Vaporization chambers and associated methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9574713-B2
Application number	US-93876110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2010
Priority date	Sep 13, 2007
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

A vaporization chamber may include at least one conduit and a shell. The at least one conduit may have an inlet at a first end, an outlet at a second end and a flow path therebetween. The shell may surround a portion of each conduit and define a chamber surrounding the portion of each conduit. Additionally, a plurality of discrete apertures may be positioned at longitudinal intervals in a wall of each conduit, each discrete aperture of the plurality of discrete apertures sized and configured to direct a jet of fluid into each conduit from the chamber. A liquid may be vaporized by directing a first fluid comprising a liquid into the inlet at the first end of each conduit, directing jets of a second fluid into each conduit from the chamber through discrete apertures in a wall of each conduit and transferring heat from the second fluid to the first fluid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vaporization chamber, comprising:
at least one conduit having an inlet at a first end, an outlet at a second end, and a flow path therebetween;
a source of a slurry comprising solid carbon dioxide coupled to the inlet of the at least one conduit;
a shell surrounding a portion of the at least one conduit and defining a chamber surrounding at least a portion of the at least one conduit; and
a plurality of discrete apertures positioned at longitudinal intervals in and extending through a solid wall of the at least one conduit, the plurality of discrete apertures positioned solely along a side of the at least one conduit toward which the solid carbon dioxide tends to move when the slurry is flowed through the at least one conduit, at least some discrete apertures of the plurality of discrete apertures sized and oriented at an acute angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the at least one conduit and in a direction upstream relative to an average direction of flow through the flow path to direct a jet of fluid into the at least one conduit from the chamber to combine the fluid with the slurry comprising solid carbon dioxide.

2. The vaporization chamber of claim 1 , wherein each discrete aperture of the plurality of discrete apertures is shaped as one of a cylinder and a slot.

3. The vaporization chamber of claim 1 , wherein the at least one conduit comprises a metal pipe.

4. The vaporization chamber of claim 3 , wherein the metal pipe comprises a stainless steel pipe.

5. The vaporization chamber of claim 4 , wherein at least a portion of an interior of the stainless steel pipe is polished.

6. The vaporization chamber of claim 1 , wherein the at least one conduit further comprises at least one elbow.

7. The vaporization chamber of claim 6 , wherein the at least one elbow comprises a porous wall.

8. The vaporization chamber of claim 1 , wherein the source of the slurry comprising solid carbon dioxide comprises an underflow outlet of a hydrocyclone.

9. The vaporization chamber of claim 8 , wherein the outlet of the at least one conduit is coupled to a sublimation chamber.

10. A method of vaporizing a liquid, the method comprising:
directing a first fluid comprising a liquid and solid carbon dioxide into an inlet at a first end of a solid-walled conduit;
directing jets of a second fluid into the conduit from a chamber surrounding the conduit through discrete apertures solely in a bottom wall of the conduit at a direction that opposes an average flow direction of the first fluid through the conduit;
vaporizing the liquid of the first fluid by transferring heat from the second fluid to the first fluid; and
directing a mixture comprising the first fluid and the second fluid through an outlet at a second end of the conduit.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein directing the first fluid comprising the liquid and solid carbon dioxide into the inlet further comprises directing a first fluid comprising liquid methane and solid carbon dioxide into the inlet.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein directing jets of the second fluid into the conduit comprises directing jets of gaseous methane into the conduit.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein directing the mixture comprising the first fluid and the second fluid through the outlet at the second end of the conduit comprises directing gaseous methane and solid carbon dioxide through the outlet at the second end of the conduit.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising directing the first fluid through at least one bend in the conduit.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein directing jets of the second fluid into the conduit comprises directing fan-shaped jets of the second fluid into the conduit.

16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising creating turbulence in flow of the liquid of the first fluid through the conduit with the jets of the second fluid.

17. The vaporization chamber of claim 1 , wherein the acute angle of orientation of at least some of the at least some discrete apertures is about 45°.

18. The vaporization chamber of claim 1 , wherein distances of the longitudinal intervals at which at least some discrete apertures of the plurality of discrete apertures are positioned vary along a length of the at least one conduit.

19. The vaporization chamber of claim 18 , wherein the distances of the longitudinal intervals at which at least some discrete apertures of the plurality of discrete apertures are positioned increase along the length of the at least one conduit from the inlet to the outlet.

20. The vaporization chamber of claim 1 , wherein the acute angle at which at least some discrete apertures of the plurality of discrete apertures are oriented varies with respect to the position of the at least some discrete apertures relative to the at least one conduit.

21. The vaporization chamber of claim 1 , further comprising an inlet manifold configured to direct fluid from a plurality of fluid sources into the at least one conduit.

22. The vaporization chamber of claim 1 , wherein the at least one conduit, the shell, and the plurality of discrete apertures are configured to provide a pressure gradient between the chamber and an interior of the at least one conduit, wherein a pressure within the interior of the at least one conduit is less than a pressure within the surrounding chamber during operation of the vaporization chamber.

23. The vaporization chamber of claim 1 , wherein the at least one conduit comprises a plurality of lengths of pipe connected with elbows, a first length of pipe of the plurality of lengths of pipe proximate the inlet positioned at a first vertical position, and lengths of pipe of the plurality of lengths of pipe downstream from the first length of pipe positioned at consecutively lower vertical positions than the first vertical position.

24. The vaporization chamber of claim 1 , wherein at least some discrete apertures of the plurality of discrete apertures comprise a slot that is angled at the acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the at least one conduit and in the direction upstream relative to the average direction of flow through the flow path.

25. The method of claim 15 , wherein directing fan-shaped jets of the second fluid into the conduit comprises directing fan-shaped jets through slot-shaped discrete apertures that are angled in the direction that opposes the average flow direction of the first fluid through the conduit.

26. The vaporization chamber of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of discrete apertures is positioned solely along a bottom of the at least one conduit.

27. The vaporization chamber of claim 1 , wherein the at least one conduit is oriented horizontally.

Assignees

• Turner Terry D
• Wilding Bruce M
• Mckellar Michael G
• Shunn Lee P
• Battelle Energy Alliance Llc

Inventors

• Turner Terry D
• Wilding Bruce M
• Mckellar Michael G
• Shunn Lee P

Classifications

• F28D15/00

  Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls {; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies (F28D17/00, F28D19/00, F28D20/00 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F17D1/18 Primary

  by heating · CPC title

• Y10T137/0391

  Affecting flow by the addition of material or energy · CPC title

• F28F13/08 Primary

  by varying the cross-section of the flow channels · CPC title

• F28D2021/0064

  Vaporizers, e.g. evaporators · CPC title