２ (carbon dioxide), and reduce the environmental load. 【0003】 Patent Document 1 discloses a process for generating activated water by irradiating water with ultrasonic waves, a stirring and mixing process of adding a hydrocarbon fuel feedstock to the activated water and stirring and mixing it under a reactive environment, a fusion process of fusing the fuel feedstock and the activated water under a reactive environment after the stirring and mixing process, and a primary production hydrocarbon-based fuel oil collection process of collecting the fuel oil obtained from the mixed liquid after the fusion process as the primary production hydrocarbon-based fuel oil. The primary production hydrocarbon-based fuel is used as the secondary fuel feedstock, and the stirring and mixing process, fusion process, and fuel oil collection process are repeated to obtain a secondary production hydrocarbon-based fuel oil. Subsequently, by repeatedly using the obtained hydrocarbon-based fuel oil as the fuel feedstock in sequence and repeating the above process multiple times, a production method for generating a plurality of times the production hydrocarbon-based fuel oil with a volume larger than the initial fuel feedstock is disclosed. In the reactive environment in the stirring and mixing process, a technique of stirring water while irradiating water added with a catalyst with ultrasonic waves is disclosed. 【0004】 Japanese Patent No. 6995373 【0005】 However, in the above Patent Document 1, only an emulsion fuel oil in which a catalyst is added as a reaction promoter to a mixed liquid of fuel oil and water and the fuel oil and water are simply mixed is produced, and a synthetic fuel in which the fuel oil and water are organically chemically bonded is not produced. 【0006】 Moreover, a large-scale production apparatus in which equipment such as a reaction tank for stirring and mixing fuel oil and water and fusing them, a settling tank for primarily storing the purified liquid after the fusion process, and a reaction promoter injection unit for supplying a reaction promoter (catalyst) are connected to each other is required, so there is a problem that the production equipment space also becomes large. 【0007】 In view of the above, the present invention provides a synthetic fuel by mixing oil and water, that is, artificially producing hydrogen (H ２ The objective is to provide a synthetic fuel manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method that can combine oil and carbon (C) to produce hydrocarbons, react oil and water while stirring, and perform separation and discharge in parallel operations, thereby enabling multiple processes to be realized with a single machine. 【0008】 To achieve the above objective, an embodiment of the present invention provides a synthetic fuel production apparatus for continuously performing the steps of mixing and reacting water and oil having different specific gravities, and then separating the two liquids, comprising a reaction / separation tank having at least an inner reaction tank and an outer separation tank, wherein the inner reaction tank reacts the mixture of water and oil, which is mixed and sent in by a stirring pump, while stirring, and a separation pipe is provided to take the reacted mixture from the bottom of the reaction tank and send it to the top of the outer separation tank, the outer separation tank separates the mixture discharged from the inner reaction tank into oil and water due to the difference in specific gravities, an oil outlet is provided at the top of the separation tank and a water outlet is provided at the bottom of the separation tank, and the outlet height of the separation pipe to the separation tank is adjustable. 【0009】 In the above configuration, a reaction / separation tank having an inner reaction tank and an outer separation tank is used, and the reaction process in the inner reaction tank involves a reaction step in which a mixture of two liquids, water and oil, is reacted while being stirred by a stirring pump, a separation step in which the mixture reacted in the reaction step is taken from the bottom of the reaction tank and sent to the top of the separation tank by a separation pipe, the mixture is discharged into the outer separation tank and the mixture discharged from the reaction tank is separated into oil and water due to the difference in specific gravity, an oil discharge step in which the oil separated in the separation step is discharged from the top of the separation tank, and a water discharge step in which the water separated in the separation step is discharged from the bottom of the separation tank can be carried out continuously in a single reaction / separation tank. 【0010】In a two-liquid reaction process involving water and oil, the reaction time is influenced by the volume of the mixture and the time it takes to discharge it from the reaction vessel. If the outlet height of the separation tube is too low, the mixture will be discharged before the reaction is complete, resulting in an unsuccessful yield. Conversely, if the outlet height of the separation tube is too high, the residence time in the reaction vessel will be too long, causing a reverse reaction and resulting in an unsuccessful yield. Therefore, the outlet height of the separation tube was adjusted to ensure an appropriate reaction time for the mixture and to secure the target yield. 