| SUNDROP FUELS, INC. Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
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| 20120042869 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR A HELIOSTAT MIRROR AND SOLAR TRACKER ASSEMBLY - One or more cables are attached to the ring-shaped heliostat tracker assembly to control a position of the heliostat mirror on the ring shaped heliostat tracker assembly by winding the one or more cables with a cable winder spool and a cable unwinder spool. The ring-shaped rail track couples to two or more wheels joined to a structure housing a heliostat mirror. One or more position encoders track the heliostat mirror to indicate a position of the heliostat mirror on the ring-shaped rail track. | 02-23-2012 |
| 20100303692 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AN INDIRECT RADIATION DRIVEN GASIFIER REACTOR & RECEIVER CONFIGURATION - A method, apparatus, and system for a solar-driven chemical plant are disclosed. Some embodiments may include a solar thermal receiver to absorb concentrated solar energy from an array of heliostats and a solar-driven chemical reactor. This chemical reactor may have multiple reactor tubes, in which particles of biomass may be gasified in the presence of a carrier gas in a gasification reaction to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide products. High heat transfer rates of the walls and tubes may allow the particles of biomass to achieve a high enough temperature necessary for substantial tar destruction and complete gasification of greater than 90 percent of the biomass particles into reaction products including hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas in a very short residence time between a range of 0.01 and 5 seconds. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20100249468 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AN INTEGRATED SOLAR DRIVEN CHEMICAL PLANT - A method, apparatus, and system for an integrated solar-driven chemical plant that manages variations in solar energy are disclosed. In some embodiments, a chemical reactant, including particles of biomass, are converted in a solar driven chemical reactor into synthesis gas containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen using concentrated solar energy to drive the conversion of the chemical reactant. The synthesis gas is supplied for a catalytic conversion of the synthesis gas in a methanol synthesis plant to methanol. Cycling occurs between an operational state and an idle state for a number of methanol trains in the methanol synthesis plant depending upon an amount of synthesis gas generated in the solar driven chemical reactor. A control system for the chemical reactor sends control signals to and receives feedback from a control system for the methanol synthesis plant. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100249251 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CYCLIC OPERATIONS IN A FUEL SYNTHESIS PROCESS - A method, apparatus, and system for a fuel synthesis system including a multiple methanol reactor train, operated in parallel from a common input of 1) synthesis gas from a solar driven chemical reactor and 2) synthesis gas from a storage tank. In some embodiments, the multiple methanol reactor trains are idled as needed based on a variable amount of synthesis gas fed into the process. Additionally, some embodiments may include a controller to control operation of the multiple methanol trains by potentially idling one or more of the methanol reactor trains, switching to an operational state, or altering the output from the reactor trains, based on the amount of synthesis gas being generated by the solar driven chemical reactor, which is subject to marked variations in volume of synthesis gas output based on a seasonal, diurnal and weather effects. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100247387 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BIOMASS GASIFIER REACTOR AND RECEIVER CONFIGURATION - A method, apparatus, and system for solar-driven chemical plant may include a solar thermal receiver to absorb concentrated solar energy from an array of heliostats. Additionally, some embodiments may include a solar driven chemical reactor that has multiple reactor tubes. The concentrated solar energy drives the endothermic gasification reaction of the particles of biomass flowing through the reactor tubes. Some embodiments may also include an on-site fuel synthesis reactor that is geographically located on the same site as the chemical reactor and integrated to receive the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from the gasification reaction. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100243961 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR QUENCHING, GAS CLEAN UP, AND ASH REMOVAL - A method, apparatus, and system for a solar-driven chemical plant are disclosed. An embodiment may include a solar thermal receiver aligned to absorb concentrated solar energy from one or more solar energy concentrating fields. A solar driven chemical reactor may include multiple reactor tubes located inside the solar thermal receiver. The multiple reactor tubes can be used to gasify particles of biomass in the presence of a carrier gas. The gasification reaction may produce reaction products that include hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas having an exit temperature from the tubes exceeding 1000 degrees C. An embodiment can include a quench zone immediately downstream of an exit of the chemical reactor. The quench zone may immediately quench via rapid cooling of at least the hydrogen and carbon monoxide reaction products within 0.1-10 seconds of exiting the chemical reactor to a temperature of 800 degrees C. or less. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100242354 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REACTOR CHEMISTRY AND CONTROL - A method, apparatus, and system for a solar-driven chemical plant that manages variations in solar energy are disclosed. Some embodiments include a solar thermal receiver to absorb concentrated solar energy, a solar driven chemical reactor contained within the solar thermal receiver, and an entrained gas biomass feed system that uses an entrainment carrier gas and supplies a variety of biomass sources fed as particles into the solar driven chemical reactor. Inner walls of the solar thermal receiver and the chemical reactor can be made from materials selected to transfer energy. Some embodiments include a control system that may be configured to balance the gasification reaction of biomass particles with the available concentrated solar energy and additional variable parameters including, but not limited to, a fixed range of particle sizes, temperature of the chemical reactor, and residence time of the particles in a reaction zone in the chemical reactor. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100242353 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BIOMASS GRINDING AND FEEDING - A method, apparatus, and system for a solar-driven bio-refinery that may include a entrained-flow biomass feed system that is feedstock flexible via particle size control of the biomass. Some embodiments include a chemical reactor that receives concentrated solar thermal energy from an array of heliostats. The entrained-flow biomass feed system can use an entrainment carrier gas and supplies a variety of biomass sources fed as particles into the solar-driven chemical reactor. Biomass sources in a raw state or partially torrified state may be used, as long as parameters such as particle size of the biomass are controlled. Additionally, concentrated solar thermal energy can drive gasification of the particles. An on-site fuel synthesis reactor may receive the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from the gasification reaction use the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products in a hydrocarbon fuel synthesis process to create a liquid hydrocarbon fuel. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100242352 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REACTOR AND RECEIVER CONTROL OF FLUX PROFILE - A method, apparatus, and system for a solar-driven chemical reactor are disclosed, including a solar thermal receiver aligned to absorb concentrated solar energy. Some embodiments include a solar driven chemical reactor that has multiple reactor tubes. Some embodiments include one of 1) one or more apertures open to an atmosphere of the Earth or 2) one or more windows, to pass the concentrated solar energy into the solar thermal receiver. This energy impinges on the multiple reactor tubes and cavity walls of the receiver and transfer energy by solar radiation absorption and heat radiation, convection, and conduction. In this way, the energy causes reacting particles to drive the endothermic chemical reaction flowing in the reactor tubes. The design of the multiple reactor tubes and solar thermal receiver can be adapted per a solar flux profile to take advantage of variations in the concentrations of solar flux in the profile. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100237291 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SOLAR-THERMAL GASIFICATION OF BIOMASS - A method, apparatus, and system for a solar-driven chemical plant that may include a solar thermal receiver having a cavity with an inner wall, where the solar thermal receiver is aligned to absorb concentrated solar energy from one or more of 1) an array of heliostats, 2) solar concentrating dishes, and 3) any combination of the two. Some embodiments may include a solar-driven chemical reactor having multiple reactor tubes located inside the cavity of solar thermal receiver, wherein a chemical reaction driven by radiant heat occurs in the multiple reactor tubes, and wherein particles of biomass are gasified in the presence of a steam (H2O) carrier gas and methane (CH4) in a simultaneous steam reformation and steam biomass gasification reaction to produce reaction products that include hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas using the solar thermal energy from the absorbed concentrated solar energy in the multiple reactor tubes. | 09-23-2010 |
| 20100000874 | VARIOUS METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SOLAR ASSISTED FUEL PRODUCTION - Products from a solar assisted reverse-water-gas-shift reaction (RWGS) are used to create a liquid hydrocarbon fuel. Heliostats focus solar energy to heat carbon dioxide gas. A water splitter splits water into hydrogen molecules and oxygen molecules via the addition of the solar energy also directed from either the same array of heliostats via a beam splitter off a common receiving tower redirecting a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, a heliostat field dedicated for the water splitter, or from its own parabolic trough. A chemical reactor mixes heated carbon dioxide gas with all or just a portion of the hydrogen molecules from the water splitter in a RWGS reaction to produce resultant carbon monoxide. A synthesis reactor uses any unconsumed hydrogen molecules and the resultant stabilized carbon monoxide molecules from the RWGS reaction in the hydrocarbon fuel synthesis process to create a liquid hydrocarbon fuel. | 01-07-2010 |
| 20090313886 | VARIOUS METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SOLAR ASSISTED CHEMICAL AND ENERGY PROCESSES - A method, apparatus, and system are described in which products from a solar assisted Reverse Water Gas Shift (RWGS) reaction are used in a hydrocarbon fuel synthesis process to create a liquid hydrocarbon fuel. A water splitter splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen via the addition of the solar energy. A chemical reactor chamber mixes solar heated carbon dioxide gas with all or just a portion of the hydrogen molecules from the water splitter in a RWGS reaction to produce resultant carbon monoxide. A hydrocarbon liquid fuel synthesis reactor receives and uses either 1) all of the unconsumed portions of hydrogen from the RWGS or 2) the remaining portion of the hydrogen molecules from the water splitter and the resultant carbon monoxide molecules from the RWGS in the hydrocarbon fuel synthesis process to create a liquid hydrocarbon fuel. | 12-24-2009 |
