Vacuum Gas Filter Regeneration for Biogas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing CO2 filtering systems for biogas, such as PSA and VPSA, face inefficiencies due to molecular sieve saturation and humidity absorption, leading to reduced performance and operational challenges.
Innovation Solution
A gas-filtering system employing a vacuum generator with two distinct vacuum phases and a flow controller to efficiently clean filters by recirculating filtered gas, allowing for quick and controlled regeneration without external gases, and dynamically adjusting cleaning cycles based on CO2 levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If molecular sieves are used to absorb CO2 in high-pressure reactors, then CO2 removal efficiency is improved, but the molecular sieves become saturated and require pressure reduction for regeneration
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic vacuum phases to regenerate molecular sieves. A vacuum generator periodically reduces pressure in the reactor to desorb accumulated CO2 from the sieves, restoring their absorption capacity without requiring system shutdown or complex multi-reactor configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the pressure parameter dynamically to control the regeneration process. By reducing pressure to vacuum levels during regeneration phases, the system facilitates CO2 desorption from molecular sieves, and then restores pressure for continued CO2 absorption, creating an efficient cyclic operation mode.
2Productivity
If molecular sieves operate continuously to remove CO2, then productivity is maintained, but humidity absorption reduces sieve efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary drying of the biogas feed stream before it enters the CO2 absorption reactor. This prevents humidity from reaching the molecular sieves, thereby maintaining their CO2 absorption efficiency over extended operational periods and reducing the frequency of regeneration cycles required.
3Reliability
If vacuum pressure is reduced for sieve regeneration, then CO2 desorption is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum generator serves multiple functions: it creates the vacuum necessary for CO2 desorption from molecular sieves, and simultaneously provides the driving force for gas flow redistribution within the reactor. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate vacuum pumps or flow control devices, simplifying the overall system architecture.
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 system effectively cleans filters quickly and efficiently, reducing operational times and maintaining system performance by recirculating filtered gas and adjusting cleaning phases according to CO2 concentrations, thus enhancing the overall efficiency of CO2 removal from biogas.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum generator (1401, 1402) connected to said reactor (1301, 1302, 1303) so as to be able to generate a vacuum inside said reactor (1301, 1302, 1303)
Implementation Method 2
The reactor contains molecular sieves, or filters, such as, for example zeolites, which absorb the CO2
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a gas-filtering system (1000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000) comprising: an input (1100) for the gas, a reactor (1301, 1302, 1303) for filtering the gas at the input (1100) and thus obtaining a filtered gas, an output (1200) for the filtered gas, a vacuum generator (1401, 1402) for generating a vacuum inside the reactor (1301, 1302, 1303), where the vacuum generator (1401, 1402) is configured so as to apply a first predetermined vacuum value (VI) in a first vacuum phase (T2) and so as to apply a second predetermined vacuum value (V2) in a second vacuum phase (T3); the filtering system (1000, 3000, 4000) further comprising a flow controller (1501, 1502, 1503) connected at the output to the reactor (1301, 1302, 1303), where the flow controller (1501, 1502, 1503) is configured so as to block the introduction of the filtered gas into the reactor (1301, 1302, 1303) during the first vacuum phase (T2), and where the flow controller (1501, 1502, 1503) is configured so as to allow the introduction of the filtered gas and/or a second gas into the reactor (1301, 1302, 1303), starting from the output (1200) during the second vacuum phase (T3).