System and method for treating biomass material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11565272-B2
Application number	US-201816766383-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2018
Priority date	Nov 27, 2017
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

According to the present invention, there is provided a cleaning system for biomass material handling systems and methods for such system. The cleaning system for a biomass material treatment stage in a continuous process system includes a hydrolysis or pre-hydrolysis reactor, a feeding arrangement is arranged to continuously feed biomass material to an inlet of the reactor, wherein reactor includes a reactor screw for moving the biomass material through the reactor and a discharge pipe including a discharge screw for continuously discharging treated biomass material. At least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged inside a housing of said reactor, wherein the at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged to eject cleaning agent at predetermined intervals during operation of the reactor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cleaning system for a biomass material treatment stage in a continuous process system, wherein the biomass material treatment stage includes a hydrolysis or pre-hydrolysis reactor, a feeding arrangement is arranged to continuously feed biomass material to an inlet of the reactor, the reactor includes a reactor screw for moving the biomass material through the reactor and a discharge pipe including a discharge screw for continuously discharging treated biomass material, said cleaning system comprising:
at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle arranged inside a housing of said reactor, wherein said at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged to eject cleaning agent at predetermined intervals during operation of the reactor and at a pressure within a range of 15-225 bar to the reactor screw during operating of the reactor; and
wherein said at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged to eject cleaning agent towards a leeward side of the reactor screw so as to impact a leeward side of screw threads of the reactor screw.

2. The cleaning system according to claim 1 , wherein said cleaning system comprises a plurality of the high-pressure cleaning nozzles arranged at different locations inside the reactor to eject cleaning agent towards the reactor screw and/or the discharge screw.

3. The cleaning system according to claim 2 , wherein said plurality of the high-pressure cleaning nozzles are arranged in series.

4. The cleaning system according to claim 1 , wherein adjacent high-pressure cleaning nozzles are arranged with a distance from each other within a range of 10-200 mm.

5. The cleaning system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged to eject cleaning agent to the reactor screw with an angle between an inner wall of the housing and a central line of a ray of cleaning agent within a range of 10-170 degrees.

6. The cleaning system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged in proximity to the inlet of the reactor inside the housing of the reactor.

7. The cleaning system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged to deliver cleaning agent at a flow within a range of 1.0-6.0 L/min.

8. The cleaning system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged inside the discharge pipe.

9. The cleaning system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged in an insert element provided inside said reactor.

10. The cleaning system according to claim 1 , further comprising a cleaning agent delivery unit for providing cleaning agent to the at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle.

11. A cleaning process for a biomass material treatment stage in a continuous process, wherein the biomass material treatment stage includes a hydrolysis or pre-hydrolysis reactor, a feeding arrangement is arranged to continuously feed biomass material to an inlet of the reactor, the reactor includes a reactor screw for moving the biomass material through the reactor and a discharge pipe including a discharge screw for continuously discharging treated biomass material, said cleaning process comprising ejecting cleaning agent at predetermined intervals and at a pressure within a range of 15-225 bar to the reactor screw when operating from at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle arranged inside a housing of said reactor, wherein said at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged to eject cleaning agent towards a leeward side of the reactor screw so as to impact a leeward side of screw threads of the reactor screw.

12. A cleaning system for a biomass material treatment stage in a continuous process system, wherein the biomass material treatment stage includes a hydrolysis or pre-hydrolysis reactor, a feeding arrangement is arranged to continuously feed biomass material to an inlet of the reactor, the reactor includes a reactor screw for moving the biomass material through the reactor and a discharge pipe including a discharge screw for continuously discharging treated biomass material, said cleaning system comprising:
at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle arranged inside a housing of said reactor, wherein said at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged to eject cleaning agent at predetermined intervals during operation of the reactor and at a pressure within a range of 15-225 bar to the reactor screw during operating of the reactor; and
wherein said at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged to eject cleaning agent towards a leeward side of the reactor screw so as to impact a leeward side of screw threads of the reactor screw;
wherein said at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged to eject cleaning agent to the reactor screw with an angle between an inner wall of the housing and a central line of a ray of cleaning agent within a range of 10-170 degrees; and
wherein said at least one high-pressure cleaning nozzle is arranged to deliver cleaning agent at a flow within a range of 1.0-6.0 L/min.

Assignees

• Valmet Oy

Inventors

• Pettersson Patrik
• Carlsson Johan

Classifications

• D21B1/02

  Pretreatment of the raw materials by chemical or physical means (removal of bark B27L) · CPC title

• B03B5/68 Primary

  by water impulse (hydraulic classifiers B03B5/62) · CPC title

• B01J19/20 Primary

  in the form of helices, e.g. screw reactors · CPC title

• B08B3/042

  the loose articles or bulk material travelling gradually through a drum or other container, e.g. by helix or gravity · CPC title

• C10L5/40

  essentially based on materials of non-mineral origin · CPC title