Cooling Tower Water Cooling Using CO2-Lean Gas Streams
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for cooling water using cooling towers with heat exchange, such as those involving dry waste nitrogen from air separation devices, may not be as efficient when utilizing gases other than air, particularly in cryogenic units where gas separation and cooling are involved.
Innovation Solution
A method and installation that utilize a dry gas from a cryogenic unit, where the gas undergoes partial condensation, to cool water in a cooling tower, with the cooled water then being used to cool gases depleted or enriched in CO2, which are part of the cryogenic process, enhancing the cooling efficiency by leveraging the temperature differences within the CO2-rich and CO2-lean gas streams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a cooling tower uses heat exchange with air or dry waste nitrogen from air separation devices, then water cooling is achieved, but cooling efficiency is reduced when using gases other than air in cryogenic units
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the thermal parameters of the cooling system by utilizing CO2-rich gas at different temperatures (cold gas from cryogenic separation and warmer gas from adsorption units) to create optimized heat exchange conditions. This allows the cooling tower to achieve better cooling efficiency by matching temperature gradients between the water and gas streams, rather than using standard air cooling methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own waste gas streams (CO2-rich gas from cryogenic separation and adsorption units) as the cooling medium, turning what would be waste streams into a valuable cooling resource. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external cooling media and improves overall system efficiency by integrating the cooling function within the existing process.
2Temperature
If water is cooled in a cooling tower using cryogenic unit gases, then cooling efficiency improves, but the system complexity increases due to integration with CO2-rich and CO2-lean gas streams
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling tower is designed to handle multiple gas streams (CO2-rich gas from cryogenic separation, CO2-lean gas from adsorption units) with a single integrated structure. The system performs multiple functions: cooling water, condensing water vapor, and utilizing temperature gradients from different gas sources, all within one cooling tower assembly. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate cooling systems for each gas stream.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the cooling function with the cryogenic unit's gas separation and adsorption processes by integrating the cooling tower into the existing system. The cooling tower receives and processes multiple gas streams simultaneously, combining what would traditionally be separate operations into a unified system that improves overall efficiency while managing complexity through integration.
3Use of energy by moving object
If CO2-rich gas is used for water cooling, then energy utilization is optimized, but water vapor condensation may occur requiring additional handling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of water vapor condensation into a beneficial outcome. Instead of treating condensation as a problem requiring separate handling, the system uses the condensation process itself as part of the cooling mechanism. The condensing of water vapor from the CO2-rich gas stream contributes to the overall cooling efficiency and integrates moisture removal into the primary cooling function.
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 effectively cools water by exploiting the temperature gradients in the CO2-rich and CO2-lean gas streams, improving the cooling efficiency and integrating the water cooling process with the cryogenic unit's operations, thereby optimizing energy utilization and cooling performance.
Implementation Method 1
cooling water by heat and material exchange in cooling towers by heat exchange with air or with dry waste nitrogen
Implementation Method 2
cooling efficiency by leveraging the temperature differences within the CO2-rich and CO2-lean gas streams
Implementation Method 3
the gas to be separated is cooled to a temperature below -10° C. and then undergoes at least one partial condensation step
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The method involves cooling a water flow (23) in a cooling tower (25) that is supplied with carbon-di-oxide depleted gas (5) from its base and is supplied with water from its top. The gas (5) is provided from a vacuum pressure swing adsorption or vacuum swing adsorption or pressure swing adsorption type adsorption unit (3) which is supplied with a gas (1) to be treated and produces carbon-di-oxide enriched gas (7). Cooled water (27) is drawn from the tower at its base. An independent claim is also included for a water cooling apparatus.