Multi-pollutant exhaust treatment using seawater for marine applications
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsChristos M. Kalamaras, Esam Z. Hamad
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Abstract
Marine engine exhaust includes pollutants such as CO2, NOx and SOx. An onboard system and method for the simultaneous removal of these pollutants includes obtaining seawater from the water on which the marine vessel travels, purifying the seawater to remove a portion of hard ions, concentrating the seawater to yield a concentrated brine solution, treating the concentrated brine solution with a chemical softener to yield a treated brine solution, acidifying the treated brine solution, and utilizing the acidified brine solution in a chlor-alkali process to yield sodium hydroxide. The sodium hydroxide can be used in an acid gas scrubber to remove CO2, NOx, and SOx from the marine engine exhaust gas.
Claims20
A method for treating engine exhaust gas emitted by a marine engine onboard a marine vessel, the method comprising:
- onboard the marine vessel:
- treating a portion of seawater on which the marine vessel travels to yield a concentrated brine solution;
- treating the concentrated brine solution with a softener to yield a treated brine solution;
- acidifying the treated brine solution to yield an acidic brine solution;
- processing the acidic brine solution to yield sodium hydroxide;
- and
- reacting the sodium hydroxide in a scrubber unit with the engine exhaust gas to remove carbon dioxide, SOx and NOx from the engine exhaust gas.
A system for treating an engine exhaust gas emitted by a marine engine onboard a marine vessel using a portion of seawater from the seawater on which the marine vessel travels, comprising:
- a treatment system configured to:
- treat a portion of seawater on which the marine vessel travels to yield a concentrated brine solution, and
- treat the concentrated brine solution with a softener to yield a treated brine solution;
- a chemical softening unit configured to further remove calcium and magnesium ions from the concentrated brine solution to yield a treated brine solution;
- an acidifying unit configured to acidify the treated brine solution to yield an acidic brine solution;
- a chlor-alkali unit configured to process the acidic brine solution to yield sodium hydroxide;
- an acid gas scrubber configured to react the sodium hydroxide with engine exhaust gas;
- and
- a separator configured to separate the solid and liquid products and byproducts that are generated by the reaction of sodium hydroxide and engine exhaust gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.