150 results about "Fossil fuel combustion" patented technology

A method of remediating and recovering energy from combustion products from a fossil fuel power plant having at least one fossil fuel combustion chamber, at least one compressor, at least one turbine, at least one heat exchanger and a source of oxygen. Combustion products including non-condensable gases such as oxygen and nitrogen and condensable vapors such as water vapor and acid gases such as SO_X and NO_X and CO₂ and pollutants are produced and energy is recovered during the remediation which recycles combustion products and adds oxygen to support combustion. The temperature and/or pressure of the combustion products are changed by cooling through heat exchange with thermodynamic working fluids in the power generation cycle and/or compressing and/or heating and/or expanding the combustion products to a temperature/pressure combination below the dew point of at least some of the condensable vapors to condense liquid having some acid gases dissolved and/or entrained and/or directly condense acid gas vapors from the combustion products and to entrain and/or dissolve some of the pollutants while recovering sensible and/or latent heat from the combustion products through heat exchange between the combustion products and thermodynamic working fluids and/or cooling fluids used in the power generating cycle. Then the CO₂, SO₂, and H₂O poor and oxygen enriched remediation stream is sent to an exhaust and/or an air separation unit and/or a turbine.

A method for separation of CO₂ from the combustion gas from a thermal power plant fired with fossil fuel, wherein the combustion gas from the thermal power plant is used as cooled, compressed and reheated by combustion of natural gas in a combustion chamber to form an exhaust gas, where the exhaust gas is cooled an brought in contact with an absorbent absorbing CO₂ from the exhaust gas to form a low CO₂ stream and an absorbent with absorbed CO₂, and where the low CO₂ stream is heated by means of heat exchanges against the hot exhaust gas leaving the combustion chamber before it is expanded in turbines, is described. A plant for performing the method and a combined plant is also described.

A method of reducing pollutants exhausted into the atmosphere from the combustion of fossil fuels. The disclosed process removes nitrogen from air for combustion, separates the solid combustion products from the gases and vapors and can capture the entire vapor/gas stream for sequestration leaving near-zero emissions. The invention produces up to three captured material streams. The first stream is contaminant-laden water containing SO_x, residual NO_x particulates and particulate-bound Hg and other trace contaminants. The second stream can be a low-volume flue gas stream containing N₂ and O₂ if CO₂ purification is needed. The final product stream is a mixture comprising predominantly CO₂ with smaller amounts of H₂O, Ar, N₂, O₂, SO_X, NO_X, Hg, and other trace gases.

Invented is a method of making combustion air for a fossil fuel burner, as a coal burning power plant, oil refinery or gas fired household appliance. Combustion air is made from solar, wind, biomass, hydropower or geothermal. A staged progression using lower cost greenhouses, or flatplates, or solarponds, feed warm air to higher cost concentrator solar collectors. Wind energy, biomass, geothermal energy heat and compress combustion air. Hydropower also heats and compresses combustion air. Solar evaporation from salt or impure water creates water or local rain for the hydropower system. Combustion air thus is made economically hot, compressed and high velocity, and placed into a heavily insulated pipes for long distance transmission to a distant power plant.

Apparatus and methods for augmenting the Mark 13a process of Van Zelzen et al., by providing for the addition of dispatchable energy storage and/or additional waste stream treatments. Sulfur-containing stack gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels for electricity production are cleaned, removing the sulfur by use of the Bunsen reaction. The process produces hydrogen and sulfuric acid as byproducts. The hydrogen output of the process can be used to co-produce electricity in a reversible fuel cell, and optionally can be stored so that electricity can be produced during periods of high demand. Optionally the hydrogen can be reacted with air-nitrogen or nitrogen from the combustion gasses to produce ammonia. The sulfuric acid can optionally be reacted with iron or aluminum to produce iron or aluminum sulphates and additional electricity. In addition, mercury removal from the gas emissions from burning fossil fuels (primarily coal) can be performed.

This invention relates a series of steps to provide an economical production of a carbon based fertilizer and soil amendment made during the capture of greenhouse gases from the combustion of fossil and non fossil fuels. The invention uses biomass and other carbonaceous sources through pyrolytic conversion to gases and charcoal, to allow for the further production of co-products, such as hydrogen and ammonia. The invention also relates to the combination of hydrated ammonia, combustion flue gas exhaust, and charcoal, provide for the conversion of the charcoal into a valued added soil amendment to return essential trace minerals and plant nutrients to the soil. The ability to produce a large volume carbon co-product while removing mandated emissions and producing renewable based hydrogen provides an economic gain to a large number small and large businesses and increase the chance of achieving significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for increasing the final feedwater temperature associated with a regenerative Rankine cycle, said cycle commonly used in thermal systems such as conventional power plants, whose steam generators are fired with a fossil fuel and whose regenerative Rankine cycle employs a reheating of the working fluid. This invention involves the placement of an Exergetic Heater System in the feedwater path of the regenerative Rankine cycle. The Exergetic Heater System conditions and heats feedwater such that the temperature of the cycle's final feedwater as it enters the steam generator has reached a desired value. The Exergetic Heater System receives its driving steam from an Intermediate Pressure turbine extraction.

