Compact Marine Scrubber With Vertical Inlet And Baffle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional scrubbers for marine vessels with side inlets occupy excessive space due to their design, making them unsuitable for vessels with space constraints, and often require additional space for alignment with engine exhausts, which complicates air quality control systems.
Innovation Solution
A compact scrubber design featuring an upper section with a spray bank and a lower section including an inlet and baffle section positioned within a determined surface area equal to or less than the upper section's surface area, allowing for a reduced footprint and efficient pollutant removal from flue gas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a conventional side inlet design is used in the scrubber, then the scrubber can effectively receive flue gas from the engine exhaust, but the scrubber occupies excessive space in the marine vessel
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet and baffle section are merged into a single integrated component, eliminating the need for separate inlet piping and baffle structures. This integration allows the flue gas inlet to be directly aligned with the engine exhaust while the baffle section is positioned within the same footprint as the upper section, thereby reducing the overall space requirement of the scrubber without compromising its ability to receive and process flue gas effectively
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from a conventional horizontal side inlet configuration to a vertical arrangement where the inlet is positioned at the bottom and the baffle section extends upward within the vertical space of the upper section. This dimensional change allows the inlet to align with the engine exhaust while keeping the horizontal footprint compact, as the gas flow path is arranged in the vertical dimension rather than requiring additional horizontal space
2Area of stationary object
If the inlet is positioned outside the upper section footprint, then the scrubber can be compact, but additional space is required for coupling to the engine exhaust
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet structure is merged with the lower portion of the scrubber body, and the baffle section is integrated within the upper section volume. This combination eliminates the need for external coupling pipes and adapters that would otherwise be required to connect the inlet to the engine exhaust, thereby avoiding additional space requirements outside the main scrubber footprint
3Area of stationary object
If a compact configuration is implemented, then space requirements are reduced, but the scrubber may not effectively convey flue gas from the inlet to the spray bank
Solution Approach 1:
The flue gas flow path is arranged in the vertical dimension, with the inlet at the bottom feeding gas upward through the baffle section into the upper section where the spray bank is located. This vertical arrangement maintains effective gas-liquid contact for pollutant removal while keeping the horizontal footprint compact, as the entire gas flow path is contained within the vertical height of the scrubber rather than requiring additional horizontal space
Solution Approach 2:
The scrubber is segmented into distinct functional zones: the lower inlet section for gas reception, the baffle section for flow distribution and liquid-gas contact, and the upper section with the spray bank for pollutant removal. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while being compactly arranged in a vertical stack, maintaining productivity without increasing footprint
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
The compact scrubber configuration significantly reduces space requirements for air quality control systems in marine vessels, enabling effective pollutant removal while accommodating space constraints and preventing scrubbing liquid backflow.
Implementation Method 1
The scrubbing liquid sprayed by the at least one spray bank is configured to remove at least a portion of the pollutants from the flue gas
Data Source
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AI summary
A scrubber (232) includes an upper section (240) including a first end (248) having a first surface area, where the upper section (240) includes at least one spray bank (202) configured to spray a scrubbing liquid. Further, the scrubber (232) includes a lower section (246) coupled to the upper section (240) and including an inlet (254) configured to receive flue gas from an exhaust unit (206) and a baffle section (250) coupled to the inlet (254) and configured to receive the flue gas from the inlet (254) and convey the received flue gas towards the at least one spray bank (202) in the upper section (240), where the baffle section (250) and the inlet (254) are positioned within a determined surface area for a relatively compact configuration of the scrubber (232), and where the determined surface area is less than or equal to the first surface area of the first end (248) of the upper section (240).