【0011】 In this case, the separation pipe includes an outer pipe and an inner pipe fitted inside the outer pipe, and both pipes are movable relative to each other in the direction of the pipe length, so that the outlet height to the separation tank can be adjusted. With this configuration, the outlet height of the separation pipe can be adjusted with a simple double-pipe structure consisting of an outer pipe and an inner pipe. 【0012】 Furthermore, the reaction and separation tank may include a water tank located outside the outer separation tank to store and separate the water discharged from the bottom of the separation tank. This allows the reaction process, separation process, oil discharge process, and water discharge process to be carried out continuously in a single reaction and separation tank. 【0013】 In other words, a method for producing synthetic fuel, which involves mixing water and oil with different specific gravities and reacting them, and then separating the two liquids, is used in a reaction / separation tank having an inner reaction tank and an outer separation tank. The method includes a reaction step in which the mixture of water and fuel oil, which are mixed by a stirring pump in the inner reaction tank, is reacted while being stirred; a separation step in which the mixture reacted in the reaction step is taken from the bottom of the reaction tank and sent to the top of the separation tank by a separation pipe, and the mixture discharged from the reaction tank is separated into oil and water due to the difference in specific gravity; an oil discharge step in which the oil separated in the separation step is discharged from the top of the separation tank; and a water discharge step in which the water separated in the separation step is discharged from the bottom of the separation tank. The reaction step, separation step, oil discharge step and water discharge step are carried out simultaneously and continuously in a single reaction / separation tank. 【0014】In the manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the stirring, reaction, separation, and discharge processes were carried out in separate tanks. However, in the present invention, the four processes are carried out simultaneously in a reaction and separation tank, which has the excellent effect of completely separating oil and water. 【0015】 This is an overall configuration diagram of a synthetic fuel production apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic perspective view of the reaction and separation tanks of the synthetic fuel production apparatus. This is a schematic perspective view showing the reaction tank of the reaction and separation tanks in Figure 2. This is a schematic perspective view showing the separation tank of the reaction and separation tanks in Figure 2. This is an overall configuration diagram of a synthetic fuel production apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 【0016】 Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the synthetic fuel production apparatus of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the synthetic fuel production apparatus 1 comprises an aeration tank T1, a photocatalyst device S1, a stirring tank T2, reaction / separation tanks T3 and T4, a water tank T5, a sedimentation tank T6, an oil storage tank T7, and a filter F1, which are connected by piping. 【0017】 In other words, the synthetic fuel production apparatus 1 includes an aeration tank T1 that mixes air into water to dissolve oxygen and carbon dioxide, a photocatalyst device S1 that irradiates water sent from the aeration tank T1 by a pump P1 with sunlight or UV light to bring the water into contact with a photocatalyst and activate the water, a stirring tank T2 that stores the functional water and oil (kerosene, light oil, heavy oil, etc.) sent from the photocatalyst device S1 and stirs the functional water and oil, a reaction tank T3 that continuously sucks in the oil and water stored in the stirring tank T2 by pump P2 and thoroughly stirs the oil and water to cause a chemical reaction, a separation tank T4 that automatically separates the oil and water sent from the reaction tank T3, a water tank T5 that stores the water separated in the separation tank T4, a sedimentation tank T6 to which the oil separated in the separation tank T4 is sent and allowed to settle, an oil storage tank T7 that stores the oil discharged from the sedimentation tank T6, and a filter F1 that further filters the oil that has entered the oil storage tank T7. 【0018】 The aeration tank 1 mixes air with water to produce oxygen (O) and carbon dioxide (CO). ２It is a tank with an opening at the top to allow air to be mixed in, and is designed to dissolve the ions. Tap water is used, but well water, groundwater, river water, lake water, swamp water, or seawater may also be used. 【0019】 The photocatalytic device S1 activates water by irradiating it with sunlight or ultraviolet (UV) light, which is sent from the aeration tank T1 by the pump P1, bringing the water into contact with an inherent photocatalyst. As the photocatalyst, for example, a porous composite functional photocatalyst developed by the present inventors, as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5082034, can be used. Specifically, as the composite functional photocatalyst, a composite functional photocatalyst dispersion consisting of titanium dioxide, titanium dioxide sol, oxidation catalyst, ceramic powder, and aqueous binder is impregnated into an inorganic porous material such as zeolite and supported on the inorganic porous material, and these are packed into a transparent column for use. By passing the water through the transparent column and irradiating the porous composite functional photocatalyst in the column with sunlight or ultraviolet (UV) light, the water is activated to become functional water. 