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US 7,867,365 B2Granted
Ethanol distillation with distillers soluble solids recovery apparatus
AssigneeThermal Kinetics Systems, LLC
InventorChristopher J. Brown
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to a system for producing ethanol from an organic source and that operates to purify and dry ethanol from a beer source. The system for producing substantially anhydrous ethanol comprises: (a) a first distillation stripping column; (b) a second distillation rectifying column having a higher operating temperature than said stripping column; (c) a molecular sieve dehydration means in fluid communication with said rectifying column. Heat from the overhead of the second distillation rectifying column and the molecular sieve dehydration are used to heat the first distillation stripping column.
Claims18
A method for producing substantially anhydrous ethanol comprising:
- (a) distilling a stream feed of beer liquor in a stripping column to produce a first concentrated ethanol overhead vapor, wherein said stripping column has a top portion and a bottom portion;
- (b) condensing said first concentrated ethanol overhead vapor to form a first ethanol and water mixture;
- (c) distilling said first ethanol and water mixture in a rectifying column, which rectifying column is heated by a primary steam supply and which rectifying column has a top portion and a bottom portion, to produce a second concentrated ethanol overhead vapor, a portion of which is product vapor and a portion of which is reflux vapor;
- (d) condensing said reflux vapor in a reboiler system to form condensed reflux;
- (e) returning said condensed reflux to the top portion of the rectifying column;
- (f) recovering heat from step (d);
- (g) heating said stripping column with the heat recovered in step (f);
- (h) dehydrating said product vapor using a molecular sieve dehydration means to produce substantially anhydrous ethanol;
- (i) recovering heat from step (h);
- and
- (j) further heating said stripping column with the heat recovered in step (i).
8 more elements
A method for producing substantially anhydrous ethanol and animal feed comprising:
- (a) distilling a stream feed of beer liquor in a stripping column to produce a first concentrated ethanol overhead vapor and a grain stillage bottoms product, wherein said stripping column has a top portion and a bottom portion;
- (b) condensing said first concentrated ethanol overhead vapor to form a first ethanol and water mixture;
- (c) recovering heat from step (b);
- (d) distilling said first ethanol and water mixture in a rectifying column, which rectifying column is heated by a primary steam supply and which rectifying column has a top portion and a bottom portion, to produce a second concentrated ethanol overhead vapor, a portion of which is product vapor and a portion of which is reflux vapor;
- (e) condensing said reflux vapor in a reboiler system to form condensed reflux;
- (f) returning said condensed reflux to the top portion of the rectifying column;
- (g) recovering heat from step (e);
- (h) heating said stripping column with the heat recovered in step (g);
- (i) dehydrating said product vapor using a molecular sieve dehydration means to produce substantially anhydrous ethanol;
- (j) further recovering heat from step (i);
- (k) heating said stripping column with the heat recovered in step (j);
- (l) centrifuging said grain stillage bottoms product to form a decanted cake and a centrate;
- (m) drying said decanted cake to produce animal feed;
- (n) evaporating water from said centrate in an evaporator means to produce distillers syrup, wherein said evaporator means is heated with the heat recovered in step (c);
- and
- (o) drying said distillers syrup to produce animal feed.
13 more elements
A system for producing substantially anhydrous ethanol comprising:
- (a) distillation means which includes a stripping column having a reboiler means and a rectifying column in communication with said stripping column;
- (b) condensing means in fluid communication with the overhead of the rectifying column of said distillation means;
- (c) dehydration means which includes a molecular sieve dehydration means in communication with said distillation means and condensing means;
- and
- (d) energy flow means including means for heating the reboiler means with vapors from said rectifying column and said molecular sieve dehydration means and heating said stripping column with said reboiler means.
2 more elements
A system for producing substantially anhydrous ethanol and animal feed comprising:
- (a) distillation means which includes a stripping column having a reboiler means and a rectifying column in communication with said stripping column;
- (b) condensing means in communication with the rectifying column of said distillation means;
- (c) dehydration means which includes a molecular sieve dehydration means in communication with said distillation means and condensing means;
- (d) energy flow means including means for heating the reboiler means with vapors from said rectifying column and said molecular sieve dehydration means and heating said stripping column with said reboiler means and heating an evaporator means with vapors from said stripping column;
- (e) solid stream processing means in communication with said distillation means, wherein said solid stream processing means includes a centrifuge and an evaporator means;
- and
- (f) drying means in communication with said solid stream processing means.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.