Methods and systems for producing an enhanced surface area biochar product
11731877 · 2023-08-22
Assignee
Inventors
- Joseph Regnery (Castle Pines, CO, US)
- Joel Thornton (Nashville, TN, US)
- Matt Newman (Spring Hill, TN, US)
- Brandon Davis (Murfreesboro, TN, US)
Cpc classification
C10J3/84
CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
C10J2300/1807
CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
C01B32/324
CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
C10B57/005
CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
International classification
C01B32/324
CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
C10B57/00
CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
Abstract
Herein disclosed are apparatus and associated methods related to producing an enhanced surface area biochar product with a desired activation level based on receiving biochar into a processing vessel configured with multiple independently temperature-controlled chambers and counter-flow steam injection, controlling activation levels of the biochar by moving the biochar through the processing vessel and adjusting the temperature of the biochar by injecting steam into at least one temperature-controlled chamber of the processing vessel, recovering volatiles driven off through dehydration using a thermal oxidizer, cooling the biochar to a desired discharge temperature using steam and retention time, and discharging the activated biochar product. The processing vessel may be a calciner, a rotary calciner, or a kiln. Biochar may be heated or cooled to a desired thermochemical processing temperature depending on the temperature of the received biochar. Counter-flow saturated steam may sweep volatile gases to a thermal oxidizer using a vacuum system.
Claims
1. An apparatus comprising: a processing vessel (803) configured to receive biochar (809); a thermal oxidizer (505), operably coupled with the processing vessel (803); a plurality of independently temperature-controlled chambers configured in the processing vessel (803), wherein the plurality of independently temperature-controlled chambers comprise a processing vessel heating section (824) and a processing vessel cooling section (827); a counter-flow steam (831) injection system operably coupled with the processing vessel (803), wherein the counter-flow steam (831) injection system is configured to inject steam (831) into at least one temperature-controlled chamber of the processing vessel (803); and a control system (925) operably coupled with the processing vessel (803) and the counter-flow steam (831) injection system, wherein the control system (925) is configured to: determine and adjust temperature in at least one temperature-controlled chamber of the processing vessel (803); adjust temperature of biochar (809) in the processing vessel (803) based on governing retention time of biochar (809) in the at least one temperature-controlled chamber of the processing vessel (803); control activation levels of the biochar (809) by moving the biochar (809) through the processing vessel (803) and adjusting biochar (809) temperature using the counter-flow steam (831) injection system; recover volatiles driven off through dehydration using the thermal oxidizer (505); cool the biochar (809) to a desired discharge temperature using the counter-flow steam (831) injection system; and discharge an activated biochar product (833).
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein receive biochar (809) further comprises receive biochar (809) from a downdraft gasifier (600).
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing vessel (803) further comprises a calciner, a rotary calciner, or a kiln.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises the control system (925) is further configured to sweep volatile gases to a thermal oxidizer (505) using a vacuum system and counter-flow saturated steam (831).
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing vessel (803) further comprises a processing vessel inlet (806) disposed at a processing vessel head (1100) wherein the processing vessel inlet (806) is configured to be fluidly coupled with the processing vessel heating section (824), and a processing vessel outlet (830) disposed at a processing vessel tail (1120) wherein the processing vessel outlet (830) is configured to be fluidly coupled with the processing vessel cooling section (827).
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein receive biochar (809) further comprises receive biochar (809) into the processing vessel heating section (824).
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein discharge the activated biochar product (833) further comprises discharge the activated biochar product (833) from the processing vessel cooling section (827).
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises the control system (925) is further configured to govern retention time of biochar (809) in the processing vessel (803) based on controlling fluid coupling of the processing vessel heating section (824) with the processing vessel cooling section (827).
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein adjust the temperature of the biochar (809) in the processing vessel (803) further comprises using the control system (925) to release biochar (809) from the processing vessel heating section (824) into the processing vessel cooling section (827) in response to the control system (925) determining the temperature in the processing vessel heating section (824) is at least a predetermined minimum temperature.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein adjust the temperature of the at least one temperature-controlled chamber of the processing vessel (803) further comprises using the control system (925) to retain biochar (809) in the at least one temperature-controlled chamber of the processing vessel (803) until the control system (925) determines the temperature of the at least one temperature-controlled chamber of the processing vessel (803) satisfied at least a predetermined minimum temperature for at least a predetermined minimum period of time.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises the control system (925) is further configured to adjust the temperature of biochar (809) using the processing vessel heating section (824) to heat the biochar (809) to a predetermined target temperature in response to the control system (925) determining the biochar (809) temperature is less than a predetermined minimum.
12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises the control system (925) is further configured to adjust the temperature of biochar (809) using the processing vessel cooling section (827) to cool the biochar (809).
13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing vessel (803) is configured with three distinct temperature-controlled sections comprising a heating section (824), a steam injection/activation chamber, and a cooling chamber (827).
14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein steam (831) further comprises saturated steam.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
(12) Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(13) To aid understanding, this document is organized as follows. First, catalytic methane decomposition and creation of nanocarbon tubes [chemical vapor deposition] and hydrogen gas are briefly introduced with reference to
(14) It is to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings and described in the following specification are exemplary implementations of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the implementations disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.
(15)
(16)
(17)
(18) The steam 360 injected into the cooling chamber 305 cools the hot carbonaceous solid residue (“biochar”) 335 in the cooling chamber 305. In the depicted example, the cooled biochar 335 is then directed from the bottom of the cooling chamber 305 into the drying chamber 310 through the discharge valve 315. During an exemplary cooling step, moisture from the steam 360 may be physically caught in the cooling biochar 335 depending on the pore space and reactivity of the biochar 335. In the illustrated example, the cooling steam 360 stream is directed from the cooling chamber 305 through the particulate steam filter 345 to remove particulates from the steam 360. The particulate steam filter 345 may be a hot gas ceramic or sintered metal particulate filter. In the depicted example, the steam 360 filtered by the particulate steam filter 345 is cooled in the steam recycling loop 350 using steam to liquid heat exchange between the steam recycling loop 350 and the environment. The heat exchange may be enhanced by the heat sink 355 configured in the steam recycling loop 350. The heat exchange may be enhanced by the steam injected from the steam makeup port 352 into the steam recycling loop 350. For example, the steam makeup port 352 steam may be a different temperature than the steam 360 in the steam recycling loop 350, to enhance cooling in the steam recycling loop 350. The steam makeup port 352 steam may be provided from the facility. In the depicted example, the cooled steam 360 is re-routed through the steam recycling loop 350 to the cooling chamber 305. Heat from the steam to liquid heat exchange in the steam recycling loop 350 may be captured from the heat sink 355 and used to produce thermal energy for steam, power, or co-heat and power applications within the facility.
