Moving Bed CO2 Scrubber for Continuous Adsorption and Regeneration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing CO2 scrubbers require complex valving systems and have limited efficiency in reducing CO2 levels indoors while minimizing outside air ventilation, which can lead to increased CO2 concentrations and energy consumption due to poor outside air quality and temperature conditions.
Innovation Solution
A carbon dioxide scrubber design featuring a continuously movable sorbent bed across adsorption and regeneration chambers, with optional heating and thermal energy recovery, allowing for continuous operation and reduced outside air ventilation, utilizing sorbents like activated carbon, zeolite, or metal organic frameworks to adsorb CO2 and other indoor pollutants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a fixed bed cartridge CO2 scrubber with one or two sorbent beds is used, then CO2 adsorption is achieved, but the system requires complex valving systems for operation and cannot achieve continuous performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a moving bed structure where the sorbent bed continuously moves between adsorption and regeneration zones, replacing the static fixed bed system. This dynamic configuration enables continuous CO2 removal without requiring complex switching valves, as the moving bed naturally transitions between operational phases through its physical movement along the process axis.
Solution Approach 2:
The moving bed design ensures that while one portion of the sorbent bed is in the adsorption zone removing CO2, another portion is simultaneously in the regeneration zone being reactivated. This continuous circulation of the sorbent bed through alternating adsorption-regeneration cycles maintains uninterrupted CO2 removal performance, eliminating the intermittent operation inherent in fixed bed systems.
2Reliability
If outside air ventilation is increased to maintain indoor air quality, then CO2 levels are diluted, but energy consumption for heating, cooling and dehumidification increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes CO2 from the indoor air stream using the moving bed sorbent system, allowing the building to maintain indoor air quality with reduced outside air ventilation. By actively removing the harmful CO2 component rather than relying on dilution through fresh air intake, the system significantly reduces the energy required for heating, cooling, and dehumidifying large volumes of outside air.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the approach to indoor air quality management from controlling the quantity of outside air (ventilation rate) to controlling the concentration of CO2 through active removal. This parameter shift enables maintaining acceptable CO2 levels with lower ventilation rates, thereby reducing the energy consumption associated with conditioning outside air.
3Use of energy by moving object
If outside air ventilation is reduced to decrease energy consumption, then CO2 concentration inside the space increases, but a CO2 removal system becomes necessary
Solution Approach 1:
The moving bed CO2 removal system operates autonomously to maintain indoor air quality, enabling the building to reduce outside air ventilation without compromising CO2 control. The self-contained sorbent bed system continuously adsorbs CO2 from the indoor air, providing reliable air quality management that allows for minimized outside air intake and associated energy savings.
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 scrubber achieves continuous CO2 removal with reduced energy consumption and outside air intake, improving indoor air quality and energy efficiency by utilizing a movable sorbent bed and thermal energy recovery, enabling smaller sorbent volumes and lower pollutant introduction.
Implementation Method 1
The carbon dioxide sorbent bed is configured to adsorb carbon dioxide from the adsorption airflow into the sorbent bed
Implementation Method 2
a heater located in the regeneration chamber is configured to heat the regeneration airflow
Data Source
AI summary
A carbon dioxide scrubber includes an adsorption chamber through which an adsorption airflow is directed, a regeneration chamber through which a regeneration airflow is directed, and a divider wall separating the adsorption chamber from the regeneration chamber. A carbon dioxide sorbent bed extends across the adsorption chamber and the regeneration chamber. The carbon dioxide sorbent bed is configured to adsorb carbon dioxide from the adsorption airflow into the sorbent bed and exhaust carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide sorbent bed into the regeneration airflow. The carbon dioxide sorbent bed is continuously movable through the adsorption chamber and the regeneration chamber.