Method and apparatus for producing liquid hydrocarbon fuels

Abstract

A method of converting carbon containing compounds such as coal, methane or other hydrocarbons into a liquid hydrocarbon fuel utilizes a high pressure, high temperature reactor which operates upon a blend of a carbon compound including CO.sub.2 and a carbon source, a catalyst, and steam. Microwave power is directed into the reactor. The catalyst, preferably magnetite, will act as a heating media for the microwave power and the temperature of the reactor will rise to a level to efficiently convert the carbon and steam into hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

Claims

1. A method for simultaneously consuming carbon dioxide and generating petroleum products, the method comprising: (a) introducing particles of a catalytic material, absorbent of microwave energy, into a higher-temperature portion of a reaction vessel; (b) introducing coal particles into the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel; (c) introducing steam into the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel; (d) introducing carbon dioxide into the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel; (e) irradiating the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel with microwave energy absorbed by the catalytic material in the reactor so as to heat the catalytic material and drive an endothermic reaction of the coal and the steam, catalyzed by the catalytic material, that produces hydrogen and carbon monoxide, wherein (i) at least a portion of the hydrogen reacts with the carbon dioxide to produce water and carbon monoxide and (ii) at least a portion of the hydrogen undergoes exothermic reactions with the carbon monoxide, catalyzed by the catalytic material, to produce multiple petroleum products; (f) cooling a lower-temperature portion of the reaction vessel, thereby establishing a temperature gradient within the reaction vessel wherein the irradiated higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel exhibits a higher temperature than the cooled lower-temperature portion of the reaction vessel, wherein at least a portion of heat required to maintain the temperature gradient is supplied by the microwave energy irradiating the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel; (g) allowing a mixture that includes the multiple petroleum products to flow through the reaction vessel from the higher-temperature portion to the lower-temperature portion and leave the reaction vessel; and (h) separating at least a portion of the multiple petroleum products from the mixture that leaves the reaction vessel, (i) wherein less carbon dioxide leaves the reaction vessel in the mixture than is introduced into the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature gradient is established without relying on heat produced by oxidation of the coal particles.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising introducing hydrogen or one or more hydrogen-rich compounds into the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel, wherein at least a portion of the introduced hydrogen or one or more hydrogen-rich compounds reacts with the carbon dioxide to produce water and carbon monoxide.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining the carbon dioxide for introduction into the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel from combustion exhaust.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein one or more sulfur oxides present in the combustion exhaust are converted to elemental sulfur.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising obtaining the combustion exhaust from a combustion engine on a moving vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising recovering from the mixture that leaves the reaction vessel at least a portion of carbon dioxide present in that mixture and introducing the recovered carbon dioxide into the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel includes one or more windows comprising one of more materials that transmit the microwave energy, and the microwave energy irradiating the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel passes through the one or more windows.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the lower-temperature portion of the reaction vessel is cooled by a cooling water jacket.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising collecting at least a portion of steam generated by the cooling water jacket and introducing the collected steam into the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the higher-temperature portion of the reaction vessel includes quartz.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the coal particles have a particle size of less than about 100 microns.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising separating a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen the mixture that leaves the reaction vessel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Other objectives, advantages, and applications of the present invention will be made apparent by the following detailed description of two preferred embodiments of the invention. The description makes reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a first embodiment of the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the invention in which carbon dioxide produced from other fossil fuel processes can be added to the feed stream of the reactor thereby enhancing the production of petroleum products and avoiding release of the carbon dioxide effluent from the fossil fuel processes into the atmosphere;

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a reactor for converting transportation vehicle exhaust emissions to Petroleum Products;

(5) FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the Haber Bosch Ammonia process for producing ammonia from methane or natural gas;

(6) FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a reactor for converting carbon dioxide to petroleum products;

(7) FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a reactor for converting nitrogen to ammonia;

(8) FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a reactor system for converting flue gas and other fossil fuel exhausts to petroleum products and ammonia with no carbon dioxide emissions; and

(9) FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a reactor system for converting flue gas and other fossil fuel exhausts to petroleum products and ammonia with no carbon dioxide emissions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(10) Referring to the schematic diagram of FIG. 1, the reactor proper comprises a vertically oriented furnace. The reactor 10 may have an internal lining of quartz or other suitable material(s) that are transparent to microwave power and can withstand the temperatures and pressures respective to the process. Preliminary experiments suggest that temperatures in the range of 1000 degrees Celsius or lower and pressures at about 150 psig or lower may be adequate for these reactions depending on the feeds, catalysts, microwave operation, output products, and other variables. However, temperatures and pressures could be significantly higher or lower depending on the application and the preference of the designer.