(19) In the example depicted by
(20) In the example depicted by
(21) In the depicted example, the drying chamber 310 is connected by the outlet discharge valve 315 with the outlet flange 330 through which the cooled carbonaceous solid residue (“cooled biochar”) 375 is expelled. In the illustrated example, the particulate steam filter 345 or the particulate gas filter 365 may be configured with a particulate removal valve connected with the filters by a flange 330 (not shown). In the depicted example, the steam recycling loop 350 or the gas loop 380 may be configured with a heat exchanger comprising one or more heat sink 355. The heat exchanger configured in the steam recycling loop 350 may be connected with the particulate steam filter 345 by a flange 330 (not shown). The heat exchanger configured in the gas loop 380 may be connected with the particulate gas filter 365 by a flange 330 (not shown). In an example illustrative of various steam direct biochar cooling implementations in accordance with the present disclosure, the flange 330 connections proximal to the drying chamber 310, flange 330 connections to the filters, the steam makeup port 352, and the inert gas makeup port 372 represent points at which the exemplary steam direct biochar cooling implementation 300 may end.
(22) In an illustrative example, the depicted steam direct biochar cooling implementation 300 may permit a more cost-effective means of cooling gasification hot carbonaceous solid residues.
(23) For example, a steam direct biochar cooling implementation in accordance with the present disclosure may take advantage of the physical and compositional properties of the gasification hot carbonaceous solid residue and the compositional properties of the steam and inert gas, to augment the resultant hot carbonaceous solid residue that renders the resultant biochar more suitable for certain product applications, increasing the biochar's overall commercial value.
(24) Various steam direct biochar cooling implementations in accordance with the present disclosure may utilize recycling loops to minimize water and inert gas resource inputs, and improve the efficiency of energy usage by biochar cooling.
(25) Some steam direct biochar cooling implementations in accordance with the present disclosure may be configured with one or more heat exchanger designed to maximize process heat recovery, and minimize energy resource inputs.
(26) A steam direct biochar cooling implementation in accordance with the present disclosure may include a dutchman style feed system setup on the bottom of the discharge valve(s) to provide flow variances between the gasifier and the cooling chamber. Some steam direct biochar cooling implementations in accordance with the present disclosure may include hot gas particulate removal systems, such as, for example, a bag house system, or quench scrubber system, applied as an alternative to a hot gas ceramic or sintered metal filter.
(27) In an illustrative example, a steam direct biochar cooling implementation in accordance with the present disclosure may be configured to receive independently produced and heated biochar, using the biochar as a means to convert that heated biochar into a biochar different in composition and physical format from the original biochar, for specific product applications.
(28) In an illustrative example, pre-cooling of the cooling gas media prior to cooling chamber injection may be employed to ensure the stream is sufficiently cooled to reduce the temperature of the gasification hot carbonaceous solid residue (hot biochar). Some implementations may adjust the moisture content of the stream to prevent the stream from becoming too wet. A stream that is too wet may cause the creation of a residue slurry that cannot be effectively dried by inert gas drying, if, for example, the inert gas is not dry enough to sweep the caught moisture from the gasification cooled carbonaceous solid residue (cooled biochar); or if carry over of too many particulates in the steam post cooling or inert gas post drying impede the filtration systems' ability to effectively remove particulates prior to the recycling loops.
(29) In an illustrative example, component parts may comprise sufficient quality steel material to account for the pressures (1-500 psig/1-35 Bar), temperatures (212°-1500° F. or 100°-800° C.) and corrosiveness of the substances involved. In an illustrative example, one could expect to utilize at least some component parts comprising stainless steel in an exemplary implementation in accordance with the present disclosure, to account for the operational pressures and temperatures expected.
(30) An exemplary steam direct biochar cooling implementation may take advantage of temperature, pressure, and composition of the gasification hot carbonaceous material (hot biochar), the cooling steam and the drying inert gas, to create cooled biochar with high value application opportunities.
(31)
(32) In
(33) In the hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling implementation 400 depicted by
(34) In the hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling implementation example depicted by
(35) In an exemplary cooling step, the hot carbonaceous solid residues (biochar) 335 are next directed to the cooling chamber 410. In the example depicted by
(36) In various hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling implementations in accordance with the present disclosure, during an exemplary cooling step, compounds and elements within the cooling gaseous media such as carbon, hydrogen sulfide, siloxanes, and the like may be physically captured in the cooling carbonaceous solid residue (biochar) 335 or chemically bound in the cooled carbonaceous solid residue (biochar) 375 depending on the pore space or reactivity of the carbonaceous solid residue (biochar) 335, augmenting the compositional aspects of the resultant cooled biochar 375. During the cooling step, physical expansion and reduction activities may alter the physical nature of the resulting carbonaceous solid residue (cooled biochar) 375. Such augmentations may enhance the applicability of the biochar 375 for certain product applications that may take advantage of these physical or compositional aspects of the resultant biochar 375, such as greater surface area, greater cat ion exchange capability, or nano structure carbon formations.
