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US 2006/0076270 A1Published application
Desulfurization method, apparatus, and materials
AssigneeMesoscopic Devices
InventorsJoseph Poshusta, Jerry Martin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Fuel is desulfurized with a rapid cycle desulfurization-regeneration method and apparatus. Regeneratable mass separating agents, including metals supported on high surface area materials, are used in a plurality of beds that are rotated into, through, and out of a desulfurization series and a regeneration series by valves and plumbing, which can include a rotary valve apparatus.
Claims143
A method of desulfurizing hydrocarbon fuel comprising sulfur containing molecular species, comprising:
- flowing the fuel comprising the molecular species sequentially through a series of desulfurizing beds of sorbent material that not only is capable of sorbing the molecular species, but that is also capable of being regenerated multiple times by desorbing and oxidizing the molecular species with air, wherein there is enough of the sorbent material in each bed in the series to decrease the sulfur concentration in the fuel flowing through each bed such that the sulfur concentration in the fuel flowing out of the last bed in the series does not exceed a desired maximum sulfur concentration level for a first period of time;
- at the end of the first period of time, adding a regenerated bed of the adsorbent material to the end of the series of desulfurizing beds and removing the bed at the front of the series of desulfurizing beds;
- adding the bed removed from the front of the series of desulfurizing beds to a series of regenerating beds;
- heating at least some of the beds in the series of regenerating beds and flowing the air through the heated beds to desorb and oxidize the molecular species containing sulfur to regenerate the beds;
- cooling at least one of the regenerated beds to prepare it for advancement into the end of the series of desulfurizing beds;
- and
- continuing flowing the fuel through the beds in the desulfurization series of beds to continue producing fuel from the last bed in the desulfurization series that does not exceed the desired maximum sulfur level for successive periods of time, removing beds from the front of the desulfurization series at the ends of such successive periods of time for the regeneration with hot air, and adding regenerated beds to the end of the desulfurization series as the beds are removed from the front of the desulfurization series.
4 more elements
A method of desulfurizing a hydrocarbon fuel containing sulfur-containing molecular species, comprising:
- incrementally rotating a plurality of sorbent beds sequentially into and out of a desulfurization series while flowing the fuel through the desulfurization series counter to progression of the sorbent beds through the desulfurization series to sorb the sulfur-containing molecular species with sorbent material in the sorbent beds;
- and
- simultaneously progressing beds rotated out of the desulfurization series through a regeneration series where the sorbent beds are regenerated by heating the sorbent beds, desorbing and oxidizing the sulfur-containing molecular species from the sorbent material with hot air, and cooling the sorbent beds in preparation for rotation back into the desulfurization series.
Fuel desulfurizer apparatus, comprising:
- a plurality of sorbent beds, each of which has an inlet and an outlet;
- a fuel inlet conduit;
- a fuel outlet conduit;
- a regeneration fluid inlet conduit;
- a regeneration fluid outlet conduit;
- a rotatable valve positioned between the fuel inlet conduit and the fuel outlet conduit and between the regeneration fluid inlet and the regeneration fluid outlet with a plurality of interconnectable ports and directing holes and ducts configured to repeatedly switch fuel flows progressively through a series of desulfurization stages, progressively through a series of regeneration stages, and for effectively switching sorbent beds progressively from the desulfurization series to the regeneration series and from the regeneration series back into the desulfurization series;
- and
- individually controllable heaters at each of the plurality of adsorption beds for heating the sorbent beds when they are switched into the regeneration series.
5 more elements
A method for purifying a fluid comprising contaminant species, comprising:
- incrementally rotating a plurality of sorbent beds containing sorbent material into and out of a purification series while flowing the fluid through the purification series counter to progression of the sorbent beds through the purification series to sorb the contaminant species with the material;
- and
- simultaneously progressing the beds that are rotated out of the purification series through a regeneration series where the sorbent material in those sorbent beds are regenerated by heating the sorbent beds, desorbing the contaminant species from the sorbent material with regeneration fluid, and cooling the sorbent beds in preparation for rotation of those beds back into the purification series.
A sorbent material comprising palladium supported on silica with a surface area of at least 100 m2/g.
A sorbent material comprising copper supported on silica gel with a surface area of at least 100 m2/g.
A sorbent material comprising copper oxide supported on silica gel with a surface area of at least 100 m2/g.
A sorbent material comprising metal on a support material having a surface area of at least 100 m2/g.
Desulfurization apparatus for removing sulfur from hydrocarbon fuel, comprising:
- at least three beds of sorbent material;
- valves and plumbing set up to have a capability to direct flow of the fuel in sequence through at least two of the sorbent beds forming together a desulfurization series and to direct flow of a regeneration fluid through at least one of the sorbent beds, which is not in the desulfurization series, and to switch said beds sequentially out of the desulfurization series for regeneration and to switch said beds away from regeneration and into the desulfurization series;
- and
- heaters on the beds that are capable of being turned on to heat the beds when regeneration fluid is flowing through the beds and of being turned off when the beds are in the desulfurization series.
1 more element
A method of desulfurizing a hydrocarbon fuel that is contaminated with a sulfur-containing molecular species, comprising:
- incrementally rotating a plurality of sorbent beds sequentially into and out of a desulfurization series while flowing the fuel through the desulfurization series counter to progression of the sorbent beds through the desulfurization series to remove the sulfur-containing molecular species from the fuel, wherein said sorbent beds include a sorbent that has a preferential interaction with the sulfur-containing species, which is effective for removing the sulfur-containing species from the fuel;
- simultaneously progressing sorbent beds rotated out of the desulfurization series through a regeneration series, where the sorbent is regenerated by flowing a regeneration fluid through the sorbent beds in the regeneration series.
Desulfurization apparatus for removing sulfur from hydrocarbon fuel, comprising:
- at least three beds of sorbent;
- and
- valves and plumbing set up to have a capability to direct flow of the fuel in sequence through at least two of the beds forming a desulfurization series and to direct flow of a regeneration fluid through at least one of the beds which is not in the desulfurization series, and to switch said beds sequentially out of the desulfurization series for regeneration and to switch said beds away from regeneration and into the desulfurization series.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.