Zero-emission, closed-loop hybrid solar-syngas OTR power cycle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9664115-B2
Application number	US-201414212271-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2014
Priority date	Mar 14, 2014
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

A zero-emission, closed-loop and hybrid solar-produced syngas power cycle is introduced utilizing an oxygen transport reactor (OTR). The fuel is syngas produced within the cycle. The separated oxygen inside the OTR through the ion transport membrane (ITM) is used in the syngas-oxygen combustion process in the permeate side of the OTR. The combustion products in the permeate side of the OTR are CO 2 and H 2 O. The combustion gases are used in a turbine for power production and energy utilization then a condenser is used to separate H 2 O from CO 2 . CO 2 is compressed to the feed side of the OTR. H 2 O is evaporated after separation from CO 2 and fed to the feed side of the OTR.

First claim

The invention claim is:

1. A zero-emission closed-loop hybrid solar-syngas power cycle system, comprising:
a solar reformer that converts methane to a syngas comprising CO and H 2 ;
a first oxygen transport reactor comprising a first ion transport membrane separating a first feed side and a first permeate side, the first feed side having a first feed inlet and a first feed outlet and the first permeate side having a first permeate inlet and a first permeate outlet,
wherein H 2 O fed to the first feed inlet is converted into H 2 gas on the first feed side and oxygen that passes across the first ion transport membrane to the first permeate side; and a first gas mixture comprising H 2 and H 2 O is passed from the first feed outlet of the first oxygen transport reactor;
a second oxygen transport reactor comprising a second ion transport membrane separating a second feed side and a second permeate side, the second feed side having a second feed inlet and a second feed outlet and the second permeate side having a second permeate inlet and a second permeate outlet,
wherein CO 2 gas fed to the second feed inlet is converted into CO gas on the second feed side and oxygen that passes across the second ion transport membrane to the second permeate side; and a second gas mixture comprising CO 2 and CO is passed from the second feed outlet of the second oxygen transport reactor;
a first condenser having a condenser inlet connected to the first feed outlet to separate the first gas mixture of H 2 and H 2 O into H 2 O and H 2 gas, a first condenser outlet connected to a H 2 storage unit to deliver the H 2 gas to the H 2 storage unit, and a second condenser outlet connected to the first feed inlet to recycle the H 2 O into the first feed side of the first oxygen transport reactor;
a CO separator having a separator inlet connected to the second feed outlet to separate the second gas mixture of CO 2 and CO into CO and CO 2 , a first separator outlet connected to a CO storage unit to deliver the CO to the CO storage unit, and a second separator outlet connected to the second feed inlet to recycle the CO 2 into the second feed side of second oxygen transport reactor,
wherein the H 2 storage unit and the CO storage unit are connected to the first permeate inlet and the second permeate inlet,
wherein the first oxygen transport reactor and the second oxygen transport reactor combust the syngas from the solar reformer, a syngas formed of H 2 and CO from the H 2 storage unit and the CO storage unit, or both in the presence of oxygen in the first permeate and the second permeate side to form a first combustion gas mixture comprising water vapor and CO 2 gas;
a gas turbine connected to the first permeate outlet and the second permeate outlet to produce power from the first combustion gas mixture, wherein the gas turbine has a turbine outlet connected to a second condenser that separates the first combustion gas mixture into H 2 O and CO 2 , wherein a first outlet of the second condenser is connected to the first feed inlet to feed the H 2 O to the first oxygen transport reactor and a second outlet of the second condenser is connected to the second feed inlet to feed the CO 2 to the second oxygen transport reactor.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising;
a first H 2 O evaporator with a first evaporator inlet connected to the solar reformer to receive the syngas from the solar reformer and a first evaporator outlet connected to the first permeate inlet of the first oxygen transport reactor and the second permeate inlet of the second oxygen transport reactor to deliver the syngas to the first oxygen transport reactor and the second oxygen transport reactor, and
a second evaporator inlet connected to the second condenser to receive the H 2 O from the second condenser and a second evaporator outlet connected to the solar reformer and the first feed inlet of the first oxygen transport reactor to deliver the H 2 O as an input gas during the day time.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising:
a second H 2 O evaporator located in between the first feed outlet of the first oxygen transport reactor and the first condenser;
a compressor that receives the CO 2 from the second condenser; and
wherein the second condenser separates the first combustion gas mixture into H 2 O and CO 2 and passes the H 2 O to the first H 2 O evaporator and/or the second H 2 O evaporator.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising:
a CO 2 heat exchanger that receives the CO 2 from the compressor and the second gas mixture comprising CO and CO 2 from the second feed side of the second oxygen transport reactor;
wherein the CO 2 heat exchanger heats and passes the CO 2 to the second feed side of the second oxygen transport reactor.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the CO separator has a third separator outlet connected to the solar reformer to pass the CO 2 to the solar reformer to be used as an input gas during the day time and
wherein the CO gas is passed from the CO separator to the CO storage unit to be stored during the day time and to be released during the night time.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the CO storage unit stores CO produced from the second feed side of the second oxygen transport reactor during the day time and releases CO during the night time;
the H 2 storage unit stores H 2 produced from the first feed side of the first oxygen transport reactor during the day time and releases H 2 gas during the night time; and
wherein the CO gas from the CO storage unit is contacted with H 2 gas from the H 2 storage unit to form the syngas to be used as an input gas into the first permeate side of the first oxygen transport reactor and the second permeate side of the second oxygen transport reactor during the night time.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein: methane, solar energy, and at least one of H 2 O stream and CO 2 stream are input into the solar reformer to convert the methane to the syngas, and the syngas from the solar reformer is passed to the first permeate side of the first oxygen transport reactor and the second permeate side of the second oxygen transport reactor.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein oxygen is formed from H 2 O and/or CO 2 gas, H 2 and CO are produced to form the syngas, and the syngas is combusted inside the first permeate side of the first oxygen transport reactor and the second permeate side of the second oxygen transport reactor: and
wherein a cycle power of the zero-emission closed-loop hybrid solar-syngas power cycle system is increased as the number of oxygen transport reactors are increased in the system.

9. The system of claim 1 in which the system does not produce NO x gas.

10. The system of claim 1 which is powered by combusting the syngas comprising CO and H 2 produced from the solar reformer and the syngas formed of H 2 and CO from the H 2 storage unit and the CO storage unit in the first oxygen transport reactor and the second oxygen transport reactor.

11. A method for producing syngas in the zero-emission closed-loop hybrid solar-syngas power cycle system of claim 1 , the method comprising:
contacting methane and at least one of H 2 O and CO 2 in the solar reformer to produce syngas comprising CO and H 2 ;
converting H 2 O into H 2 gas on the first feed side of the first oxygen transport reactor and oxygen;
passing the oxygen across the first ion transport membrane to the first permeate side of the first oxygen transport reactor;
converting CO 2 gas into CO gas on the second feed side of the second oxygen transport reactor and oxygen;
passing the oxygen across the second ion transport membrane to the second permeate side of the se

Assignees

• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals

Inventors

• Nemitallah Medhat Ahmed
• Habib Mohamed Abdel-Aziz

Classifications

• F02C1/05

  characterised by the type or source of heat, e.g. using nuclear or solar energy · CPC title

• C01B2203/0894

  Generation of steam · CPC title

• C01B2203/0855

  by electromagnetic heating · CPC title

• C01B13/0251

  by making use of membranes · CPC title

• B01J2219/00144

  Sunlight; Visible light · CPC title