(37) During the cooling step, the temperature of the carbonaceous solid residue (cooling biochar) 335 and/or the catalytic properties of the compositional make-up of the cooling biochar 335 may facilitate chemical reactions with the hydrocarbon gas 425, such as, for example, methane decomposition, forming a resulting mixed gaseous stream suitable for recovery of valuable gas streams, such as, for example, CO.sub.2, or hydrogen. In the depicted examples, the resulting mixed gaseous stream exiting the cooling chamber 410 is then directed via the valve 430 through the hot gas ceramic or sintered metal particulate gas filter 365 to remove particulates from the post cooling gaseous media. In the illustrated examples, the valve 430 is a three-way valve configured to permit coupling the gas chromatograph 435 to the valve 430 to measure the chemical composition of the mixed gaseous stream exiting the cooling chamber 410. In the depicted examples, after particulates are filtered from the post cooling gaseous media, the filtered mixed gaseous stream is directed to various filtration systems for the capture, recovery, and beneficial use of these valuable gas streams. In the depicted examples, the filtered mixed gaseous stream is directed from the particulate gas filter 365 output to the CO.sub.2 removal filter 440, resulting in the carbon dioxide 445 stream at the CO.sub.2 removal filter 440 carbon dioxide output. The carbon dioxide 445 stream filtered from the mixed gaseous stream may be recovered, distributed, or sold. In the depicted examples, the mixed gaseous stream filtered by the CO.sub.2 removal filter 440 is directed from the CO.sub.2 removal filter 440 mixed gaseous stream output to the H.sub.2 removal filter 450, resulting in the tail gas stream 455 and the hydrogen stream 460. In various exemplary hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling implementations in accordance with the present disclosure, residual tail gas from the tail gas stream 455 may be recycled within the system, to improve biochar cooling efficiency and reduce harmful impact to the global human environment. In the example depicted by
(38) In the examples depicted by
(39) Various exemplary hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling implementations in accordance with the present disclosure may permit more cost-effective processing and cooling of gasification hot carbonaceous solid residue. Such improved gasification hot carbonaceous solid residue processing and cooling cost effectiveness may be a result of a biochar cooling implementation designed to take advantage of the physical and compositional properties of the gasification hot carbonaceous solid residue and the compositional properties of the hydrocarbon gas to cost effectively augment the resultant hot carbonaceous solid residue with elements and compounds that render the resultant biochar more suitable for certain product applications, increasing the biochar's overall commercial value.
(40) An exemplary hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling implementation in accordance with the present disclosure may take advantage of the physical and compositional properties of the gasification hot carbonaceous solid residue and the hydrocarbon gas to cost effectively purify and refine the hydrocarbon gas into purified and refined gas streams that may comprise, for example, CO.sub.2 or hydrogen, that, through the use of filtration technology, can be captured and recovered for high value beneficial use applications or beneficial sequestration in the context of CO.sub.2.
(41) Some exemplary hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling implementations in accordance with the present disclosure may include a dutchman style feed system setup on the bottom of the discharge valve(s) to provide flow variances between the gasifier and the processing chamber.
(42) In an exemplary hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling implementation in accordance with the present disclosure, the processing chamber and cooling chamber may be configured as one piece of equipment, with a top to bottom gasification hot carbonaceous solid residue flow characteristic.
(43) Alternative hot gas particulate removal systems, such as, for example, a bag house system, or a quench scrubber system, could be applied to the post cooling gaseous media used in some exemplary hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling implementations, as an alternative to a hot gas ceramic or sintered metal filter.
(44) In an illustrative example, an alternative gas recovery systems could be applied to the purified and refined cooling gas stream in some hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling designs, such as pressure swing adsorption, temperature swing adsorption, amine scrubbing, biological scrubbing, or the like, to capture, recover, and beneficially use the valuable gas streams inherent therein.
(45) In an illustrative example, an exemplary hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling implementation in accordance with the present disclosure may be configured to independently heat cooled biochar and use the heated biochar as a means to convert that heated biochar using heat, pure hydrocarbon gas streams, or mixed gas streams (natural gas, biogas, well head gas and coal bed methane, or the like) into a biochar different in composition and physical format from the original biochar, for specific product applications. Various exemplary hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling designs may also be used to cost effectively purify and refine hydrocarbon gas streams (natural gas, biogas, well head gas and coal bed methane, or the like) into valuable gas streams for the capture and recovery of CO.sub.2 or hydrogen for useful applications or beneficial sequestration in the context of CO.sub.2.
(46) Various exemplary hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling designs may include pre-cooling of the hydrocarbon prior to cooling chamber injection, to ensure the hydrocarbon is sufficiently cooled to reduce the temperature of the gasification hot solid residue. In an illustrative example, the temperature of gasification hot solid residue (biochar) will have an impact on the biochar's capabilities associated with purifying and refining the cooling media.
(47) In an illustrative example, component parts may comprise sufficient quality steel material to account for the pressures (1-500 psig/1-35 Bar), temperatures (212°-1500° F. or 100°-800° C.) and corrosiveness of the substances involved. In an illustrative example, one could expect to utilize at least some component parts comprising stainless steel in an exemplary implementation in accordance with the present disclosure, to account for the operational pressures and temperatures expected.
(48) An exemplary hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling design may take advantage of temperature, pressure, and composition of the gasification hot carbonaceous material (hot biochar) and the hydrocarbon gas to create cooled biochar with high value application opportunities, and enable the capture and recovery of purified and refined high value gas streams for beneficial use, products, production, or sequestration. This facilitation may be a result of a direct biochar cooling implementation designed to avoid sweeping the heat away in the form of a hot transfer media which then must be cooled via a cooling tower arrangement, or discharged as a waste stream in once through cooling applications, which may be disadvantages related to indirect cooling designs that may cool biochar based on heat exchange.
(49) In an illustrative example, an exemplary hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling implementation may be employed wherever a gasification system exists. Other applicable industries for the disclosed steam direct and hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling technologies include, for example, producers of biochar interested in augmenting their biochar product for higher value applications; producers of purified gas streams for beneficial use applications or sequestration; wastewater treatment plants and biosolid aggregators; wood and agricultural processors and biomass/biomass waste aggregators; consumers that are looking for specialty carbon materials for advance bioproduct manufacturing; and land remediators, water pollution control system providers, and odor control system providers.
(50)
(51) In
(52) The Oxidation Zone 630 is the zone in the gasifier leading up to and away from the Oxidation Band 650 or the general step of the method including formation of the Oxidation Band 650. The Oxidation Zone 630 is where the Oxidation Band 650 forms and represents the hottest step in the gasification process and is where the cellulosic fraction of the feedstock converts from a solid to a gas. The more Oxygen fed to the gasifier the faster the feedstock is gasified in the Oxidation Zone 630. The faster the reaction, the more Biochar is produced and accumulates in the Reduction Zone 640.
