US 12,097,489 B1Granted

Expanded bed direct-contact system and heat exchanger and chemical reactor using the same

AssigneeKing Saud University

InventorsShaker Saeed Abdullah Alaqel, Nader Shaif Esmail Saleh, Rajeh Saadallah Ali Saeed, Eldwin Djajadiwinata, Abdulelah Ibrahim Abdulaziz Alswaiyd, Hany Abdurrahman Al-Ansary, Abdelrahman Mahmoud Elleathy, Sheldon M. Jeter, Zeyad Abdulhman Alsuhaibani, Obida Mohammed Zeitoun, Syed Noman Danish, Ahmad Wadea Khaiyat

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Abstract

The expanded bed direct-contact system uses a multistage expanded bed chamber for heat exchange between heated particles, falling under the force of gravity, and an upwardly directed stream of cool fluid. As the heated particles fall through a plurality of vertically-arrayed stages of the multistage expanded bed chamber and exchange thermal energy with the stream of cool fluid, a stream of heated fluid, and a volume of cooled particles, are produced. Porous plates are respectively received within the stages of the multistage expanded bed chamber for increasing residence time of the particles, and the porous plates, as well as the plurality of stages, are connected to one another by a plurality of downcomers, each also formed from a porous material.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An expanded bed direct-contact system, comprising:

a particle feeder adapted for receiving heated particles through a heated particle inlet, and further adapted for dispensing the heated particles through a heated particle outlet;
a multistage expanded bed chamber comprising a hollow tube separated into a plurality of vertically-arrayed stages by a plurality of internal perforated plates, wherein an uppermost one of the vertically-arrayed stages is in communication with the heated particle outlet of the particle feeder for receiving the heated particles therefrom, the uppermost one of the vertically-arrayed stages further having a heated fluid outlet, and a lowermost one of the vertically-arrayed stages having a cooled particle outlet and a cool fluid inlet for receiving a stream of cool fluid, wherein the heated particles fall through the plurality of vertically-arrayed stages and exchange thermal energy with the stream of cool fluid, resulting in a stream of heated fluid extracted through the heated fluid outlet and a volume of cooled particles output through the cooled particle outlet;
a plurality of downcomers received within the hollow tube and extending through the plurality of internal perforated plates such that the plurality of vertically-arrayed stages are in fluid communication with one another;
and
a discharge hopper in communication with the cooled particle outlet for receiving the volume of cooled particles,
wherein each said downcomer is formed from a porous material.

3 more elements

An expanded bed direct-contact heat exchange system, comprising:

a particle feeder adapted for receiving heated particles through a heated particle inlet, and further adapted for dispensing the heated particles through a heated particle outlet;
a multistage expanded bed chamber comprising a hollow tube separated into a plurality of vertically-arrayed stages by a plurality of internal perforated plates, wherein an uppermost one of the vertically-arrayed stages is in communication with the heated particle outlet of the particle feeder for receiving the heated particles therefrom, the uppermost one of the vertically-arrayed stages further having a heated fluid outlet, and a lowermost one of the vertically-arrayed stages having a cooled particle outlet and a cool fluid inlet for receiving a stream of cool fluid, wherein the heated particles fall through the plurality of vertically-arrayed stages and exchange thermal energy with the stream of cool fluid, resulting in a stream of heated fluid extracted through the heated fluid outlet and cooled particles output through the cooled particle outlet;
a plurality of downcomers received within the hollow tube and extending through the plurality of internal perforated plates such that the plurality of vertically-arrayed stages are in fluid communication with one another;
a discharge hopper in communication with the cooled particle outlet for receiving the cooled particles;
means for generating electricity from the stream of heated fluid;
a particle heater for heating the cooled particles to produce the heated particles, the particle heater being in communication with the heated particle inlet of the heated particle feeder;
and
means for recirculating the cooled particles from the discharge hopper to the particle heater.

5 more elements

An expanded bed direct-contact chemical reactor system, comprising:

a particle feeder adapted for receiving heated particles through a heated particle inlet, and further adapted for dispensing the heated particles through a heated particle outlet;
a multistage expanded bed chamber comprising a hollow tube separated into a plurality of vertically-arrayed stages by a plurality of internal perforated plates, wherein an uppermost one of the vertically-arrayed stages is in communication with the heated particle outlet of the particle feeder for receiving the heated particles therefrom, the uppermost one of the vertically-arrayed stages further having a heated fluid outlet, and a lowermost one of the vertically-arrayed stages having a cooled particle outlet and a cool fluid inlet for receiving a stream of cool process fluid, wherein the heated particles fall through the plurality of vertically-arrayed stages and exchange thermal energy with the stream of cool process fluid, resulting in a stream of heated process fluid extracted through the heated fluid outlet and cooled particles output through the cooled particle outlet;
a plurality of downcomers received within the hollow tube and extending through the plurality of internal perforated plates such that the plurality of vertically-arrayed stages are in fluid communication with one another;
a discharge hopper in communication with the cooled particle outlet for receiving the cooled particles;
a particle heater for heating the cooled particles to produce the heated particles, the particle heater being in communication with the heated particle inlet of the heated particle feeder;
and
means for recirculating the cooled particles from the discharge hopper to the particle heater.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.