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EP-4735156-A1 - A CHAMBER UNIT FOR A FLUID-FLUID VORTEX CONTACTOR AND A REACTOR COMPRISING SUCH A UNIT

EP4735156A1EP 4735156 A1EP4735156 A1EP 4735156A1EP-4735156-A1

Abstract

According to an embodiment a chamber unit (101) is disclosed for a gas-liquid vortex reactor (500) for contacting a first with a second fluid stream comprising a circumferential wall (400, 401) enclosing a cylindrically shaped mixing chamber and a set of tangentially distributed fluid inlet slots (406, 407) axially running from a bottom to a top base to supply the first stream from the outer surface of the wall (400, 401) into the chamber, the wall (400, 401) further comprising a first set of inner axially running between the bottom base towards the top base and comprising a supply inlet (402) at a first end at the bottom base, and a discharge outlet (403) at a second end radially extending from the inner conduit to the inner surface of the wall (400, 401) wherein the inner conduit is configured to supply the second stream from the bottom base into the chamber.

Inventors

  • HEYNDERICKX, Geraldine
  • VAN GEEM, Kevin
  • OUYANG, YI
  • VERSPEELT, Tom
  • CHEN, Siyuan

Assignees

  • Universiteit Gent

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240628

Claims (14)

  1. 1 A chamber unit (101 ) configured for a gas-liquid vortex reactor (500) for contacting a first fluid stream with a second fluid stream, the chamber unit (101 ) comprising a circumferential wall (400, 401 ) enclosing a cylindrically shaped or uniform n-gonal prism with n>4 mixing chamber and comprising a set of tangentially distributed fluid inlet slots (406, 407) axially running between a bottom base and a top base configured to supply the first stream from the outer surface of the wall (400, 401 ) into the chamber CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the circumferential wall (400, 401 ) further comprises a first set (410) of inner conduits, an inner conduit from the first set (410) axially running from the bottom base towards the top base and comprising: - a supply inlet (402) at a first end positioned at the bottom base; and - a discharge outlet (403) at a second end extending from the inner conduit to the inner surface of the wall (400, 401 ); wherein the inner conduit is configured to supply the second stream from the bottom base into the chamber.
  2. 2.- The chamber unit (101 ) according to claim 1 further configured for contacting the first fluid stream and second fluid stream with a third fluid stream, and wherein the circumferential wall (400, 401 ) further comprises a second set (411 ) of inner conduits, an inner conduit from the second set (411 ) axially running from the top base towards the bottom base and comprising: - a supply inlet (402) at a first end positioned at the top base; and - a discharge outlet (403) at a second end extending from the inner conduit to the inner surface of the wall (400, 401 ); wherein the inner conduit is configured to supply a third stream from the top base into the chamber.
  3. 3.- The chamber unit (101 ) according to claim 2, wherein the first set (410) of inner conduits and the second set (411 ) of inner conduits are alternating arranged.
  4. 4.- The chamber unit (101 ) according to any of the claims 2 to 3, wherein the second fluid stream corresponds to the third fluid stream.
  5. 5.- The chamber unit (101 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fluid inlet slots (406, 407) and/or the discharge outlets (403) are arranged in an oblique tangential direction.
  6. 6.- The chamber unit (101 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fluid inlet slots (406, 407) are symmetrically tangentially distributed.
  7. 7.- The chamber unit (101 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the inner conduits are symmetrically tangentially distributed.
  8. 8.- The chamber unit (101 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the inner conduits and the fluid inlet slots (406, 407) are alternating arranged.
  9. 9.- The chamber unit (101 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the inner conduits extend between the bottom base and the top base.
  10. 10.- The chamber unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the cylindrically shaped mixing chamber comprises a shape of the group of a cylinder, a prism, a dodecahedron.
  11. 11.- A gas-liquid vortex reactor (500) for contacting fluid streams comprising the chamber unit (101 ) according to any of the preceding claims.
  12. 12.- The gas-liquid vortex reactor (500) according to claim 11 , further comprises a liquid distributor (501 ) configured to inject a liquid into the mixing chamber through the inner conduits, and a gas inlet (502) configured to inject a gas into the mixing chamber through the fluid inlet slots.
  13. 13.- The gas-liquid vortex reactor (500) according to any of the claims 11 to 12, further comprising a gas and liquid exhaust (503) configured to exhaust the liquid and the gas from the mixing chamber.
  14. 14.- A method for contacting fluid streams by use of the gas-liquid vortex reactor (500) according to any of the claim 11 to 13.