(53) During operation, the flow of an Oxidant Stream through Pyrolysis Zone 620 induces a feedstock gradient to form (1) vertically, beginning toward the top of the outside wall of the Pyrolysis Zone 620 and ending down at a lower ring of Plano Air Inlets 631, 632 in the Oxidation Zone 630 and (2) horizontally, beginning in the center of the gasifier and ending at the wall of the gasifier (the “Induced Feedstock Gradient”). This Induced Feedstock Gradient is an increasing and differential density of feedstock becoming denser toward the perimeter of the gasifier wall and above the Oxidation Band 650 (the “Densest Portion”) formed by at least four factors acting in concert: (1) the Pressure Wave from the Oxidation Band 650 pressing feedstock against the interior wall of the gasifier; (2) the geometry of the Pyrolysis Zone 620 and the Oxidation Zone 630 (i.e., angles of the walls); (3) the total volume of the Oxidant Stream flowing into the Pyrolysis Zone 620 and the Oxidation Zone 630; and (4) the relative volume of the Oxidant Stream flowing into each of the Pyrolysis Zone 620 and the Oxidation Zone 630. The Densest Portion of the Induced Feedstock Gradient is illustrated at 660. As Biochar leaves the Oxidation Band 650, the diameter of the Oxidation Zone 630 narrows to approximately the same size as the inlet to the Oxidation Zone 630. The Pressure Wave from the Oxidation Band 650 pushes the Biochar against the narrowing wall of the Oxidation Zone. The Densest Portion of this Entrained Biochar Gradient is illustrated at 670. The Pressure Wave slows the movement of the Densest Portion of the Biochar in the Entrained Biochar Gradient 670 relative to Biochar.
(54) Implementing a Control System for variable control of the Bypass 649 and the Oxidant Stream in the gasifier also ensures the consistency and quality of the Producer Gas. The Bypass 649 functions to control Producer Gas flow out of the Reduction Zone 640, the Bypass 649 acting similar to a valve. For example, a short Bypass increases resistance to Producer Gas flow through the grate and causes pressure to build in the gasifier.
(55) There are several different redundant control methods used in the gasifier, and most function as a means by which more precise control can be achieved throughout the process. In one embodiment, an effective control method is to monitor the thermal gradient, or profile, as indicated by the temperatures of each zone. These temperatures are obtained by way of embedded thermocouples inside of the lined wall of the gasifier. This temperature gradient, or profile, is a very good indicator of where each zone is and where it is moving toward within the gasifier. In one embodiment, the Control System uses this information to change the balance of Oxidant Stream at any given zone or to physically change the height of the bed of Biochar in the Reduction Zone 640 by way of the grate rotation and bypass 649 to help maintain and/or sustain each zone above it.
(56) One embodiment improves the consistency of the Producer Gas by lining the entire gasifier with silica carbide, silica oxide, aluminum oxide, refractory alloy, other ceramics or another material that is stable at high temperatures. This lining helps to evenly distribute and conduct heat out from the Oxidation Band 650 and allows the use of thermocouples while protecting them from the reactions occurring inside the gasifier.
(57) The Control System may use all of the different methods and combine said methods into an algorithmic controller. The latter does not only allow for redundancy throughout the Control System but also ensures much greater reliability and efficiency. It furthermore ensures that the Producer Gas is of constant and high quality.
(58) The application and method of gasification described above also provides an effective way of controlling the height of the Reduction Zone 640. In one embodiment of this gasifier, the Oxidation Band 650 can move up into the Pyrolysis Zone 620 or down into the Reduction Zone 640 and still be controlled and/or maintained by way of where the Control System allows the Oxidant Stream to be placed and amount of Biochar being removed. Disruption to the height of the feedstock, or the differential pressure across the gasifier can therefore be controlled by way of the grate rotation without risking the Oxidation Band 650 collapse.
(59)
(60) In the example depicted by
(61) The reactor fluidized bed section 704 of a fluidized bubbling bed gasifier 700 is filled with a fluidizing media 704A that may be a sand (e.g., quartz or olivine), or any other suitable fluidizing media known in the industry. Feedstock such, as but not limited to sludge, is supplied to the reactor bed section 704 through fuel feed inlets 701 at 40° F.-250° F. In one embodiment the feedstock is supplied to the reactor bed section 704 through fuel feed inlets 701 at 215° F.; with the gas inlet 703 in the bubbling bed receiving an oxidant-based fluidization gas such as but not limited to e.g., gas, flue gas, recycled flue gas, air, enriched air and any combination thereof (hereafter referred to generically as “gas” or “air”). In one embodiment the air is at about 600° F. The type and temperature of the air is determined by the gasification fluidization and temperature control requirements for a particular feedstock. The fluidization gas is fed to the bubbling bed via a gas distributor. An oxygen-monitor 709 may be provided in communication with the fluidization gas inlet 703 to monitor oxygen concentration in connection with controlling oxygen levels in the gasification process. An inclined or over-fire natural gas burner (not visible) located on the side of the reactor vessel 799 receives a natural gas and air mixture via a port 702. In one embodiment, the natural gas air mixture is 77° F. which may be used to start up the gasifier and heat the fluidized bed media 704A. When the minimum ignition temperature for self-sustaining of the gasification reactions is reached (about 900° F.), the natural gas is shut off. View ports 706 and a media fill port 712 are also provided.
(62) In one embodiment, a freeboard section 705 is provided between the fluidized bed section 704 and the producer gas outlet 710 of the gasifier reactor vessel 799. As the biosolids thermally decompose and transform in the fluidized bed media section (or sand zone) into producer gas and then rise through the reactor vessel 799, the fluidizing medium 704A in the fluidized bed section 704 is disentrained from the producer gas in the freeboard section 705 which is also known as and called a particle disengaging zone. A cyclone separator 707 may be provided to separate material exhausted from the fluidized bed reactor 799 resulting in clean producer gas for recovery with ash exiting the bottom of the cyclone separator 707 alternatively for use or disposal.
(63) An ash grate 711 may be fitted below the gasifier vessel for bottom ash removal. The ash grate 711 may be used as a sifting device to remove any large inert, agglomerated or heavy particles so that the fluidizing media and unreacted char can be reintroduced into the gasifier for continued utilization. In one embodiment, a valve such as but not limited to slide valve 713 which is operated by a mechanism to open the slide valve 714 is located beneath the ash grate 711 to collect the ash. In one embodiment, a second valve 713 and operating mechanism 714 (not shown) are also located below the cyclone separator 707 for the same purpose. That is, as a sifting device to remove any large inert, agglomerated or heavy particles so that the fluidizing media and unreacted char can be reintroduced into the gasifier for continued utilization. In one embodiment the ash grate 711 may be a generic solids removal device known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In another embodiment, the ash grate 711 may be replaced by or combined with the use of an overflow nozzle.
(64) The producer gas control 708 monitors oxygen and carbon monoxide levels in the producer gas and controls the process accordingly. In one embodiment a gasifier feed system (not shown) feeds the gasifier reactor 799 through the fluidized fuel inlets 701. In one embodiment, the gasifier unit 700 is of the bubbling fluidized bed type with a custom fluidizing gas delivery system and multiple instrument control. The gasifier reactor 799 provides the ability to continuously operate, discharge ash and recycle flue gas for optimum operation. The gasifier reactor 799 can be designed to provide optimum control of feed rate, temperature, reaction rate and conversion of varying feedstock into producer gas.
