Systems and methods for recycling energy from distillation
AssigneeICM, Inc.
InventorsCharles C. Gallop, Christopher Riley William Gerken
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for recycling energy in a production plant comprises a distillation device configured to generate a heated vapor in response to distillation and a system configured to recycle heat from the heated vapor back into the production plant. The system for recycling heat can comprise a fin-fan heat exchanger and a compressor or a heat pump with a heat exchanger configured as an evaporator and a heat exchanger configured as a condenser.
Claims20
A system for recycling energy in a production plant, the system comprising:
- a distillation device;
- a fin-fan heat exchanger comprising a bundle of finned tubes at least partially defining a first flow path and a plenum at least partially defining a second flow path, and a fan configured to drive air from an external environment into the plenum;
- a first fluid line extending from an outlet of the distillation device to an inlet of the first flow path;
- a compressor;
- a second fluid line extending from an outlet of the plenum to an inlet of the compressor;
- and
- a third fluid line extending from an outlet of the compressor to one or more devices in the production plant.
A retrofitting process for a production plant, the retrofitting process comprising:
- installing a fin-fan heat exchanger fluidly downstream from a distillation device, comprising a bundle of finned tubes at least partially defining a first flow path and a plenum at least partially defining a second flow path, and a fan configured to drive air from an external environment into the plenum;
- fluidly coupling an outlet of the distillation device to an inlet of the first flow path;
- installing a compressor downstream from the fin-fan heat exchanger;
- fluidly coupling an outlet of the plenum of the fin-fan heat exchanger to an inlet of the compressor;
- and
- fluidly coupling an outlet of the compressor to one or more devices in the production plant.
A method for recycling energy in a production plant, the method comprising:
- flowing air through a heat transfer region of a fin-fan heat exchanger simultaneously with flowing a heated vapor received from a distillation device in the production plant through a bundle of finned tubes disposed in the heat transfer region of the fin-fan heat exchanger;
- responsive to the flowing the air, forming a heated air at an outlet of the fin-fan heat exchanger;
- routing the heated air from the outlet of the fin-fan heat exchanger to a compressor;
- heating, in response to flowing the heated air through the compressor, the heated air from a first temperature to a second temperature to form a super-heated fluid, the second temperature at least double the first temperature;
- and
- routing the super-heated fluid to one or more devices in the production plant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.