Methods and apparatus to increase industrial combustion efficiency

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016238244-A1
Application number	US-201514658950-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 16, 2015
Priority date	Feb 13, 2015
Publication date	Aug 18, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to improve industrial combustion efficiency are disclosed. One disclosed example method includes providing sorbent to one or more of a combustion chamber or to flue gas exiting the combustion chamber after a combustion process. The disclosed example method also includes providing the flue gas to a hot gas filter after the flue gas exits the combustion chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
providing sorbent to one or more of a combustion chamber or to flue gas exiting the combustion chamber after a combustion process; and providing the flue gas to a hot gas filter after the flue gas exits the combustion chamber.

2 . The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising cooling the flue gas to a temperature below at least a highest dew point of a vaporized components after the flue gas exits the hot gas filter to form a condensate.

3 . The method as defined in claim 2 , further comprising providing the condensate to a boiler feed or a boiler feed water processing system.

4 . The method as defined in claim 2 , wherein heat released from condensing the condensate is provided to the combustion chamber or transferred to other parts of a steam cycle.

5 . The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the flue gas is provided with a dry sorbent prior to being provided to the hot gas filter.

6 . The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising activation of an ash removal device or an ash removal mechanism, or back-pulsing on at least a subset of filter elements of the hot gas filter to remove cake formed on the hot gas filter to provide further control of residence time of the sorbent.

7 . The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the sorbent is provided to the combustion chamber and further comprising adjusting an amount of the sorbent to be provided to the combustion chamber.

8 . The method as defined in claim 7 , wherein the amount of the sorbent to be provided to the combustion chamber is based on a flow rate of fuel into the combustion chamber.

9 . The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the hot gas filter comprises a catalytic filter or a ceramic catalytic filter.

10 . The method as defined in claim 9 , wherein the hot gas filter comprises the catalytic filter, and wherein the catalytic filter comprises filter elements, each of the filter elements comprising fibers or fabric, and a catalyst material.

11 . The method as defined in claim 10 , wherein the catalytic filter further comprises a surface barrier.

12 . A method comprising
providing sorbent to a combustion chamber, wherein the sorbent is provided to fuel, combustion air, or a mixture of fuel and combustion air prior to being provided to and combusted in the combustion chamber; and providing flue gas from the combustion chamber to a catalytic filter.

13 . The method as defined in claim 12 , further comprising cooling the flue gas to a temperature below at least a highest dew point of a vaporized components after the flue gas exits the hot gas filter to form a condensate.

14 . The method as defined in claim 13 , providing the condensate to a boiler feed or a boiler feed water processing system.

15 . The method as defined in claim 12 , further comprising providing a reducing agent, or a liquid, liquidized, dissolved or disperged agent to the flue gas prior to the flue gas entering the catalytic filter.

16 . The method as defined in claim 12 , further comprising providing a dry sorbent to the flue gas prior to the flue gas entering the catalytic filter.

17 . The method as defined in claim 12 , further comprising providing the flue gas prior to a heat recovery steam generator after the flue gas exits the catalytic filter.

18 . The method as defined in claim 12 , wherein the catalytic filter comprises filter elements, each filter element comprising fibers.

19 . The method as defined in claim 12 , wherein the fibers have catalyst material embedded within.

20 . An apparatus comprising
a combustion chamber of a boiler plant wherein sorbent is provided to the combustion chamber or provided to flue gas after the flue gas exits the combustion chamber during a combustion process; and a hot gas filter of the boiler plant to receive the flue gas and reduce acid-forming compounds or pollutants from the flue gas.

21 . The apparatus as defined in claim 20 , further comprising a condenser to condense water from the flue gas after the flue gas exits the hot gas filter, wherein the condensate is optionally provided to a boiler feed or an additional heat exchanger or an alternative condensate consuming process.

22 . The apparatus as defined in claim 20 , wherein at least a subset of filter elements of the hot gas filter are provided with an ash removal device or an ash removal mechanism, or back-pulsed to remove cake formed on the hot gas filter to control a residence time of the sorbent.

23 . The apparatus as defined in claim 20 , wherein the fuel comprises solid fuel and the sorbent is mixed with the solid fuel or combustion air prior to the solid fuel being combusted in the combustion chamber.

24 . The apparatus as defined in claim 20 , wherein the hot gas filter comprises a catalytic filter, wherein the catalytic filter comprises fibers, catalyst material and a surface barrier.

25 . The apparatus as defined in claim 20 , wherein the condenser comprises synthetic materials or plastics, and wherein at least a heat exchanging section comprises synthetic materials and/or plastics.

26 . The apparatus as defined in claim 25 , wherein the condenser comprises a tube bundle heat exchanger, wherein the heat exchanging tubes comprise synthetic materials or plastics.

27 . The apparatus as defined in claim 20 , further comprising a branch line to enable a portion of the flue gas to bypass the hot gas filter.

28 . The apparatus as defined in claim 27 , whereby the branch line comprises an electrostatic precipitator or an electromagnetic separator.

29 . A method comprising:
providing at least one type of sorbent to one or more of a combustion chamber or to flue gas exiting the combustion chamber after a combustion process; and condensing at least one vaporized component from the flue gas after the flue gas exits the combustion chamber to form a condensate.

30 . The method as defined in claim 29 , further comprising providing the flue gas to a hot gas filter before condensing or cooling the flue gas .

31 . A method comprising:
providing at least one sorbent to one or more of a combustion chamber of a boiler plant or to flue gas exiting the combustion chamber after a combustion process; and cooling the flue gas to a temperature below at least the highest dew point of any condensable component remaining after the flue gas exits the combustion chamber.

32 . The method as defined in claim 31 , further comprising providing the flue gas to a hot gas filter before condensing or cooling the flue gas .

33 . The method as defined in claim 31 , further comprising providing the condensate to a boiler feed or a boiler feed water processing system.

34 . The method as defined in claim 31 , wherein heat released from cooling the flue gas is provided to the combustion chamber or transferred to other parts of a steam cycle.

35 . The method as defined in claim 31 , wherein the flue gas is provided with a dry sorbent prior to being provided to the hot gas filter.

36 . The method as defined in claim 32 , further comprising activation of an ash removal device or an ash removal mechanism, or back-pulsing of at least a subset of filter elements of the hot gas

Assignees

• Duerr Systems Gmbh
• Clearchem Dev Llc

Inventors

• Schröter Martin
• Rieder Erhard
• Radway Jerrold

Classifications

• F23J15/02

  of purifiers, e.g. for removing noxious material (traps for solid residues F23J3/04) · CPC title

• F23J7/00

  Arrangement of devices for supplying chemicals to fire · CPC title

• F23J15/003

  for supplying chemicals to fumes, e.g. using injection devices · CPC title

• F23J15/025 Primary

  using filters · CPC title

• F23J2217/104

  High temperature resistant (ceramic) type · CPC title