Systems and methods for reducing corrosion in a reactor system using rotational force

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016288071-A1
Application number	US-201315036308-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 12, 2013
Priority date	Nov 12, 2013
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods for reducing or eliminating corrosion of components of a reactor system, including a supercritical water gasification system, are described. The reactor system may include various system components, such as one or more pre-heaters, heat exchangers and reactor vessels. The system components may be configured to receive a reactor fluid corrosive to an inner surface thereof and to separately receive a protective fluid that has a higher density and is substantially immiscible with the reactor fluid. A rotating element may be configured to generate a rotational force that forces at least a portion of the protective fluid to flow in a layer between the reactor fluid and at least a portion of the inner surface, the layer operating to reduce corrosion by forming a barrier between the reactor fluid and at least a portion of the inner surface.

First claim

1 .- 63 . (canceled)

64 . A method of reducing corrosion in a reactor system, the method comprising:
providing a reactor vessel comprising an inner surface; receiving a reactor fluid at the reactor vessel corrosive to at least a portion of the inner surface; receiving a molten salt fluid at the reactor vessel, the molten salt fluid being substantially immiscible with the reactor fluid; and rotating the reactor vessel at a speed such that at least a portion of the molten salt fluid forms a molten salt layer on the at least a portion of the inner surface, the molten salt layer operating to reduce corrosion by forming a barrier between the reactor fluid and the at least a portion of the inner surface.

65 . (canceled)

66 . The method of claim 64 , wherein providing the reactor vessel comprises providing a reactor vessel arranged in a substantially horizontal orientation and rotating the reactor vessel comprises rotating at a speed sufficient to generate a centripetal acceleration on at least a portion of the molten salt fluid greater than that of the acceleration of gravity on the at least a portion of the molten salt fluid entering the reactor vessel.

67 . The method of claim 64 , further comprising providing a support structure, wherein the reactor vessel is housed in the support structure.

68 . The method of claim 67 , further comprising providing a rotation support element disposed between the support structure and the reactor vessel to facilitate rotation of the reactor vessel within the support structure.

69 . The method of claim 68 , wherein providing the rotation support element comprises providing a rotation support fluid including the molten salt fluid.

70 . (canceled)

71 . The method of claim 68 , wherein providing the rotation support element comprises providing ceramic bearings.

72 . The method of claim 64 , wherein receiving the molten salt fluid comprises receiving:
lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride; lithium fluoride, sodium fluoride and potassium fluoride; sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite and potassium nitrate; potassium chloride and magnesium chloride; rubidium chloride and zirconium fluoride; or any combination thereof.

73 . The method of claim 64 , wherein rotating comprises rotating at about 1 revolution per minute to about 1000 revolutions per minute.

74 . (canceled)

75 . A method of manufacturing a reactor system, the method comprising:
providing a reactor vessel comprising an inner surface; configuring the reactor vessel to receive a reactor fluid corrosive to at least a portion of the inner surface and a molten salt fluid, the reactor fluid and the molten salt fluid being substantially immiscible; connecting at least one reactor vessel rotator to the reactor vessel, the at least one reactor vessel rotator configured to rotate the reactor vessel at a speed such that at least a portion of the molten salt fluid forms a molten salt layer on the at least a portion of the inner surface, the molten salt layer operating to reduce corrosion by forming a barrier between the reactor fluid and the at least a portion of the inner surface.

76 . (canceled)

77 . The method of claim 75 , further comprising arranging the reactor vessel in a substantially horizontal orientation and connecting the at least one reactor vessel rotator comprises configuring the at least one reactor vessel rotator to rotate the reactor vessel at a speed sufficient to generate a centripetal acceleration on at least a portion of the molten salt fluid greater than that of the acceleration of gravity on the at least a portion of the molten salt fluid entering the reactor vessel.

78 .- 82 . (canceled)

83 . The method of claim 75 , further comprising providing a support structure, wherein the reactor vessel is housed in the support structure.

84 . The method of claim 83 , further comprising:
providing a rotation support element disposed between the support structure and the reactor vessel; and configuring the rotation support element to facilitate rotation of the reactor vessel in the support structure.

85 . The method of claim 84 , wherein providing the rotation support element comprises providing a rotation support fluid including the molten salt fluid.

86 . (canceled)

87 . The method of claim 84 , wherein providing the rotation support element comprises providing ceramic bearings.

88 .- 99 . (canceled)

100 . A reactor system configured to reduce corrosion of portions thereof, the system comprising:
a reactor vessel comprising an inner surface and configured to receive a reactor fluid corrosive to at least a portion of the inner surface and a protective fluid substantially immiscible with the reactor fluid; and a rotating element configured to generate a rotational force that forces at least a portion of the protective fluid to flow in a layer between the reactor fluid and the at least a portion of the inner surface, the layer operating to reduce corrosion by forming a barrier between the reactor fluid and the at least a portion of the inner surface.

101 . The reactor system of claim 100 , wherein the reactor system is configured as a supercritical water reactor system.

102 . The reactor system of claim 100 , wherein the reactor system is configured as one of a coal gasification system, a biomass gasification system and a waste oxidation system.

103 . The reactor system of claim 100 , wherein the reactor system is configured as a coal gasification system, and the reactor fluid comprises coal slurry.

104 . The reactor system of claim 100 , wherein the reactor system is configured as a biomass gasification system, and the reactor fluid comprises biomass slurry.

105 . The reactor system of claim 100 , wherein the reactor vessel is configured as one of a heater and a heat exchanger.

106 . The reactor system of claim 100 , wherein one or more of the reactor fluid and the protective fluid is disposed within at least a portion of the reactor vessel.

107 . (canceled)

108 . The reactor system of claim 100 , wherein the at least a portion of the inner surface is located in a region of the reactor vessel configured to receive the reactor fluid at a temperature of about 300 degrees Celsius to about 350 degrees Celsius.

109 . The reactor system of claim 100 , wherein the rotating element comprises an impeller.

110 . The reactor system of claim 100 , wherein the protective fluid comprises a metal, a metal alloy, a molten salt, a hydrocarbon liquid, or a combination thereof.

111 . The reactor system of claim 100 , wherein the protective fluid comprises at least one of tin, zinc, aluminum, lead, bismuth, gallium, cadmium, an alloy of any of the foregoing, and combinations thereof.

112 . (canceled)

113 . The reactor system of claim 100 , wherein the protective fluid comprises a molten salt fluid.

114 . The reactor system of claim 100 , wherein the protective fluid includes a molten salt fluid selected from the group consisting of:
lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride; lithium fluoride, sodium fluoride and potassium fluoride; sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite and potassium nitrate; potassium chloride and magnesium chloride; and rubidium ch

Assignees

• Empire Technology Dev Llc

Inventors

• Peppou George Charles
• Millar Benjamin William
• Cooke Cameron Graeme

Classifications

• C23F15/00 Primary

  Other methods of preventing corrosion or incrustation · CPC title

• B01J2219/0236

  Metal based · CPC title

• B01J19/02

  Apparatus characterised by being constructed of material selected for its chemically-resistant properties · CPC title

• C01B3/02

  Production of hydrogen; Production of gaseous mixtures containing hydrogen · CPC title

• C10J2200/36

  Moving parts inside the gasification reactor not otherwise provided for · CPC title