Honeycomb Reactor With Segmented Adsorbent for Lower Pressure Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing reactors face challenges in increasing the amount of functional material retained while minimizing pressure loss, leading to increased operating costs and reduced adsorption performance due to the thickness of the adsorbent layer, which hinders gas diffusion and CO2 desorption.
Innovation Solution
A reactor design that selectively fills specific cells of a honeycomb structure with a functional material in a pellet shape, utilizing plugged portions to optimize gas flow and retention, reducing pressure loss and enhancing adsorption efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the thickness of the adsorbent layer is increased to retain more adsorbent, then the amount of CO2 recovered increases, but the pressure loss increases and adsorption performance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The reactor divides the adsorbent layer into multiple segments along the flow direction, with each segment having a controlled thickness. This segmentation allows the process gas to flow through multiple thinner adsorbent layers rather than one thick layer, reducing pressure loss while maintaining total adsorbent quantity. The segmentation is achieved by creating a structured arrangement where gas flows through alternating regions of adsorbent and open space.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a conventional single-layer adsorbent configuration to a multi-dimensional structured arrangement. By organizing adsorbent segments in a spatial pattern that extends in multiple dimensions (length, width, and height), the system increases the effective adsorbent surface area accessible to the gas flow without increasing the linear thickness of any single adsorbent layer, thereby reducing pressure loss.
2Quantity of substance
If the thickness of the adsorbent layer is increased to retain more adsorbent, then the amount of CO2 recovered increases, but the adsorption performance decreases due to difficulty in gas diffusion
Solution Approach 1:
The adsorbent layer is segmented into multiple thin sections arranged in sequence along the gas flow path. This segmentation ensures that the process gas can effectively diffuse into each thin adsorbent section, maintaining high adsorption performance. The segmented structure prevents the gas from having to diffuse through a single thick layer, thereby eliminating the mass transfer limitations that would reduce productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The segmented adsorbent structure enables continuous effective contact between the process gas and the adsorbent throughout the reactor. By arranging multiple adsorbent segments in sequence, the system ensures that the gas flow continuously interacts with fresh adsorbent surfaces throughout the entire flow path, maintaining high adsorption productivity across the whole reactor volume rather than having dead zones in thick layers.
3Quantity of substance
If the thickness of the adsorbent layer is increased to retain more adsorbent, then the amount of CO2 recovered increases, but the operating cost increases due to increased kinetic energy requirement
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented adsorbent structure reduces the kinetic energy requirement for gas flow by dividing the flow path into multiple stages with thinner adsorbent sections. Each segment creates less flow resistance than a single thick layer would, thereby reducing the overall pressure drop and the energy required to pump gas through the reactor, leading to lower operating costs.
4Quantity of substance
If the thickness of the adsorbent layer is increased to retain more adsorbent, then the amount of CO2 recovered increases, but the maintenance period decreases due to adsorbent deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented adsorbent structure reduces the burden on any single adsorbent segment, preventing localized saturation and overload. This distribution of the adsorption load across multiple segments extends the overall service life of the adsorbent system by preventing premature exhaustion of any individual segment, thereby extending the maintenance period.
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 design increases the amount of functional material retained while suppressing pressure loss, leading to decreased operating costs and improved adsorption performance by optimizing gas flow and retention within the reactor.
Implementation Method 1
The proposed main method for recovering CO2 is to adsorb CO2 onto an adsorbent capable of adsorbing CO2
Implementation Method 2
it becomes difficult for the process gas to reach the interior of the adsorbent layer sufficiently
Implementation Method 3
the pressure loss increases when the process gas containing CO2 is circulated
Data Source
AI summary
A reactor includes a honeycomb structure including: an outer peripheral wall; porous partition walls provided on an inner side of the outer peripheral wall, the porous partition walls defining first cells, second cells, and third cells through which a process gas containing a trapping target gas, each of the first cells, the second cells, and the third cells extending from an inflow end face to an outflow end face of the honeycomb structure; first plugged portions provided at the first cells on the inflow end face side; second plugged portions provided at the second cells on the outflow end face side; and third plugged portions provided at the third cells on the outflow end face side, the third cells being interposed between the first cells and the second cells, and a functional material having a pellet shape, the functional material being filled in the third cells.