Unit for passive transfer of CO2 from flue gas or ambient air

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11452974-B2
Application number	US-202016906168-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2020
Priority date	Jun 19, 2020
Publication date	Sep 27, 2022
Grant date	Sep 27, 2022

Abstract

A passive gas exchange transfer apparatus for exchanging carbon dioxide from a flue gas to a water supply is disclosed. The apparatus includes several upper rods and several lower rods to hold a membrane in place. The membrane provides increased surface area for the gas and the water to meet. The upper rods may be the source of the water supply, and the lower rods may be the source of the gas. The upper rods may disperse the water onto one side of the membrane, and the lower rods may disperse the gas onto the other side. The two may therefore meet at the surface created by the membrane as gravity draws the water downward, and convection draws the gas upward.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas exchange apparatus, comprising:
an upper liquid inlet, connected to a plurality of water feed rods located in an upper area of an internal chamber of the apparatus;
a lower gas inlet, connected to a gas feed mechanism located in a lower area of an internal chamber of the apparatus, wherein the gas feed mechanism includes a plurality of gas outlets configured to route gas from the lower gas inlet into the internal chamber of the apparatus;
a porous membrane separating a top side of the internal chamber of the apparatus from a bottom side of the internal chamber of the apparatus;
wherein the plurality of water feed rods are located vertically above the gas feed mechanism and above a plurality of lower rods; and
wherein the porous membrane extends over each of the plurality of water feed rods and under each of the plurality of lower rods in an alternating pattern, such that each water feed rod is located on the bottom side of the internal chamber of the apparatus and each lower rod is located on the top side of the internal chamber of the apparatus.

2. The gas exchange apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the plurality of water feed rods extends horizontally across the internal chamber of the apparatus, and is oriented parallel to each of the other of the plurality of water feed rods.

3. The gas exchange apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the plurality of water feed rods includes a water outlet on an upper side of the water feed rod, the water outlet being configured to disperse a liquid onto an upper surface of the porous membrane.

4. The gas exchange apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the plurality of lower rods extends horizontally across the internal chamber of the apparatus, and is oriented parallel to each of the other of the plurality of lower rods.

5. The gas exchange apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the porous membrane is configured within the internal chamber such that:
a lower surface of the membrane is contiguous with an upper side of a first water feed rod,
the membrane extends downward diagonally from the first water feed rod to a laterally adjacent first lower rod,
an upper surface of the membrane is contiguous with a lower side of the first lower rod, and
the membrane extends upward diagonally from the first lower rod to a laterally adjacent second water feed rod;
thereby forming a plurality of diagonal membrane surfaces that provide increased surface area for a liquid and a gas to come into contact.

6. The gas exchange apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a lower liquid outlet, configured to allow a liquid to exit from the lower area of the internal chamber of the apparatus; and
an upper gas outlet, configured to allow a gas to exit from the upper area of the internal chamber of the apparatus.

7. The gas exchange apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the porous membrane has a pore size configured to allow water dispersion across the porous membrane by surface tension.

8. A gas exchange apparatus comprising:
an upper liquid inlet, connected to a plurality of water feed rods located in an upper area of an internal chamber of the apparatus;
a lower gas inlet, connected to a plurality of gas feed rods located in a lower area of the internal chamber of the apparatus;
a porous membrane separating a top side of the internal chamber of the apparatus from a bottom side of the internal chamber of the apparatus;
a lower liquid outlet, configured to allow a liquid to exit from the lower area of the internal chamber of the apparatus; and
an upper gas outlet, configured to allow a gas to exit from the upper area of the internal chamber of the apparatus;
wherein
the porous membrane extends over each of the plurality of water feed rods and under each of the plurality of gas feed rods in an alternating pattern, such that each water feed rod is located on the bottom side of the internal chamber of the apparatus and each gas feed rod is located on the top side of the internal chamber of the apparatus;
each of the plurality of water feed rods includes a water outlet on an upper side of the water feed rod, the water outlet being configured to disperse a liquid onto an upper surface of the porous membrane; and
each of the plurality of gas feed rods includes a gas outlet on a lower side of the gas feed rod, the gas outlet being configured to disperse a gas onto a lower surface of the porous membrane.

9. The gas exchange apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the porous membrane comprises polyester and has a mesh size of 14×10 microns.

10. The gas exchange apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the top side of the internal chamber and the bottom side of the internal chamber are physically separated from each other by the porous membrane, such that a gas entering the internal chamber of the apparatus must pass through the porous membrane as it moves vertically upward from the plurality of gas feed rods to the upper gas outlet.

11. The gas exchange apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
each of the plurality of water feed rods extends horizontally across the internal chamber of the apparatus, and is oriented parallel to each of the other of the plurality of water feeds rods;
each of the plurality of the gas feed rods extends horizontally across the internal chamber of the apparatus, and is oriented parallel to each of the other of the plurality of gas feeds rods; and
each of the plurality of the gas feed rods is located lower within the internal chamber of the apparatus than each of the plurality of water feed rods, and each of the plurality of the gas feed rods is located laterally between two water feed rods.

12. The gas exchange apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the porous membrane extends diagonally downward from each of the plurality of water feed rods to a laterally adjacent gas feed rod, thereby forming a plurality of diagonal membrane surfaces that provide increased surface area for a liquid and a gas to come into contact.

13. The gas exchange apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the porous membrane comprises polyester and has a mesh size of 14×10 microns.

14. A method of exchanging carbon dioxide from a flue gas to a water supply using a gas exchange apparatus, comprising:
receiving a flue gas into the gas exchange apparatus through a lower gas inlet;
receiving a water supply into the gas exchange apparatus through an upper liquid inlet;
routing the water from the upper liquid inlet to a plurality of water feed rods located in an upper area of an internal chamber of the gas exchange apparatus;
routing the flue gas from the lower gas inlet to a plurality of gas feed rods located in a lower area of the internal chamber of the gas exchange apparatus;
dispersing the flue gas from the plurality of gas feed rods onto a lower surface of a porous membrane;
dispersing the water from the plurality of water feed rods onto an upper surface of the porous membrane; and
wherein the porous membrane extends over each of the plurality of water feed rods and under each of the plurality of gas feed rods in an alternating pattern so as to divide the internal chamber into a top side and a bottom side.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein
the plurality of water feed rods and the porous membrane are configured within the gas exchange apparatus such that gravity draws the water downward vertically across the porous membrane while surface tension of the water causes the water to spread out horizontally over the upper surface of the porous membrane.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sellars Daniel T
• Agner Joel W

Classifications

• B01D53/18

  Absorbing units; Liquid distributors therefor (B01D3/16, B01D3/26, B01D3/30 take precedence; packing elements B01J19/30, B01J19/32) · CPC title

• B01F23/231264

  being in the form of plates, flat beams, flat membranes or films · CPC title

• B01D2258/0283

  Flue gases · CPC title

• B01F35/712

  for feeding fluids · CPC title

• B01F35/75415

  using gravity · CPC title