EXCHANGER AND/OR REACTOR-EXCHANGER MANUFACTURED IN AN ADDITIVE PROCESS

Abstract

Disclosed is a reactor-exchanger or an exchanger comprising at least 3 levels, each of which includes at least one region with millimeter channels promoting heat exchange and at least one distribution region upstream and/or downstream of the region with millimeter channels, characterized in that the reactor-exchanger or exchanger is a unit that has no mounting interfaces between the various levels.

Claims

1-10 (canceled)

11. An exchanger-reactor or exchanger comprising at least 3 stages with, on each stage, at least one millimeter-scale channels zone encouraging exchanges of heat and at least one distribution zone upstream and/or downstream of the millimeter-scale channels zone, characterized in that said exchanger-reactor or exchanger is a component that has no assembly interfaces between the various stages.

12. The exchanger-reactor or exchanger of claim 11, wherein the cross sections of the millimeter-scale channels are circular in shape.

13. The exchanger-reactor of claim 11, wherein said exchanger-reactor is a catalytic exchanger-reactor and comprises: at least a first stage comprising at least a distribution zone; at least a millimeter-scale channels zone for circulating a gaseous stream at a temperature at least greater than 700 C. so that it supplies some of the heat necessary for the catalytic reaction; at least a second stage comprising at least a distribution zone and at least a millimeter-scale channels zone for circulating a gaseous stream reagents in the lengthwise direction of the millimeter-scale channels covered with catalyst in order to cause the gaseous stream to react; at least a third stage comprising at least a distribution zone and at least a millimeter-scale channels zone for circulating the gaseous stream produced on the second plate so that it supplies some of the heat necessary for the catalytic reaction; with, on the second and the third plate, a system so that the gaseous stream produced can circulate from the second to the third plate.

14. The exchanger or exchanger-reactor of claim 11 manufactured by an additive manufacturing method.

15. The exchanger or exchanger-reactor of claim 14, wherein the additive manufacturing method uses, as base material, at least one micrometer-scale metallic powder.

16. The exchanger or exchanger-reactor of claim 14, wherein the additive manufacturing method is used for the manufacture of connectors of the exchanger-reactor or exchanger.

17. The exchanger or exchanger-reactor of claim 14, wherein the additive manufacturing method uses, as energy source, at least one laser.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0049] FIG. 1 illustrates conventional plates with channels of semicircular cross section or cross section involving right angles generally assembled with one another by diffusion bonding or by diffusion brazing.

[0050] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the manufacture of millistructured reactor-exchangers and/or exchangers in which the etched plates are assembled using diffusion bonding or diffusion brazing.

[0051] FIG. 3 is a microphotograph of a millistructured exchanger or reactor-exchanger having channels that are semicircular in cross section that are obtained by chemical etching.

[0052] FIG. 4 is a microphotograph of a millistructured exchanger or reactor-exchanger having channels that are circular in cross section that are obtained by an additive manufacturing method according to the invention.

[0053] FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the additive manufacturing method according to an aspect of the invention for production of an exchanger-reactor or exchanger.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0054] A solution of the present invention is an exchanger-reactor or exchanger comprising at least 3 stages with, on each stage, at least one millimeter-scale channels zone encouraging exchanges of heat and at least one distribution zone upstream and/or downstream of the millimeter-scale channels zone, characterized in that said exchanger-reactor or exchanger is a component that has no assembly interfaces between the various stages.

[0055] Depending on the circumstances, the exchanger-reactor or exchanger according to the invention may exhibit one or more of the following features: [0056] the cross sections of the millimeter-scale channels are circular in shape; [0057] said exchanger-reactor is a catalytic exchanger-reactor and comprises: [0058] at least a first stage comprising at least a distribution zone and at least one millimeter-scale channels zone for circulating a gaseous stream at a temperature greater than 700 C. so that it supplies some of the heat necessary to the catalytic reaction; [0059] at least a second stage comprising at least a distribution zone and at least one millimeter-scale channels zone for circulating a gaseous stream reagents in the lengthwise direction of the millimeter-scale channels covered with catalyst in order to cause the gaseous stream to react; [0060] at least a third stage comprising at least a distribution zone and at least one millimeter-scale channels zone for circulating the gaseous stream produced on the second plate so that it supplies some of the heat necessary to the catalytic reaction; with, on the second and the third plate, a system so that the gaseous stream produced can circulate from the second to the third plate.

[0061] Another subject of the present invention is the use of an additive manufacturing method for the manufacture of a compact catalytic reactor comprising at least 3 stages with, on each stage, at least one millimeter-scale channels zone encouraging exchanges of heat and at least one distribution zone upstream and/or downstream of the millimeter-scale channels zone.

[0062] For preference, the additive manufacturing method will allow the manufacture of an exchanger-reactor or exchanger according to the invention.

[0063] An equivalent diameter means an equivalent hydraulic diameter.

