CN-116710375-B - Pressure valve machining

Abstract

A valve assembly wherein the inner wall of the valve body comprises at least one opening for the ingress of liquid under pressure after the slurry or liquid is output from the pipe or conduit. The valve assembly is particularly useful for maintaining a semi-continuous or continuous pressurized flow of biomass from the extruder and extending the reaction zone downstream from the extruder. The advantage of having an extended reaction zone allows for complete processing of the material without further wear of the extruder and also allows for handling of the material upstream in the pipe or tube.

Inventors

• Sharon Sammiesinger

Assignees

• 阿尔帕塔专利有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20211001

Priority Date

20201002

Claims (19)

1. 1. A system for pretreating biomass, comprising: (a) An extruder comprising one or more screws, wherein an inner plug of the biomass is formed as a result of the action of the one or more screws, thereby forming an upstream end of a pressurized reaction zone for pretreating the biomass, and (B) A valve assembly attached to an output end of the extruder, wherein the valve assembly forms a downstream end of the reaction zone and adds liquid to the reaction zone, Wherein the valve assembly comprises: a valve body comprising a large circular portion, an intermediate conical portion, and a small circular collar containing one or more nozzles for liquid input, the valve body having a chamber formed therein connecting an input end and a discharge end of the valve body, wherein the small circular collar has an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the large circular portion; a valve needle axially movable within the chamber of the valve body, and A housing attached to the discharge end of the valve body and closing the valve needle when the valve needle is disengaged from the valve body.
2. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises means for supplying steam and one or more chemicals to the reaction zone.
3. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more chemicals comprise an acid.
4. 4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the acid is sulfuric acid.
5. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a removable drain collar.
6. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the drain collar is tapered.
7. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the valve body comprises an annular ring.
8. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the annular ring is removable.
9. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein an annular space is formed in the chamber between the valve body and the valve needle when the valve needle closes on the valve body.
10. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the housing at an end of the housing adjacent the valve body is at least 7% greater than an inner diameter of the valve body at a discharge end thereof.
11. 11. The system of claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the housing at an end of the housing adjacent the valve body is 7% greater than an inner diameter of the valve body at a discharge end thereof.
12. 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the valve needle has a cone with a wide end opposite its conical tip.
13. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the cone has a cone angle in the range of 45 degrees to 75 degrees.
14. 14. The system of claim 12, wherein the cone is at a cone angle of 45 degrees.
15. 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the diameter of the valve needle at the wide end is at least 4% greater than the inner diameter of the valve body at its discharge end.
16. 16. The system of claim 12, wherein the diameter of the valve needle at the wide end is 4% greater than the inner diameter of the valve body at its discharge end.
17. 17. The system of claim 1, wherein the extruder is a twin screw extruder.
18. 18. A method of pre-treating biomass by the system of any one of claims 1-17.
19. 19. A method of pretreating biomass, the method comprising: (a) Transporting the biomass from a feed zone of an extruder to a reaction zone of the extruder through the extruder, wherein the feed zone and the reaction zone are separated by a biomass plug formed downstream of the input zone and upstream of the reaction zone; (b) Adding steam and/or chemicals to the biomass in the reaction zone to partially treat the biomass; (c) Delivering the partially treated biomass into a valve assembly attached to an output end of the extruder and treating the partially treated biomass in the valve assembly to produce a pretreated biomass, and (D) Discharging the pretreated biomass through the valve assembly, Wherein the valve assembly comprises: a valve body comprising a large circular portion, an intermediate conical portion, and a small circular collar containing one or more nozzles for liquid input, the valve body having a chamber formed therein connecting an input end and a discharge end of the valve body, wherein the small circular collar has an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the large circular portion; a valve needle axially movable within the chamber of the valve body, and A housing attached to the discharge end of the valve body and closing the valve needle when the valve needle is disengaged from the valve body.

