Corrosion reduction for supercritical water gasification through seeded sacrificial metal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016017243-A1
Application number	US-201314767188-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 20, 2013
Priority date	Mar 20, 2013
Publication date	Jan 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Technologies are presented for reducing corrosion M supercritical water gasification through seeded sacrificial metal particles. The metal panicles may be seeded into one or more material input streams through high pressure injection. Once distributed in the SCWG reactor, the metal particles may corrode preferentially to the metal SCWG reactor walls and convert into metal oxides that precipitate out above the supercritical point of water. The precipitated metal oxides may then be collected downstream of the SCWG reactor to be reprocessed back into seed metal at a smelter. The seeded metal particles may complete a process material cycle with limited net additional waste.

First claim

1 . A method for reducing corrosion in supercritical water gasification, the method comprising:
selecting a composition of metal particles from one or more material input streams based on a chemical composition of reactants within a supercritical water gasification (SCWG) reactor; injecting the one or more material input streams with the selected composition of metal particles into the SCWG reactor such that the metal particles corrode to metal oxides on SCWG reactor walls and precipitate above a supercritical point; collecting the metal oxides from the SCWG reactor; and collecting the metal particles continuously or over one or more predefine periods.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
collecting the metal oxides downstream of the SCWG reactor.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
reprocessing the collected metal oxides into the metal particles at a smelter.

4 . (canceled)

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
distributing the metal particles within the SCWG reactor after seeding and prior to collecting to ensure substantially even protection against corrosion on the SCWG reactor walls.

6 .- 9 . (canceled)

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting a composition of the metal particles prior to seeding to reduce corrosion in one or more pumps feeding the SCWG reactor.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting the metal particles from two or more distinct metals prior to seeding with different oxidation properties.

12 .- 17 . (canceled)

18 . A supercritical water gasification (SCWG) reactor system with corrosion reduction, the SCWG reactor system comprising:
a SCWG reactor configured to heat a mixture that includes water above a supercritical point; a first input configured to provide the mixture to the SCWG reactor; a second input configured to provide water to the SCWG reactor; and an output configured to retrieve a reaction mixture out of the SCWG reactor, wherein one or more of the first and second inputs are seeded with metal particles such that the metal particles corrode to metal oxides on SCWG reactor walls and precipitate above the supercritical point, and wherein one or more of a type, a density, an oxidation property, a quantity, a size, and a shape of the metal particles are selected to increase corrosion of the metal particles inside the SCWG reactor; and the metal oxides are collected from the SCWG reactor.

19 .- 21 . (canceled)

22 . The SCWG reactor system of claim 18 , wherein the metal particles are distributed within the SCWG reactor after seeding and prior to collecting to ensure substantially even protection against corrosion on the SCWG reactor walls.

23 .- 24 . (canceled)

25 . The SCWG reactor system of claim 18 , wherein a composition of the metal particles is selected prior to seeding based on a chemical composition of reactants within the SCWG reactor.

26 . (canceled)

27 . The SCWG reactor system of claim 18 , wherein a composition of the metal particles is selected prior to seeding to reduce corrosion in one or more pumps feeding the SCWG. reactor.

28 . The SCWG reactor system of claim 18 , wherein the metal particles are selected from two or more distinct metals with different oxidation properties prior to seeding.

29 . A controller for a supercritical water gasification (SCWG) reactor system with corrosion reduction, the controller comprising:
one or more injection modules coupled to one or more material input streams of a SCWG reactor, the injection modules configured to:
select a composition of metal particles from the one or more material input streams to reduce corrosion in one or more pumps feeding the SCWG reactor,
maximize a surface area of the metal particles, and
seed the metal particles such that the metal particles corrode metal oxides on SCWG reactor walls and precipitate above a supercritical point; and
at least one retrieval module coupled to an output of the SCWG reactor, the retrieval module configured to collect the metal oxides from the SCWG reactor continuously or over one or more predefined periods.

30 . The controller of claim 29 , wherein the at least one retrieval module is configured to collect the metal oxides downstream of the SCWG reactor.

31 . The controller of claim 29 , further comprising a reprocessing module configured to reprocess the collected metal oxides into the metal particles.

32 . The controller of claim 29 , wherein the injection modules are further configured to distribute the metal particles within the SCWG reactor after seeding and prior to collecting to ensure substantially even protection against corrosion on the SCWG reactor walls.

33 . The controller of claim 32 , wherein the injection modules are configured to distribute the metal particles within the SCWG reactor after seeding and prior to collecting through high pressure injection into the one or more material input streams.

34 . The controller of claim 32 , wherein the injection modules are configured to develop a vortex within the SCWG reactor.

35 .- 36 . (canceled)

37 . The controller of claim 29 , wherein the injection modules are further configured to select a composition of the metal particles prior to seeding based on a chemical composition of reactants within the SCWG reactor.

38 . The controller of claim 29 , wherein a surface area of the metal particles is substantially maximized prior to seeding.

39 . (canceled)

40 . The controller of claim 29 , wherein the injection modules are further configured to select the metal particles from two or more distinct metals with different oxidation properties prior to seeding.

41 .- 46 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Empire Technology Dev Llc

Inventors

• Adam Quentin Arthur Carl

Classifications

• C10J3/00 Primary

  Production of combustible gases containing carbon monoxide from solid carbonaceous fuels (destructive distillation processes C10B) · CPC title

• C10J2300/093

  Coal · CPC title

• C10J3/723 Primary

  Controlling or regulating the gasification process · CPC title

• C10J2300/1853

  Steam reforming, i.e. injection of steam only · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title