Downstream Cooling in Sugar Thermolysis for Simpler Reactor Layout
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for improved methods and systems for thermolytic fragmentation of sugars into C1-C3 oxygenates suitable for industrial scale production, particularly addressing design complexity and efficiency in reactor systems.
Innovation Solution
A process involving an aqueous feedstock solution of sugar introduced into a fluidised bed fragmentation reactor with heat-carrying particles, followed by thermolytic fragmentation at 400°C, cooling the product downstream of the reactor to 230-390°C, and separating solids to achieve a high yield of C1-C3 oxygenates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If cooling is performed within the reactor, then the reactor design can be integrated, but the reactor becomes more complex and requires more space to accommodate cooling units
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate functional units: the fluidized bed reactor for thermolytic fragmentation and a separate cooling unit for product cooling. This segmentation allows each unit to be optimized independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining installation flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling function is extracted from the reactor and placed in a separate downstream cooling unit. This extraction simplifies the reactor design by removing the need to integrate cooling mechanisms, while the cooling unit can be independently positioned and installed
2Ease of manufacture
If cooling units are integrated within the reactor, then the process can be compact, but the installation becomes more complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cooling function into a separate unit, the system allows for simpler, more cost-effective installation of each component while maintaining reasonable space utilization through modular positioning
Solution Approach 2:
The separate cooling unit can be positioned in a different spatial arrangement downstream of the reactor, allowing flexible installation configurations that reduce complexity and cost without significantly compromising overall process compactness
3Device complexity
If the reactor is designed to accommodate cooling steps, then cooling can be performed in-line, but the reactor mass and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is extracted from the reactor structure, allowing the reactor to be designed as a simpler, lighter vessel focused solely on thermolytic fragmentation, while the cooling mass is relocated to a separate downstream unit
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 reduces design complexity and installation costs while maintaining high product yield, making it suitable for industrial-scale production by allowing separate placement of cooling units and improving space-efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
thermolytically fragmenting the sugar to provide a fragmentation product comprising the C1-C3 oxygenates
Implementation Method 2
fluidisable heat carrying particles
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for thermolytic fragmentation of a sugar into C1-C3 oxygenates, comprising cooling the fragmentation product downstream of the reactor to a cooling temperature of from 230° C. to 390° C. and then separating solids from the fragmentation product cooled to the cooling temperature. The present invention also relates to a system for performing the thermolytic fragmentation of a sugar into C1-C3 oxygenates. The method and the system are suitable for industrial scale production.