Description

Pressure valve machining Cross reference The present application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 63/087,077 filed on month 10 and 2 of 2020, U.S. provisional application No. 63/146,608 filed on month 2 and 6 of 2021, and U.S. provisional application No. 63/153,740 filed on month 2 and 25 of 2021, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background In many industrial processes, valves are used to control the flow of material. The interior of the pressure relief valve contains a plug that blocks or reduces the output of the material source when the valve is pressurized. When the pressure behind the plug is released, the plug is pushed back by the force from the output pressure. This allows the valve to open until the pressure behind the plug is equal to or greater than the output force. If the valve is coupled to an actuator that operates in response to an output, precise continuous movement is possible, not just a manually operated or spring operated valve. When moving material under pressure, it is difficult to control the pressure in the container transporting the material. This is difficult for continuous or semi-continuous flow of a slurry of material moving in one direction under critical operating conditions caused by media processing. In order to maintain a constant pressure and speed of the moving material, a valve must be designed to keep the pressure in the pipe or bowl constant while allowing a certain speed. This is especially true for particulate matter (e.g., biomass) moving in a liquid under high pressure, where the valve involves further processing and the flow of material is rapid and gushing. Such harsh operating conditions can cause premature failure and leakage of the valve assembly, resulting in bursting and extreme wear. In addition, slurry particles may become trapped during the valve sealing cycle, resulting in degradation of the valve assembly. Typically, relief valves are not designed to handle such operations. Disclosure of Invention In one aspect, provided herein is a system for pretreating biomass comprising an extruder comprising one or more screws (screens), wherein an inner plug of biomass is formed as a result of the one or more screws, thereby forming an upstream end of a pressurized reaction zone for pretreating the biomass, and a valve assembly attached at an output end of the extruder, wherein the valve assembly forms a downstream end of the reaction zone and adds liquid to the reaction zone. In another aspect, a system for pretreating biomass is provided herein comprising an extruder comprising one or more screws, wherein an inner plug of biomass is formed as a result of the one or more screws, thereby forming an upstream end of a pressurized reaction zone for pretreating the biomass, and a valve assembly attached at an output end of the extruder, wherein the valve assembly comprises a valve body comprising a large circular portion, an intermediate conical portion, and a small circular collar containing one or more nozzles for liquid input, the valve body having a chamber formed therein connecting an input end and a discharge end of the valve body, wherein the inner diameter of the small circular collar is smaller than the inner diameter of the large circular portion, a valve needle axially movable within the chamber of the valve body, and a housing attached to the discharge end of the valve body, and closing the valve needle when disengaged from the valve body. In some embodiments, the biomass is selected from silage, agricultural residues, corn stover, bagasse, sorghum, nuts, nut hulls, coconut hulls, distillers dried Solubles (DISTILLERS DRIED Solubles), distillers dried (DISTILLERS DRIED GRAINS), concentrated distillers Solubles (Condensed Distillers Solubles), wet distillers dried grains (DISTILLERS WET GRAINS), distillers dried grains and Solubles thereof (DISTILLERS DRIED GRAINS WITH Solubles), wood material, sawdust, wood chips, wood balls, wood waste, factory waste, municipal waste, waste paper, recycled toilet paper, yard clippings, and energy crops such as poplar, willow, switchgrass, alfalfa and grassy blue-stem (prairie bluestem), nonwoody plant matter, cellulosic material, lignocellulosic material, hemicellulose material, carbohydrates, corn, sugarcane, grasses, high biomass sorghum, bamboo, corn cobs, and pericarps and fruit pits. In some embodiments, the biomass is treated in the reaction zone for less than 60, 55, 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 second. In some embodiments, the temperature in the reaction zone is raised to 50-500 ℃, 75-400 ℃, 100-350 ℃, 150-300 ℃, 200-250 ℃, or 150-300 ℃, and the pressure in the reaction zone is raised to 50-1000PSI, 100-750PSI, 200-600PSI, 300-500PSI, or 350-450PSI. In some embodiments, the system further comprises means for supplying steam and one or more chemicals to the reaction zone. In some embodiments, the