Vertical Multiphase Reactor for Wet Biomass Autothermal Processing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing reactors require high energy consumption to dry and transform biomasses with high humidity, such as microalgae, which limits their energy utilization and material recovery efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A continuous vertical multiphase reactor that performs instantaneous multi-effect evaporation, adiabatic expansion in vacuum, and heat recovery, allowing for autothermal processing of wet biomass without prior drying, producing bio hydrocarbons like bio carbon, bio oils, and synthesis gas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional drying and transformation processes are used for wet biomass, then the biomass can be transformed into energy products, but high energy consumption is required to evaporate the water content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transitions of water through multi-effect evaporation and adiabatic expansion. Wet biomass is fed into the reactor where water undergoes sequential phase changes across multiple effects, with each effect recovering heat from the previous one. The adiabatic expansion valve causes rapid pressure drop and temperature reduction, enabling efficient water evaporation and separation from biomass without requiring external high-energy heating sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The reactor operates continuously with wet biomass being constantly fed and processed through multiple effects in sequence. The multi-effect evaporation system maintains continuous heat recovery and transfer across all effects, eliminating idle time and ensuring that energy is continuously utilized to evaporate water and transform biomass into energy products without interruption.
2Reliability
If external heat sources and fuels are used to process wet biomass, then the transformation can proceed, but the energy balance becomes negative
Solution Approach 1:
The reactor is designed to be self-sufficient by using the biomass itself as the heat source. The combustion chamber burns part of the wet biomass to generate the heat required for the multi-effect evaporation process and the remaining biomass transformation. This internal heat generation eliminates the need for external heat sources and achieves a positive energy balance, as the system uses its own material to sustain the thermal processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The high water content of wet biomass, which is normally a disadvantage requiring energy-intensive drying, is converted into a benefit. The water undergoes multi-effect evaporation where the latent heat of vaporization is recovered and reused across multiple effects. The adiabatic expansion of water vapor provides cooling and separation, transforming what would be waste energy into useful process heat and separation mechanism.
3Productivity
If high temperature and pressure processes are used for combustion, then the transformation is effective, but the energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The reactor divides the biomass transformation process into distinct segments: a combustion chamber for high-temperature burning, a multi-effect evaporation section for water removal, and a transformation section for energy product generation. Each segment operates at optimized temperature and pressure conditions appropriate to its function, avoiding the need for the entire system to maintain uniformly high energy input. The segmentation allows efficient heat transfer between sections.
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 reactor achieves efficient transformation of wet biomass into bio hydrocarbons with reduced energy consumption, maintaining energy self-sufficiency and producing clean final products, overcoming the limitations of existing technologies.
Implementation Method 1
an evaporation chamber (2) with a vacuum multiple effect fast evaporation system by means of an adiabatic expansion valve (3)
Implementation Method 2
instantaneous multi-effect evaporation
Implementation Method 3
evaporation chamber (2) with a vacuum multiple effect fast evaporation system
Implementation Method 4
a pyrolysis chamber (5), a gasification and combustion chamber (6)
Implementation Method 5
a condensation and catalysis system (7)
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a reactor and method for thermochemically degrading wet biomass without the need for prior drying, in particular microalga-rich substrates. The invention provides a vertical continuous multiphase reactor (VCMR) that simultaneously, progressively and continuously carries out the steps of evaporation, pyrolysis, gasification and combustion, in separate chambers, using indirect heating. The reactor operates at pressures below atmospheric pressure to increase thermal and productive efficiency, using a fraction of the same products as fuel to achieve thermal self-sufficiency. A system for instant evaporation at low temperature by means of adiabatic expansion is used. The reactor has high efficiency and high yield, requiring minimum space, and can be movable. The products obtained from the reactor are synthesis gas, biocarbon and bio-oils, with uses in energy, agriculture, cosmetics, health and construction. The invention also provides a method for obtaining hydrocarbons and energy from high-moisture biomass, wherein the steps are carried out continuously and the method does not need to be interrupted to add new wet biomass for conversion.