NOZZLE FOR CONVERTING A LIQUID CO2 INTO A DRY ICE

Abstract

A nozzle for converting or separating a liquid/gaseous CO.sub.2 into a dry ice includes a housing, a spherical chamber configured in the housing, and a first tangential inlet configured on the housing to tangentially inject the liquid CO.sub.2 into the spherical chamber. The tangential injection creates a helical flow of the liquid CO.sub.2 inside the spherical chamber causing flocculation at a desired pressure and temperature to ensure optimum phase transformation to create the dry ice. Further, a second tangential inlet is configured adjacent to the first tangential inlet to transfer a first secondary material into the spherical chamber to achieve highest possible degree of mixing, and resulting in the highest possible utilization of sub-cooling potential. Furthermore, one or more inlets are configured in the housing to receive a second secondary material to support expansion-based flocculation by thermally insulating the housing to achieve precooling of the spherical chamber.

Claims

1. A nozzle for converting a liquid CO.sub.2 into a dry ice, the nozzle comprising: a housing; a spherical chamber configured in the housing; and a first tangential inlet configured on the housing to tangential inject the liquid CO.sub.2 into the spherical chamber; wherein the tangential injection creates a helical flow of the liquid CO.sub.2 inside the spherical chamber causing flocculation at a desired pressure and temperature to ensure optimum phase transformation to create the dry ice.

2. The nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the housing is HX geometry shaped.

3. The nozzle according to claim 1, further comprising a second tangential inlet configured adjacent to the first tangential inlet to transfer a first secondary material into the spherical chamber to achieve highest possible degree of mixing, and resulting in the highest possible utilization of sub-cooling potential.

4. The nozzle according to claim 1, further comprising one or more inlets configured in the housing to receive a second secondary material to support expansion-based flocculation by thermally insulating the housing to achieve precooling of the spherical chamber.

5. The nozzle according to claim 1, further comprising an outlet to discharge the dry ice.

6. The nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the pressure is in the range of 0.25 to 0.95 bar.

7. The nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the temperature is in the range of 80 to 95 degree Celsius.

8. A nozzle for converting a liquid CO.sub.2 into a dry ice, the nozzle comprising: a HX geometry shaped housing; a spherical chamber configured in the HX geometry shaped housing; and a first tangential inlet configured on the HX geometry shaped housing to transfer the liquid CO.sub.2 into the spherical chamber causing a helical flow; wherein the liquid CO.sub.2 to be flocculated in the spherical chamber and forming a desired pressure and temperature field to ensure optimum phase transformation to discharge the dry ice.

9. The nozzle according to claim 8 further comprising a second tangential inlet configured adjacent to the first tangential inlet to transfer a first secondary material into the spherical chamber to achieve highest possible degree of mixing, and resulting in the highest possible utilization of sub-cooling potential.

10. The nozzle according to claim 8, further comprising an inlet configured in the housing to receive a second secondary material to support expansion-based flocculation by thermally insulating the housing to achieve precooling of the spherical chamber.

11. The nozzle according to claim 8, further comprising an outlet to discharge the dry ice.

12. The nozzle according to claim 8, wherein the pressure is in the range of 0.25 to 0.95 bar.

13. The nozzle according to claim 8, wherein the temperature is in the range of 80 to 95 degree Celsius.

14. A nozzle for separating and converting a gaseous CO.sub.2 from a gas-mixture into a dry ice, the nozzle comprising: a geometry shaped housing; a spherical chamber configured in the geometry shaped housing; and a first tangential inlet configured on the geometry shaped housing to transfer the gaseous CO.sub.2 into the spherical chamber causing a helical flow; wherein the gaseous CO.sub.2 to be flocculated in the spherical chamber and forming a desired pressure and temperature field to ensure optimum phase transformation to discharge the dry ice.

15. The nozzle according to claim 14, further comprising a second tangential inlet configured adjacent to the first tangential inlet to transfer a first secondary material into the spherical chamber to achieve highest possible degree of mixing, and resulting in the highest possible utilization of sub-cooling potential.

16. The nozzle according to claim 14, further comprising an inlet configured in the housing to receive a second secondary material to support expansion-based flocculation by thermally insulating the housing to achieve precooling of the spherical chamber.

17. The nozzle according to claim 14, further comprising an outlet to discharge the dry ice.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.

[0019] In the drawings,

[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of a nozzle in an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates a top perspective cross-sectional view of the nozzle's spherical chamber in another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] In drawing sheet 1, a FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of a nozzle 100, according to the invention in general technological process of dry ice. The nozzle is used for either separating or converting a liquid CO.sub.2 or gaseous CO.sub.2 into a dry ice. The nozzle according to the invention for producing dry ice, claimed according to the invention are explained in more detail in following exemplary embodiments.

Example 1

[0023] A nozzle 100 converts a liquid CO.sub.2 into a dry ice. The nozzle 100 includes a housing 102, a spherical chamber 104 configured in the housing 102 and a first tangential inlet 106 configured on the housing to tangential inject the liquid CO.sub.2 into the spherical chamber 104. The tangential injection creates a helical flow of the liquid CO.sub.2 inside the spherical chamber 104 causing flocculation at a desired pressure and temperature to ensure optimum phase transformation to create the dry ice.

