Biomass Reactor Pressure Control via Process Water Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing biomass carbonization processes face challenges in maintaining stable pressure and temperature conditions, often requiring intermittent operation and the use of movable heat exchange surfaces that accumulate deposits, leading to increased maintenance costs and temperature gradients.
Innovation Solution
A pressure and temperature control system utilizing process water for refrigeration and stabilization within the reactor, eliminating the need for movable devices and heat exchange surfaces, and allowing for efficient pressure regulation and heat recovery through steam management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If movable heat exchange surfaces are used in the reactor, then temperature control capability is improved, but deposit accumulation on surfaces occurs leading to increased maintenance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes movable heat exchange surfaces and temperature control devices from the reactor system. Instead of using internal heat exchange surfaces, the system utilizes the reactor wall itself as the heat exchange surface, eliminating the need for separate movable components that accumulate deposits and require maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The reactor system uses its own structure (reactor wall) to perform the heat exchange function, rather than requiring separate dedicated heat exchange surfaces. This self-service approach eliminates the need for maintenance of separate heat exchange components while maintaining effective temperature control.
2Stability of the object's composition
If movable heat exchange surfaces are installed in the reactor, then temperature stabilization is improved, but temperature gradients between coolant and reaction medium are generated
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the reactor wall with the heat exchange surface, creating a unified structure. This eliminates the interface between separate heat exchange surfaces and reaction medium, thereby eliminating temperature gradients that would otherwise exist between coolant and reaction medium.
Solution Approach 2:
The reactor wall acts as an intermediary that directly contacts both the coolant (on the external side) and the reaction medium (on the internal side), enabling efficient heat transfer without creating temperature gradients between separate heat exchange surfaces and the reaction medium.
3Device complexity
If intermittent operation mode is used for carbonization, then equipment simplicity is maintained, but productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enables continuous operation of the carbonization process by implementing effective temperature and pressure control through the simplified system. The reactor can maintain stable operating conditions continuously, eliminating the need for intermittent operation while preserving equipment simplicity.
4Temperature
If heat exchange surfaces are placed inside the reactor, then temperature control is improved, but cleaning and maintenance time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts removable heat exchange surfaces from the reactor interior and eliminates them entirely. The reactor wall itself serves as the heat exchange surface, which cannot accumulate deposits in the same way and requires no cleaning or maintenance of separate heat exchange components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system maintains uniform temperature and pressure conditions, reduces maintenance costs, and enables continuous operation with high refrigeration capacity and stability, while allowing for heat recovery and efficient use of steam in the HTC process.
Implementation Method 1
The temperature in the reactor or reactors is stabilized by injecting, into the reaction medium, process water in the liquid phase at a temperature lower than the temperature in the reactor or reactors, which has been brought to its evaporation temperature under the process pressure therein
Implementation Method 2
by offering the possibility of using the latent heat of water evaporation, it allows achieving a high refrigeration capacity of the system
Implementation Method 3
recovering some of the enthalpy of the steam generated during the reaction, preferably by using a steam turbine and/or by its condensation into a heat exchanger
Implementation Method 4
maintaining the reactor or set of reactors under suitable pressure and temperature conditions throughout the duration of the process
Data Source
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AI summary
This invention relates to a new system for controlling temperature and pressure in, at least, one chemical reactor, characterized in that it includes, at least, the following devices: a) a deposit with at least one pressure regulation device; b) a connecting duct between said deposit and the reactor; c) a device for injecting condensates into the reactor. Moreover, the invention relates to the use of said control system to control the pressure and temperature of at least one chemical reactor, being especially applicable to a chemical reactor in which a hydrothermal biomass carbonization reaction takes place.