# US 12,110,823 B2 · Optimized co-generating system and recovery method for power, water and nitrogen > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,110,823 B2 - Document ID: US12110823B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/052,474 - Filed: 2022-11-03 - Published: 2024-05-09 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2022-11-03 - Assignees: Saudi Arabian Oil Company - Applicants: Saudi Arabian Oil Company - Inventors: Samusideen Adewale Salu; Hussain M. Bayat; Ali Mohammad Abbas - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12110823B2 ## CPC - F02C 6/18: using the waste heat of gas-turbine plants outside the plants themselves, e.g. gas-turbine power heat plants (using waste heat as source of energy for refrigeration plants F25B27/02; using the waste heat of a gasturbine for steam generation or in a steam cycle see F01K23/10) - F25B 27/02: using waste heat, e.g. from internal-combustion engines - B01D 53/047: Pressure swing adsorption - B01D 53/265: {by refrigeration (condensation)} - B01D 2253/108: Zeolites - B01D 2257/102: Nitrogen - B01J 20/18: Synthetic zeolitic molecular sieves - F03G 4/035: {of the Organic Rankine Cycle [ORC] type or the Kalina Cycle type} - F02C: GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B11/00) - F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) - B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS - F03G: SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (arrangements in connection with power supply in vehicles from force of nature B60K16/00; electric propulsion with power supply in vehicles from force of nature B60L8/00) ## Abstract A recovery system includes a special organic Rankine cycle (SORC) system, an internal combustion system, a nitrogen generator and a gas-liquid separator. The SORC system includes a first stage heat exchanger (first HE), a plurality of second stage heat exchangers (second HE), a third stage heat exchanger (third HE), a turbo-expander, and at least one condenser. A recovery method, conducted in the recovery system, includes vaporizing a refrigerant, introducing the vaporized refrigerant to the turbo-expander to generate electricity, condensing the vaporized refrigerant in the at least one condenser, collecting nitrogen from the flue gas feed in the nitrogen generator, and collecting water from the flue gas feed in the gas-liquid separator. The refrigerant is vaporized by introducing the refrigerant through the first HE, second HE and third HE sequentially, and the flue gas feed through the third HE, second HE and first HE sequentially. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A recovery system comprising: a Rankine cycle system, comprising: a first stage heat exchanger; a plurality of second stage heat exchangers; a third stage heat exchanger; a turbo-expander; at least one condenser; and at least one compressor between the plurality of second stage heat exchangers to pressurize the flue gas feed, wherein: the Rankine cycle system is configured to generate electricity with heat provided by a flue gas feed, the plurality of the second stage heat exchangers is fluidly connected to the first stage heat exchanger and the third stage heat exchanger, the turbo-expander is fluidly connected to the third stage heat exchanger and the at least one condenser, and the first stage heat exchanger is fluidly connected to the at least one condenser, an internal combustion system configured to provide the flue gas feed to the Rankine cycle system, and fluidly connected to the third stage heat exchanger; a nitrogen generator configured to collect nitrogen from the flue gas feed, and fluidly connected to the first stage heat exchanger and the plurality of the second stage heat exchangers; and a gas-liquid separator configured to collect water from the flue gas feed, and fluidly connected to the first stage heat exchanger. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The recovery system of claim 1, wherein the internal combustion system is a combustion gas turbine/heat recovery steam generation (CGT/HRSG) system. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The recovery system of claim 1, wherein the nitrogen generator comprises a zeolite. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A recovery method, conducted in the recovery system of claim 1, comprising: vaporizing a refrigerant, wherein the vaporizing the refrigerant comprises: introducing the refrigerant through the first stage heat exchanger, the plurality of second stage heat exchangers, and the third stage heat exchanger sequentially; and introducing the flue gas feed through the third stage heat exchanger, the plurality of second stage heat exchangers, and the first stage heat exchanger sequentially; introducing the vaporized refrigerant to the turbo-expander to generate electricity; condensing the vaporized refrigerant in the at least one condenser; collecting nitrogen from the flue gas feed in the nitrogen generator; and collecting water from the flue gas feed in the gas-liquid separator. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising combusting a fuel in the internal combustion system to produce electricity and the flue gas feed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein an increase ratio of an electrical power produced by the method, based on an electrical power produced by the combusting of the fuel in the internal combustion system, is at least 0.18. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein: an amount of collected nitrogen is at least 1 ton/hr based on 1 MW of electrical power produced by the combusting of the fuel in the internal combustion system, and an amount of collected water is at least 10 USGPM based on 1 MW of electrical power produced by the combusting of the fuel in the internal combustion system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising pressurizing the flue gas feed during the introducing the flue gas feed through the plurality of the second stage heat exchanger. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising introducing the flue gas feed to the gas-liquid separator at a temperature below a condensation temperature of water. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the temperature of the flue gas feed introduced to the gas-liquid separator is maintained below the condensation temperature of water by introducing the flue gas feed exiting the nitrogen generator to the plurality of second stage heat exchangers. ### Claim 11 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the refrigerant is selected from the group consisting of ammonia, propane, freon, propylene, butane, toluene, benzene and combinations thereof. ### Claim 12 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein, as a result of the vaporizing, at least 99 wt % of the refrigerant is vaporized. ### Claim 13 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein, as a result of the condensing, at least 99 wt % of the refrigerant is condensed. ### Claim 14 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein: the refrigerant introduced to the turbo-expander has a temperature in a range from 350° F. to 400° F., and the refrigerant introduced to the first stage heat exchanger has a temperature of 90° C. or lower. ### Claim 15 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the flue gas feed introduced to the plurality of the second stage heat exchangers has a temperature above a condensation temperature of water. ### Claim 16 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the flue gas feed exiting the first stage heat exchanger has a temperature 20° F. or more below a condensation temperature of water. ### Claim 17 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the flue gas feed exiting the nitrogen generator has a water vapor concentration in a range from 30 to 40 vol %. ### Claim 18 A recovery system comprising: a Rankine cycle system, comprising: a first stage heat exchanger; a plurality of second stage heat exchangers; a third stage heat exchanger; a turbo-expander; and a two-stage condenser comprising an air cooler and a water cooler connected in series, wherein: the Rankine cycle system is configured to generate electricity with heat provided by a flue gas feed, the plurality of the second stage heat exchangers is fluidly connected to the first stage heat exchanger and the third stage heat exchanger, the turbo-expander is fluidly connected to the third stage heat exchanger and the two-stage condenser, and the first stage heat exchanger is fluidly connected to the at least one condenser, an internal combustion system configured to provide the flue gas feed to the Rankine cycle system, and fluidly connected to the third stage heat exchanger; a nitrogen generator configured to collect nitrogen from the flue gas feed, and fluidly connected to the first stage heat exchanger and the plurality of the second stage heat exchangers; and a gas-liquid separator configured to collect water from the flue gas feed, and fluidly connected to the first stage heat exchanger. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The recovery system of claim 18, wherein the internal combustion system is a combustion gas turbine/heat recovery steam generation (CGT/HRSG) system. ### Claim 20 A recovery system comprising: a Rankine cycle system, comprising: a first stage heat exchanger; a plurality of second stage heat exchangers configured to receive a refrigerant in parallel and receive a flue gas feed in series; a third stage heat exchanger; a turbo-expander; and at least one condenser, wherein: the Rankine cycle system is configured to generate electricity with heat provided by the flue gas feed, the plurality of the second stage heat exchangers is fluidly connected to the first stage heat exchanger and the third stage heat exchanger, the turbo-expander is fluidly connected to the third stage heat exchanger and the at least one condenser, and the first stage heat exchanger is fluidly connected to the at least one condenser, an internal combustion system configured to provide the flue gas feed to the Rankine cycle system, and fluidly connected to the third stage heat exchanger; a nitrogen generator configured to collect nitrogen from the flue gas feed, and fluidly connected to the first stage heat exchanger and the plurality of the second stage heat exchangers; and a gas-liquid separator configured to collect water from the flue gas feed, and fluidly connected to the first stage heat exchanger.