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US-12618527-B2 - Pressure vessel incorporating rapid, toolless assembly and disassembly

US12618527B2US 12618527 B2US12618527 B2US 12618527B2US-12618527-B2

Abstract

Some variations provide a pressure vessel comprising: a chamber for processing a material under a chamber pressure up to 5000 bar; an end cap disposed at one end of the pressure chamber; an interior seal plate disposed between the end cap and the chamber volume; and a plurality of pressure-vessel keys disposed between the end cap and an outer ring. At a chamber pressure greater than atmospheric, the end cap exerts a force against the keys to automatically and reversibly actuate a pressure-vessel seal. Conversely, at atmospheric pressure or less, the keys and end cap are easily removable. Essentially, the pressure in the vessel is utilized as an in situ mechanical force to automatically actuate a safe and efficient seal. Process cycle times are significantly reduced because the vessel is not opened and closed using tooling. Throughputs are increased, improving economics of pressure vessels for extraction, reaction, or other processes.

Inventors

  • Greg White

Assignees

  • Prototype Garage, LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20211229

Claims (9)

  1. 1 . A pressure vessel comprising: a chamber configured for processing a material in a chamber volume under a chamber pressure selected from greater than 1 bar to about 5000 bar, wherein said chamber is a cylindrical collection tube having a cylinder axis; a first end cap disposed at one end of said pressure chamber; a first interior seal plate disposed between said first end cap and said chamber volume; and a plurality of first pressure-vessel keys disposed between (a) said first end cap and (b) a first key ring configured to hold said first pressure-vessel keys in place, wherein each interface between each of said plurality of said first pressure-vessel keys and said first key ring has a first ring surface and a first top key surface, and wherein each interface between each of said plurality of said first pressure-vessel keys and said first end cap has a first bottom key surface and a first cap surface, wherein each of said first pressure-vessel keys are individually removable from said pressure vessel; wherein at a chamber pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, said first end cap passively exerts contiguous forces against each of said first pressure-vessel keys and said first key ring to automatically and reversibly actuate a first pressure-vessel seal by reducing clearance between said first end cap and each of said first pressure-vessel keys, wherein, for each of said plurality of first pressure-vessel keys, (a) said first ring surface, (b) said first top key surface, (c) said first bottom key surface, and (d) said first cap surface are all parallel to each other and are all disposed at an angle, neither parallel nor perpendicular, with respect to said cylinder axis; and wherein at a chamber pressure of atmospheric pressure or less, said first pressure-vessel keys are individually removable from said first key ring, whereby said first end cap is consequently removable, wherein said first pressure-vessel keys are removable without tooling; wherein said first end cap is removable without tooling; wherein said first interior seal plate is removable without tooling; wherein at said chamber pressure of atmospheric pressure or less, the clearance between said first pressure-vessel keys and (a) said first end cap and/or (b) said first key ring is at least 0.015 inch; wherein said pressure vessel further comprises a first seal-plate piston seal disposed on the outside diameter of said first interior seal plate; wherein said pressure vessel further comprises a first end-cap piston seal disposed on the outside diameter of said first end cap; wherein said first end cap and said first interior seal plate form an integrated piece; wherein said pressure vessel further comprises one or more first fittings disposed within said first interior seal plate; and wherein said pressure vessel is contained within a system configured for reaction and/or extraction of a biomass feedstock utilizing supercritical carbon dioxide.
  2. 2 . The pressure vessel of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of first pressure-vessel keys is at least 4.
  3. 3 . The pressure vessel of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of first pressure-vessel keys is at least 8.
  4. 4 . The pressure vessel of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of first pressure-vessel keys is at least 12.
  5. 5 . The pressure vessel of claim 1 , said pressure vessel further comprising: a second end cap disposed at the opposite end of said chamber; a second interior seal plate disposed between said second end cap and said chamber volume; and a plurality of second pressure-vessel keys disposed between (a) said second end cap and (b) a second key ring configured to hold said second pressure-vessel keys in place, wherein each interface between each of said plurality of said second pressure-vessel keys and said second key ring has a second ring surface and a second top key surface, and wherein each interface between each of said plurality of said second pressure-vessel keys and said second end cap has a second bottom key surface and a first second cap surface, wherein each of said second pressure-vessel keys are individually removable from said pressure vessel; wherein at said chamber pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, said second end cap passively exerts second contiguous forces against each of said second pressure-vessel keys and said second key ring to automatically and reversibly actuate a second pressure-vessel seal by reducing clearance between said second end cap and each of said second pressure-vessel keys, wherein, for each of said plurality of second pressure-vessel keys, (a) said second ring surface, (b) said second top key surface, (c) said second bottom key surface, and (d) said second cap surface are all parallel to each other and are all disposed at an angle, neither parallel nor perpendicular, with respect to said cylinder axis; and wherein at said chamber pressure of atmospheric pressure or less, said second pressure-vessel keys are individually removable from said second key ring, whereby said second end cap is consequently removable.
  6. 6 . The pressure vessel of claim 5 , wherein said second pressure-vessel keys are removable without tooling, and wherein said second end cap is removable without tooling.
  7. 7 . The pressure vessel of claim 1 , wherein said chamber pressure is selected from greater than 1 bar to about 1000 bar.
  8. 8 . The pressure vessel of claim 1 , wherein said chamber pressure is selected from about 5 bar to about 5000 bar.
  9. 9 . The pressure vessel of claim 1 , wherein said chamber pressure is selected from about 10 bar to about 2000 bar.

