Nitrogen vaporization and insertion system
AssigneeNitro-Lift Technologies
InventorDanny Kent Daniels
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for supplying inert nitrogen gas into a large volume container such as a reactor. The system operates without auxiliary power sources for vaporizing and pressurizing the nitrogen gas. Components include a liquid nitrogen tank, first and second vaporizers, and a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger may include a coil which is coated with hydrophilic material and include spargers. The system is suited for refinery settings, where it can fit into operational environments and reduce carbon emissions. Optional features such as a turboexpander/generator can be incorporated for additional pressurization capabilities and a tempering heat exchanger that can be used to provide fine adjustments to temperature.
Claims13
A system for providing inert nitrogen gas to a reactor, comprising:
- a liquid nitrogen tank;
- a vaporizer;
- a first heat exchanger, wherein the first heat exchanger is configured to receive a steam stream;
- a pressure build line connected to the liquid nitrogen tank and the vaporizer;
- and
- an exit conduit connected to the first heat exchanger, the exit conduit configured for connection to a reactor;
- wherein the system defines a nitrogen stream, wherein:
- the nitrogen stream begins at the liquid nitrogen tank and ends at the reactor, and passes through the vaporizer, the first heat exchanger, and the exit conduit;
- and
- a portion of the nitrogen stream is configured to return to the liquid nitrogen tank through the pressure build line;
- and further comprising a system for cooling the nitrogen stream within the exit conduit, the system for cooling the nitrogen stream comprising:
- a tempering heat exchanger comprising:
- a first inlet of the nitrogen stream, wherein the nitrogen stream is received at the first inlet from the exit conduit;
- a first outlet of the nitrogen stream;
- and
- a coil containing a nitrogen slip stream, wherein the nitrogen slip stream is removed from the nitrogen stream prior to entering the first heat exchanger.
A method of using a system comprising:
- a liquid nitrogen tank;
- a vaporizer;
- a heat exchanger, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to receive a steam stream;
- a pressure build line connected to the liquid nitrogen tank and the vaporizer;
- and
- an exit conduit connected to the heat exchanger, the exit conduit configured for connection to a reactor;
- wherein the system defines a nitrogen stream, wherein:
- the nitrogen stream begins at the liquid nitrogen tank and ends at the reactor, and passes through the vaporizer, the heat exchanger, and the exit conduit;
- and
- a portion of the nitrogen stream is configured to return to the liquid nitrogen tank through the pressure build line;
- the method comprising:
- providing liquid nitrogen within the liquid nitrogen tank;
- using heat sources, vaporizing and heating the liquid nitrogen in the vaporizer and heat exchanger to form a nitrogen gas stream;
- and
- using the nitrogen gas stream to remove reaction gasses from the reactor in the refinery.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.