(11) The reactor 10 may be reinforced with carbon fibers or any suitable microwave transparent material. The upper portion of the reactor 10 could have an outer casing of a material which is not transparent to microwaves. One or more microwave generators 12 will be supported in a cavity 14 which surrounds the base of the reactor 10. The reactor 10 may be enclosed within a steel container, or other suitable container, and the cavity between the container and reactor may be pressurized with nitrogen, or other suitable material(s), to support the reactor in a manner such that the reactor structure would be subjected only to the differences in pressures inside and outside the reactor.

(12) The base of the reactor 10 is fed with micronized coal and micronized magnetite at 16. The coal is preferably micronized into the range of 10 microns, preferably by the process disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 8,440,946, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The magnetite may be micronized to a similar particle size by the same process or other well known processes. Steam is also fed into the base of the reactor at 18, preferably from a cooling water jacket surrounding the upper section of the reactor 10 as will be subsequently described. The steam and the coal will react to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Carbon dioxide produced by the reaction may be removed from the top of the reactor and fed into the base of the reactor at 20, possibly along with oxygen from an external source which may be added as necessary to maintain the reaction at a reasonable level.

(13) As the hydrocarbon reaction products nse m the reactor, the upper end, or exothermic portion of the reactor is surrounded by a cooling water jacket 22, or another cooling mechanism that will maintain reasonable control of the reactor temperature.

(14) The petroleum products produced in the reaction will pass out of the reactor into a separator 24 which divides the output product by removing ash at 26, removing magnetite which is removed and recycled to the feed stream 16 at 28. The remaining petroleum products are removed at 34 refining.

(15) Since this process can convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide, it is possible to add carbon dioxide from naturally occurring sources and the carbon dioxide coproduction from industrial processes such as those related to petroleum refining, electric-power generation plants, other industrial plants, stationary internal combustion engines, or any operation where fossil fuels are oxidized or burned to provide the source of energy, thereby productively utilizing the carbon dioxide and eliminating its emission into the atmosphere.

(16) FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a reactor, very similar to the reactor of FIG. 1, which differs only in that the effluents of other fossil fuel processes are fed into the base of the reactor at item 32. Additionally, nitrogen from the flue gas may be removed to the atmosphere at item 34. Thus, in addition to converting coal into petroleum products, the system of FIG. 2 may be used to minimize the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and the resultant enhancement of the greenhouse effect. As noted above, it may be desirable to use other carbonaceous materials that will react as a reductant for the carbon dioxide to improve the reaction in various ways.

(17) The resulting processes of the present invention will produce a stream of clean petroleum products, cleansed of impurities such as sulfur, mercury, other metals, and ash.

(18) The process variables may be changed to produce the preferred balance of petroleum products in the output stream. For example, during certain seasons there is a greater need for fuel oil/distillate and at other times there is a greater need for gasoline/naphtha. This selectivity can be accomplished by balancing the microwave power and frequency, the volume and type of the catalyst system, the reactor feeds and injection volumes, the reactor cooling water rate, and other parameters.

(19) This single stage, continuous, simple process has a much better thermal efficiency than that of the currently used conventional processes. The proposed process requires a lower energy input than prior art processes. The present process is started by using microwave power to add heat to the reactor. As the process continues, it generates heat energy within the reactor and the microwave needs only to supply the incremental heat required to maintain a reasonable temperature profile over the reactor. The temperature profile, as has been noted, may range from about 1800 C. at the bottom of the reactor to about 500 C. at the top of the reactor.