Gas-fed fermentation systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10501714-B2
Application number	US-201314434315-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2013
Priority date	Oct 8, 2012
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

A fermenter can have at least one hollow fluid conduit disposed at least partially within a vessel. An external circumference of the hollow fluid conduit and an interior circumference of the vessel can define a downward flow path through which a multi-phase mixture including a liquid media and compressed gas substrate bubbles flows. An interior circumference of the hollow fluid conduit can defined an upward flow path which is in fluid communication with the downward flow path. The multi-phase liquid can flow through the upward flow path and exit the fermenter. Cooling may be provided in the hollow fluid conduit or the vessel. One or more backpressor generators can be used to maintain a backpressure on the fermenter. One or more fluid movers can be used to variously create an induced and/or forced flow in the downward and upward flow paths.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system to stimulate biological growth, the system comprising:
a vessel including a top;
at least one hollow fluid conduit disposed within an interior space formed by the vessel, the at least one hollow fluid conduit projecting from the top of the vessel into the interior space and permitting a fluid flow therethrough, the at least one hollow fluid conduit including at least one inlet and at least one outlet and defining a closed fluid channel;
wherein the at least one inlet of the at least one hollow fluid conduit is in fluid communication with the interior space of the vessel and positioned to provide a downward flow path bordered by an external perimeter of the at least one hollow fluid conduit and by an internal perimeter of the vessel and an upward flow path bordered by an internal perimeter of the at least one hollow fluid conduit;
at least one gas distributor disposed at a start of the downward flow path to introduce one or more gases into the downward flow path and create a multi-phase mixture;
at least one first fluid mover to provide a downward fluid flow in the downward flow path and an upward fluid flow in the upward flow path; and
a thermal transfer surface thermally coupled to at least one of the downward flow path or the upward flow path; and
a multi-phase mixture discharge connection configured to discharge the multi-phase mixture from within the vessel to outside the vessel, the multi-phase mixture discharge connection connected to the top of the vessel, in fluid communication with the at least one outlet of the at least one hollow fluid conduit and directly fluidly coupled to the upward flow path.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fluid mover is (a) fluidly coupled to the at least one hollow fluid conduit inlet to induce a fluid flow in the downward flow path and to force a fluid flow in the upward flow path; (b) disposed external to both the upward flow path and the downward flow path, and is fluidly coupled to the downward flow path to force a fluid flow in both the upward flow path and the downward flow path; or (c) disposed external to both the upward flow path and the downward flow path, and is fluidly coupled to the upward flow path to induce a fluid flow in both the upward flow path and the downward flow path.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal transfer surface thermally coupled to at least one of the downward flow path or the upward flow path comprises a thermal transfer surface thermally conductively coupled to at least a portion of the at least one hollow fluid conduit or at least a portion of the vessel.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the vessel further comprises a biomass accumulator to encourage an accumulation of excess biomass in at least a portion of the interior space formed by the vessel.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the biomass accumulator includes a sloping or curving surface in at least a portion of the vessel to encourage the accumulation of excess biomass in at least a portion of the interior space formed by the vessel, or the biomass accumulator includes a connection proximate to the vessel to facilitate the removal of excess biomass from the biomass accumulator.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the upward flow path includes (a) one or more structures to promote biomass growth, or (b) one or more structures promoting mass transfer between phases of a multi-phase mixture flowing in the upward flow path.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the downward flow path includes (a) one or more structures to promote biomass growth, or (b) one or more structures promoting mass transfer between phases of a multi-phase mixture flowing in the downward flow path.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one separator to promote separation of the multi-phase mixture removed from the vessel into a plurality of phases, the at least one separator fluidly coupled to receive at least a portion of the multi-phase mixture from (a) the at least one hollow fluid conduit outlet, or (b) at least one backpressure generator fluidly coupled to the at least one outlet of the at least one hollow fluid conduit.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein a total internal volume of the at least one separator is at least 10% of a total internal volume of the vessel.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one separator is further fluidly coupled to an inlet of the vessel to return at least a portion of the separated multi-phase mixture to the downward flow path.

11. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a vacuum generator operably coupled to the at least one separator to produce a reduced pressure therein.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein at least a portion of the at least one backpressure generator includes one or more energy recovery systems.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein at least a portion of the one or more energy recovery systems includes a turbine operated electrical generator.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one hollow fluid conduit includes (a) a single hollow fluid conduit having a longitudinal axis oriented parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vessel, or (b) a plurality of hollow fluid conduits, each having a respective longitudinal axis that is oriented parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vessel.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one hollow fluid conduit includes a single hollow fluid conduit having a longitudinal axis coaxially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the vessel.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the respective longitudinal axis of each of the plurality of hollow fluid conduits are oriented parallel to the longitudinal axes of all other hollow fluid conduits.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal transfer surface is fluidly coupled to a reservoir containing one or more heat transfer media.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein an aggregate a total transverse cross sectional area of the at least one hollow fluid conduit is at least 10% of a total transverse cross sectional area of the vessel.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one gas distributor is disposed adjacent the at least one outlet of the at least one hollow fluid conduit.

20. A system to stimulate biological growth, the system comprising:
a vessel including a top;
at least one hollow fluid conduit disposed within an interior space formed by the vessel, the at least one hollow fluid conduit projecting from the top of the vessel into the interior space and permitting a fluid flow therethrough, the at least one hollow fluid conduit including at least one inlet and at least one outlet and defining a closed fluid channel;
wherein the at least one inlet of the at least one hollow fluid conduit is in fluid communication with the interior space of the vessel and positioned to provide a downward flow path bordered by an external perimeter of the at least one hollow fluid conduit and by an internal perimeter of the vessel and an upward flow path bordered by an internal perimeter of the at least one hollow fluid conduit, the fluid communication between the at least one inlet of the at least one hollow fluid conduit and the interior space of the vessel being the only fluid communication between the interior space of the vessel and the hollow fluid conduit;
at least one gas distributor disposed at a start of the downward flow path to introduce one or more gases into the downward flow path and create a multi-phase mixture;
at least one first fluid

Assignees

• Calysta Inc
• Calysta Energy Inc

Inventors

• Silverman Joshua A
• Resnick Sol M
• Regitsky Drew D

Classifications

• C12M41/24

  inside the vessel · CPC title

• C12M29/06

  Nozzles; Sprayers; Spargers; Diffusers (per se B01F23/231, B01J19/26) · CPC title

• C12M29/08 Primary

  Air lift · CPC title

• C12M23/06

  Tubular (C12M23/08, C12M23/16 take precedence) · CPC title

• C12P7/42

  Hydroxy-carboxylic acids · CPC title