Power plants – Fluid motor means driven by waste heat or by exhaust energy... – Having fluid motor motive fluid treating – controlling or...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-23
2001-09-11
Nguyen, Hoang (Department: 3748)
Power plants
Fluid motor means driven by waste heat or by exhaust energy...
Having fluid motor motive fluid treating, controlling or...
C060S618000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286313
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to cogeneration of electric power, heat in the form of steam or hot water, cooling, carbon dioxide, and other products. More particularly, this invention relates to cogeneration of such products for use in the production of beverages.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Beverage manufacturing plants, including carbonated filling plants for producing carbonated beverages, consume large quantities of carbon dioxide, electric power, water, heat, and other resources, in the operation of the plant and in the production of such beverages. Carbon dioxide, normally liquid carbon dioxide, is used to carbonate the beverages. Large quantities of carbon dioxide are required in a carbonated beverage producing plant. Electric power is used to power many processes involved in filling beverages including powering electric motors and providing cooling and heating. Heat in the form of steam or hot water, or both. is used in carbonated beverage production for processes such as dissolving sweetener and washing bottles. Clean water forms part of the carbonated beverage itself. Beverages are also cooled by cold water during the manufacturing process.
In industrially developed countries, the above-described products for supporting a carbonated beverage filling plant can often be secured from outside sources and in sufficient quantities to meet carbonated beverage production requirements. However, large quantities of carbon dioxide are still needed and existing systems and sources of the forms of energy are costly and often produced by inefficient systems. In developing nations and even in remote areas of industrially developed countries, the above-described products necessary to support a carbonated beverage filling plant are not readily available from reliable sources or at suitable prices. Reliable sources of electric power and liquid carbon dioxide are particularly difficult to find in many developing countries and remote regions of developed nations. Further, various equipment and energy for producing electric power, liquid carbon dioxide, heat, cooling, and other products for use in a beverage filling plant are not readily available in developing countries.
Moreover, traditional beverage production and filling plants take large amounts of materials to build the manufacturing systems. Accordingly, in developing countries, other remote areas, and even in industrial nations, there is a need to produce electric power, liquid carbon dioxide, and other energy and products necessary for filling carbonated and non-carbonated beverages of various types at the site of the bottling plant. Therefore, there is a need for an energy efficient system for on-site production of energy and other products used in a carbonated beverage filling system. There also exists a need for a cogeneration system for a beverage manufacturing plant which can be built in a variety of locations. In addition, there is a need for beverage manufacturing plants which can be more quickly and inexpensively constructed and brought into production.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention satisfies the above-described needs by providing an integrated cogeneration system which produces the necessary energy including electric power, hot water, steam and cold water, liquid carbon dioxide and other products necessary for producing and filling beverages at the site of the beverage production facility. The invention provides a system for producing such energy and products at the site of the filling operation. The integrated cogeneration system of this invention can be easily transported to and installed at virtually any location. Due in part to its integral design, the integrated cogeneration system of this invention is efficient and saves costs when incorporated into a beverage production facility.
More particularly, the invention provides an integrated cogeneration system comprising a combustion engine electric power generator, a combustion powered water boiler, a carbon dioxide recovery unit connected with the combustion engine electric power generator and water boiler so as to receive exhaust gases from the combustion engine electric power generator and the water boiler for recovering carbon dioxide from the exhaust gases, and a compressor for receiving recovered carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide recovery unit and liquefying the recovered carbon dioxide. This invention also encompasses a portable integrated cogeneration system and a method for providing cogeneration at a remote location. According to another aspect of the present invention. a carbonated beverage filling system including the above-described cogeneration system is provided. It should be understood, however, that the cogeneration system of this invention is also useful to supply non-carbonated beverage production and systems which produce both carbonated and non-carbonated beverages.
The cogeneration system of this invention produces relatively large quantities of carbon dioxide, which is desirable in producing carbonated beverages. The cogeneration system produces these large quantities of carbon dioxide by recovering carbon dioxide from one and preferably both a combustion engine electric power generator and a combustion powered water boiler. The carbon dioxide recovery unit uses electric power and heat from one or preferably both the combustion engine electric power generator and the water boiler in the recovery of carbon dioxide. Furthermore, when the cogeneration system is located on a beverage production plant site, the cogeneration system provides, in addition to carbon dioxide, electric power and heat for powering systems and providing heat to the beverage production. The heat, in the form of steam, hot water, or both, is particularly useful in dissolving sweetener during beverage production.
Desirably, the integrated cogeneration system of this invention further comprises a steam powered electric power generator powered by steam produced by the boiler to provide yet additional electric power for use by various components of the cogeneration system and the beverage filling facility.
More particularly the cogeneration system of the present invention includes a cooling system powered by the combustion engine electric power Generator. This cooling system provides a relatively energy balanced and efficient cogeneration system. The relatively balanced and efficient cogeneration system includes the cooling system that utilizes excess energy produced by the combustion engine electric power generator and the combustion powered water boiler so that the combustion engine electric power generator and combustion powered water boiler can operate at high and efficient levels even when demand for energy by the beverage filling facility and other components of the cogeneration system are low or erratic. The cogeneration system can preferably run with the combustion engine electric power generator and combustion powered water boiler at levels approaching optimum levels. The cooling system, particularly as utilized in a beverage filling plant, consumes large quantities of energy. The cooling system stores excess energy produced by the cogeneration system in the form of cooled liquid such as water or glycol and, when the cooling system includes a heat pump, the excess energy can be stored in the form of heated liquid, such as hot water or steam. The cogeneration system thus provides cooling in the form of chilled water which is utilized in producing carbonated beverages in large quantities to cool the beverage during processing. The chilled water is particularly useful to cool the beverage in a beverage production process after the beverage has been heated to dissolve the sweetener but prior to carbonating and filling the beverage.
Still more particularly, the cooling system of this invention is adapted to provide cooling to various components of the cogeneration system, such as the carbon dioxide compressor and various components of the beverage filling facility, such as air conditioning for the filling facility building. In addition, the combustion
Nguyen Hoang
Sutherland & Asbill & Brennan LLP
The Coca-Cola Company
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