Gas separation: apparatus – Electric field separation apparatus – With means for vapor or liquid contact
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-14
2001-05-22
Chiesa, Richard L. (Department: 1724)
Gas separation: apparatus
Electric field separation apparatus
With means for vapor or liquid contact
C095S067000, C095S073000, C096S057000, C096S087000, C261S081000, C261SDIG004
Reexamination Certificate
active
06235088
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention concerns an alcohol separator which separates an even higher concentration of alcohol from an alcohol solution of sake (Japanese rice wine) or other alcoholic solution, and specifically relates to an alcohol separator which can operate with little pressure loss and low energy cost.
From early times the distillation process has been used to separate alcohol in a highly concentrated state from an alcohol solution, and in particular from an alcohol-water solution. Even today, most processes to separate alcohol are dominated by distillation. However, distillation requires large amounts of energy to separate alcohol. Further, as an azeotropic mixture, an alcohol-water solution is known to require many stages to separate the water from a solution of high alcohol concentration.
For these reasons distillation is a high energy consumption process. In particular, for separation of highly concentrated alcohol from a fermented alcohol solution starting with bio-mass, a change from this maximum energy consumption process to a new alcohol separation method which does not use heat has been in demand.
As alcohol separation methods which use non-thermal processes, the Purvaparation method which uses an organic copolymer porous membrane (Japanese Patent Applications SHO-58-21629, 1983, and SHO-59-48427, 1984) and the ultra-sonic mist producing method (Japanese Patent Applications HEI-7-185203, 1995) are known. In the Purvaparation method, development of an alcohol selective permeable membrane to replace distillation has been lagging. For this reason, an experimental bench scale plant for evaluation does not exist (Bioindustry, Vol. 13, No. 9, 1996).
As in the later method above, experiments have tried to obtain highly concentrated alcohol solutions by cooling a mist produced by applying ultrasound to an alcohol solution. However, it is impossible to collect all the alcohol mist and vapor by cooling alone. The majority of the mist passes completely through the cooler, and recovery rates have been extremely inefficient.
Consequently, in prior art alcohol separators mentioned above, the following improvements have been left without realization.
(1) First, the major drawback of energy consumption by processes such as distillation and vaporization, which depend on heat, must be overcome. Therefore, equipment which can operate at room temperature and pressure is preferable.
(2) Second, the ability to efficiently collect extremely fine mist containing highly concentrated alcohol is required. For example, alcohol can certainly be collected by activated carbon absorption. However, once the alcohol is absorbed, heat must be applied to extract it from the activated carbon, ad ultimately this is not a low energy process.
(3) Third, throughout the entire process, pressure loss must be low. In a process with large pressure loss, a high degree of sealed enclosure is required to limit loss of alcohol outside the system. This generates large cost because high output reverse pressure fans and blowers are necessary.
It is thus an object of the present invention to respond to the current situation cited above, and in particular, recover a highly concentrated alcohol solution with low energy and by increasing alcohol separation efficiency by generating a corona discharge with an electrostatic field to collect mist from an alcohol solution.
The above and further objects and features of the invention will more fully be apparent from the following detailed description with accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The alcohol separator for an alcohol solution of the present invention is provided with a flow path for moving gas in a given direction via a blower device, an atomizer in one part of the flow path for supplying a mist by atomizing an alcohol solution, and an electrostatic collection device downstream of the atomizer for liquefying and collecting the mist by corona discharge due to an electrostatic field.
Since the alcohol separator described above forms a mist from the alcohol solution and recovers this mist with an electrostatic collection device, the mist recovery rate can be improved remarkably. Further, a highly concentrated alcohol solution can be recovered, and odor can be removed by ozone from electrostatic collection.
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Uragami, T., For Possibility of Alcohol Fuel Separation Techniques, 1996, Bio Industry vol. 13, No. 9.
Chiesa Richard L.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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