US 11,198,628 B2Granted

Modular portable renewable energy microgeneration system

AssigneeSeab Power Limited

InventorNicolas W. Sassow

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Abstract

A portable and modular renewable energy microgeneration apparatus is disclosed that includes at least four modular units. The first modular unit includes a mixing tank and a chopper. The second modular unit includes a buffer tank, a liquor tank, and a pasteurization tank that pasteurizes waste that has been mixed with liquid from the liquor tank by the mixer, chopped into smaller sized components by the chopper, and pre-warmed by the buffer tank. The third modular unit includes a digestion tank that performs anaerobic digestion on pasteurized waste received from the pasteurization tank. And the fourth modular unit includes a gas storage tank that stores gas generated by the waste in at least one of the mixing tank, the chopper, the buffer tank, the liquor tank, the pasteurization tank, and the digestion tank. Each of the four modular units is both portable and modular.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A portable and modular renewable energy microgeneration apparatus comprising:

a first modular unit comprising:
a mixing tank that is configured to mix incoming waste with a liquid, and
a chopper in fluid communication with the mixing tank that is configured to reduce the waste to smaller sized components;
a second modular unit comprising:
a buffer tank that is configured to receive the waste from the mixing tank and pre-warm the waste in preparation for pasteurization,
a liquor tank configured to receive liquid removed from a digestion tank, the liquid received by the liquor tank being received for mixing with the waste in the first modular unit, and
a pasteurization tank that is configured to perform pasteurization on waste received from the buffer tank;
a third modular unit comprising the digestion tank, which is configured to perform anaerobic digestion on waste received from the pasteurization tank;
a fourth modular unit comprising a gas storage tank that is configured to store gas generated by the waste in at least one of the mixing tank, the chopper, the buffer tank, the liquor tank, the pasteurization tank, and the digestion tank;
a de-watering device that is configured to separate liquid digestate and to remove salt from the liquid separated from the liquid digestate;
first sensors disposed in the buffer tank and the digestion tank that are configured to measure salinity;
and
a controller that is configured to:
cause a transfer of digestate from the digestion tank to the pasteurization tank after anaerobic digestion of the waste occurs,
cause a transfer of digestate from the pasteurization tank to the dewatering device after the digestate received from the digestion tank is pasteurized,
cause the de-watering device to separate liquid from the digestate received from the pasteurization tank and to remove salt from the liquid separated from the digestate to create a liquid with a reduced salinity,
monitor the salinity of liquid in the buffer tank and the digestion tank using the first sensors, and
cause a mixing of the liquid with the reduced salinity with the waste and adjust a feed rate of the waste to the digestion tank as required to reduce the salinity of the waste,
wherein the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, and the fourth modular unit are portable in that they are configured to be transported to a site and paced in fluid communication with each other at the site, and
wherein the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, and the fourth modular unit are modular in that they can be combined with each other in different numbers and configurations.

17 more elements

A portable and modular renewable energy microgeneration apparatus comprising

a first modular unit comprising:
a mixing tank that is configured to mix incoming waste with a liquid, and
a chopper in fluid communication with the mixing tank that is configured to reduce the waste to smaller sized components;
a second modular unit comprising:
a buffer tank that is configured to receive the waste from the mixing tank and pre-warm the waste in preparation for pasteurization,
a liquor tank configured to receive liquid removed from a digestion tank, the liquid received by the liquor tank being received for mixing with the waste in the first modular unit, and
a pasteurization tank that is configured to perform pasteurization on waste received from the buffer tank;
a third modular unit comprising the digestion tank, which is configured to perform anaerobic digestion on waste received from the pasteurization tank;
a fourth modular unit comprising a gas storage tank that is configured to store gas generated by the waste in at least one of the mixing tank, the chopper, the buffer tank, the liquor tank, the pasteurization tank, and the digestion tank;
and
a fifth modular unit, wherein the fifth modular unit comprises a de-watering device that is configured to separate liquid digestate and to remove salt from the liquid separated from the liquid digestate;
wherein the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, the fourth modular unit, and the fifth modular unit are portable in that they are configured to be transported to a site and placed in fluid communication with each other at the site, and
wherein the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, the fourth modular unit, and the fifth modular unit are modular in that they can be combined with each other in different numbers and configurations.

