High rate reaction zone system
A process and system for upgrading an organic feedstock including providing an organic feedstock and water mixture, feeding the mixture into a high-rate, hydrothermal reactor, wherein the mixture is rapidly heated, subjected to heat, pressure, and turbulent flow, maintaining the heat and pressure of the mixture for a residence time of less than three minutes to cause the organic components of the mixture to undergo conversion reactions resulting in increased yields of distillate fuels, higher-quality kerosene and diesel fuels, and the formation of high octane naphtha compounds. Hydrocarbon products are cooled at a rate sufficient to inhibit additional reaction and recover of process heat, and depressurizing the hydrocarbon products, and separating the hydrocarbon products for further processing. The process and system can include devices to convert olefinic hydrocarbons into paraffinic hydrocarbons and convert olefinic byproduct gas to additional high-octane naphtha and/or heavier hydrocarbons by one of hydrogenation, alkylation, or oligomerization.
1 . A process for converting a polymer material comprising one or more polymerization products, the process comprising:
providing the polymer material, wherein the polymer material is pressurized to a pressure range of 1500-6000 psig and heated to a first temperature of 100-400° C. prior to mixing with a water stream;
providing the water stream, wherein the water stream is pressurized to a pressure of at least 3200 psig and heated to a temperature of at least 374° C. prior to mixing with the polymer material;
mixing the water stream and the polymer material to create a pressurized mixture comprising the polymer material and the water stream;
feeding the pressurized mixture into a reaction zone at a velocity to achieve a turbulent flow within the reaction zone,
wherein the turbulent flow of the pressurized mixture within the reaction zone has a Reynolds number of at least 50,000;
heating the pressurized mixture at a high rate to a second temperature at supercritical water conditions,
wherein the first temperature of the pressurized mixture upon entering the reaction zone is less than the second temperature of the pressurized mixture achieved within the reaction zone;
maintaining the second temperature, the pressure, and the turbulent flow at the Reynolds number of at least 50,000 of the pressurized mixture in the reaction zone for a residence time to cause components of the pressurized mixture to undergo a conversion reaction resulting in hydrocarbon products,
wherein no external oxygen is added to the pressurized mixture; and
recovering the hydrocarbon products.
2 . The process of claim 1 , further comprising:
injecting a pressurized quench component into the pressurized mixture when the pressurized mixture exits the reaction zone to terminate the conversion reaction of the pressurized mixture, resulting in a quenched mixture, wherein the quenched mixture passes through one or more feed-effluent heat exchangers to further cool the quenched mixture.
3 . The process of claim 2 , further including passing the quenched mixture from the one or more feed-effluent heat exchangers to a product cooling heat exchanger to cool the quenched mixture to a temperature for separation.
4 . The process of claim 3 , wherein, upon exiting the product cooling heat exchanger, the quenched mixture is depressurized, resulting in a depressurized mixture.
5 . The process of claim 4 , further including providing the depressurized mixture to a separator that separates the depressurized mixture into water and one or more products of reaction, wherein the water separated from the quenched mixture is recycled into a water supply source for supplying the water, the pressurized quench component, or both.
6 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the second temperature of the pressurized mixture in the reaction zone is 400-700° C.
7 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the pressurized mixture is heated in the reaction zone by at least one of direct heating, indirect heating, and a combination thereof.
8 . The process of claim 1 , further comprising adding a homogeneous catalyst to the water stream or the polymer material to enhance or target specific reactions, and wherein the homogeneous catalyst is selected from the group consisting of metal oxides, compounds that form metal oxides, carbonates, sulfates, and transition metal salts.
9 . The process of claim 1 , wherein a water:polymer material volume ratio of the pressurized mixture is between 1:100 and 1:1.
10 . The process of claim 1 , wherein olefinic gas is a by-product of the conversion reaction, the process further comprising converting the olefinic gas to high-octane naphtha and/or heavier hydrocarbons by one of alkylation or oligomerization.
11 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the pressurized mixture is continuously fed into the reaction zone.
12 . A process for upgrading a polymer material comprising one or more polymerization products, the process comprising:
providing the polymer material;
providing the water stream;
applying heat and pressure to the water stream to form a superheated or supercritical water;
mixing the superheated or supercritical water with the polymer material to form a feed mixture;
feeding the feed mixture into a reaction zone at a high velocity to achieve a turbulent flow within the reaction zone,
wherein the feed mixture within the reaction zone has turbulent flow with a Reynolds number of at least 50,000,
wherein the feed mixture enters the reaction zone at an entry temperature that is below a reaction temperature;
heating the feed mixture within the reaction zone to the reaction temperature at supercritical water conditions;
maintaining the reaction temperature, pressure, and turbulent flow with a Reynolds number of at least 50,000 of the feed mixture in the reaction zone for a residence time to achieve thermal equilibrium and cause organic components of the feed mixture to undergo a conversion reaction resulting in higher-value products,
wherein no external oxygen is added to the feed mixture;
injecting a pressurized quench stream into the feed mixture when the feed mixture exits the reaction zone to terminate the conversion reaction of the feed mixture, resulting in a quenched mixture;
feeding the quenched mixture through one or more feed-effluent heat exchangers to further cool the quenched mixture;
feeding the quenched mixture from the one or more feed-effluent heat exchangers through a product cooling heat exchanger to cool the quenched mixture to a temperature suitable for separation;
depressurizing the quenched mixture upon exiting the product cooling heat exchanger, resulting in a depressurized quenched mixture;
feeding the depressurized quenched mixture into a separator that separates the depressurized quenched mixture into water and one or more products of reaction,
wherein the separated water from the quenched mixture is recycled into a water supply source for supplying the water stream, the pressurized quench stream, or both; and
separating the one or more products of reaction into at least a fuel gas and hydrocarbon products.
13 . The process of claim 12 , including preheating the polymer material prior to mixing with the superheated or supercritical water.
14 . The process of claim 12 , wherein fuel gas is used to provide process heat or electricity via cogeneration.
15 . A system for upgrading a polymer material comprising one or more polymerization products, the system comprising:
a polymer material supply;
a first pressurization device for pressurizing the polymer material to a pressure range of 1500-6000 psig;
a first heater for heating the polymer material to a first temperature of 100-400° C. prior to mixing the polymer material with water;
a water supply wherein the water is supercritical;
a second pressurization device for pressurizing the water to a pressure of at least 3200 psig;
a second heater for heating the water to a temperature of at least 374° C.;
a mixing device for mixing the polymer material and the water to produce a feed mixture; and
a reaction zone comprising:
an inlet for receiving the feed mixture at a velocity to achieve a turbulent flow within the reaction zone;
a third heater for heating the feed mixture from the first temperature to a second temperature; and
a third pressurization device for maintaining the pressure range,
wherein the feed mixture within the reaction zone has a turbulent flow with a Reynolds number of at least 50,000,
wherein the reaction zone is configured to maintain the turbulent flow with the Reynolds number of 50,000, the second temperature, and the pressure range within the reaction zone for a residence time to cause components of the feed mixture to undergo a conversion, resulting in hydrocarbon products.
16 . The system of claim 15 , further comprising:
a cooling device for cooling the hydrocarbon products;
a depressurization device for reducing the pressure of the hydrocarbon products; and
a separation device for separating the hydrocarbon products for further processing.
17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the cooling device is further used for recovering heat from the hydrocarbon products.
18 . The system of claim 15 , further comprising a water recovery device for recovering and treating water to be reused in the water supply.
19 . The system of claim 18 , further comprising a quenching device for quenching the hydrocarbon products, wherein the quenching device uses water supplied by the water recovery device.