【0020】 The stirring tank T2 stores oil (kerosene, light oil, heavy oil, etc.) and mixes it with functional water supplied from the photocatalyst device S1 for stirring. It is preferable to store the oil in the stirring tank T2 beforehand and then supply the functional water to it. Here, the stirring action is performed by the water pressure supplied by the functional water, etc., and the pump pressure of the stirring pump P2 described later. Alternatively, stirring blades may be provided in the stirring tank T2 and the mixture may be stirred by their rotational drive. 【0021】 Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of reaction and separation tanks T3 and T4, Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of reaction tank T3, and Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of separation tank T4. As shown in the figures, reaction and separation tanks T3 and T4 consist of an inner reaction tank T3 and an outer separation tank T4. The inner reaction tank T3 has multiple separation pipes 3 that allow the mixed liquid of water and oil, which has been mixed and sent from the stirring tank T2 by the stirring pump P2, to react while being stirred, and to discharge the reacted liquid from the bottom of the reaction tank T3 to the separation tank T4. 【0022】This separation tube 3 is an L-shaped tube that protrudes from the lower part of the reaction vessel T3 in the left-right direction, extends upward from a certain point, and has an outlet 3c at its tip. This L-shaped separation tube 3 comprises an outer tube 3a and an inner tube 3b fitted inside the outer tube 3a, and both tubes 3a and 3b are movable relative to each other in the direction of the tube length, so that the height of the outlet to the separation vessel T4 can be adjusted. In this embodiment, the outer tube 3a is formed in an L shape and its base end is connected to the lower part of the reaction vessel T3, and a straight inner tube 3b is connected to the upper end opening so that it can move up and down. Alternatively, the inner tube 3b may be formed in an L shape and connected to the lower part of the reaction vessel T3, and the straight outer tube 3a may be placed at the upper end of the inner tube 3b. By adjusting the outlet height of the separation tube with this double-tube structure of the outer tube 3a and inner tube 3b, the reaction time of the mixed liquid in the reaction vessel T3 can be adjusted. The height of the separation pipe 3 can be adjusted by manually moving the two pipes 3a and 3b up and down (for example, by screwing the two pipes 3a and 3b together and adjusting the length based on the degree of fitting), by using a combination of a rack and pinion and a motor, or by using a physical drive means such as a fluid pressure cylinder. 【0023】 The outer separation tank T4 separates the mixed liquid discharged from the inner reaction tank T3 into two types of liquids (oil and water) based on their specific gravity differences. The separation tank T4 has an oil outlet 4a at the top and a water outlet 4b at the bottom. The water outlet 4b is located at the bottom of the separation tank T4 and can be opened and closed by a drain valve 4c. 【0024】 The reaction and separation tanks T3 and T4 include a water tank T5 located outside the outer separation tank T4 for storing and separating the water discharged from the bottom of the separation tank T4. This allows the reaction process, separation process, oil discharge process, and water discharge process to be carried out continuously in a single tank T3, T4, and T5. 【0025】 The sedimentation tank T6 is divided into multiple sedimentation chambers 6b by multiple partition walls 6a, each having a connecting channel at one end, so that the oil flowing through the tank meanders vertically. Multiple drainage holes 6c are formed at the bottom of the sedimentation tank T6, corresponding to the sedimentation chambers 6b. 【0026】The oil storage tank T7 temporarily stores the oil discharged from the sedimentation tank T6, and refined oil with almost all impurities removed can be obtained here. Further refined oil can then be supplied from this oil storage tank T7 via the filter F1. 【0027】 An example of the manufacturing process for the synthetic fuel production apparatus 1 with the above configuration is shown. Water (for example, tap water) is put into the aeration tank T1 at a rate of 15 liters / minute. Air is added to the water by aeration (1 m³ / minute) to dissolve oxygen and carbon dioxide into the water. This water from the aeration tank T1 is sent to the photocatalyst device S1 at a rate of 15 liters / minute by pump P1. At this time, oxygen is dissolved into the water at a rate of 25 milliliters / minute to 35 milliliters / minute. 【0028】 Meanwhile, oil (kerosene, light oil, or heavy oil A) is supplied to the stirring tank T2 at a rate of 25 liters / min to 35 liters / min, and 60 liters are stored in the stirring tank T2. Functional water is then added to the stirring tank T2 where the oil is stored at a rate of 10 liters / min to 20 liters / min from the photocatalyst device S1. This process is carried out continuously. 【0029】 The oil and water stored in the stirring tank T2 are continuously drawn into the reaction tank T3 by the pump P2. The oil and water introduced into the reaction tank T3 are thoroughly stirred to initiate a chemical reaction. All of the reacted oil and water are sent to the separation tank T4. In the separation tank T4, the oil and water are automatically separated due to their difference in specific gravity. The oil separated to the upper side is sent to the sedimentation tank T6, and the water separated to the lower side is sent to the water tank T5. 