Gas Mixture Preparation via Integrated Ash Separation and Water Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing process for preparing a gas mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide from an ash-containing carbonaceous feedstock generates multiple water effluents, increasing complexity in water treatment and lacks efficient water reuse, particularly in water-intensive processes like coal-to-liquids processes.
Innovation Solution
A process involving partial oxidation of the ash-containing carbonaceous feedstock, followed by separation of over 90% liquid ash, cooling the gas mixture, scrubbing with liquid water, and using a decanter centrifuge to separate ash from the water effluent, allowing for the reuse of cleaned water and reducing the number of effluent streams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the gas mixture is scrubbed by contacting with liquid water, then the ash content in the gas is reduced, but multiple water effluents are produced increasing treatment complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple water treatment operations into a single integrated system. The water bath serves both as a cooling medium for the gas mixture and as a scrubbing liquid that captures ash particles. The single water stream from this combined operation is then treated in one centrifugal separator, merging what would otherwise be separate treatment streams into a unified process that reduces overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid water in the water bath performs multiple functions simultaneously: it cools the hot gas mixture from partial oxidation, scrubs ash particles from the gas stream, and provides a medium for ash separation. This multi-functional use of water eliminates the need for separate systems for each function, reducing the number of effluent streams and simplifying the overall water treatment configuration.
2Manufacturing precision
If water is used for scrubbing and cooling, then the gas is cleaned and cooled, but water consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent recovers and reuses water from the scrubbing and cooling process. The water effluent from the centrifugal separator, which contains removed ash particles, is treated and the cleaned water is recycled back into the water bath for continued use as cooling and scrubbing medium. This recovery and reuse loop significantly reduces fresh water consumption while maintaining effective gas cleaning and cooling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback loop where water quality monitoring and centrifugal separation continuously remove accumulated ash from the water stream, and the cleaned water is fed back into the system. This feedback mechanism maintains water quality suitable for scrubbing and cooling functions while minimizing water loss and consumption through continuous purification and reuse.
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 process simplifies water treatment by reducing the number of effluent streams, enabling efficient water reuse and minimizing water consumption, while producing a gas mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide with reduced ash content, suitable for downstream processes.
Implementation Method 1
separating the ash from the water effluent by means of a decanter centrifuge
Implementation Method 2
partial oxidation of the ash containing carbonaceous feedstock with an oxygen containing gas thereby obtaining liquid ash and a gas mixture comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide and solids
Implementation Method 3
reducing the temperature of the gas mixture, in the absence of the separated ash
Implementation Method 4
scrubbing the cooled gas mixture of step (iii) by contacting with liquid water to obtain a scrubbed gas and a water effluent containing ash
Data Source
AI summary
Process to prepare a gas mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide from an ash containing carbonaceous feedstock by performing the following steps,(i) partial oxidation of the ash containing carbonaceous feedstock with an oxygen containing gas thereby obtaining liquid ash and a gas mixture comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide and solids,(ii) separating more than 90 wt % of the liquid ash from the gas mixture,(iii) reducing the temperature of the gas mixture, in the absence of the separated ash(iv) scrubbing the cooled gas of step (iii) by contacting with liquid water obtaining a scrubbed gas and a water effluent containing ash,(v) separating the ash from the water effluent by means of a decanter centrifuge thereby obtaining a wet ash and a stream of water poor in ash.