US 7,547,539 B2 · Reaction apparatus for organic and/or other substances employing supercritical fluid or subcritical fluid

Abstract

Disclosed is a reaction apparatus for organic and/or other substance(s) employing supercritical fluid(s) and/or subcritical fluid(s) permitting injection of organic substance(s) and/or other reactant substance(s) in homogeneous state(s) to reactor(s) without occurrence of clogging at location(s) of such injection, and also permitting actuation to occur in industrial fashion and at high energy efficiency. Reactor(s) (12) of this reaction apparatus comprise cylinder(s) (12a) and piston(s) (12b) provided at such cylinder(s) (12a). Actuation in periodic fashion is permitted by operating piston(s) (12b) to compress fluid vapor(s) and obtain supercritical fluid(s) and/or subcritical fluid(s); operating piston(s) (12b) in reverse direction(s) following conclusion of chemical reaction(s) of reactant substance(s), lowering temperature(s) and pressure(s) and stopping reaction(s); and removing, from cylinder(s) (12a), product(s) obtained while at the same time delivering new charge(s) of fluid vapor(s) to cylinder(s) (12a).

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims22

Dependent claims

A reaction apparatus for organic and/or other substance(s) employing supercritical fluid(s) and/or subcritical fluid(s), comprising:

a reactor operative for compressing vapor(s) and obtaining supercritical fluid(s) and/or subcritical fluid(s), for bringing supercritical fluid(s) and/or subcritical fluid(s) into contact with organic matter and/or other reactant substance(s), for causing occurrence of chemical reaction(s), and for causing expansion and decompression of the fluid(s) including product(s) produced as a result of chemical reaction(s), the reactor including cylinder(s) and piston(s) provided at such cylinder(s) and operative to sequentially actuate by operating such piston(s) to cause compression of fluid(s);
operating the piston(s) in reverse direction(s) following the chemical reaction(s) of the reactant substance(s) to lower temperature(s) and pressure(s);
removing, from the cylinder(s), fluid(s) including the produced product(s);
and, delivering new charge(s) of vapor(s) to the cylinder(s), and
explosive disintegration apparatus(es) that rapidly depressurize reactant substance(s) while same is or are immersed in high-pressure saturated fluid(s);
organic substance(s) and/or other reactant substance(s) being pulverized by such explosive disintegration apparatus(es) for use in said reactor,
wherein the reactor includes a primary actuator for energizing the reactor and a secondary actuator operably connected to the primary actuator, the secondary actuator energized by waste energy of the reactor and operative to assist the primary actuator in energizing the reactor,
wherein the secondary actuator is operably connected to the primary actuator by coupling together a first crank mechanism and a second crank mechanism, said first crank mechanisum being connected the primary actuator, and said second crank mechanism being connected to the secondary actuator, and
wherein either or both of said first crank mechanism and said second crank mechanism is a cam mechanism.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description11,948 words

Summary4,229 words

#The present invention relates to a reaction apparatus for organic and/or other substances employing supercritical fluid(s) or subcritical fluid(s). More specifically, the present invention relates to a reaction apparatus using supercritical fluid(s) and/or subcritical fluid(s) for reactive treatment or decomposition of reactant substance(s); biomass(es) and/or other such organic substance(s) and/or the like being employed as such reactant substance(s).

#Conventionally proposed as physicochemical reactive decomposition methods for biomass and other such organic substances and the like, there are—in addition to known chemical oxidation methods, photooxidation methods, combustion methods, and hydrothermal methods—decomposition-type treatment methods employing supercritical fluids such as are disclosed at Japanese Patent Application Publication Kokoku No. H1-38532 (1989) and so forth.