[0024] The housing 102 is a HX geometry shaped. The HX geometry shaped housing 102 is a heat exchanger to transfer heat between a source and a working fluid. The flocculation of liquid CO.sub.2 under fluid dynamic control to exploit the pressure dependence of the Joule-Thomson coefficient and the residence time of the liquid CO.sub.2.

[0025] The HX geometry housing 102 is designed to control the pressure conditions and residence time of the liquid CO.sub.2 to be flocculated in such a way that thermodynamic exploitation of the pressure dependence of the Joule-Thomson effect in absolute pressure ranges and the control of the residence time of the liquid CO.sub.2 become possible. The following efficiency metrics are obtained from the Example 1: [0026] Efficiency of CO.sub.2 separation: 47% (benchmark: 42%) [0027] Corrected Efficiency CO.sub.2: 47% (benchmark: 42%)

Example 2

[0028] The nozzle 100 includes a second tangential inlet 108 configured adjacent to the first tangential inlet to transfer a first secondary material into the spherical chamber to achieve highest possible degree of mixing, and resulting in the highest possible utilization of sub-cooling potential.

[0029] In an embodiment, the first secondary material is liquid nitrogen (N.sub.2) is mixed with the liquid CO.sub.2 in the spherical chamber (also termed as expansion chamber). Further, the first secondary material and the liquid CO.sub.2 is injected with the aid of a driving potential. The strong tangential velocity component is generated during the injection of the two fluids into the housing 102 in order to achieve the highest possible degree of mixing and thus the highest possible utilization of the sub-cooling potential of the secondary material. This results in a so-called helical flow in the spherical chamber.

[0030] The thermodynamic condition that arises in this spherical chamber is influenced by process and geometry parameters. Both the pressure field and the temperature field are controlled within certain limits. It is found that the pressure and velocity field in the HX prototype variant depend strongly on both the chamber and outlet diameters, as well as on the angle and cross-sectional area of the tangential inlet relative to the horizontal, which gives rise to the possibility of extensively influencing the expansion event.

[0031] The liquid nitrogen is injected into the spherical chamber for maximum mixing by ensuring no entrainment effect is used for acceleration/transport of the liquid CO.sub.2. A co-flow for entrainment is applied, no thermal shielding is created and a sheath flow is created which protects the core flow e.g. from freezing-out moisture.

[0032] The residence and interaction time of the liquid CO.sub.2 with the N.sub.2, are specifically controlled fluid dynamically. This limits the N.sub.2 input to max. 30% of the inject liquid CO.sub.2. The following efficiency metrics are obtained from the Example 2: [0033] Efficiency of CO.sub.2 separation: 65% (benchmark: 42%). [0034] Corrected Efficiency CO.sub.2: 55% (benchmark: 42%)

Example 3

[0035] The nozzle 100 further includes one or more inlets 202 such as 202a & 202b. The inlets 202 are configured in the housing 102 to receive a secondary material (such as liquid Nitrogen) to support expansion based flocculation by thermally insulating the housing 102 to achieve precooling of the spherical chamber 104.

[0036] The housing 102 is configured to allow heat from a liquid CO.sub.2 to pass to a N.sub.2 without the two fluids having to mix together or come into direct contact. The liquid N.sub.2 is used for flocculation of the liquid CO.sub.2 under fluid dynamic control to exploit the pressure dependence of the Joule-Thomson coefficient and the residence time of the liquid CO.sub.2. The liquid CO.sub.2 is resided in the housing 102. The sensible and latent heat of the liquid N.sub.2 is applied on the outer side in a re-cooling volume of the spherical chamber 104.

[0037] The housing 102 is designed to extend secondary-side re-cooling volume. The expansion and flocculation effect is increased by utilizing the sensible and latent heat of a liquid N.sub.2 under complete separation with the liquid CO.sub.2. The principle of keeping both liquid CO.sub.2 and N.sub.2 is explicitly not adiabatic. There is neither a mixing of the substances nor an acceleration nor a thermal insulation effect.

[0038] The following efficiency metrics are obtained from the Example 2: [0039] Efficiency of CO.sub.2 separation: 52% (benchmark: 42%) [0040] Corrected Efficiency CO.sub.2: 47% (benchmark: 42%)

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1, the nozzle 100 further includes an outlet 110 to discharge the dry ice. Circumference of the spherical chamber 104 provides a high pressure plane, and hollow portion of the spherical chamber 104 provides a low pressure volume and low temperature to the fluid/liquid. The high pressure plane and the low pressure & temperature provides a particle production area inside the spherical chamber resulting in creating a helix effect for production of dry ice.

[0042] As per the configuration of nozzle explained in Example 2 and 3, the dry ice may be formed from gaseous CO.sub.2. The nozzle separates and converts a gaseous CO.sub.2 into a dry ice. The nozzle is used for: [0043] Direct flocculation of CO.sub.2 from process gases and waste gases of various compositions in the field of carbon capture and utilization (CCU). [0044] Direct flocculation of H.sub.2O from process gases and exhaust gases of various compositions in the area of the CCU. [0045] Process gas separation-separation of substances in mixtures (various compositions)

[0046] Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0047] This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader.

CITED PATENT LITERATURE

[0048] U.S. Pat. No. 7,762,869B2 [0049] EP3763481A1