Thermal reactor systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10633592-B2
Application number	US-201715799280-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2017
Priority date	Oct 31, 2016
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a reactor system comprising: a reaction vessel comprising a reactant, a heat transfer fluid and a first reaction product, wherein the heat transfer fluid has a greater density than the first reaction product such that at least a portion of the first reaction product floats on a surface of the heat transfer fluid; a first outlet positioned at a surface level of the first reaction product, the first outlet configured to output a first outlet flow comprising at least a portion of the first reaction product and at least a portion of the heat transfer fluid; wherein the heat transfer fluid is configured to provide thermal energy to the reactant in the reaction vessel to form the first reaction product.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A reactor system comprising:
a reaction vessel comprising a reactant, a heat transfer fluid, a first reaction product, and a second reaction product, wherein the heat transfer fluid has a greater density than the first reaction product such that at least a portion of the first reaction product floats on a surface of the heat transfer fluid;
a first reaction vessel outlet positioned at a surface level of the first reaction product, the first reaction vessel outlet configured to output a first reaction vessel outlet flow comprising at least a portion of the first reaction product and at least a portion of the heat transfer fluid;
a first heat exchanger comprising:
the first reaction vessel outlet flow, the first reaction vessel outlet flow being at a first temperature; and
a first reaction vessel inlet flow comprising at least a portion of the heat transfer fluid recirculated from the first reaction vessel outlet flow, the first reaction vessel inlet flow being at a second temperature that is less than the first temperature;
wherein thermal energy in the first reaction vessel outlet flow is transferred to the first reaction vessel inlet flow; and

a second heat exchanger comprising:
a second reaction vessel outlet flow comprising at least a portion of the second reaction product, the second reaction vessel outlet flow being at a third temperature;
a third reaction vessel outlet flow comprising at least a portion of the heat transfer fluid, the third reaction vessel outlet flow being at a fourth temperature that is less than the third temperature; and
a second reaction vessel inlet flow comprising at least a portion of the heat transfer fluid of the third reaction vessel outlet flow, the second reaction vessel inlet flow being at a fifth temperature that is greater than the fourth temperature and less than the third temperature;

wherein the heat transfer fluid is configured to provide thermal energy to the reactant in the reaction vessel to form the first reaction product; and
wherein thermal energy from the second reaction vessel outlet flow is transferred to the second reaction vessel inlet flow.

2. The reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer fluid is a liquid metal.

3. The reactor system of claim 2 , wherein the liquid metal is selected from the group consisting of liquid tin, liquid gallium, liquid indium, liquid lead, liquid bismuth, liquid aluminum, and liquid silicon.

4. The reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the reaction vessel comprises a material stable at a temperature of from 1000° C. to 3000° C.

5. The reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the reaction vessel comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a ceramic, a carbon allotrope, and a carbon composite.

6. The reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the reactant is a gas and the first reaction product is at least one solid.

7. The reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the reactant is methane and the first reaction product is at least one of carbon black and pyrolytic carbon.

8. The reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the reaction vessel further comprises:
a first reaction vessel inlet for receiving the reactant;
a second reaction vessel inlet for receiving at least a portion of the heat transfer fluid from the first reaction vessel inlet flow;
a third reaction vessel inlet for receiving at least a portion of the heat transfer fluid from a heating unit;
a second reaction vessel outlet for providing the second reaction vessel outlet flow to the second heat exchanger; and
a third reaction vessel outlet for providing the third reaction vessel outlet flow to the second heat exchanger.

9. The reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the second heat exchanger further comprises:
a second heat exchanger first inlet for receiving at least a portion of the second reaction product from the second reaction vessel outlet flow, the second heat exchanger first inlet being in fluid communication with the second reaction vessel outlet;
a second heat exchanger second inlet for receiving at least a portion of the heat transfer fluid from the third reaction vessel outlet flow, the second heat exchanger second inlet being in fluid communication with the third reaction vessel outlet;
a second heat exchanger first outlet for providing at least a portion of the heat transfer fluid from the third reaction vessel outlet flow to the second reaction vessel inlet flow, the second heat exchanger first outlet being in fluid communication with a fourth reaction vessel inlet of the reaction vessel; and
a second heat exchanger second outlet for allowing at least a portion of the second reaction product from the second reaction vessel outlet flow to exit the second heat exchanger.

10. The reactor system of claim 9 , wherein the second heat exchanger second inlet is configured to provide liquid droplets of at least a portion of the heat transfer fluid from the third reaction vessel outlet flow to the second heat exchanger to facilitate the transfer of thermal energy from the second reaction vessel outlet flow to the second reaction vessel inlet flow.

11. The reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchanger further comprises a first channel comprising the first reaction vessel outlet flow, the first channel having a plurality of protrusions extending from interior side walls of the first channel, the protrusions configured to reduce contact between at least a portion of the first reaction product of the first reaction vessel outlet flow and at least a portion of the interior side walls of the first channel.

12. The reactor system of claim 11 , wherein the first channel is configured to reduce contact between at least a portion of the first reaction product of the first reaction vessel outlet flow and at least a portion of the interior side walls of the first channel by producing eddy currents within the first channel.

13. The reactor system of claim 11 , wherein the first channel is positioned at an angle sufficient to promote gravitationally driven flow of the first reaction vessel outlet flow.

14. The reactor system of claim 11 , wherein the first heat exchanger further comprises a second channel comprising the first reaction vessel inlet flow, the second channel being in thermal communication with the first channel to facilitate the transfer of thermal energy from the first reaction vessel outlet flow to the first reaction vessel inlet flow.

15. The reactor system of claim 11 , wherein the first heat exchanger further comprises a recovery vessel comprising:
a recovery vessel inlet for receiving the first reaction vessel outlet flow, the recovery vessel inlet being in fluid communication with the first reaction vessel outlet;
a first recovery vessel outlet for providing at least a portion of the first reaction product from the first reaction vessel outlet flow; and
a second recovery vessel outlet for providing at least a portion of the heat transfer fluid from the first reaction vessel outlet flow to the first reaction vessel inlet flow, the second recovery vessel outlet being in fluid communication with the second reaction vessel inlet.

16. A reactor system comprising:
a reaction vessel comprising a reactant, a heat transfer fluid, and a first reaction product, wherein the heat transfer fluid has a greater density than the first reaction product such that at least a portion of the first reaction product floats on a surface of the heat transfer fluid;
a first reaction vessel outlet positioned at a surface level of the first reaction product, the first reaction vessel outlet configured to

Assignees

• Georgia Tech Res Inst

Inventors

• Henry Asegun
• Amy Caleb
• Bagepalli Malavika
• Budenstein Daniel

Classifications

• C01B3/24 Primary

  of hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C10B49/14 Primary

  with hot liquids, e.g. molten metals · CPC title

• C01B2203/1241

  Natural gas or methane · CPC title

• C10J3/57

  Gasification using molten salts or metals (C10J3/02, C10J3/46 take precedence) · CPC title

• Y02E30/39

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic