Chemistry of hydrocarbon compounds – Production of hydrocarbon mixture from refuse or vegetation – From synthetic resin or rubber
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-03
2003-11-25
Dang, Thuan D. (Department: 1764)
Chemistry of hydrocarbon compounds
Production of hydrocarbon mixture from refuse or vegetation
From synthetic resin or rubber
C585S240000, C585S242000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06653517
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to industrial chemical conversion of wastes. In particular, it relates to conversion of organic and inorganic materials to useful fuels and other products.
DISCUSSION OF BACKGROUND
Converting wastes to useful end products, such as fuels, has been the goal of considerable efforts. Several approaches to achieving this goal have been tried, including pyrolysis. While this invention is definitely not a variation on the art of pyrolysis, the original research which resulted in this invention was primarily in that field. Therefore, it is only fitting that any discussion of the background of this invention begin there.
The art of pyrolysis is reputed to have began in the 1500's. It is presently described as the destructive distillation of any material. The original successful industrial results of this art were the production of coal tar and coal oil from the pyrolysis of coal. The second, coal oil, was widely used as an illuminating oil throughout the world until the development of kerosene during the early petroleum industrial development.
In the world's oilfields, many thousands of barrels of crude oil have been burned as a result of early attempts at disposal. This “waste” crude oil was usually collected on waste pits on or near production facilities (called “leases”) and refineries. There were numerous attempts to treat this waste in a way that would allow its useful recovery or conversion to a useful form. Pyrolysis of the waste was attempted but had many practical limitations. Close examination of attempts to address the problem of the proper treatment of this waste shows that the original inherent problems remain.
In the prior art the usual design and operating practice has been to place the feedstock in a retorting device from which the ambient atmosphere can be excluded, heating the materials to between 500 and 2,000 degrees F., and recovering the volatized and condensed materials in some form of collection vessel. The solids residues, generally characterized as “char” are recovered in their combined form and usually disposed of as an industrial waste. However, there were and still are several problems resulting from such practices which make those systems impractical.
One of these is the problem of coking which resulted in all previous attempts from the deposition of heavy carbon deposits upon the interior walls of the pyrolysis retort system. This deposit increases in density and thickness to the point that it in effect acts as insulation, inhibiting the transfer of thermal energy into the system. There were additional problems with isolated buildups and concentrations of heat which often resulted in melt-downs of the retort walls resulting in catastrophic fires. This phenomenon has been observed in most of the other systems referenced. Many attempts have been made to prevent this problem, the latest being that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,439 to Coffinberry issued Dec. 5, 2000 which suggests a coating on the interior walls of the retorting vessels and the balance of the system to resist the deposition of these materials.
An additional problem resulting from the coking phenomenon and the use of internal parts and components invariably results in the binding of these moving, especially rotating, parts and, with the complications resulting from the extreme interior temperatures, these moving parts can be destroyed. This was and is particularly true of interior coke-scraping and augering systems as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,209 to Wilwerding, et al., issued on May 27, 1984, where the scrapers (29) were repeatedly torn off and the evacuation auger (32) were prone to be ripped from their shafts and to stack at the end of their respective chambers as was demonstrated in 1987/88.
A related problem inherent in most prior art was that the introduced feedstock was dried into a cake on the interior walls of the retort and were then prone to rip the auger flites off their shafts and stack them at the end of the chamber. This was a particular problem of the design features of the system taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,300 to Hansen, et al., issued on Jul. 26, 1988, when processing used petroleum drilling muds as well as in that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,889 to Oeck, issued Nov. 1, 1983.
Another problem invariably present in pyrolysis systems was and remains that of retroactive condensation reactions wherein, as the process progresses, hydrocarbon molecules are broken and the liberated hydrogen atoms are allowed to form hydrogen gas and to escape. As the remaining hydrocarbon elements are reformed they combine into progressively longer and more complex molecules until they become much like coal or coke. Many attempts have been made to address this problem over the years with the latest being U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,774 to McMullen, et al., issued Mar. 21, 2000.
Still another problem plaguing the practice of pyrolysis is that of the destabilization of the pyrolysis oils over relatively short time spans after production. The poor stability of pyro-oils has been mostly attributed to the high oxygenated compound content of these oils which gives rise to polymerization reactions and the subsequent increase in viscosity. This happens at any temperature and is accelerated by the presence of “pyrolysis char” in the stored processed oils. It often progresses to the point that the produced products are of even lesser value than the original feedstock materials. This process is well described in a paper:
Pyrolysis Char Catalyzed Destabilization of Biocrude Oils
presented by Foster A. Agblevor of Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1997 to the ALCHE.
The prior art has produced systems that are extremely sensitive to variations in feedstock composition. To accommodate changes in feedstock, these systems must be modified.
In the past the attempted employment of lasers, ultrasound and microwave components in the systems has been confined entirely and exclusively to the production of thermal energy within the operating system. This is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,282 issued to Wallace on Oct. 3, 1978.
In all known instances there has been no attempt to maximize the transfer of thermal energy into the system or to recover spent thermal energy and re-introduce it to the processing system. (Re: all references cited, but particularly U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,209 issued to Wilwerding, et al., on Mar. 27, 1984.) This failure has occurred notwithstanding the fact that, in all known instances, the disclosed precesses are thermally driven. Not only has this resulted in wasting of fuels and energy, but it has also been a tremendous producer of thermal pollution. Often the furnace burner manufacturer states that the burner flame should be adjusted so that the exhaust stack temperature just above the retort is at approximately 450 degrees F. (re: Eclipse Boiler Division Instruction Manual # 179.)
Prior inventors have made many attempts to relieve the problem of sulfur/chlorine/fluorine contamination of both produced oils and gasses. These attempts have required the injection of contaminating slurries (U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,232 issued to Schmidt on Feb. 21, 1989 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,755 issued to Majid, et al., on Sep. 19, 1989) and other similar substances. Nowhere found are references to breaking the specific molecular bonds between these substances and their carbines carriers in order to remove and/or recover them.
In the past there have been no known attempts to recover the compressible gasses in their liquid forms. And while there have been attempts to operate such systems under an internal vacuum, this is not known to have been done in conjunction with the liquification of the compressible gasses.
Thus far there has been no discovery of the employment of catalytic elements that are energized by electromotive forces of any type in order to produce a desired or enhanced result.
In prior art the feedstock is introduced into the reaction chamber by means of a plunger mechanism (U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,209 issued to Wilwerding on Ma
Dang Thuan D.
Mann Michael A
Nexsen Pruet Jacobs & Pollard LLC
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