Gasification system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9556390-B2
Application number	US-201414278517-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2014
Priority date	May 15, 2014
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

A method includes providing a gasifier with a fuel source comprising a heavy oil, a light oil, and recovered soot. The gasifier may gasify the fuel source to generate a syngas and soot. The method also includes recovering the soot in a first separation unit that may receive a portion of the heavy oil and separate the soot from an extraction oil used to recover the soot. The first separation unit generates soot bottoms that include the portion of the heavy oil and the recovered soot. The method also includes flowing a first separation co-fractionate to a second separation unit. The first separation co-fractionate includes the extraction oil and the light oil. The second separation unit may separate the extraction oil and the light oil, and direct the light oil towards the first separation unit. The method further includes mixing the soot bottoms from the first separation unit with the light oil from the second separation unit to generate the fuel source and directing the fuel source to the gasifier for gasification.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
providing a gasifier with a fuel source comprising a heavy oil, a light oil, and recovered soot, wherein the gasifier is configured to gasify the fuel source to generate a syngas and soot;
recovering the soot in a stripper comprising a first stripper inlet configured to receive a portion of the heavy oil and separate the soot from an extraction oil used to recover the soot, wherein the stripper generates soot bottoms comprising the portion of the heavy oil and the recovered soot;
flowing a first separation co-fractionate to a separator, wherein the first separation co-fractionate comprises the extraction oil and the light oil, and wherein the separator is configured to separate the extraction oil and the light oil, and direct the light oil towards the stripper;
mixing the soot bottoms from the stripper with the light oil from the separator to generate the fuel source; and
directing the fuel source to the gasifier for gasification via a first flow path extending between a stripper outlet of the stripper and a gasifier inlet of the gasifier.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising flowing the light oil from the separator into the stripper via a second flow path extending between a separator outlet of the separator and a second stripper inlet of the stripper, wherein the light oil mixes with the soot bottoms in the stripper.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising combining the light oil from the separator with a soot bottoms discharge stream downstream of the stripper via a second flow path extending between a separator outlet of the separator and the first flow path, wherein the second flow path is configured to direct the light oil into the first flow path such that the light oil mixes with the soot bottoms discharge stream downstream of the stripper.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising combining a first portion of the light oil from the separator with the soot bottoms within the stripper via a second flow path extending between a separator outlet of the separator and a second stripper inlet of the stripper and a second portion of the light oil with a soot bottoms discharge stream downstream of the stripper via the first flow path.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stripper and the separator are two separate structures.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stripper and the separator are disposed within a single structure.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising recycling at least a portion of the extraction oil from the separator to a decanter via a second flow path extending between a separator outlet of the separator and the decanter.

8. The method of claim 1 , comprising flowing at least a portion of the light oil from the separator to the gasifier.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising flowing the portion of the heavy oil from a feedstock preparation unit coupled to the gasifier towards the stripper, wherein the portion of the heavy oil mixes with the soot prior to soot recovery in the stripper.

10. A gasification system, comprising:
a gasifier configured to gasify a fuel source comprising heavy oil, light oil, and soot to generate a syngas; and
a carbon recovery unit comprising:
a stripper comprising a first stripper inlet of the stripper configured to receive the soot generated in the gasifier, wherein the stripper is configured to separate soot from an extraction oil and provide the gasifier with the fuel source comprising the soot, wherein a portion of the separated extraction oil comprises the light oil;
a first flow path extending between a stripper outlet of the stripper and a gasifier inlet of the gasifier, wherein the first flow path is configured to direct the fuel source to the gasifier; and
a separator disposed downstream of and fluidly coupled to the stripper, wherein the separator is configured to receive the separated extraction oil from the stripper via a separator inlet of the separator and to separate the extraction oil from the light oil, wherein the separated light oil is directed towards the stripper.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the stripper comprises a first separation bottom portion configured to directly receive the light oil from the separator via a second stripper inlet of the stripper, wherein the second stripper inlet is fluidly coupled to a separator outlet of the separator via a second flow path extending between the second stripper inlet and the separator outlet.

12. The system of claim 10 , comprising a second flow path extending between a separator outlet of the separator and the first flow path, wherein the second flow path is configured to direct the light oil towards a first separation discharge stream comprising the soot, wherein the first separation discharge stream is downstream of the stripper.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the separator comprises a separator outlet fluidly coupled to a decanter and configured to recycle the extraction oil separated from the light oil to the decanter, wherein the decanter is fluidly coupled to the gasifier.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the stripper and the separator are two separate structures.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the stripper and the separator are a single structure.

16. The system of claim 10 , comprising a controller having instructions to control operation of the system to provide at least one of a light oil stream from the separator to the stripper, or a discharge stream of the stripper, or a combination thereof, to enable a flow of the second fuel source to the gasifier.

17. A system, comprising:
a stripper configured to provide a fuel source to a gasifier, wherein the stripper comprises a first stripper inlet of the stripper configured to receive an oil dispersion comprising unconverted carbon from a gasification process, a light oil, and an extraction oil and to separate the unconverted carbon from the extraction oil to generate the fuel source, and wherein a portion of the separated extraction oil comprises the light oil;
a separator disposed downstream of and fluidly couple to the stripper, wherein the separator is configured to separate the extraction oil from the light oil and to direct the separated light oil towards the stripper; and
a first flow path extending between a stripper outlet of the stripper and a gasifier inlet of the gasifier, wherein the first flow path is configured to direct the fuel source comprising the unconverted carbon from the stripper and the separated light oil from the separator to the gasifier.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the stripper comprises a second stripper inlet of the stripper configured to receive at least a portion of the light oil from the separator via a second flow path extending between the second stripper inlet and an outlet of the separator.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the at least a portion of the light oil from the separator is directed to the first flow path via a second flow path extending between a separator outlet of the separator and the first flow path such that the portion of the light oil mixes with a first separation discharge stream downstream of the stripper, wherein the first separation discharge stream comprises the unconverted carbon.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the separator comprises a separator outlet of the separator fluidly coupled to a decanter and configured to direct at least a portion of the extraction oil to the decanter and to recycle the portion of the extraction oil to the decanter via a second flow path extending between the decanter an

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Konda Srikanth
• Gulko George Morris
• Kola Ashok
• Mani Nithyanandam
• Mamillapalli Ramesh
• Gour Abhinav

Classifications

• C10J2300/0959

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• C10J2300/169

  with water treatments · CPC title

• C01B2203/0255

  containing a non-catalytic partial oxidation step · CPC title

• C10J2300/0906

  Physical processes, e.g. shredding, comminuting, chopping, sorting · CPC title

• C10J3/52

  Ash-removing devices · CPC title