Trifluid reactor
AssigneeVast Power Portfolio, LLC
InventorsDavid L. Hagen, Gary Ginter, Bill Goheen, Allan McGuire, Janet Rankin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermally diluted exothermic reactor system is comprised of numerous orifices distributed within a combustor by distributed perforated contactor tubes or ducts. The perforated contactors deliver and mix diluent fluid and one or more reactant fluids with an oxidant fluid. Numerous micro-jets about the perforated tubes deliver, mix and control the composition of reactant fluid, oxidant fluid and diluent fluid. The reactor controls one or more of composition profiles, composition ratio profiles and temperature profiles in one or more of the axial direction and one or two transverse directions, reduces temperature gradients and improves power, efficiency and emissions.
Claims30
A method of reacting reactants in the presence of diluent, the method comprising:
- configuring a reactor comprising a reaction chamber with an outlet;
- the reaction chamber having a streamwise curvilinear primary flow direction and a first and a second transverse directions mutually distinct and transverse to the primary flow direction, the first and second transverse directions defining a surface through a reaction chamber location;
- configuring a reactant delivery system and delivering a reactant fluid comprising reactant to the reaction chamber;
- configuring a co-reactant delivery system and delivering a co-reactant fluid comprising an oxidizing co-reactant to the reaction chamber;
- controlling a spatial delivery distribution of the reactant fluid into the reaction chamber,
- wherein controlling a spatial transverse reactant distribution in the surface along the first transverse direction;
- configuring a diluent delivery system and delivering a diluent fluid comprising diluent into one of reactant fluid, co-reactant fluid, and product fluid, upstream of the reactor outlet;
- controlling a spatial distribution of the diluent fluid comprising diluent upstream of the reactor outlet,
- wherein controlling a spatial transverse diluent distribution in the surface along the first transverse direction;
- reacting reactant with co-reactant to form a reaction product, and mixing diluent with at least one of reactant, co-reactant and reaction product upstream of the reactor outlet, and
- delivering to the reactor outlet a product fluid comprising reaction product, diluent and a residual component comprising one of reactant and co-reactant;
- and
- wherein controlling the spatial distribution of each of the reactant fluid and the diluent fluid in the first transverse directions controls a spatial transverse distribution of one of the composition, temperature, pressure, and streamwise velocity of the product fluid, at a plurality of outlet locations along an outlet transverse direction through an outlet location near the reactor outlet, to one of:
- greater than a plurality of prescribed lower limits, and less than a plurality of prescribed upper limits at the respective outlet locations.
A method of reacting a reactant with a co-reactant and mixing a diluent with at least one of the reactant, the co-reactants, and a reaction product to form a product fluid;
- the method comprising:
- configuring a pressurized reactor comprising an upstream diffuser and a downstream reaction chamber in fluid communication, with a streamwise primary flow direction from a reactor inlet to outlet, and with a first and a second transverse directions mutually-distinct and transverse to the primary flow direction;
- delivering a reactant fluid comprising the reactant with a spatial reactant distribution into the reaction chamber through a reactant delivery system;
- delivering a co-reactant fluid comprising the co-reactant into the primary upstream reaction chamber inlet with a spatial co-reactant distribution;
- the delivery comprising diffusing the co-reactant fluid into the reaction chamber through a plurality of co-reactant diffuser passages through a co-reactant delivery system;
- delivering a diluent fluid comprising the diluent with a spatial diluent distribution, upstream of the reactor outlet through a diluent delivery system;
- wherein controlling one of the spatial distribution of the co-reactant fluid and of the diluent fluid, the distribution being taken along the first transverse direction through a reactor location along the primary flow in one of the diffuser and the reaction chamber;
- and
- wherein controlling the transverse distribution of one of the composition, temperature, pressure, and velocity of the reaction product, to a prescribed spatial distribution, the transverse distribution being taken along the first transverse direction through a control location near the outlet of the reactor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.