System and process for recovering power and steam from regenerator flue gas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10458329-B2
Application number	US-201414199197-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2014
Priority date	Mar 6, 2014
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

A power generation process for use in a processing unit that includes the steps of: using a regenerator to produce a flue gas stream; removing catalyst particles from the flue gas stream; routing the flue gas stream to a combustor/expander unit after performing the step of removing catalyst particles; and using rotation of the turbine of the combustor/expander unit as a source of rotary power. Preferably, the combustor/expander unit includes a combustion chamber and a power recovery turbine housed within a single casing. In certain embodiments, the flue gas stream is routed between the regenerator and the combustor/expander without passing through a compressor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power generation process for use in a processing unit, the process comprising:
using a regenerator to produce a flue gas stream, wherein the flue gas
stream exits from an upper portion of the regenerator; routing the flue gas stream to a filtering unit;
removing catalyst particles from the flue gas stream;
routing the flue gas stream to a combustor/expander unit after performing the step of removing catalyst particles, wherein the combustor/expander unit comprises a combustion chamber and a power recovery turbine housed within a single casing, the flue gas stream is routed between the regenerator and the combustor/expander unit without passing through a compressor, and the combustion chamber of the combustor/expander unit heats the flue gas stream to between approximately 1600° F. and approximately 2500° F.; and
using rotation of the turbine of the combustor/expander unit as a source of rotary power.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the flue gas stream from the regenerator is combined with a stream from a blower upstream of the step of removing catalyst particles.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the rotary power is used to power at least one of the following components selected from the group consisting of: a main air blower, a combustor air compressor, a supplemental air compressor to serve the regenerator, and a motor.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the rotary power is used to power a generator to generate electricity.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the step of removing catalyst particles is performed by a passing the stream through electrostatic precipitators followed by filtration with one or more ceramic filters.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit in which the power generation process is performed is a fluid catalytic cracking unit, and further wherein the regenerator receives a catalyst stream from a fluid catalytic cracking reactor and the regenerator is configured and arranged to oxidize coke from catalyst within the catalyst stream.

7. A power generation process for use in a fluid catalytic cracking unit, the process comprising:
using a regenerator to produce a flue gas stream, wherein the flue gas stream exits from an upper portion of the regenerator;
routing the flue gas stream to a filtering unit;
removing catalyst particles from the flue gas stream, wherein said step of removing catalyst particles utilizes the filtering unit;
routing the flue gas stream to a combustor/expander unit after performing the step of removing catalyst particles, wherein the combustor/expander unit comprises a combustion chamber and a power recovery turbine housed within a single casing,
wherein the combustion chamber heats the flue gas stream to between approximately 2100° F. and approximately 2500° F.;
using carbon monoxide within the flue gas stream as a primary fuel for combustion within the combustion chamber;
supplying supplemental fuel and air to the combustor chamber in an amount to combust carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide with an excess of oxygen; and
using rotation of the power recovery turbine as a source of rotary power.

8. The process according to claim 7 , wherein the supplemental fuel includes one or more fuels selected from the group consisting of the following: natural gas, fluid catalytic cracking dry gas after treatment, compressed pressure swing adsorption tail gas, refinery fuel gas and liquid diesel fuel.

9. A power generation process for use in a processing unit, the process comprising:
using a regenerator to produce a flue gas stream, wherein the flue gas stream exits from an upper portion of the regenerator;
routing the flue gas stream to a first steam generator;
removing catalyst particles from the flue gas stream after the flue gas stream has been routed to the first steam generator;
routing the flue gas stream to a combustor/expander unit after performing the step of removing catalyst particles, wherein the combustor/expander unit comprises a combustion chamber and a power recovery turbine housed within a single casing, the flue gas stream is routed between the regenerator and the combustor/expander unit without passing through a compressor, and the combustion chamber of the combustor/expander unit heats the flue gas to between approximately 1600° F. and approximately 2500° F.; and
using rotation of the turbine of the combustor/expander unit as a source of rotary power.

10. The power generation process according to claim 9 , further comprising using the first steam generator to generate high pressure steam.

11. The power generation process according to claim 10 , further comprising routing the flue gas stream to a second steam generator after performing the step of removing catalyst particles.

12. The power generation process according to claim 11 , further comprising using the second steam generator to generate low pressure steam.

13. The power generation process according to claim 12 , wherein the step of removing catalyst particles is performed by passing the stream through a filter unit including an electrostatic precipitator in series with one or more filters.

14. The power generation process according to claim 13 , further comprising routing a bottoms stream from the filter unit to a separator.

15. The process according to claim 9 , further comprising:
using carbon monoxide within the flue gas stream as a primary fuel for combustion within the combustion chamber; and
supplying supplemental fuel, and air, to the combustor/expansion unit.

16. The process according to claim 15 , wherein the supplemental fuel includes one or more fuels selected from the group consisting of the following: natural gas, fluid catalytic cracking dry gas, compressed pressure swing adsorption tail gas, refinery fuel gas and liquid diesel fuel.

17. The process according to claim 15 , wherein the rotary power is used to power a generator to generate electricity.

Assignees

• Uop Llc

Inventors

• Zhu Xin X
• Alves Joao Jorge Da Silva Ferreira
• Palmas Paolo
• Johnson Ii Richard A
• Van De Cotte Michael R

Classifications

• F02C3/205 Primary

  in a fluidised-bed combustor (in combination with a steam cycle see F01K23/061; fluidised-bed apparatus in general B01J8/18; fluidised-bed combustors in general F23C10/00) · CPC title

• F01K5/02

  used in regenerative installation · CPC title

• Y02E50/12

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02E50/10

  Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel · CPC title