(65) A number of thermocouple probes (not shown) are placed in the gasifier reactor 799 to monitor the temperature profile throughout the gasifier. Some of the thermal probes are placed in the fluidized bed section 704 of the gasifier rector 799, while others are placed in the freeboard section 705 of the gasifier. The thermal probes placed in the fluidized bed section 704 are used not only to monitor the bed temperature but are also control points that are coupled to the gasifier air system via port 702 in order to maintain a certain temperature profile in the bed of fluidizing media. There are also a number of additional control instruments and sensors that may be placed in the gasifier system 700 to monitor the pressure differential across the bed section 704 and the operating pressure of the gasifier in the freeboard section 705. These additional instruments are used to monitor the conditions within the gasifier as well to as control other ancillary equipment and processes to maintain the desired operating conditions within the gasifier. Examples of such ancillary equipment and processes include but are not limited to the cyclone, thermal oxidizer and recirculating flue gas system and air delivery systems. These control instruments and sensors are well known in the industry and therefore not illustrated.
(66) An optional ash grate 711 may be fitted below the gasifier vessel for bottom ash removal. The ash grate 711 may be used as a sifting device to remove any agglomerated particles so that the fluidizing media and unreacted char can be reintroduced into the gasifier for continued utilization. In one embodiment, a slide valve 713 operated by a mechanism to open the slide valve 714 is located beneath the ash grate 711 to collect the ash. In one embodiment, a second slide valve 713 and operating mechanism 714 are located below the cyclone separator 707.
(67) As with the small format fluidized bed gasifier, some unreacted carbon is carried into the cyclone separator 707 with particle sizes ranging from 10 to 300 microns. When the solids are removed from the bottom of the cyclone, the ash and unreacted carbon can be separated and much of the unreacted carbon recycled back into the biogasifier, thus increasing the overall fuel conversion to at least 95%. Ash accumulation in the bed of fluidizing media may be alleviated through adjusting the superficial velocity of the gases rising inside the reactor. Alternatively, bed media and ash could be slowly drained out of the gasifier base and screened over an ash grate 711 before being reintroduced back into the biogasifier. This process can be used to remove small, agglomerated particles should they form in the bed of fluidizing media and can also be used to control the ash-to-media ratio within the fluidized bed.
(68) A feedstock such as but not limited to biosolid material can be fed into the gasifier by way of the fuel feed inlets 701 from more than one location on the reactor vessel 799 and wherein said fuel feed inlets 701 may be variably sized such that the desired volumes of feedstock are fed into the gasifier through multiple feed inlets 701 around the reactor vessel 799 to accommodate a continuous feed process to the gasifier. For the present invention and in one embodiment, the number of fuel feed inlets is between 2-4. The minimum number of feed inlets 701 is based, in part, on the extent of extent of back mixing and radial mixing of the char particles in the bed and on the inside diameter of the reactor bed section 704. For bubbling fluidized beds, one feed point could be provided per 20 ft.sup.2 of bed cross sectional area. For example, and in one embodiment, if the reaction bed section has an internal diameter of 9 ft, the reactor vessel 799 will have at least 3 feed inlets 701 (located equidistant radially to maintain in-bed mixing. Feed inlets 701 may be considered all on one level, or on more than one level or different levels and different sizes.
(69)
(70)
(71)
(72)
(73) Although various features have been described with reference to the Figures, other features are possible. For example, catalytic methane decomposition is a promising pathway for the energy transition to a decarbonized economy. Catalysts and reactor designs are being optimized to increase reaction stability. In addition, carbon is a valuable by-product with the potential creation of new markets, and catalyst regeneration may be employed and optimized for long-term stability. In combination, such exemplary lines of research may reduce CO.sub.2 emissions based on gradually replacing fossil fuels by a hydrogen-based economy.
(74) A direct biochar cooling system implementation in accordance with the present disclosure may produce biochar having enhanced carbon content with increased surface area, and a hydrogen stream byproduct. In the case of hydrocarbon direct biochar cooling, the resultant biochar may have high grade carbon growth from the decomposition of CH.sub.4 in the gas, which has a higher price point than standard biochar as a high-grade carbon manufacturing input.
(75) An implementation in accordance with the present disclosure, of steam direct biochar cooling or hydrocarbon gas direct biochar cooling may cost less to install and operate, and produce more valuable byproducts, than an indirect biochar cooling implementation. In the case of steam direct biochar cooling, the resultant biochar may have a greater surface area, which has a higher price point than standard biochar, and may be a competitive alternative to activated carbon.
(76) In illustrative examples, low-cost biochar produced from biomass products (wood and wood residues, agricultural and agricultural residues, sludges, biosolids, and other suitable organic materials) is growing in importance and application across a variety of industries. Various Aries downdraft and fluidized bed gasifier system implementations may produce a hot carbonaceous solid residue that, when cooled, is commonly referred to as biochar (also referred to as “bio fly ash” when recovered from a cyclone).
(77) In illustrative examples, biochar may be favorable as a terrestrial carbon sink, fertilizer, soil supplement, composting supplement, solids, water or gas filtration media for neutralization, odor control, purification and/or refinement, bioproduct manufacturing input, renewable building material manufacturing input, and solid catalyst input.
(78) In an illustrative example, some implementations of Aries' prior art indirect biochar cooling designs may process and cool hot carbonaceous solid gasification residue indirectly utilizing a water fed cooling screw. In contrast, an Aries direct biochar cooling design in accordance with the present disclosure may provide an alternative approach to cooling hot carbonaceous solid gasification residues utilizing direct application of gas comprising steam or hydrocarbon gas to produce a biochar different in composition and physical format to biochar produced by indirect cooling. This resultant biochar produced based on cooling utilizing direct application of gas comprising steam or hydrocarbon gas may be more suitable for certain product applications.
(79) Various examples in accordance with the teaching of the present disclosure relate to a cost-effective means to cool hot biochar produced through gasification using direct application of cool gases made up of H.sub.2O or CH.sub.4. In one aspect of the present disclosure, direct cooling of hot biochar with steam as the hot biochar exits the gasifier or cyclone creates an economical way to cool biochar while enhancing the surface area of the biochar resulting in a byproduct that is comparable to activated carbon. In another aspect of the present disclosure, direct cooling of hot biochar with hydrocarbon gas as the hot biochar exits the gasifier or cyclone creates an economical way to cool biochar while enhancing the high-quality carbon content of our biochar with nano tube type carbon formation on the biochar while producing a gas stream that can be filtered for high value chemical (specifically hydrogen) recovery.
