Systems and methods for thermal management of algae cultivation systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021371800-A1
Application number	US-202117190515-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 3, 2021
Priority date	Jun 1, 2020
Publication date	Dec 2, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods for algae cultivation and, more particularly, systems and methods for controlling algae cultivation water slurry temperature to optimize algae facility production and facilitation of algae facility commercial deployment in a wide spectrum of environmental locations. Thermal reservoirs comprising temperature-based, phase-transitioning material(s) are integrated with algae cultivation vessels to provide temperature control of cultivating algae slurries.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
a cultivation vessel for containing an algae water slurry for cultivation; and a thermal reservoir integrated with the cultivation vessel for contact with and temperature control of the algae water slurry, the thermal reservoir comprising a temperature-based, phase-transitioning material.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the temperature-based, phase-transitioning material has a melting point in the range of +/−about 5° C. from a mean, environmental ambient temperature.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the temperature-based, phase-transitioning material is selected from the group consisting of sodium sulfate decahydrate, paraffin waxes, methyl palmitate, 63 wt % trimetholethane in water solution, trimyristin, calcium chloride hexahydrate, copper nitrate hexahydrate, iron nitrate hexahydrate, hydroxylamine, lithium nitrate trihydrate, manganese nitrate hexahydrate, sodium carbonate heptahydrate, sodium carbonate decahydrate, and any combination thereof.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the temperature-based, phase-transitioning material comprises sodium sulfate decahydrate.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the cultivation vessel is an open cultivation vessel.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the cultivation vessel is an open cultivation vessel and the thermal reservoir is in the form of a liner within the cultivation vessel.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the cultivation vessel is a closed cultivation vessel.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the cultivation vessel is a tubular, closed cultivation vessel and the thermal reservoir is in the form of a core within the tubular, closed cultivation vessel.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the cultivation vessel is a tubular, closed cultivation vessel and the thermal reservoir is in the form of a jacket disposed over at least a portion of an outside of the tubular, closed cultivation vessel.

10 . A method comprising:
cultivating an algae water slurry within a cultivation vessel; and controlling a temperature of the algae water slurry using a thermal reservoir integrated with the cultivation vessel and in contact with the algae water slurry, the thermal reservoir comprising a temperature-based, phase-transitioning material.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the temperature-based, phase-transitioning material has a melting point in the range of +/−about 5° C. from a mean, environmental ambient temperature.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the temperature-based, phase-transitioning material is selected from the group consisting of sodium sulfate decahydrate, paraffin waxes, methyl palmitate, 63 wt % trimetholethane in water solution, trimyristin, calcium chloride hexahydrate, copper nitrate hexahydrate, iron nitrate hexahydrate, hydroxylamine, lithium nitrate trihydrate, manganese nitrate hexahydrate, sodium carbonate heptahydrate, sodium carbonate decahydrate, and any combination thereof.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the temperature-based, phase-transitioning material comprises sodium sulfate decahydrate.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising doping the thermal reservoir with sodium chloride to depress a melting temperature of the sodium sulfate decahydrate.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the cultivation vessel is an open cultivation vessel.

16 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the cultivation vessel is an open cultivation vessel and the thermal reservoir is in the form of a liner within the cultivation vessel.

17 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the cultivation vessel is a closed cultivation vessel.

18 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the cultivation vessel is a tubular, closed cultivation vessel and the thermal reservoir is in the form of a core within the tubular, closed cultivation vessel.

19 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the cultivation vessel is a tubular, closed cultivation vessel and the thermal reservoir is in the form of a jacket disposed over at least a portion of an outside of the tubular, closed cultivation vessel.

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Res & Eng Co

Inventors

• Johnson Gregory R
• O'Neal Everett J
• Feicht Sarah E

Classifications

• C12M41/22

  in contact with the bioreactor walls · CPC title

• C12M21/02

  Photobioreactors (culturing algae A01G33/00, A01H4/001, C12N1/12) · CPC title

• C12N1/12 Primary

  Unicellular algae; Culture media therefor (as new plants A01H13/00) · CPC title

• C12M41/14 Primary

  Incubators; Climatic chambers (per se B01L1/00) · CPC title

• C12M23/06

  Tubular (C12M23/08, C12M23/16 take precedence) · CPC title