【0030】 The oil sent to the sedimentation tank T6 meanders vertically, further separating the water and sending only the oil to the storage tank T7. The oil that enters the storage tank T7 is further filtered by a precision filter F1 to complete the purification process. Meanwhile, the water that enters the water tank T5 is filtered and recycled. According to the inventors' experiments, simply mixing catalytic water with oil and stirring resulted in a reduction of sulfur oxides (SOx) to 0 ppm and a reduction of NOx in the oil from 1200-1400 ppm to 400 ppm. Also, CO ２ This will be reduced by 30%. 【0031】Thus, by using reaction and separation tanks T3 and T4, which have an inner reaction tank T3 and an outer separation tank T4, the reaction process in the inner reaction tank T3 involves mixing two liquids, water and oil, with a stirring pump P2 and reacting the resulting mixture while stirring it; discharging the chemically reacted mixture from the reaction process into the outer separation tank T4 and separating the mixture discharged from the reaction tank T3 into two types of liquids based on the difference in specific gravity; discharging the oil separated in the separation process from the top of the separation tank T4; and discharging the water separated in the separation process from the bottom of the separation tank T4. All of these processes can be carried out continuously in a single reaction and separation tank T3 and T4. 【0032】 In this configuration, a separation pipe 3 is provided to take the mixed liquid reacted in the reaction process from the bottom of the reaction tank T3 and send it to the top of the separation tank T4. The height of the outlet 3c of this separation pipe 3 affects the reaction process of the two liquids, water and oil, in the reaction tank T3. In other words, if the outlet height of the separation pipe 3 is too low, the mixed liquid will be discharged from the reaction tank T3 before the reaction is completed, and the target yield will not be obtained. Conversely, if the outlet height of the separation pipe 3 is too high, the mixed liquid will undergo a reverse reaction as a secondary reaction in the reaction tank T3, and the target yield will not be obtained. Therefore, the outlet height of the separation pipe 3 is an important factor. In this embodiment, the outlet height of the separation pipe 3 is adjusted according to the amount of mixed liquid and reaction time in the reaction tank T3 to ensure an appropriate reaction time for the mixed liquid and to ensure the target yield. 【0033】 Figure 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a synthetic fuel production apparatus according to the second embodiment. This synthetic fuel production apparatus 1 differs from the first embodiment shown in Figure 1 in the following respects: a cooling tower K1 is interposed between the aeration tank T1 and the photocatalyst device S1; oil from the reaction / separation tanks T3 and T4 is sent to the oil storage tank T7 by a pump P5 without providing a water tank T5 and a sedimentation tank T6 outside the reaction / separation tanks T3 and T4; and water from the separation tank T4 is returned to the aeration tank T1 by a pump P6. 【0034】The reaction vessel T3 is equipped with a separation pipe 3 at its lower part, and a discharge valve 3d is provided at the bottom of the vessel so as to be openable and closable. When the discharge valve 3d is opened, the mixed liquid from the reaction vessel T3 is discharged into the separation vessel T4. A drain valve 4c is provided at the bottom of the separation vessel T4 so as to be openable and closable. When the drain valve is opened, water is returned to the aeration tank T1 via the pump P6 and filter F2. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment, so their description is omitted here. 【0035】 An example of the manufacturing process for the synthetic fuel production apparatus 11 with the above configuration is shown. 100 liters of tap water are stored in the aeration tank T1 (20 liters / minute). The tap water stored in the aeration tank T1 is sent by pump P1 at 20 liters / minute to a 100-liter cooling tower K1, where it is cooled to a temperature lowered by, for example, 5 degrees. 【0036】 Water cooled in cooling tower K1 is passed through photocatalyst device S1 by pump P3 (20 liters / minute). The water that has passed through (activated water, catalyst water) is put into stirring tank T2 (50 liters). 【0037】 Before introducing activated water and catalyst water from the photocatalyst device K2 into the stirring tank T2, a suitable amount of oil is introduced in advance at a rate of 30 liters / minute using pump P4, and a fixed amount (30 liters) is stored. As soon as the water discharged from the photocatalyst device K2 enters the stirring tank T2, it is sucked in by plunger pump P3 (50 liters / minute) and sent to reaction / separation tanks T3 and T4. At this time, the water and oil are mixed and stirred in a mixing ratio of 2:3 or 1:5. 【0038】 The mixture of water and oil sent to reaction and separation tanks T3 and T4 is then introduced into the inner reaction tank (15 liters). At this time, the introduced mixture rises from the bottom of the tank to the outlet 3c near the oil-water level via the separation pipe 3 and is discharged into separation tank T4. 