Dry cooling system using thermally induced vapor polymerization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10487694-B2
Application number	US-201816119771-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2018
Priority date	Dec 8, 2015
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

A system and method for providing dry cooling of a coolant in a directed energy system, 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. Pumps having adjustable volumetric flow may be incorporated and provide customized cooling and energy draw.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dry-cooling module useful in absorbing heat from coolant in a directed energy system, the module comprising:
a depolymerization cooling unit (DCU) in fluid communication with a polymerization heating unit (PHU), the DCU comprising a DCU heat exchanger and a first acid based catalyst disposed within the DCU, wherein the coolant cycles through the DCU and the DCU receives a stream of a polymer; wherein contact of the polymer over the first catalyst within the DCU converts the polymer into a monomer in an endothermic reaction; wherein the endothermic reaction draws heat from the coolant as the coolant cycles through the DCU; and wherein the DCU expels a stream of the monomer; and
the PHU comprises a PHU heat exchanger, wherein a second acid based catalyst is disposed within the PHU and the PHU receives the monomer; wherein flow of the monomer over the second acid based catalyst converts the monomer to the polymer in an exothermic reaction; and wherein the PHU expels the stream of the polymer for conveyance to the DCU.

2. The dry-cooling module of claim 1 , wherein the monomer resulting from the contact of the polymer over the first catalyst within the DCU is primarily a gas.

3. The dry-cooling module of claim 1 , wherein the monomer resulting from the contact of the polymer over the first catalyst is primarily a liquid.

4. The dry-cooling module of claim 1 , further comprising a blower in fluid communication with the DCU and the PHU, wherein the blower is designed and configured to withdraw the monomer from the DCU, and convey the monomer to the PHU.

5. The dry-cooling module of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is paraldehyde.

6. The dry-cooling module of claim 1 , wherein the first acid based catalyst and the second acid based catalyst are the same.

7. The dry-cooling module of claim 1 , the system further comprising a first polymer separation unit (PSU) in fluid communication between the DCU and the PHU, wherein the PSU comprises a PSU heat exchanger and a heat source, wherein the PSU receives from the DCU the stream of monomer, which stream also comprises a portion of the polymer, wherein heat is transferred from the heat source to the stream of monomer and the portion of the polymer to further separate the monomer and the polymer, and wherein the PSU expels the monomer to the PHU.

8. The dry-cooling module of claim 7 , wherein the coolant also cycles through the PSU as the heat source of the PSU.

9. The dry-cooling system of claim 7 , wherein the PSU further receives from the PHU the stream of polymer, which stream also comprises a portion of the monomer, and wherein the PSU expels the polymer for conveyance to the DCU.

10. The dry-cooling system of claim 7 , further comprising a second PSU in fluid communication between the PHU and the DCU, wherein: the second PSU receives from the PHU the stream of polymer, which stream also comprises a portion of the monomer, wherein the coolant also cycles through the second PSU and heat from the coolant is transferred to the stream of the polymer liquid and the monomer liquid, to further separate the polymer from the monomer; and wherein the second PSU expels the polymer for conveyance back to the DCU.

11. The dry-cooling module of claim 7 , wherein the PSU and PHU are configured to facilitate heat transfer from the PHU to the PSU, wherein the flow of the monomer over the second acid based catalyst in the exothermic reaction in the PHU is the heat source of the PSU.

12. The dry-cooling module of claim 11 , wherein the PHU is positioned within the PSU.

13. The dry-cooling module of claim 12 , wherein the PHU comprises one or more tubes, the PSU comprises a shell, and the tubes of the PHU extend through an interior of the shell of the PSU.

14. The dry-cooling module of claim 1 , wherein the DCU further receives water, and wherein the endothermic reaction of the contact of the polymer over the first catalyst within the DCU causes at least a portion of the water to vaporize into water vapor, and wherein the DCU expels the water vapor with the monomer, wherein the PHU receives the water vapor with the monomer, and wherein the PHU expels the water with the polymer for conveyance to the DCU.

15. The dry-cooling system of claim 14 , the system further comprising a liquid to liquid separator in fluid communication between the PHU and the DCU, to separate the polymer from the water, and independently convey the polymer and the water to the DCU.

16. The dry-cooling system of claim 14 , the system further comprising a polymer separation unit (PSU) in fluid communication between the DCU and the PHU, wherein: the PSU comprises a PSU heat exchanger, wherein the coolant cycles through the PSU heat exchanger, wherein the PSU receives from the DCU the monomer and water vapor, which stream also comprises a portion of the polymer, wherein heat from the coolant is transferred to the monomer, water vapor and polymer received by the PSU, to further separate the monomer from the polymer, and wherein the PSU expels the monomer to the PHU.

17. The dry-cooling system of claim 14 , wherein the PSU further receives from the PHU the polymer, a portion of the monomer and water, and wherein the PSU expels the polymer and the water for conveyance to the DCU.

18. A method for a dry-cooling cycle useful in absorbing heat from coolant in a directed energy system, the method comprising the steps of:
in a first heat exchanger through which the coolant flows, depolymerizing a polymer in an endothermic reaction, thereby drawing heat from the coolant and producing a monomer;
withdrawing the monomer from the first heat exchanger;
in a second heat exchanger, polymerizing the monomer, producing the polymer; and
delivering the polymer to the first heat exchanger.

19. The method for a dry-cooling cycle of claim 18 , further comprising the steps of:
in a third heat exchanger through which the coolant also flows, receiving the monomer from the first heat exchanger and the polymer from the second heat exchanger, and further separating the monomer from the polymer, using the coolant as a heat source;
discharging the polymer to the first heat exchanger; and
discharging the monomer to the second heat exchanger.

20. The method for a dry-cooling cycle of claim 18 , further comprising the step of cycling water with the polymer and monomer through the first and second heat exchangers.

21. A dry-cooling module useful in absorbing heat from coolant in a directed energy system, the module comprising a depolymerization cooling unit (DCU) in fluid communication with a polymerization heating unit (PHU),
wherein the DCU comprises a DCU heat exchanger and a first acid based catalyst disposed within the DCU, and the PHU comprises a PHU heat exchanger and a second acid based catalyst disposed within the PHU;
wherein the coolant cycles through the DCU by means of a coolant pump;
wherein the DCU receives a stream of a polymer by means of a polymer pump;
wherein at least one of the coolant pump or the polymer pump has an adjustable volumetric flow rate based upon the a volumetric flow rate signal received by the pump;
wherein contact of the polymer over the first catalyst within the DCU converts the polymer into a monomer in an endothermic reaction, which endothermic reaction draws heat from the coolant as the coolant cycles through the DCU;
wherein the DCU expels a stream of the monomer to the PHU;
wherein flow of the monomer over the second acid based catalyst in the PHU converts the monome

Assignees

• Applied Res Associates Inc

Inventors

• Shaaban Aly
• Zhou gong
• Church Christopher Scott
• Mormile Joshua J
• Kettell Desiree

Classifications

• F28D20/003

  using thermochemical reactions · CPC title

• F01K7/16

  the engines being only of turbine type (the engines using steam of critical or overcritical pressure F01K7/32; the engines being of extraction or non-condensing type F01K7/34) · CPC title

• F01K9/003

  condenser cooling circuits · CPC title

• F28B9/06

  with provision for re-cooling the cooling water or other cooling liquid · CPC title

• F01K3/004

  Accumulation in the liquid branch of the circuit · CPC title