An apparatus and method of converting flue gases produced by a fossil fuel burning furnace boiler is disclosed. The flue gas is separated into its constituent parts by cooling and filtering. Carbon dioxide, the main constituent, is then converted to carbon monoxide in a laser powered gas converter in which carbon is a catalyst. The laser powered converter also produces hydrogen from steam, and the two newly produced gases are chemically combined to produce a hydrocarbon fuel product which can then be burned in the furnace boiler. In this manner no harmful greenhouse gases are permitted to escape to the atmosphere.

The invention relates to a solar hot air system enhanced in-situ bio-ventilation soil restoration system. The system comprises a solar air heat collection system, a ventilation system, a contaminant vacuum extraction system and a gas purification system. The ventilation system is a ventilation pipeline, and the solar air heat collection system is connected with the ventilation pipeline and used for heating air in the ventilation pipeline. The contaminant vacuum extraction system comprises a gas phase extraction pipe and a vacuum pump, the gas phase extraction pipe is directly buried in the heated contaminated soil area, and the upper portion of the gas phase extraction pipe is connected with the gas purification device. The solar hot air system enhanced in-situ bio-ventilation soil restoration system further comprises a nutrient solution injection system, and a nutrient solution is evenly pumped into organic matter contaminated soil through the nutrient solution injection system. According to the system, solar energy serves as a heat source, heated air is injected into a soil embedded radiating pipe, soil temperature is adjusted, soil microbial flora and the nutrition environment are optimized, degradation of microorganisms for organic matter in the contaminated soil is promoted, and then following vacuum extraction is facilitated. By means of the system, energy is saved, the emission of greenhouse gas is reduced, and secondary pollution generated by combustion of fossil fuel is avoided.

An mechanical power system is provided for providing torque without using a heat engine in virtually any non-aviation application where fossil-fuel engines have conventionally been used, by simply replacing the fossil-fuel burning engine with a rotary pneumatic motor of appropriate size for the application and feeding pressure-regulated compressed gas to the rotary pneumatic motor. The rotary pneumatic motor can be used virtually anywhere, and requires merely a supply of compressed gas to run it, preferably compressed nitrogen. Automotive, marine and electrical generating applications are easily adaptable, and auxiliary fossil-fuel engines can be added for emergencies where a supply of compressed gas has been exhausted. A screw-type compressor can be electrically powered to supply compressed gas to the pneumatic motor where tanks of compressed gas have been exhausted. Tanks of compressed gas are to be conveniently user replaceable.

An in-situ forced oxidation wet flue gas desulfurization apparatus, method and arrangement for utilization with oxy-fuel combustion power plants. The apparatus is a tower-like structure having a flue gas scrubbing zone and a reaction zone located subjacent to the gas scrubbing zone. A sulfur oxide absorbing liquid slurry is supplied to the gas scrubbing zone to react with and scrub the sulfur oxides from the flue gas. The partially reacted liquid slurry reagent and the scrubbed products drain into the reaction zone, rising to a set level. Oxidation air is introduced into the liquid slurry in the reaction zone to force the in-situ oxidation of sulfur compounds collected in the reaction zone. A wall separates and communicates the gas scrubbing zone and the reaction zone, the wall prevents the oxidation air from entering the gas scrubbing zone and extends into the liquid slurry below a nominal depth required to establish and maintain a liquid slurry seal thereby substantially precluding the leakage of flue gas into the reaction zone while allowing the partially reacted liquid slurry reagent and scrubbed products to drain into the reaction zone.

An mechanical power system provides torque without using a heat engine where fossil-fuel engines have conventionally been used, by replacing the fossil-fuel burning engine with a rotary pneumatic motor and feeding pressure-regulated compressed gas to the rotary pneumatic motor. The rotary pneumatic motor can be used anywhere, and requires preferably compressed nitrogen in a non-liquid state. Automotive, marine and electrical generating applications are adaptable, and auxiliary power is available for emergencies where a supply of compressed gas has been exhausted. A screw-type compressor can be electrically powered to supply compressed gas to the pneumatic motor where tanks of compressed gas have been exhausted. An electrical generating power plant includes an array of solar panels for generating direct current (DC) and a DC/AC converter for converting the DC to alternating current (AC) and outputting a portion of the AC via a power plant output port to supply an AC load.

