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.
Claims19
A system for providing inert nitrogen gas to a reactor, 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.
A system for providing inert nitrogen gas into a large volume container, the system comprising:
- a liquid nitrogen tank;
- a first vaporizer configured to expose an outlet of the liquid nitrogen tank to ambient temperatures to vaporize liquid nitrogen into gaseous nitrogen;
- a second vaporizer configured to expose an outlet of the liquid nitrogen tank and the first vaporizer to ambient temperatures to further vaporize remaining liquid nitrogen;
- a heat exchanger comprising:
- a coil configured to contain the gaseous nitrogen,
- a water bath,
- a steam stream from a refinery for heating the water bath;
- a pressure build line configured to return a portion of the gaseous nitrogen to the liquid nitrogen tank to maintain internal tank pressure and drive flow rate;
- and
- a conduit system configured to route the gaseous nitrogen from the liquid nitrogen tank through the first vaporizer, the second vaporizer, the heat exchanger, and into the large volume container.
A method of providing inert gas to a reactor vessel, comprising:
- providing a liquid nitrogen stream at an outlet of a liquid nitrogen tank;
- vaporizing the liquid nitrogen stream at a vaporizer to form a gaseous nitrogen stream;
- exchanging heat between the gaseous nitrogen stream and a steam stream at a heat exchanger to form a warmed nitrogen stream;
- and
- providing the warmed nitrogen stream at the reactor vessel;
- wherein the steam stream is an outlet stream at a refinery.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.