(80) In illustrative examples, a biochar activation and cooling implementation in accordance with the teaching of the present disclosure may integrate a processing vessel with a gasifier to activate biochar produced by the gasifier. In some implementations the processing vessel may be a rotary type calciner or kiln attached to a downdraft gasifier system to activate biochar produced by the gasifier system. The gasifier system may comprise a plurality of gasifiers. An exemplary biochar activation and cooling implementation may receive hot biochar, discharged and recovered from a cyclone dip leg into the front end of an indirect fired type of rotary calciner. In an illustrative example of using an indirect calciner, the indirect calciner rotating drum is enclosed in a heat shroud or furnace to keep the material and heating medium separate. This heat shroud externally heats the rotating drum, and the material is subsequently heated through contact with the drum shell interior. In an illustrative example, an indirect calciner rotating drum may be a cylinder that spins inside a heating/cooling chamber to perform indirect thermochemical processing within a controlled atmosphere. Depending upon the temperature of biochar as the biochar enters the calciner cylinder, the biochar may be indirectly heated in the initial sections (high temperature sections) of the rotary calciner's heating/cooling chamber to achieve the optimal thermochemical processing temperature. The biochar will flow through the rotary calciner, and the biochar will be cooled to the desired discharge temperature through steam injection as the biochar progresses through the cylinder. The biochar will exit the tail end of the cylinder at a predetermined design control temperature suitable for handling, storage and load out. At the end of the high temperature sections of the calciner, low temperature saturated steam will be injected counterflow into the cylinder cooling the biochar and sweeping any released volatile gases from the biochar. The gas effluent will exit the cylinder via a fan driven vacuum port at the front end of the rotary calciner and will be directed to a thermal oxidizer. The initial sections of a rotary calciner (high temperature sections) may be heated using electricity, natural gas, waste heat recovered via hot thermal liquids, or hot gases. The cooling chamber sections (low temperature sections) of the rotary calciner may be cooled using air, water, waste cooling via cool thermal liquids or cool gases.
(81) An exemplary biochar activation and cooling implementation in accordance with the teaching of the present disclosure may use a processing vessel that may be a calciner or kiln integrated with a biochar source to activate and cool biochar received from the biochar source. The biochar source may be a gasifier. The gasifier may be a downdraft gasifier or a downdraft gasifier system comprising a plurality of gasifiers. In an illustrative scenario exemplary of various biochar activation and cooling implementations' design and usage, a system in accordance with the present disclosure may cool biochar in the controlled environment of a processing vessel such as a calciner or kiln so that volatiles and moisture present in the biochar, to the extent they are released from the biochar as the biochar progresses through the calciner, are recovered and oxidized reducing emissions and generating waste heat for use; alternatively the recovered gases may be processed for sale.
(82) An implementation in accordance with the present disclosure may cool biochar in part using saturated steam which facilitates the potentiality for a water gas shift reaction generating mixed gases enriched with H.sub.2, CO and CO.sub.2 that are recovered and oxidized rather than being released to the atmosphere, reducing emissions, and generating waste heat for use; alternatively, the recovered gases may be processed for sale. Cooling the biochar at least in part using saturated steam facilitates the formation of additional macro and micro pores in the biochar as moisture and volatiles are driven off through dehydration, thermochemical conversion, and or/decomposition reactions, advantageously increasing the biochar's surface area.
(83) In illustrative examples, a biochar activation and cooling implementation in accordance with the teaching of the present disclosure may augment an external steam injected counter current cooling chamber to cool biochar with utilization of a suitable processing vessel such as a calciner configured to provide indirect biochar heating and cooling capability. Such indirect biochar heating and cooling capability provides capability to boost the temperature of the biochar using indirect heat within the high temperature zone of the processing vessel to an optimal thermochemical processing temperature while maintaining the controlled environmental integrity of the biochar in the inner cylinder. Boosting the temperature of the biochar may or may not be required depending upon the temperature of the biochar as the biochar enters the processing vessel from the biochar source. Being able to control the thermochemical processing temperature of the biochar increases the opportunity to maximize certain biochar-related chemical properties within the processing vessel, such as, for example, dehydration, calcination, and/or decomposition. In an illustrative example, various implementations may advantageously increase the surface area of the resultant biochar by optimizing these chemical reactions, rendering the resultant biochar a more valuable input material for certain biobased product applications such as water purification filtration media, gas filtration media, and environmental remediation media. Using a biochar activation and cooling implementation in accordance with the teaching of the present disclosure, biochar may be cooled while at the same time directing the ancillary thermochemical reactions so as to achieve desired biochar product property outcomes. Various biochar activation and cooling implementations in accordance with the teaching of the present disclosure may control desired producer gas and biochar product outcomes determined as a function of the control system adjusting temperatures in an inner cylinder and multiple section temperature control exterior chambers, in a system configured to permit controlling temperatures in various parts of the processing vessel to adjust the producer gas and biochar products. Some biochar activation and cooling implementations in accordance with the teaching of the present disclosure may produce a final product comprising graphene. Some biochar activation and cooling implementations in accordance with the teaching of the present disclosure may produce a final product comprising activated carbon.
(84) An exemplary biochar activation and cooling implementation in accordance with the teaching of the present disclosure may comprise a downdraft gasifier, a cyclone, piping, an indirect fired rotary calciner with an inner cylinder and multiple section temperature control external chambers, counterflow saturated steam injection, a vacuum driven producer gas sweep system from the head of the calciner, and associated control systems configured to perform the steps of the integrated process using the implementation.
(85) A biochar activation and cooling implementation in accordance with the teaching of the present disclosure may advantageously provide the ability to control the temperature of the biochar and the rate at which the biochar cools. Various exemplary designs contemplate integrating a rotary calciner with countercurrent steam injection as the mechanism for cooling the resultant hot biochar from a downdraft gasification process.
(86) In an illustrative example, an exemplary biochar activation and cooling implementation may be configured to use steam injection in the form of, for example, a lance, steam nozzles, or steam injectors. The calciner heating and cooling systems can take many forms. An optimal steam input system may be evaluated and selected using experimentation and testing techniques accessible to one of ordinary skill in the art, and a desired level of control and/or availability and price of the different utility inputs will likely dictate which approach is optimal in a particular implementation.