Methods are provided for physically removing all the carbon dioxide from the combustion products of solid, liquid, and gaseous fossil fuels. The combustors operate without excess air to maximize the carbon dioxide at the exhaust, which is compressed with the nitrogen and mixed with pressurized water to dissolve the carbon dioxide in a chamber from which the nitrogen gas is removed. The solution is drained into a second lower pressure chamber from which the carbon dioxide re-evolves as a gas, which is then pressurized for sequestration in limestone formations as calcium bicarbonate. The water is recycled to repeat the separation process, and depressurization of the two gases recovers most of the compression energy.

An overfire air injector for use in a fossil fuel-fired combustion device includes a cylindrical nozzle having an outlet end formed with a step diffuser comprising one or more radial steps that enlarge the outlet end of the nozzle. An atomizer lance may be mounted within the nozzle, having a discharge orifice at the outlet end of the nozzle, for supplying a reducing agent to the overfire air to reduce NOx emissions.

To alleviate and possibly even reverse global warming while providing a liquid fuel to replace petroleum, apparatus and methods are disclosed for capturing CO₂ from an air mixture and converting it to a useful substance, especially a methanol-containing fuel, utilizing preferably an MgO-loaded cartridge, which is converted partly into MgCO₃ as it captures CO₂ by a carbonation reaction and is reconverted into MgO by a calcination reaction while emitting a stream of substantially pure CO₂. The emitted CO₂ stream is reacted with hydrogen or water to yield a methanol-containing fuel or other useful chemical agent. The hydrogen is preferably derived from water electrolysis using inexpensive solar or wind driven electricity thereby also reducing the cost of such electricity by providing an economical energy storage means. Said air mixture may be the effluent from an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle or from other fossil fuel burning sources or from the ambient atmosphere. The catalytic combination of hydrogen with CO₂ to form methanol can provide a new global environmentally beneficial fuel whose burning will not contribute to any net increase in the atmospheric CO₂ burden.

A method of optimizing operation of a fossil fuel fired boiler includes, in an exemplary embodiment, providing a plurality of sensors positioned in different spatial positions within the fossil fuel fired boiler. The method also includes recording sensor outputs, identifying spatial combustion anomalies indicated by sensor outputs, identifying burners responsible for the spatial combustion anomalies, and adjusting air flow of responsible burners to alleviate the spatial combustion anomalies.

This invention relates to pollution control requirements for fossil fuel burning facilities, such as power plants, incinerators and cement kilns, and more particularity, to improved methods of atomizing an SNCR reagent into the combustion effluent therof.

The invention relates to a magnetic fluid power generation device, which is composed of a solar reflector, an air inlet pipe, an air injection chamber, an ionization chamber, a power generation channel, a recovery chamber, an exhaust pipe, a permanent magnet, a power transmission system and a storage battery pack, wherein a fossil fuel combustion chamber is added additionally. The ionization chamber is provided with two pairs of positive and negative reverse high-voltage discharging rods, the power generation channel is provided with a collection baffle, the reflector is composed of a hemispheric concave mirror and a small cylinder and provided with an automatic steering device for tracking light, the air injection chamber is provided with an air inlet pump and a tourmaline net, and the recovery chamber is provided with an exhaust pump. Working medium xenon absorbs heat in the reflector to rise to a high temperature to be input in the air inlet pipe, is accelerated through the air injection chamber, rubs with the tourmaline net to be ionized, and is sprayed in the ionization chamber to encounter a cross strong electric field to generate electric corona, all of the gas is almost ionized, generated plasma gas enters the power generation channel and is affected by Lorentz force to have deflection, positive and negative charged particles are respectively concentrated on the collection baffle and a negative plate to form a positive pole and a negative pole of a generator, electric power is led out, and rated alternating current is output after voltage stabilization and inversion. Two poles of the generator are in parallel connection with the storage battery pack to be charged or discharged mutually. The magnetic fluid power generation device has the advantages of utilizing light energy and heat energy, converting the light energy and the heat energy into electric energy, and obtaining high power generation efficiency.

A stepped, perforated tray is provided for increasing the available gas-slurry contact area in a flue gas desulfurization chamber. The tray redirects the horizontal flow upwardly through the tray for increased surface area and contact time with slurry for removing SO_x or other contaminants from a fossil fuel combustion flue gas before releasing the flue gas to the atmosphere. The tray is adaptable for use in vertical tower systems as well.