【0039】The discharged mixture separates into water and oil in the separation tank T4, with the water falling to the bottom and the oil floating on the surface. The oil floating on the top of the tank is removed from the discharge port 4a and returned to the oil storage tank T7 through the pump P5 and filter F1. The water that falls in the separation tank T4 is removed from the drain port 4c at the bottom and returned to the aeration tank T1 through filter F2. This series of operations is repeated to produce an increased volume of synthetic fuel. 【0040】 As is clear from the above description, the above embodiment is a method for producing synthetic fuel, in which water and oil with different specific gravities are mixed and reacted, and then these two types of liquids are separated in a series of steps, using reaction and separation tanks T3 and T4 having an inner reaction tank and an outer separation tank, and includes a reaction step in which the two liquids of water and oil are mixed by a stirring pump and the mixture sent into the inner reaction tank T3 is reacted while being stirred, a separation step in which the mixture reacted in the reaction step is taken out from the bottom of the reaction tank T3 and discharged to the outer separation tank T4 by a separation pipe 3 sent to the top of the separation tank, and the discharged mixture is separated into two types according to the difference in specific gravities, an oil discharge step in which the oil separated in the separation step is discharged from the top of the separation tank, and a water discharge step in which the water separated in the separation step is discharged from the bottom of the separation tank, and the series of operations of the reaction step, separation step, oil discharge step and water discharge step are carried out continuously in a single reaction and separation tank. 【0041】 Therefore, not only is the installation space required for synthetic fuel production equipment reduced, but the amount of synthetic fuel produced can also be significantly increased. Furthermore, producing new fuel oil using carbon dioxide from the air as a raw material contributes to decarbonization and enables the achievement of carbon-free products. 【0042】 1 Synthetic fuel production apparatus 3 Separation pipe 3a Outer pipe 3b Inner pipe 3c Outlet T1 Aeration tank T2 Agitation tank T3 Reaction vessel T4 Separation tank T5 Water tank T6 Sedimentation tank T7 Oil storage tank S1 Photocatalytic device F1 Filter P1-P6 Pump

Claims

1. A synthetic fuel manufacturing apparatus for continuously performing the process of mixing and reacting water and oil, which have different specific gravities, and then separating the two liquids, comprising a reaction / separation tank having at least an inner reaction tank and an outer separation tank, wherein the inner reaction tank reacts the mixture of water and oil, which is mixed and sent in by a stirring pump, while stirring, and a separation pipe is provided to take the reacted mixture from the bottom of the reaction tank and send it to the top of the outer separation tank, wherein the outer separation tank separates the mixture discharged from the inner reaction tank into oil and water due to the difference in specific gravities, and is provided with an oil outlet at the top of the separation tank and a water outlet at the bottom of the separation tank, wherein the separation pipe includes an outer pipe and an inner pipe fitted inside the outer pipe, and both pipes are movable relative to each other in the direction of the pipe length so that the outlet height to the separation tank can be adjusted.

2. The synthetic fuel production apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reaction / separation tank is further provided with a water tank outside the outer separation tank, and the water tank stores and separates the water discharged from the bottom of the separation tank.

3. A method for producing synthetic fuel, comprising a series of steps to mix and react water and oil, which have different specific gravities, and then separate the two liquids, wherein a reaction / separation tank having an inner reaction tank and an outer separation tank is used, the method comprising a reaction step in which the two liquids, water and oil, are mixed by a stirring pump and the mixture is sent in and reacted while being stirred, and a separation step in which the mixture reacted in the reaction step is taken from the bottom of the reaction tank and sent to the top of the separation tank by a separation pipe, and the mixture discharged into the outer separation tank is separated into oil and water due to the difference in specific gravity A method for producing synthetic fuel, comprising a reaction step, a separation step, an oil discharge step for discharging the fuel oil separated in the separation step from the top of the separation tank, and a water discharge step for discharging the water separated in the separation step from the bottom of the separation tank, wherein the reaction step, separation step, oil discharge step, and water discharge step are carried out continuously in a single reaction / separation tank, and the separation pipe includes an outer pipe and an inner pipe fitted inside the outer pipe, and the outlet height of the separation pipe is adjusted according to the amount of mixed liquid and reaction time in the reaction tank by making both pipes movable relative to each other in the length direction of the pipe.

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