10 more elements

A portable and modular renewable energy microgeneration apparatus comprising:

a first modular unit comprising:
a mixing tank that is configured to mix incoming waste with a liquid, and
a chopper in fluid communication with the mixing tank that is configured to reduce the waste to smaller sized components;
a second modular unit comprising:
a buffer tank that is configured to receive the waste from the mixing tank and pre-warm the waste in preparation for pasteurization,
a liquor tank configured to receive liquid removed from a digestion tank, the liquid received by the liquor tank being received for mixing with the waste in the first modular unit, and
a pasteurization tank that is configured to perform pasteurization on waste received from the buffer tank;
a third modular unit comprising the digestion tank, which is configured to perform anaerobic digestion on waste received from the pasteurization tank;
a fourth modular unit comprising a gas storage tank that is configured to store gas generated by the waste in at least one of the mixing tank, the chopper, the buffer tank, the liquor tank, the pasteurization tank, and the digestion tank;
and
an odor management system configured to:
remove gas from within at least one of the first modular unit, the second modular unit, and the third modular unit;
filter odors from the gas removed from the at least one of the first modular unit, the second modular unit, and the third modular unit;
and
vent to atmosphere the gas removed from the at least one of the first modular unit, the second modular unit, and the third modular unit,
wherein the gas removed from the at least one of the first modular unit, the second modular unit, and the third modular unit differs from the gas generated by the waste in at least one of the mixing tank, the chopper, the buffer tank, the liquor tank, the pasteurization tank, the digestion tank, and the gas storage tank,
wherein the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, and the fourth modular unit are portable in that they are configured to be transported to a site and placed in fluid communication with each other at the site, and
wherein the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, and the fourth modular unit are modular in that they can be combined with each other in different numbers and configurations.

15 more elements

A portable and modular renewable energy microgeneration apparatus comprising:

a first modular unit comprising:
a mixing tank that is configured to mix incoming waste with a liquid, and
a chopper in fluid communication with the mixing tank that is configured to reduce the waste to smaller sized components;
a second modular unit comprising:
a buffer tank that is configured to receive the waste from the mixing tank and pre-warm the waste in preparation for pasteurization,
a liquor tank configured to receive liquid removed from a digestion tank, the liquid received by the liquor tank being received for mixing with the waste in the first modular unit, and
a pasteurization tank that is configured to perform pasteurization on waste received from the buffer tank;
a third modular unit comprising the digestion tank, which is configured to perform anaerobic digestion on waste received from the pasteurization tank;
a fourth modular unit comprising a gas storage tank that is configured to store gas generated by the waste in at least one of the mixing tank, the chopper, the buffer tank, the liquor tank, the pasteurization tank, and the digestion tank,
wherein the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, and the fourth modular unit are portable in that they are configured to be transported to a site and placed in fluid communication with each other at the site,
wherein the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, and the fourth modular unit are modular in that they can be combined with each other in different numbers and configurations,
wherein each of the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, and the fourth modular unit is disposed in a portable container;
and
wherein each portable container is configured to withstand explosions of a predetermined magnitude without compromising an adjacent container.

11 more elements

A portable and modular renewable energy microgeneration apparatus comprising:

a first modular unit comprising:
a mixing tank that is configured to mix incoming waste with a liquid, and
a chopper in fluid communication with the mixing tank that is configured to reduce the waste to smaller sized components;
a second modular unit comprising:
a buffer tank that is configured to receive the waste from the mixing tank and pre-warm the waste in preparation for pasteurization,
a liquor tank configured to receive liquid removed from a digestion tank, the liquid received by the liquor tank being received for mixing with the waste in the first modular unit, and
a pasteurization tank that is configured to perform pasteurization on waste received from the buffer tank;
a third modular unit comprising the digestion tank, which is configured to perform anaerobic digestion on waste received from the pasteurization tank;
a fourth modular unit comprising a gas storage tank that is configured to store gas generated by the waste in at least one of the mixing tank, the chopper, the buffer tank, the liquor tank, the pasteurization tank, and the digestion tank,
wherein the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, and the fourth modular unit are portable in that they are configured to be transported to a site and placed in fluid communication with each other at the site,
wherein the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, and the fourth modular unit are modular in that they can be combined with each other in different numbers and configurations,
wherein each of the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, and the fourth modular unit is disposed in a container;
wherein the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, and the fourth modular unit are configured to be combined with each other in different numbers and configurations using piping and wiring disposed within the container of each of the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, and the fourth modular unit;
and
wherein the piping and wiring are configured to be connected and disconnected via connection points housed within the container of each of the first modular unit, the second modular unit, the third modular unit, and the fourth modular unit.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/831,309Filed 26 Mar 2020 · continuation
Priority: 15 Dec 2017
Published: US 2020/0223726 A116 Jul 2020
Granted: 14 Dec 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification52 codes

C02F 3/006
Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage: regulation methods for biological treatment
C02F 3/2893
Particular arrangements for anaerobic reactors: with biogas recycling
C02F 9/20
Multistage treatment of water, waste water or sewage: portable or detachable small-scale multistage treatment devices, e.g. point of use or…
C02F 11/04
Biological treatment: anaerobic treatment; Production of methane by such processes

Family

Application62/599,359Us provisional application · filed 15 Dec 2017
Application62/620,608Us provisional application · filed 23 Jan 2018
Application16/220,490Parent of this continuation · filed 14 Dec 2018
US 2020/0223726 A1Pre-grant publication · published 16 Jul 2020
US 10,611,655 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2019/0210902 A1Published application
US 11,198,628 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.