Description

PRIORITY DATA This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent App. No. 63/132,691, filed on Dec. 31, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to pressure vessels, and systems and methods for rapidly assembling and disassembling the pressure vessels. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Pressure vessels have a wide variety of uses industrially, including reaction, extraction, separation (e.g. distillation), and storage. For example, typical carbon dioxide (CO2) extraction systems require pressure vessels so that the extraction can be carried out at relatively high temperature and pressure, allowing for extraction and collection of the desired oils, etc. Pressure vessels are historically difficult to assemble, disassemble, and access, requiring multiple tools and extended amounts of time to clean and recover the desired materials. A typical pressure vessel is constructed of a thick-walled stainless steel tube with a closed end. Access to the open end conventionally requires removing a top plate with either multiple bolt and nut assemblies or with a threaded cap under extreme tightening torque. In a typical process, a batch pressure vessel is opened up using a wrench or other torque tool by loosening a plurality of bolts, such as about 10 bolts, that pass through openings at the top of the pressure vessel and are connected to nuts on an opposite side of a plate. The contents to be processed in the pressure vessel are added, and then the procedure is reversed to close and tighten the pressure vessel by tightening the bolts with the wrench or other torque tool. After the process (e.g. reaction) is completed, the pressure vessel is again opened up by loosening the bolts, in order to recover the processed contents. The process is repeated by adding fresh material and again tightening the bolts. The time required to open and close the pressure vessel can be a significant fraction of the overall cycle time and can even be longer than the reaction or extraction time itself. Such as process is clearly inefficient. A variety of prior-art pressure-vessel closure systems have been disclosed. Representative patents include U.S. Pat. No. 3,107,810 that shows a rotatable tab system that can be used to seal a high-pressure autoclave, using lugs that are slanted in order to cause the door to seal against the frame. U.S. Pat. No. 2,989,209 discloses a flexible polygonal gasket that under pressure forms a seal in the structure. U.S. Pat. No. 2,196,895 shows a segmented structure driven by a mechanical screw mechanism, using a non-continuous segmented closure structure with a bolt-like threaded member to advance and retract each segment to make the seal. U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,474 shows an expandable door lock/closure mechanism, including a number of blocks that can be moved from a locked position to an unlocked position or from an unlocked position to a locked position. U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,850 shows a segmented seal structure that can be moved radially to seal the door, using a relatively complex pawl-driven movement system. See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,974,781, 5,445,329, 5,540,391, 5,655,718, 6,588,690, and 6,752,337. More recently, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,802,694 issued Sep. 28, 2010 to Lee, which is hereby incorporated by reference, a pressure vessel is disclosed for recycling solid waste and producing a usable fuel with recycle streams. The pressure in the vessel is maintained by a door that maintains effective pressure, temperature, and humidity within the vessel. The locking diameter of a locking member can be changed using a mechanically or electrically driven screw drive, solenoid, or hydraulic cylinder. Improvements are still needed in the art of opening and closing pressure vessels. It is especially desired to overcome low throughput and recovery rates, and to improve loading and unloading capabilities, over currently available equipment and processes. A solution to these problems would have widespread applicability in industrial processes. What is especially desired is a pressure vessel that allows rapid and convenient opening and closing, preferably without requiring any tooling. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention addresses the aforementioned needs in the art, as will now be summarized and then further described in detail below. Some variations of the invention provide a pressure vessel comprising: a chamber configured for processing a material in a chamber volume under a chamber pressure selected from about 1 bar to about 5000 bar;a first end cap disposed at one end of the pressure chamber;a first interior seal plate disposed between the first end cap and the chamber volume; anda plurality of first pressure-vessel keys disposed between (a) the first end cap and (b) a first key ring configured to hold the first pressure-vessel keys in place,wherein at a chamber pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, the first end