Cooking Apparatus for Biomass with Dynamic Temperature Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional batch cooking processes in pulp manufacturing face challenges in maintaining quality due to temperature deviations, leading to poor tensile strength, high kappa numbers, non-uniform pulp quality, and reduced pulp yield, particularly when rapid temperature increases are used.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an improved batch cooking process using a cooking apparatus with a controlled temperature profile, employing a mixture of formic acid, acetic acid, water, and furfural as the cooking chemical, which allows for rapid and controlled heating within the range of 116°C to 170°C, enhancing the organosolv cooking process to achieve better selectivity and yield of C5 sugars while maintaining pulp quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the cooking temperature is increased to improve cooking efficiency and reduce cooking time, then the productivity is improved, but the quality of the end product deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamic temperature control by adjusting the cooking temperature profile over time. The temperature is increased during the cooking process according to a specific profile (e.g., from 160°C to 170°C to 180°C at different time intervals) rather than maintaining a constant high temperature. This dynamic adjustment allows efficient delignification while preventing excessive degradation of pulp quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes multiple parameters including temperature, cooking time, and chemical composition (using organosolv cooking chemicals like formic acid, acetic acid, and furfural). By optimizing these parameters together - specifically using a temperature profile that increases gradually and controlling the cooking time - the process achieves both high productivity and maintained pulp quality with lower kappa numbers.
2Manufacturing precision
If the cooking time is extended to improve pulp quality and reduce kappa number, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a dynamic temperature profile that increases during the cooking process rather than maintaining a constant temperature. This allows the cooking process to be completed more efficiently - achieving good delignification and pulp quality in shorter times (e.g., 60-120 minutes at elevated temperatures) compared to conventional constant temperature processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies the principle of rushing through the cooking process by using elevated temperatures (up to 180°C) and organosolv chemicals to accelerate delignification. This allows the process to quickly achieve the desired kappa number and pulp quality without extended cooking times, thereby maintaining high productivity.
3Productivity
If rapid temperature increase is used to shorten cooking time and improve productivity, then the cooking efficiency is improved, but the uniformity of pulp quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a controlled dynamic temperature profile that increases gradually during the cooking process (e.g., 160°C for initial period, then increasing to 170°C, 180°C at subsequent intervals). This controlled progression ensures uniform heat distribution and consistent delignification throughout the biomass, producing uniform pulp quality while maintaining shortened cooking times.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements monitoring and control of the cooking process parameters including temperature, pressure, and chemical composition. By monitoring the process and adjusting parameters according to a predetermined profile, the system ensures uniform pulp quality is achieved even with rapid temperature increases, preventing local overheating and degradation.
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 approach enables a more selective and efficient delignification process, resulting in high-quality pulp with a lower kappa number and improved pulp viscosity, while potentially shortening cooking time and maintaining the desired temperature profile, thus overcoming the limitations of conventional methods.
Implementation Method 1
a heating arrangement which heats the cooking chemical and adjusts its temperature as a function of time
Implementation Method 2
a circulation arrangement which transfers the heated cooking chemical from the heating arrangement to the cooking reactor
Implementation Method 3
Each cooking reactor receives a biomass batch which is cooked in the cooking reactor by using a cooking chemical comprising formic acid, acetic acid, furfural, and water
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A cooking apparatus for treating biomass containing lignocellulose, comprises one or more cooking reactors (100, 100') adapted to cook biomass in a cooking chemical which includes formic acid and acetic acid. A heating arrangement (106) is adapted to adjust heat energy transfer to each cooking reactor (100, 100') by adjusting the temperature of the cooking chemical as a function of time and by feeding the temperature-adjusted cooking chemical into each cooking reactor (100, 100').