(87) A biochar activation and cooling implementation in accordance with the teaching of the present disclosure may replace the inner cylinder cooling agent steam with, for example, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen, natural gas or other hydrocarbon gases. Various gases or mixtures of gases may result in different thermochemical reactions within the processing vessel or calciner, and such may be desired in tuning the producer gas product and biochar product. In an illustrative example, certain compounds could be added to the organic matter input pre-gasification or to the biochar pre-calcination or to the steam input to facilitate product quality adjustments or additional thermochemical processes within the processing vessel or calciner. Some implementations may include a biochar sizing step such as grinding or milling pre-calcining if particular particle size distributions and/or product uniformity inside the processing vessel or calciner needs to be ensured.
(88) In an illustrative example, a biochar activation and cooling implementation in accordance with the teaching of the present disclosure may include a calciner or processing vessel of certain inner cylinder diameter to receive the outflows from the respective gasifiers. This inner cylinder diameter is a function of the output of the gasifier and the desired throughput of the calciner. The length of the calciner or processing vessel inner cylinder must be such that it can allow for the optimal cooling and thermochemical processing of the biochar; too short, and the inner cylinder may not function as desired. Testing of processing vessels or calciners with biochar produced in gasifiers may be employed by one of ordinary skill to determine the appropriate sizing of system components to meet the desired process control outcomes.
(89) In an illustrative example, rotary calciners are high temperature machines that process materials into a desired form by changing the state or composition of a material or removing moisture. Indirect rotary calciners are heated from the outside of an enclosed chamber and gives them the ability to process materials that are fine or dusty, susceptible to contamination or combustion, sensitive to oxidation, or thermally sensitive.
(90) In the Summary above and in this Detailed Description, and the Claims below, and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features of various implementations. It is to be understood that the disclosure of particular features of various implementations in this specification is to be interpreted to include all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or implementation, or a particular claim, that feature can also be used—to the extent possible—in combination with and/or in the context of other aspects and implementations, and in an implementation generally, whether or not such embodiments are described with and whether or not such features are presented as being a part of a described embodiment. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary implementations.
(91) While multiple implementations are disclosed, still other implementations will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. Disclosed implementations may be capable of myriad modifications in various obvious aspects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed implementations. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
(92) It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one implementation may be employed with other implementations as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the implementation features.
(93) In the present disclosure, various features may be described as being optional, for example, through the use of the verb “may;” or, through the use of any of the phrases: “in some implementations,” “in some designs,” “in various implementations,” “in various designs,” “in an illustrative example,” or, “for example.” For the sake of brevity and legibility, the present disclosure does not explicitly recite each and every permutation that may be obtained by choosing from the set of optional features. However, the present disclosure is to be interpreted as explicitly disclosing all such permutations. For example, a system described as having three optional features may be implemented in seven different ways, namely with just one of the three possible features, with any two of the three possible features or with all three of the three possible features.
(94) In various implementations, elements described herein as coupled or connected may have an effectual relationship realizable by a direct connection or indirectly with one or more other intervening elements.
(95) In the present disclosure, the term “any” may be understood as designating any number of the respective elements, that is, as designating one, at least one, at least two, each or all of the respective elements. Similarly, the term “any” may be understood as designating any collection(s) of the respective elements, i.e. as designating one or more collections of the respective elements, a collection comprising one, at least one, at least two, each or all of the respective elements. The respective collections need not comprise the same number of elements.
(96) While various implementations have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made to the disclosed configuration, operation, and form without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. In particular, it is noted that the respective implementation features, even those disclosed solely in combination with other implementation features, may be combined in any configuration excepting those readily apparent to the person skilled in the art as nonsensical. Likewise, use of the singular and plural is solely for the sake of illustration and is not to be interpreted as limiting.
(97) The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C. F. R. § 1.72(b), to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure and is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
(98) In the present disclosure, all descriptions where “comprising” is used may have as alternatives “consisting essentially of” or “consisting of” In the present disclosure, any method or apparatus implementation may be devoid of one or more process steps or components. In the present disclosure, implementations employing negative limitations are expressly disclosed and considered a part of this disclosure.
(99) Certain terminology and derivations thereof may be used in the present disclosure for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, words such as “upward,” “downward,” “left,” and “right” would refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made unless otherwise stated. Similarly, words such as “inward” and “outward” would refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of a device or area and designated parts thereof. References in the singular tense include the plural, and vice versa, unless otherwise noted.
(100) Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” should be read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like; the term “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; the terms “a” or “an” should be read as meaning “at least one,” “one or more” or the like; and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,” “standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may be available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, where this document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass those apparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in the future.
(101) The term “comprises” and grammatical equivalents thereof are used herein to mean that other components, ingredients, steps, among others, are optionally present. For example, an implementation “comprising” (or “which comprises”) components A, B and C can consist of (i.e., contain only) components A, B and C, or can contain not only components A, B, and C but also contain one or more other components.
(102) Where reference is made herein to a method comprising two or more defined steps, the defined steps can be carried out in any order or simultaneously (except where the context excludes that possibility), and the method can include one or more other steps which are carried out before any of the defined steps, between two of the defined steps, or after all the defined steps (except where the context excludes that possibility).
(103) The term “at least” followed by a number is used herein to denote the start of a range beginning with that number (which may be a range having an upper limit or no upper limit, depending on the variable being defined). For example, “at least 1” means 1 or more than 1. The term “at most” followed by a number (which may be a range having 1 or 0 as its lower limit, or a range having no lower limit, depending upon the variable being defined). For example, “at most 4” means 4 or less than 4, and “at most 40%” means 40% or less than 40%. When, in this specification, a range is given as “(a first number) to (a second number)” or “(a first number)-(a second number),” this means a range whose limit is the second number. For example, 25 to 100 mm means a range whose lower limit is 25 mm and upper limit is 100 mm.
(104) Many suitable methods and corresponding materials to make each of the individual parts of implementation apparatus are known in the art. One or more implementation part may be formed by machining, 3D printing (also known as “additive” manufacturing), CNC machined parts (also known as “subtractive” manufacturing), and injection molding, as will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Metals, wood, thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers, resins and elastomers as may be described herein-above may be used. Many suitable materials are known and available and can be selected and mixed depending on desired strength and flexibility, preferred manufacturing method and particular use, as will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.
(105) Any element in a claim herein that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f). Specifically, any use of “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f). Elements recited in means-plus-function format are intended to be construed in accordance with 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f).
