Patent Grant
10168072
The embodiments presented relate to a waste-to-energy conversion apparatus, and in particular, to a portable and readily assemblable waste-to-energy conversion apparatus comprised of a plurality of combustion chambers housed within a plurality of equilateral dimensioned and releasably attached iso container including a heat recovery module which converts the gaseous effluent to an energy source.
Traditional incinerators have been used in the United States since the early 19th century and were originally constructed to convert waste materials into ash, flue gas, and waste heat by combusting the organic substances within a loaded waste material. These initial forms of incineration released harmful gaseous and particulate directly into the environment without prior “scrubbing.” When emitted into the air, fine particulates, heavy metals, trace dioxin and acid gas were later inhaled by third-parties.
Today waste incineration and the inability to properly handle ash and heavy metals remain dangerous to the environment and toxic to humans. In response to this hazard, lobbying has led to a new generation of cleaner waste-to-energy innovation. Included within these innovations are systems which incorporate thermal and non-thermal applications including advanced incineration, gasification, and pyrolysis which are able to convert the gaseous effluents into electrical energy.
Though much of this technology has enjoyed vast improvements which are now regulated by government standards, many of these new systems and devices remain bulky and inefficient.
Though there are several devices and systems for waste-to-energy recovery such as U.S. Pat. App. No. 2011/0036280 to Toase et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,554 to Urich; and European Patent No. 0776,962 to Fujimura et. al., there is not a single reference which discloses a highly portable and readily assemblable waste-to-energy apparatus which may be set up using an integrated rail system by a single operator and coupled with a plurality of technologies to create multiple energy sources.
Embodiments described herein provide a portable and containerized multi-stage energy recovery apparatus configured to be coupled with a plurality of releasably attachable technologies to generate a variety of energy from the gaseous effluent generated during a multi-stage gasification/oxidation of solid waste. The presented embodiments provide a portable and readily assemblable apparatus comprised of a plurality of combustion chambers which may be aligned and connected using an integrated slide rail mechanism within a portion thereof. The plurality of combustion chambers are configured to provide a multi-stage gasification/oxidation and selectively direct the gaseous effluent to either the main exhaust stack or heat recovery module. If directed toward the heat recovery module (i.e. heat recovery mode), a contained heat exchanger having a plurality of container water pipes is heated through convection and the heated liquid circulated to at least one storage tanks which are programmable using a microcontroller.
The apparatus includes a plurality of combustion chambers including a dual chamber first and second compartments in fluid communication via an air duct and having at least one blower and fuel operated burner, a breech/control module housing the microcontroller and remotely operate main control panel, a releasably attached heat recovery module, and at least one releasably attached water tank within a heat recovery system.
The apparatus enable a single operator to readily assemble the at least one air duct, blower, and burner by aligning the interchangeable components along an integrated slide rail mechanism and secure them into place using a plurality of securing pins. Further attached to the plurality of combustion chambers is an adjustable main exhaust stack and heat recovery exhaust stack. During use, waste is batch loaded within the primary gasification chamber and heated to a pre-selected set point temperature where the waste is gasified in both the first and second chambers. The gaseous effluent may then be selectively directed to a heat exchanger with where up to the at least 500 gallons of heated liquid may be stored in the at least one storage tanks. The apparatus is further configured to allow the gaseous effluent to be exhausted out of the main exhaust stack if the heat recovery module is not utilized or after the at least 500-gallon capacity is reached.
The microcontroller is configured to control the water pump and operation of the blowers and burners within the first and second chambers which are monitored using at least one sensor to maintain the pre-selected set point temperature.
The heat recovery module may be coupled with a plurality of technologies to create a variety of energy sources including at least a heat exchanger, thermoelectric generator, organic Rankine cycle unit, and a chiller/heat pump.
Other aspects, advantages, and novel features of the embodiments will become apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings.
A more complete understanding of the embodiments, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
The specific details of the single embodiment or variety of embodiments described herein are set forth in this application. Any specific details of the embodiments are used for demonstration purposes only, and no unnecessary limitation or inferences are to be understood therefrom. Furthermore, as used herein, relational terms, such as “first” and “second,” “top” and “bottom,” and the like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element without necessarily requiring or implying any physical or logical relationship, or order between such entities or elements.
The embodiments provide a highly portable and readily assemblable containerized waste-to-energy conversion apparatus which enables recovered gaseous effluent to be converted a plurality of energy sources using releasably attached energy generation systems. The apparatus includes at least a primary and secondary combustion chamber, breech/control chamber, and heat recovery module chamber which are releasably secured to one another using a locking mechanism and collectively affixed to an integrated skid type base. The apparatus is designed to enable a single operator to releasably attach each iso container, air duct, and blower and burner using an integrated slide rail mounted system without the need for heavy equipment such as a crane or forklift to make the connections.
The apparatus is controlled by a microcontroller having an integrated storage and remotely connected to a main control panel housed within the breech/control chamber. During operations, an operator may batch load up to 1000 pounds of waste per day within the primary gasification chamber which provides for over 96% reduction of the load waste mass. Upon completion of the time gasification (i.e., burn cycle), the apparatus initiate a cool-down mode and operator is allowed to open the door to remove the ash collected.
In contrast to the present embodiments, traditional mobile waste processing systems are typically housed within a single 20-foot iso container and often requires manual separating of the solid waste before it's placed within shredders further mass reduction and homogeneity. The shredder not only reduces the mass of the solid waste but mix the waste to create a homogenous product before gasification or incineration. Most traditional systems which are housed within a single unit are not able to regulate air intake which often reduces efficiency levels to a mere 30-40% efficiency of volume reduction.
Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the views. There is shown in
The plurality of combustion chambers 12 further includes at least a primary gasification chamber 26, a second combustion chamber 28, a breech control chamber 30, and heat recovery chamber 32 in fluid connection with the at least 500-gallon water storage tank 34. Each of the plurality of equilateral dimensioned combustion chambers (change wording) 12 is approximately 8.0 feet long, 6.5 feet wide, and 8.0 high with a steel exterior and vary in weight from 7,500-10,000 lbs.
The primary gasification chamber 26 includes a ceramic fiber refractory lining 35 (further illustrated in
The apparatus 10 is further equipped with a plurality of safety features 49 which are designed to protect an operator by immediately initiating a shutdown of the system terminating any gasification/oxidation within the primary gasification chamber 26 or secondary oxidation chambers 28.
The primary gasification chamber 26 and secondary oxidation chamber 28 are fluidly connected by an elongated air duct 37 which controls the flow of air and gas between chambers. The air duct 37 which is configured to be aligned and secured using the integrated slide rail system 23 within the breech/control chamber 30. The air duct 37 is connected to the variable speed blower 31 which transfers creates turbulent mixing and oxygenation of the flue gas from the air starved gasification chamber 26 as it enters the secondary oxidation chamber 28 and enables a reduction in mass of the loaded solid waste by at least 96%.
The operator is able to access the primary gasification chamber 26 using the door 40 where any non-combusted inorganic solid waste is removed after the 4-6-hour gasification (i.e., burn cycle) and cool-down cycles.
Further illustrated in
Upon expiration of the pre-determined 2-minute interval, the secondary burner 62 is ignited and runs on high fire until the set 850-1000-degree Celsius set point temperature is achieved within the secondary oxidation chamber 28. The primary burner 46 is pre-programmed at the microcontroller 16 to ignite once the 650-800 degree Celsius set point temperature in the Secondary Oxidation Chamber 28 is achieved. The gasification process begins by adding heat to the gasification chamber and drying any wet/moist waste and then decomposing the contained organic molecules of the solid waste to form a gas and vapor mixture comprised of water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methane, and ethane. Once the gasification process is complete, any remaining non-combustibles are removed along with the ash.
The primary burner/blower 48 of the primary gasification chamber 26 are electrically connected to at least one sensor 63 which monitors the temperature of the plurality of combustion chambers 12 and provides a return signal to the microcontroller 16 to modulate a burner switch between at least the on/off positions to maintain the pre-determined set point temperature. In contrast to traditional pyrolysis systems which are often limited in their processing capacity due to a lack of air drawn into the process, the primary gasification chamber 26 of the present apparatus 10 operates under “starved air” conditions which results in improved burn-out of fixed carbon but generating less dust and particulate matter than excess-air incinerators.
The secondary oxidation chamber 28 is further configured to modulate the secondary burner 62 using an internal burner management system. The secondary blower 62 is controlled by a variable frequency drive electrically connected to the microcontroller 16 and the at least one sensor 63 modulates the motor speed using both frequency and voltage motor inputs to maintain the set point temperature.
During the gasification/oxidation process, when in heat recovery mode, the gaseous effluent exhaust is directed to the heat recovery module 20 using a draft induction blower 71 to direct fluid flow to the heat exchanger 72 affixed within the heat recovery module 20. During the gasification/oxidation in which the gaseous effluent exhaust is in fluid communication with the heat exchanger 72, the liquid contained within the plurality of water tubes 76 is heated and circulated using the water circulation pump 78 before being contained within the plurality of water storage tanks 34. When utilizing the heat recovery module, a flow rate of up to 8 gallons/min. of water is achieved until the at least 500-gallon capacity is reached and the gaseous effluent is redirected from the heat recovery stack 74 to the main exhaust stack 80.
The gasification/oxidation process is pre-programmed on a countdown timer 66 based on the operator input to the microcontroller and burn cycle/loading conditions. Once a burn cycle is complete, the apparatus 10 is configured to enter a cool-down mode in which the primary burner 61 and secondary burner 62 are extinguished, and the primary gasification chamber blower 48 is used to exhaust the contained heat within the primary gasification chambers 26. Like the burn cycle which is operated with a countdown timer, the cool-down mode may be pre-programmed for a period based on a variety of factors. For example, if the apparatus is transported to a location with minimal solid waste, the countdown timer 66 may adjust the both the burn cycle and cool-down cycles at the microcontroller 16 to conserve fuel. In contrast, if the apparatus 10 is required to process more waste, the countdown timer 66 may be extended to ensure adequate time for conversion of the waste and cooling of the plurality of combustion chambers 12.
Now shown in
In the current embodiment, a variable speed draft induction blower 71 affixed within the heat recovery module 20 creates fluid suction from the second combustion chamber 28 to the mounted heat exchanger 72 within the heat recovery exhaust stack 74. The hot gaseous effluent heats the enclosed liquid within the plurality of water tubes 76 where the heated liquid is circulated and eventually stored within the plurality of water storage tanks 34.
Now shown in
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It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present embodiment is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the following claims.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20180202687 A1 | Jul 2018 | US |
