Southern Company Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20140158941 | Second Stage Gasifier In Staged Gasification And Integrated Process - A second stage gasification unit in a staged gasification integrated process flow scheme and operating methods are disclosed to gasify a wide range of low reactivity fuels. The inclusion of second stage gasification unit operating at high temperatures closer to ash fusion temperatures in the bed provides sufficient flexibility in unit configurations, operating conditions and methods to achieve an overall carbon conversion of over 95% for low reactivity materials such as bituminous and anthracite coals, petroleum residues and coke. The second stage gasification unit includes a stationary fluidized bed gasifier operating with a sufficiently turbulent bed of predefined inert bed material with lean char carbon content. The second stage gasifier fluidized bed is operated at relatively high temperatures up to 1400° C. Steam and oxidant mixture can be injected to further increase the freeboard region operating temperature in the range of approximately from 50 to 100° C. above the bed temperature. | 06-12-2014 |
20140054011 | Multi-Stage Circulating Fluidized Bed Syngas Cooling - A method and apparatus for cooling hot gas streams in the temperature range 800° C. to 1600° C. using multi-stage circulating fluid bed (CFB) coolers is disclosed. The invention relates to cooling the hot syngas from coal gasifiers in which the hot syngas entrains substances that foul, erode and corrode heat transfer surfaces upon contact in conventional coolers. The hot syngas is cooled by extracting and indirectly transferring heat to heat transfer surfaces with circulating inert solid particles in CFB syngas coolers. The CFB syngas coolers are staged to facilitate generation of steam at multiple conditions and hot boiler feed water that are necessary for power generation in an IGCC process. The multi-stage syngas cooler can include internally circulating fluid bed coolers, externally circulating fluid bed coolers and hybrid coolers that incorporate features of both internally and externally circulating fluid bed coolers. Higher process efficiencies can be realized as the invention can handle hot syngas from various types of gasifiers without the need for a less efficient precooling step. | 02-27-2014 |
20130319230 | Systems And Methods For Sequestering CO2 - An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a carbon-dioxide (“CO2”) sequestration system comprising a CO2 source, a process-water source, a membrane module, and a sequestration duct. The membrane module comprises a first section, a second section, and a membrane. The first section can be configured to receive gaseous CO2 at a first pressure from the CO2 source. The second section can be configured to receive process-water at a second pressure from the process-water source, wherein the first pressure is greater than the second pressure. The membrane can be positioned between the first section and the second section and can comprise a plurality of apertures configured such that the gaseous CO2 passes through the plurality of apertures and dissolves into the process-water to form a process-water-CO2-soluution. The sequestration duct can be in fluid communication with the second section and configured to transport the process-water-CO2 solution to a sequestration site. | 12-05-2013 |
20130055936 | Oxycombustion In Transport Oxy-Combustor - A pressurized transport oxy-combustor with different configurations is disclosed. Substantially pure oxygen is fed to the transport oxy-combustor under pressure to combust fossil fuels, generating steam for power generation. The end product is the flue gas containing substantially pure CO | 03-07-2013 |
20120294769 | INDUCED-DRAFT INJECTION SYSTEMS AND METHODS - An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an induced-draft injection system comprising an injection line in fluid communication with a duct under negative pressure, a particulate storage containing particulate, and a feeder receiving the particulate from the particulate storage and feeding the particulate to the injection line. The negative pressure in the duct supports the transportation of at least a portion of the particulate through the injection line and into the duct. Inside the duct, a binding portion of the particulate is bound to a portion of mercury in a flue gas passing through the duct, thus enabling a portion of the mercury to be filtered out of the flue gas. | 11-22-2012 |
20120216680 | Dispersed Bubble Reactor For Enhanced Gas-Liquid-Solids Contact And Mass Transfer - An apparatus to promote gas-liquid contact and facilitate enhanced mass transfer. The dispersed bubble reactor (DBR) operates in the dispersed bubble flow regime to selectively absorb gas phase constituents into the liquid phase. The dispersion is achieved by shearing the large inlet gas bubbles into fine bubbles with circulating liquid and additional pumped liquid solvent when necessary. The DBR is capable of handling precipitates that may form during absorption or fine catalysts that may be necessary to promote liquid phase reactions. The DBR can be configured with multistage counter current flow sections by inserting concentric cylindrical sections into the riser to facilitate annular flow. While the DBR can absorb CO | 08-30-2012 |
20120031584 | Ash And Solids Cooling In High Temperature And High Pressure Environment - Disclosed are cooling and depressurization system equipment, arrangement and methods to cool solid particles from a coal gasifier operating at high temperature and pressure. Ash from the coal needs to be continuously withdrawn from a circulating fluidized bed gasifier to maintain the solids inventory in the gasifier. The system disclosed enables use of conventional materials of construction for heat transfer surfaces. The supports for the cooling surfaces are located on the lower temperature upper section of the primary cooler. The cooled solids along with the fluidizing gas exits the primary cooler to a secondary receiving vessel where the solids can be further cooled by conventional means. The fluidizing and entrained gas entering the secondary vessel is filtered and vented through a vent pressure control valve. The column of cooled solids in the secondary vessel is depressurized by a continuous depressurization system to low pressures which are sufficient for conveying the solids to silos for disposal. The system and methods proposed are equally applicable to many high temperature, high pressure processes that require cooling and depressurization of process solids. | 02-09-2012 |
20110005395 | Carbon Dioxide Absorber And Regeneration Assemblies Useful For Power Plant Flue Gas - Disclosed are apparatus and method to treat large amounts of flue gas from a pulverized coal combustion power plant. The flue gas is contacted with solid sorbents to selectively absorb CO | 01-13-2011 |
20100244814 | Method for determining the resonant frequency(s) of an energized power line carrier line (wave) trap - A method for testing a line trap of the type whose blocking characteristics are a function of its resonant frequencies without requiring the line trap to be de-energized along with the transmission line to which the trap is connected by injecting a signal into the transmission line over a range of frequencies including at least one of the line trap's expected resonant frequencies; measuring the magnetic field strength produced by the current through the line trap's main coil and the total current flowing through the line trap, and computing the ratio of the magnetic fields where the ratio is computed over a range of frequencies that includes the expected resonant frequency(s) of the line trap, such that the resonant frequencies are indicated where said ratio is at a local maxima or minima. | 09-30-2010 |