Dry cooling system using thermally induced vapor polymerization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10066142-B2
Application number	US-201815896147-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2018
Priority date	Dec 8, 2015
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

A system and method for providing dry cooling of a source liquid, having a plurality of heat exchangers which depolymerize and polymerize a polymer. Specifically, the depolymerization process is endothermic and draws heat from a source liquid in a first heat exchanger, and the polymerization process is exothermic and expels heat from a second heat exchanger. Additional heat exchangers and holding tanks may be incorporated in the system and method. In some embodiments the system further provides additional cooling of the polymer prior to depolymerization using cooler night ambient air.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dry-cooling system useful in absorbing heat from a source liquid, the system comprising a depolymerization cooling unit (DCU) in fluid communication with a polymerization heating unit (PHU), wherein:
the DCU comprises a de-polymerization chamber and a conduit through which a source liquid cycles;
wherein a first acid based catalyst is disposed within the de-polymerization chamber, and the de-polymerization chamber receives a polymer liquid and water, and
wherein contact of the polymer liquid over the first catalyst within the de-polymerization chamber causes an endothermic reaction, converting the polymer liquid to a monomer rich vapor, wherein the endothermic reaction causes at least a portion of the water to vaporize into water vapor, and wherein the DCU is configured so that the endothermic reaction further draws heat from the source liquid as the source liquid cycles through the DCU;

the PHU comprises a polymerization chamber,
wherein a second acid based catalyst is disposed within the polymerization chamber, and the polymerization chamber receives the monomer rich vapor and the water vapor,
wherein flow of the monomer rich vapor over the second acid based catalyst causes an exothermic reaction, converting the monomer rich vapor to a polymer liquid,
wherein the PHU is configured to transmit the polymer liquid from the polymerization chamber to the DCU; and

wherein the system further comprises means to withdraw the monomer rich vapor from the DCU and convey the monomer rich vapor to the PHU, and further comprises means to convey the polymer liquid from the PHU back to the DCU.

2. The dry-cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the PHU receives the polymer liquid below the polymerization chamber, and the water above the polymerization chamber.

3. The dry-cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the PHU receives the polymer liquid and the water above the polymerization chamber.

4. The dry-cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises a polymer separation unit (PSU) in fluid communication with the DCU and the PHU, and the monomer rich vapor from the DCU and the polymer liquid from the PHU are received within the PSU, facilitating further separation of the monomer vapor from the polymer liquid, in the presence of heat, the system further comprising means to withdraw the monomer gas from the PSU and convey the monomer gas to the PHU, and means to withdraw the polymer liquid from the PSU and convey the polymer liquid to the DCU.

5. The dry-cooling system of claim 4 , wherein the PHU is integrated within the PSU, and provides the heat facilitating the separation of the monomer gas from the polymer liquid.

6. A dry-cooling system useful in absorbing heat from a source liquid, the system comprising a depolymerization cooling unit (DCU) in fluid communication with a combined polymerization and separation unit (CPSU), wherein:
the DCU comprises a de-polymerization chamber and a conduit through which a source liquid cycles;
wherein a first acid based catalyst is disposed within the de-polymerization chamber, and the de-polymerization chamber receives a polymer liquid; and
wherein contact of the polymer liquid over the first catalyst within the de-polymerization chamber causes an endothermic reaction, converting the polymer liquid to a monomer rich vapor, and wherein the DCU is configured so that the endothermic reaction further draws heat from the source liquid as the source liquid cycles through the DCU;

the CPSU comprises a polymerization chamber and a separation chamber, wherein the CPSU is configured to facilitate heat transfer from the polymerization chamber to the separation chamber,
wherein a second acid based catalyst is disposed within the polymerization chamber, and the polymerization chamber receives the monomer rich vapor,
wherein flow of the monomer rich vapor over the second acid based catalyst causes an exothermic reaction, converting the monomer rich vapor to a polymer liquid mixture, and wherein the exothermic reaction emits heat to the separation chamber,
wherein the CPSU is configured to transmit the polymer liquid mixture from the polymerization chamber to the separation chamber; and
wherein the separation chamber facilitates the separation of the monomer rich vapor from the polymer liquid mixture, to form the polymer liquid;

wherein the system further comprises means to withdraw the monomer rich vapor from the DCU and convey the monomer rich vapor to the CPSU, and further comprises means to convey the polymer liquid from the CPSU back to the DCU.

7. The dry-cooling system of claim 6 , wherein the system is configured to convey the monomer rich vapor from the DCU to the separation chamber of the CPSU, and further to withdraw the monomer gas from the separation chamber and convey the monomer gas to the polymerization chamber of the CPSU.

8. The dry-cooling system of claim 6 , wherein the polymerization chamber comprises one or more tubes, the separation chamber comprises a shell, and the tubes extend through an interior of the shell.

9. The dry-cooling system of claim 6 , wherein the polymer is paraldehyde.

10. The dry-cooling system of claim 6 , wherein the first acid based catalyst and the second acid based catalyst are the same.

11. The dry-cooling system of claim 6 , wherein the monomer gas and the monomer rich vapor comprise water vapor.

12. The dry-cooling system of claim 11 , the system further comprising a liquid to liquid separator and a pair of pumps, in fluid communication between the CPSU and the DCU, to separate the polymer liquid from the water, and convey the polymer liquid and the water expelled from the CPSU to the DCU.

13. The dry-cooling system of claim 11 , further comprising a blower in fluid communication with the CPSU, wherein the blower is designed and configured to withdraw the monomer vapor and water vapor from the CPSU, under pressure of between about 3 to 12 psia, and convey the monomer vapor and water vapor back to the CPSU under pressure of between about 10 to 25 psia.

14. The dry-cooling system of claim 13 , further comprising a pump for recycling the polymer rich fluid from the polymerization chamber to the separation chamber of the CPSU.

15. A method for a dry-cooling system useful in absorbing heat from a source liquid, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a polymer and a source liquid;
in a first heat exchanger through which the source liquid flows, converting at least a portion of the polymer to a monomer liquid over a first catalyst, causing an endothermic reaction over the catalyst, the endothermic reaction drawing heat from the source liquid, and resulting in a monomer-polymer liquid mixture;
withdrawing the monomer-polymer mixture from the first heat exchanger;
in a separator in fluid communication with the first heat exchanger, receiving the monomer-polymer mixture, and applying heat to vaporize the monomer into a monomer vapor mixture, and separate the monomer vapor mixture from the polymer liquid, and
in a second heat exchanger in fluid communication with the separator, receiving and polymerizing the monomer vapor mixture over a second catalyst, causing an exothermic reaction over the catalyst and resulting in the polymer liquid; and
discharging the polymer liquid from the second heat exchanger for conveyance back to the first heat exchanger.

16. The method for a polymerization cycle of claim 15 , wherein the monomer vapor mixture further comprises water vapor.

17. The method for a polymerization cycle of claim 15 , further comprising applying pressure w

Assignees

• Applied Res Associates Inc

Inventors

• Shaaban Aly
• Zhou gong
• Mormile Joshua J
• Kettell Desiree

Classifications

• C09K5/16 Primary

  Materials undergoing chemical reactions when used · CPC title

• B01J2219/00074

  by indirect heating or cooling employing heat exchange fluids · CPC title

• F28D20/02

  using latent heat · CPC title

• F28D2020/006

  Heat storage systems not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B01J19/2455

  provoking a loop type movement of the reactants (tubular loop-type reactors B01J19/2435; loop reactors having moving elements inside B01J19/1868) · CPC title