#Unlike reactive hydrothermal methods employing low-temperature conditions of 200° to 300° C. as reaction conditions, such decomposition-type treatment methods for organic substances and the like employing supercritical fluids use supercritical water at conditions exceeding the critical pressure of 218 atmospheres and the critical temperature of 374° C. of water to decompose organic substances and other such reactant substances. This supercritical water possesses excellent advantages such as the fact that the polar nature thereof can be controlled based on temperature and pressure, permitting solubilization of paraffinic hydrocarbons, benzene, and other such nonpolar substances; the fact that it displays extremely excellent properties as reaction solvent for oxidative decomposition of organic matter in that it mixes in arbitrary ratios even with oxygen and other such gases, and also the fact that because it is possible to raise temperature to the critical temperature or higher using only heat of oxidation where the fractional carbon content of the material being decomposed is several percent, it is extremely excellent from a thermal energy standpoint as well; and the fact that by using supercritical water it is possible through hydrolytic reaction and/or thermolytic reaction to more or less completely decompose almost any kind of decomposition-resistant organic matter, poisonous organic matter, or the like.

Brief description of the drawings20 figures

#FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a reaction apparatus for organic and/or other substances employing supercritical fluid(s) and/or subcritical fluid(s) in accordance with the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a partial flowchart in a situation where cam-type actuation mechanism(s) are employed at reactor(s) in a reaction apparatus for organic and/or other substances employing supercritical fluid(s) and/or subcritical fluid(s) in accordance with the present invention.

#FIG. 3 is a partial flowchart in a situation where rotary-type compressor-expander(s) are used instead of reciprocating-type compressor-expander(s) in a reaction apparatus for organic and/or other substances employing supercritical fluid(s) and/or subcritical fluid(s) in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed description7,037 words

#Next, best mode(s) of carrying out the present invention are described with reference to the drawings. Reaction apparatus 10 for organic and/or other substances employing supercritical fluid(s) and/or subcritical fluid(s) and shown in FIG. 1 uses water as fluid medium. Reaction apparatus 10 has as its basic component reciprocating-type reactor 12 which is made up of boiler 11 for obtaining vapor from water; means for compressing this vapor and obtaining supercritical water and/or subcritical water; means for bringing this supercritical water and/or subcritical water into contact with organic matter and/or other reactant substance(s) and causing occurrence of chemical reaction(s); and means for causing expansion and decompression of water including product(s) produced as a result of such chemical reaction(s).

#Boiler 11 is employed to obtain vapor from water. Fuel C is supplied to boiler 11 from pump 27, while at the same time, air D is supplied thereto by blower 28. This water vapor is introduced into reactor 12.

#At reactor 12, water vapor from water may be compressed. That is, reactor 12 is a high-pressure compressor-expander comprising cylinder 12a and piston 12b provided at such cylinder 12a. Provided to either side of piston 12b are volumes 12A and 12B. Piston 12b is actuated by means of crank mechanism 13 and water vapor is compressed at volume 12A, permitting formation of supercritical water and/or subcritical water. In addition, this supercritical water and/or subcritical water is brought into contact with wood meal serving as reactant substance, making it possible to cause wood meal to be made to undergo hydrolytic reaction(s). Note that crank mechanism 13 may also be a cam mechanism.

Facts

Application

10/469,869Filed 6 Mar 2002

Priority

JP 2001-0628557 Mar 2001

Published

US 2004/0094144 A120 May 2004

Granted

16 Jun 2009

Term ended

25 Jun 2023

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 476 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification14 codes

C10J 3/00
Production of combustible gases containing carbon monoxide from solid carbonaceous fuels
B01J 3/006
Processes of utilising sub-atmospheric or super-atmospheric pressure to effect chemical or physical change of matter; Apparatus therefor:…
B01J 3/008
Processes of utilising sub-atmospheric or super-atmospheric pressure to effect chemical or physical change of matter; Apparatus therefor:…
C10J 3/78
Other features: high-pressure apparatus

Timeline

7 Mar 2001Priority claimedJP 2001-062855
6 Mar 2002Application filedUS 10/469,869
5 Sep 2003Assigned to Yanmar Co., Ltd., Ikegami, Makoto, Saka, Shiroassignment of assignor's interest
20 May 2004PublishedUS 2004/0094144 A1
16 Jun 2009GrantedUS 7,547,539 B2
25 Jun 2023Term endedEstimated, includes 476 days of adjustment

Reaction apparatus for organic and/or other substances employing supercritical fluid or subcritical fluid

Life of this patent

Reaction apparatus for organic and/or other substances employing supercritical fluid or subcritical fluid

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims22

Description11,948 words

Drawings

Classification14 codes

Life of this patent

Description11,948 words