Device and apparatus for carrying out chemical dissociation reactions at elevated temperatures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10072344-B2
Application number	US-201314409144-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2013
Priority date	Jun 25, 2012
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A reactor is provided which comprises: a plurality of reaction units located within a reaction zone, each of the reaction units being adapted to enable carrying out a chemical reaction of one or more raw gases (e.g. at least one of CO2 and H20); ingress means to allow introduction of the one or more raw gases into the reaction zone and to allow distributing the incoming gas to the plurality of reaction units; egress means to allow exit of reaction products from the reaction zone; and a heating system. The reaction units extend essentially along a longitudinal axis of the reaction zone and are arranged in a spaced-apart relationship along a lateral axis of the reaction zone. The heating system comprises a plurality of heating sources extending along the reaction zone, thereby providing at least a part of the energy to carry out the reaction process within the reaction units.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A reactor comprising:
a plurality of reaction units located within a reaction zone in the reactor, each of the reaction units being adapted to enable carrying out a chemical reaction of one or more raw gases;
ingress means operative to allow introduction of the one or more raw gases into the reaction zone and to allow distributing the incoming one or more raw gases to the plurality of the reaction units;
egress means operative to allow exit of reaction products from the reaction zone; and
a heating system comprising a plurality of heating paths within the reaction zone, the heating paths comprising at least external heating paths located in and extending along spaces between at least some of the reaction units to provide efficient heat transfer to the reaction units and provide at least a part of energy to carry out the reaction process within the plurality of reaction units;
wherein each of at least some of the reaction units comprises:
an active shell having a space defined therein through which said one or more raw gases flow and in which the chemical reaction occurs, said active shell at its first end having an opening configured for introduction of the one or more raw gases into the reaction unit; and
an inner shell passing through the active shell and being configured to define said space of the active shell around the inner shell for said flow of the one or more raw gases;

wherein the reaction units extend essentially along a longitudinal axis of the reaction zone and are arranged in a spaced-apart relationship along a lateral axis of the reaction zone, and
wherein the inner shell is a tube that defines a path for a gas flow there-through to provide the gas flow into and out of said space of the active shell for at least one of raw gases and reaction products and a heating gas.

2. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein the heating system comprises at least one of the following: one or more external heating elements interposed between at least two adjacent reaction units, one or more heating elements interposed between the adjacent reaction units and comprising one or more tubes, one or more heating elements interposed between the adjacent reaction units and comprising one or more tubes that include at least one of: a substantially U-shaped tube, and an annular tube.

3. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein the heating system comprises a plurality of heating elements arranged in an array of the heating paths defined by the spaces between the adjacent reaction units and a region of the reaction zone around the reaction units such that the heating gas is in direct contact with the reaction units which are surrounded by the heating gas.

4. The reactor of claim 3 , comprising at least one perforated plate extending along the reaction zone aside of the reaction units, whereby energy transfer is enhanced by perforations located in the path of the gas flow.

5. The reactor of claim 3 , comprising at least one perforated plate, whereby energy transfer is enhanced by perforations located in the path of the gas flow and wherein said perforated plate is characterized by at least one of the following: (a) the perforations are distributed non-uniformly along the plate; (b) the perforations include perforations of different sizes, thereby enabling to control lateral and longitudinal gas flows and consequently to facilitate uniform heat transfer from the heating gas to the reaction units.

6. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein said heating system further comprises internal heating elements defining internal heating paths extending longitudinally along respective reaction units and include one of the following: a tube through which heated gas is flowing along a respective reaction unit, an electrical heating element extending along a reaction unit, and an electrical heating element located within a tube that extends along a respective reaction unit.

7. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of reaction units are of tubular configuration and have at least one of the following configurations: (1) comprise the active shell configured as a close end unit, such that one end of the unit has an opening configured to enable introduction of the raw gas into the reaction unit and withdrawal of at least one of the reaction products therefrom, and an opposite end being blocked to prevent any flow of gases through the blocked end; (2) comprise the reaction unit configured as an open end unit.

8. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein said one or more raw gases comprise at least one of CO 2 and H 2 O.

9. A method for controlling a dissociation reaction of at least one of CO 2 and H 2 O raw gases, the method comprising:
providing the reactor of claim 1 ;
introducing said at least one of CO 2 and H 2 O raw gases into the reaction zone via the gas ingress thereby causing the one or more raw gases to pass through said spaces of the active shells of the multiple reaction units, and
operating said heating system for applying high-temperature heating to the reaction units via said heating paths, thereby providing at least part of energy required to carry out the reaction process within the multiple reaction units.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the heating sources comprise heated gas flowing through inner shells of the respective reaction units, such that the one or more raw gases flow in each of the reaction units in a space around the inner shell.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the heating sources comprise heated gas flowing through the spaced-apart reaction zone along spaces between the reaction units and around the reaction units' arrangement.

12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the heated gas is introduced to the reaction zone at a certain relatively high temperature, is directed to flow along a plurality of paths associated with the multiple reaction units, and leaves the reaction zone at a reduced temperature, thereby providing said at least part of the energy required to carry out the reaction within the reaction units.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the temperature of the heated gas is reduced by about 10%-50%.

14. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein said active shell comprises at least a cathode layer or an anode layer or both.

15. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein said active shell comprises at least a cathode layer, an electrolyte layer and an anode layer.

16. The reactor of claim 1 , further comprising one or more outer shells, the outer shell being associated with one or more of the active shells of the one or more reaction units.

17. The reactor of claim 16 , wherein said at least one outer shell defines a space surrounding the active shells for a flow of a product of the reaction process in said space.

18. The reactor according to claim 6 , wherein said internal heating paths comprise paths defined by tubular spaces inside the inner shells.

19. The reactor according to claim 1 , wherein said external heating paths further comprise paths defined by a space around an arrangement of the plurality of reaction units.

20. The reactor according to claim 1 , wherein said heating system comprises heating sources comprising physical heating elements through which heated gas flows through the reaction zone.

21. The reactor according to claim 20 , wherein the physical heating elements comprise at least one of the following: (i) internal heating elements passing through the respective reaction units; (ii) external heating elements located aside the react

Assignees

• Yeda Res & Dev

Inventors

• Scheiner David
• Karni Jacob
• George Raymond A
• Seiden Gabriel

Classifications

• B01J19/248 Primary

  Reactors comprising multiple separated flow channels · CPC title

• F28F21/04

  of ceramic; of concrete; of natural stone · CPC title

• C25B15/00 Primary

  Operating or servicing cells · CPC title

• F28D7/06

  the conduits having a single U-bend (F28D7/10 takes precedence){(F28D7/0016 and F28D7/0033 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B01J2219/00081

  Tubes · CPC title