Patent Application
20090020013
This application relates to a system and method of deoxygenating fluids. More particularly, the application relates to using a membrane-based deoxygenator for removing oxygen from process fluids.
Deoxygenators have been used to remove oxygen from various process fluids. In one example process, a membrane-based deoxygenator is used to remove oxygen from jet fuel so that a greater amount of heat can be rejected to the jet fuel without coking. The fuel is passed through a membrane deoxygenator, and the oxygen removed from the jet fuel is returned to a storage tank in which the jet fuel (which has been processed to reduce the oxygen content) is also contained.
One problem with the above process is that oxygen is returned to the container having the processed fluid. This is undesirable in that many processed fluids, such as foods and beverages, are adversely affected by the presence of oxygen thereby reducing their shelf life from oxidation. Moreover, the process is not adapted for subsequent processing or packaging of the processed fluid once the oxygen has been removed.
Membrane-based deoxygenators have been used to remove entrained oxygen in boiler and other water feed systems. However, once the dissolved oxygen has been removed its storage is not accounted for. Further, the deoxygenating process is not designed for packaging the processed fluid for customers remote from the deoxygenating facility.
What is needed is a method of removing oxygen from a processed fluid for improved subsequent processing of the processed fluid.
A deoxygenating system includes a process fluid that flows through a membrane deoxygenator. Oxygen is removed by the membrane deoxygenator and stored in an oxygen storage container separate from the subsequently deoxygenated, processed fluid. In one example, the membrane deoxygenator includes a membrane filter having an uneven surface for improved efficiency of the membrane deoxygenator. The processed fluid can then be packaged without exposure to the removed oxygen and shipped offsite to customers remote from the processing facility.
These and other features of the application can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.
A deoxygenating system 10 is shown schematically in
The process fluid 12 is pumped to a membrane deoxygenator 16 using a pump 14. One example membrane deoxygenator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,815 incorporated herein by reference. In one example, the membrane deoxygenator 16 includes a housing 18 providing an inlet 20 receiving the process fluid 12. A membrane filter 22 is arranged within the housing 18 for removing oxygen from the process fluid 12. In one example, tubes 28 providing passages extend within the housing 18. The tubes 28 are provided by the membrane filter 22. Baffles 24 create a tortuous path through which the process fluid 12 flows to increase oxygen removal.
The process fluid 12 flows through the membrane filter 22, which removes oxygen. The tubes 28 receive the oxygen, which is communicated to a chamber 30. Oxygen within the chamber 30 flows through an oxygen outlet 32 and into an oxygen storage container 34, which keeps separate the oxygen from the process fluid 12. The deoxygenated fluid exits a fluid outlet 26 provided by the housing 18 to provide processed fluid 38 having a reduced amount of oxygen. The processed fluid 36 can be packaged 38 and shipped to the customer 40, which is remote from the processing facility 13, in the example shown. The processed fluid 36 is kept separate from the oxygen removed from the process fluid 12 and stored in the oxygen storage container 34. As a result, the processed fluid 38 is not exposed to the oxygen again, which is particularly desirable for food and beverages which degrade in the presence of oxygen. Many foods become saturated with dissolved oxygen during the manufacturing operations. This often occurs during mixing and cooking operations where the required agitation naturally enfolds ambient air into the product. This oxygen then usually participates in chemical and biological processes that lead to off flavors, color changes and phase separations. The entrained air also alters the appearance, density and viscosity of the product, sometimes leading to further product appearance, performance and processing problems.
One example membrane deoxygenator 16′ is shown in
Referring to
Although a preferred embodiment has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of the claims. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine their true scope and content.
