Carbothermal reduction reactor system, components thereof, and methods of using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10400309-B2
Application number	US-201414915573-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2014
Priority date	Aug 29, 2013
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

Methods, systems, and components suitable for carbothermal reduction processes are disclosed. Exemplary systems include a reactor, such as hybrid solarthermal-electric reactor, a solar thermal reactor, an electric reactor, or a reactor heated by gas combustion, a pellet source, a gas reactant source, and a vacuum source. The reactor can operate as a moving bed or pseudo moving bed reactor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A condenser comprising:
a housing having an interior volume, a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the housing comprising:
a first inlet at the first end of the housing to receive a moving bed of particles flowing in a first direction through the interior volume of the housing of the condenser;
a second inlet to the housing to receive a stream comprising gaseous metal flowing in a second direction different than the first direction through the interior volume of the housing;
a first outlet at the second end to dispense the particles and condensate material condensed on the particles from the interior volume of the housing; and
a second outlet to remove gasses from the interior volume of the housing, the second outlet operably connected to a vacuum source; and

a temperature controller operably coupled to the housing and configured to maintain temperature of the particles at the first inlet to below a boiling point of the metal.

2. The condenser of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises a diluent inlet.

3. The condenser of claim 1 , configured to operate at sub-atmospheric pressure due to removal of gasses by the vacuum source.

4. The condenser of claim 1 , further comprising a cooling source proximate the first inlet external to the housing.

5. The condenser of claim 1 , further comprising a heating source proximate the first inlet external to the housing.

6. The condenser of claim 1 , configured to provide the condensate material as a liquid.

7. The condenser of claim 1 , configured to provide the condensate material as a solid.

8. The condenser of claim 1 , configured to inhibit oxidation of metal as the metal condenses onto the moving bed of particles.

9. The condenser of claim 1 , configured to utilize a metal that comprises magnesium.

10. The condenser of claim 1 , wherein the second inlet for the stream comprising gaseous metal is operably connected to a carbothermal reactor.

11. The condenser of claim 1 , configured so that the moving bed of particles comprises a metal to be condensed from the stream comprising gaseous metal.

12. The condenser of claim 1 , configured so that a rate of the moving bed of particles is maintained to maintain the temperature of the moving bed of particles at a desired temperature.

13. The condenser of claim 1 , configured to control a partial pressure of an oxidizing gas.

14. The condenser of claim 1 , wherein the temperature controller is further configured to maintain temperature of the inner walls of the housing to above the boiling point of the metal.

Assignees

• Univ Colorado Regents

Inventors

• Weimer Alan W
• Palumbo Aaron
• Hischier Illias
• Chubukov Boris A
• Rowe Scott C
• Fisher Richard
• Groehn Arto J

Classifications

• C22B26/22 Primary

  Obtaining magnesium · CPC title

• C22B1/14

  Agglomerating; Briquetting; Binding; Granulating · CPC title

• C01B21/0726

  Preparation by carboreductive nitridation · CPC title

• C22B5/16

  with volatilisation or condensation of the metal being produced · CPC title

• C01B21/0685

  Preparation by carboreductive nitridation · CPC title