[0064] As a preference, the additive manufacturing method uses: [0065] as base material, at least one micrometer-scale metallic powder, and/or [0066] at least a laser as an energy source.

[0067] Specifically, the additive manufacturing method may employ micrometer-scale metallic powders which are melted by one or more lasers in order to manufacture finished items of complex three-dimensional shapes. The item is built up layer by layer, the layers are of the order of 50 m, according to the precision for the desired shapes and the desired deposition rate. The metal that is to be melted may be supplied either as a bed of powder or by a spray nozzle. The lasers used for locally melting the powder are either YAG, fiber or CO.sub.2 lasers and the melting of the powders is performed under an inert gas (argon, helium, etc.). The present invention is not confined to a single additive manufacturing technique but applies to all known techniques.

[0068] Unlike the traditional machining or chemical etching techniques, the additive manufacturing method makes it possible to create channels of cylindrical cross section which offer the following advantages (FIG. 4):

[0069] (i)better ability to withstand pressure and thus allow a significant reduction in channel wall thickness, and

[0070] (ii)of allowing the use of pressure equipment design rules that do not require a burst test to be carried out in order to prove the effectiveness of the design as is required by section VIII div.1 appendix 13.9 of the ASME code.

[0071] Specifically, the design of an exchanger or of a reactor-exchanger produced by additive manufacturing, making it possible to create channels of cylindrical cross section, relies on the usual pressure equipment design rules that apply to the dimensioning of the channels, distributors and collectors of cylindrical cross sections that make up the millistructured reactor-exchanger or exchanger.

[0072] Additive manufacturing techniques ultimately make it possible to obtain items said to be solid which unlike assembly techniques such as diffusion brazing or diffusion bonding, have no assembly interfaces between each etched plate. This property goes towards improving the mechanical integrity of the apparatus by eliminating, by construction, the presence of lines of weakness and by thereby eliminating a source of potential failure.

[0073] Obtaining solid components by additive manufacture and eliminating diffusion brazing or diffusion bonding interfaces makes it possible to consider numerous design possibilities without being confined to wall geometries designed to limit the impact of potential assembly defects such as discontinuities in the brazed joints or in the diffusion-bonded interfaces.

[0074] Additive manufacture makes it possible to create shapes that are inconceivable using traditional manufacturing methods and thus the manufacture of the connectors for the millistructured reactor-exchangers or exchangers can be done in continuity with the manufacture of the body of the apparatus. This then makes it possible not to have to perform the operation of welding the connectors to the body, thereby making it possible to eliminate a source of impairment to the structural integrity of the equipment.

[0075] Control over the geometry of the channels using additive manufacture allows the creation of channels of circular cross section which, aside from the good pressure integrity that this shape brings with it, also makes it possible to have a channel shape that is optimal for the deposition of protective coatings and catalytic coatings which are thus uniform along the entire length of the channels.

[0076] By using this additive manufacturing technology, the gain in productivity aspect is also permitted through the reduction in the number of manufacturing steps. Specifically, the steps of creating a reactor using additive manufacture drop from seven to four (FIG. 5). The critical steps, those that may cause the complete apparatus or the plates that make up the reactor to be scrapped, of which there were four when using the conventional manufacturing technique by assembling chemically etched plates, drop to two with the adoption of additive manufacture. Thus, the only steps to remain are the additive manufacturing step and the step of applying coatings and catalysts.

[0077] By way of example, a reactor-exchanger according to the invention can be used for the production of syngas. Further, an exchanger according to the invention can be used in an oxy-combustion process for preheating oxygen.

[0078] While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. The present invention may suitably comprise, consist or consist essentially of the elements disclosed and may be practiced in the absence of an element not disclosed. Furthermore, if there is language referring to order, such as first and second, it should be understood in an exemplary sense and not in a limiting sense. For example, it can be recognized by those skilled in the art that certain steps can be combined into a single step.

[0079] The singular forms a, an and the include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0080] Comprising in a claim is an open transitional term which means the subsequently identified claim elements are a nonexclusive listing i.e. anything else may be additionally included and remain within the scope of comprising. Comprising is defined herein as necessarily encompassing the more limited transitional terms consisting essentially of and consisting of; comprising may therefore be replaced by consisting essentially of or consisting of and remain within the expressly defined scope of comprising.

[0081] Providing in a claim is defined to mean furnishing, supplying, making available, or preparing something. The step may be performed by any actor in the absence of express language in the claim to the contrary.

[0082] Optional or optionally means that the subsequently described event or circumstances may or may not occur. The description includes instances where the event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not occur.

[0083] Ranges may be expressed herein as from about one particular value, and/or to about another particular value. When such a range is expressed, it is to be understood that another embodiment is from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value, along with all combinations within said range.

[0084] All references identified herein are each hereby incorporated by reference into this application in their entireties, as well as for the specific information for which each is cited.