(106) Recitation in a claim of the term “first” with respect to a feature or element does not necessarily imply the existence of a second or additional such feature or element.
(107) The phrases “connected to,” “coupled to” and “in communication with” refer to any form of interaction between two or more entities, including mechanical, electrical, magnetic, electromagnetic, fluid, and thermal interaction. Two components may be functionally coupled to each other even though they are not in direct contact with each other. The terms “abutting” or “in mechanical union” refer to items that are in direct physical contact with each other, although the items may not necessarily be attached together.
(108) The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred over other implementations. While various aspects of the disclosure are presented with reference to drawings, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated.
(109) Reference throughout this specification to “an implementation” or “the implementation” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that implementation is included in at least one implementation. Thus, the quoted phrases, or variations thereof, as recited throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same implementation.
(110) Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the above description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single implementation, Figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that any claim in this or any application claiming priority to this application require more features than those expressly recited in that claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects may lie in a combination of fewer than all features of any single foregoing disclosed implementation. Thus, the claims following this Detailed Description are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate implementation. This disclosure is intended to be interpreted as including all permutations of the independent claims with their dependent claims.
(111) A system or method implementation in accordance with the present disclosure may be accomplished through the use of one or more computing devices. As descried, for example, at least with reference to
(112) In various implementations, communications means, data store(s), processor(s), or memory may interact with other components on the computing device, in order to effect the provisioning and display of various functionalities associated with the system and method detailed herein. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that there are numerous configurations that could be utilized with implementations of the present disclosure, and implementations of the present disclosure are contemplated for use with any appropriate configuration.
(113) According to an implementation of the present disclosure, the communications means of the system may be, for instance, any means for communicating data over one or more networks or to one or more peripheral devices attached to the system. Appropriate communications means may include, but are not limited to, circuitry and control systems for providing wireless connections, wired connections, cellular connections, data port connections, Bluetooth® connections, or any combination thereof. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that there are numerous communications means that may be utilized with implementations of the present disclosure, and implementations of the present disclosure are contemplated for use with any communications means.
(114) Throughout this disclosure and elsewhere, block diagrams and flowchart illustrations depict methods, apparatuses (i.e., systems), and computer program products. Each element of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, as well as each respective combination of elements in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, illustrates a function of the methods, apparatuses, and computer program products. Any and all such functions (“depicted functions”) can be implemented by computer program instructions; by special-purpose, hardware-based computer systems; by combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions; by combinations of general purpose hardware and computer instructions; and so on—any and all of which may be generally referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module,” or “system.”
(115) While the foregoing drawings and description may set forth functional aspects of the disclosed systems, no particular arrangement of software for implementing these functional aspects should be inferred from these descriptions unless explicitly stated or otherwise clear from the context.
(116) Each element in flowchart illustrations may depict a step, or group of steps, of a computer-implemented method. Further, each step may contain one or more sub-steps. For the purpose of illustration, these steps (as well as any and all other steps identified and described above) are presented in order. It will be understood that an implementation may include an alternate order of the steps adapted to a particular application of a technique disclosed herein. All such variations and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. The depiction and description of steps in any particular order is not intended to exclude implementations having the steps in a different order, unless required by a particular application, explicitly stated, or otherwise clear from the context.
(117) Traditionally, a computer program consists of a sequence of computational instructions or program instructions. It will be appreciated that a programmable apparatus (that is, computing device) can receive such a computer program and, by processing the computational instructions thereof, produce a further technical effect.
(118) A programmable apparatus may include one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, embedded microcontrollers, programmable digital signal processors, programmable devices, programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, memory devices, application specific integrated circuits, or the like, which can be suitably employed or configured to process computer program instructions, execute computer logic, store computer data, and so on. Throughout this disclosure and elsewhere a computer can include any and all suitable combinations of at least one general purpose computer, special-purpose computer, programmable data processing apparatus, processor, processor architecture, and so on.
(119) It will be understood that a computer can include a computer-readable storage medium and that this medium may be internal or external, removable, and replaceable, or fixed. It will also be understood that a computer can include a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), firmware, an operating system, a database, or the like that can include, interface with, or support the software and hardware described herein.
(120) Implementations of the system as described herein are not limited to applications involving conventional computer programs or programmable apparatuses that run them. It is contemplated, for example, that implementations of the disclosure as claimed herein could include an optical computer, quantum computer, analog computer, or the like.
(121) Regardless of the type of computer program or computer involved, a computer program can be loaded onto a computer to produce a particular machine that can perform any and all of the depicted functions. This particular machine provides a means for carrying out any and all of the depicted functions.
(122) Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
(123) Computer program instructions can be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner. The instructions stored in the computer-readable memory constitute an article of manufacture including computer-readable instructions for implementing any and all of the depicted functions.
(124) A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code encoded therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electromagnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
(125) Program code encoded by a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.
(126) The elements depicted in flowchart illustrations and block diagrams throughout the figures imply logical boundaries between the elements. However, according to software or hardware engineering practices, the depicted elements and the functions thereof may be implemented as parts of a monolithic software structure, as standalone software modules, or as modules that employ external routines, code, services, and so forth, or any combination of these. All such implementations are within the scope of the present disclosure.
(127) Unless explicitly stated or otherwise clear from the context, the verbs “execute” and “process” are used interchangeably to indicate execute, process, interpret, compile, assemble, link, load, any and all combinations of the foregoing, or the like. Therefore, implementations that execute or process computer program instructions, computer-executable code, or the like can suitably act upon the instructions or code in any and all of the ways just described.
(128) The functions and operations presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may also be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will be apparent to those of skill in the art, along with equivalent variations. In addition, implementations of the disclosure are not described with reference to any particular programming language. It is appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the present teachings as described herein, and any references to specific languages are provided for disclosure of enablement and best mode of implementations of the disclosure. Implementations of the disclosure are well suited to a wide variety of computer network systems over numerous topologies. Within this field, the configuration and management of large networks include storage devices and computers that are communicatively coupled to dissimilar computers and storage devices over a network, such as the Internet.
(129) A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, the steps of the disclosed techniques may be performed in a different sequence, components of the disclosed systems may be combined in a different manner, or the components may be supplemented with other components. Such modifications are to be considered as included in the following claims unless the claims by their language expressly state otherwise. Variations described for exemplary implementations of the present disclosure may be realized in any combination desirable for each application. Accordingly, other implementations are contemplated, within the scope of the following claims.