Description

A CHAMBER UNIT FOR A FLUID-FLUID VORTEX CONTACTOR AND A REACTOR COMPRISING SUCH A UNIT Field of the Invention [01] The present invention relates to the field of gas-liquid vortex reactors and to a method of mixing fluid streams by use of a gas-liquid vortex reactor. Background [02] A gas-liquid vortex reactor is a rotating bed reactor having a static geometry. [03] In Yi Ouyang, et. al., “Liquid hydrodynamics in a gas-liquid vortex reactor”, Chemical Engineering Science, Volume 246, 2021 , 116970, ISSN 0009-2509, a gasliquid vortex reactor is disclosed. The gas-liquid vortex reactor comprises an annular jacket surrounding a vortex chamber. From the jacket, a gas can enter the reactor zone through tangentially inclined inlet slots, circumferentially spaced over the outer wall of the vortex chamber. Further, water is pumped from a liquid storage tank into the cylindrical vortex chamber via a single liquid inlet pipe through the upper reactor end wall. [04] In Siyuan Chen, et. al., “CFD analysis on hydrodynamics and residence time distribution in a gas-liquid vortex unit”, Chemical Engineering Journal, Volume 446, Part 2, 2022, 136812, ISSN 1385-8947, a method is disclosed for mixing fluid streams by use of a gas-liquid vortex reactor as known in the art. [05] A problem with the gas-liquid vortex reactors known in the art is that the interface area and/or gas-liquid contact time between fluid phases is limited due to its geometry. [06] It is therefore an object of the present invention to adapt the geometry of the gas-liquid vortex reactors known in the art with the aim to enlarge the interface area and the gas-liquid contact time of fluid streams injected therein. Summary of the Invention [07] This object is achieved, in a first aspect, by a chamber unit configured for a gasliquid vortex reactor for contacting a first fluid stream with a second fluid stream, the chamber unit comprising a circumferential wall enclosing a cylindrically shaped or uniform n-gonal prism with n>4 mixing chamber and comprising a set of tangentially distributed fluid inlet slots axially running between a bottom base and a top base configured to supply the first stream from the outer surface of the wall into the chamber characterized in that the circumferential wall further comprises a first set of inner conduits, an inner conduit from the first set axially running from the bottom base towards the top base and comprising: - a supply inlet at a first end positioned at the bottom base; and - a discharge outlet at a second end extending from the inner conduit to the inner surface of the wall; wherein the inner conduit is configured to supply the second stream from the bottom base into the chamber. [08] The chamber unit, also referred to as the reactor chamber or just the chamber, is the core of the reactor wherein the contacting of different fluid streams takes place. To his end, the chamber unit comprises a circumferential wall which encloses a mixing chamber wherein each fluid stream is guided to, as will be explained. [09] A fluid stream is a stream of a fluid, whereby a fluid comprises a liquid or a gas. The first fluid stream may therefore comprise either a liquid or a gas, and the same applies for the second fluid stream. The different combinations of contacting fluids are therefore gas-gas, liquid-gas, gas-liquid, and liquid-liquid. [10] Note that the relative terms such as radially, axially, and tangentially refer to the axis of a cylinder defining the chamber unit. Preferably, the chamber unit encloses a cylindrical mixing chamber, but the shape can also be a type of a prism, or dodecahedron. The axis is then the axis of said shape. The axis also corresponds to the rotational axis of the vortex. This axis connects two parallel circles bases at the top and the bottom, and the distance therebetween is the height of the chamber unit. Thus, the chamber unit is preferably a hollow cylinder, wherein the inner part comprises the already discussed mixing chamber. Therefore, the cylinder comprises two annuli, one at the bottom and one at the top. The cylinder further has an inner and outer circle sharing the same axis as just discussed, while the base is the area or surface between said concentric circles on the same side. It should thus be further understood that the circumferential wall has a predefined thickness corresponding to the difference in radii between the concentric circles of the annuli. [11] It should be further understood that the terms bottom and top are used to refer to opposite sides of the chamber unit, and that they are interchangeable. Depending on the orientation or placement of the reactor wherein the chamber unit is used, the second stream may thus be positioned at the bottom side or the top side of the reactor. [12] The circumferential wall comprises a set of tangentially distributed fluid inlet slots running between the bottom base and the top base, thus in the direction of the axis of rotation. They are fur