Gas generator and method therefor

1. A gas generator comprising:

a high pressure gas-generation system including a fluidized-bed reactor capable of generating a product gas stream at a non-ambient, elevated nominal pressure;

a thermal swing absorber having a first configuration and a second configuration with regard to being connected with the product gas stream, in the first configuration the thermal swing absorber is connected with the high pressure gas-generation system to receive the product gas stream and remove a constituent gas therefrom, and in the second configuration the thermal swing absorber is disconnected from the high pressure gas-generation system with regard to receiving the product gas stream and releases the constituent gas at a pressure that is substantially equal to the elevated nominal pressure, the thermal swing absorber being connected to the high pressure gas-generation system as an input source when in the second configuration to provide the released constituent gas as an input into the high pressure gas-generation system; and

a methanator arranged upstream from the thermal swing absorber when the thermal swing absorber is in the first configuration and downstream from the fluidized-bed reactor to receive the product gas stream therefrom, the methanator including a catalyst capable of converting carbon oxides in the product gas stream into methane.

2. The gas generator as recited in claim 1 , wherein the high pressure gas-generation system includes a sorbent-assisted fluidized bed reactor and a calciner.

3. The gas generator as recited in claim 2 , wherein the thermal swing absorber is connected to the calciner when in the second configuration to provide the released constituent gas as the input into the calciner.

4. The gas generator as recited in claim 2 , wherein the thermal swing absorber is connected to the sorbent-assisted fluidized bed reactor when in the second configuration to provide the released constituent gas as the input into the sorbent-assisted fluidized bed reactor.

5. The gas generator as recited in claim 1 , wherein the thermal swing absorber includes a sorbent material.

6. The gas generator as recited in claim 5 , wherein the sorbent material comprises activated carbon.

7. The gas generator as recited in claim 1 , wherein the thermal swing absorber is capable of absorbing constituent gas at a first temperature and releasing absorbed a gas at a second temperature that is greater than the first temperature.

8. The gas generator as recited in claim 1 , including a steam sweep gas source connected to the thermal swing absorber when in the second configuration to heat and purge the thermal swing absorber.

9. The gas generator as recited in claim 1 , wherein the fluidized-bed reactor includes a sorbent.

10. The gas generator as recited in claim 9 , wherein the sorbent includes calcium oxide.

11. A gas generator comprising:

a high pressure gas-generation system capable of generating a product gas stream at a non-ambient, elevated nominal pressure, the high pressure gas-generation system including a sorbent-assisted fluidized bed reactor and a calciner;

a thermal swing absorber having a first configuration and a second configuration with regard to being connected with the product gas stream, in the first configuration the thermal swing absorber is connected with the high pressure gas-generation system to receive the product gas stream and remove a constituent gas therefrom, and in the second configuration the thermal swing absorber is disconnected from the high pressure gas-generation system with regard to receiving the product gas stream and releases the constituent gas at a pressure that is substantially equal to the elevated nominal pressure, the thermal swing absorber being connected to the high pressure gas-generation system as an input source when in the second configuration to provide the released constituent gas as an input into the high pressure gas-generation system, wherein the thermal swing absorber is connected to the sorbent-assisted fluidized bed reactor when in the second configuration to provide the released constituent gas as the input into the sorbent-assisted fluidized bed reactor; and

a gas source connected with the calciner for providing a different type of gas to the calciner than the released constituent gas.

12. A gas generator comprising:

a high pressure gas-generation system capable of generating a product gas stream at a non-ambient, elevated nominal pressure, the high pressure gas-generation system including a sorbent-assisted fluidized bed reactor and a calciner downstream from the sorbent-assisted fluidized bed reactor and operable to regenerate spent sorbent from the sorbent-assisted fluidized bed reactor; and

a plurality of thermal swing absorbers each having a first configuration and a second configuration with regard to being connected with the product gas stream, in the first configuration the respective thermal swing absorber is connected with the high pressure gas-generation system to receive the product gas stream and remove a constituent gas therefrom, and in the second configuration the respective thermal swing absorber is disconnected from the high pressure gas-generation system with regard to receiving the product gas stream and releases the constituent gas at a pressure that is substantially equal to the elevated nominal pressure, the respective thermal swing absorber being connected to the high pressure gas-generation system as an input source when in the second configuration to provide the released constituent gas as an input into the high pressure gas-generation system, and the plurality of thermal swing absorbers are diversely configured such that when some of the plurality of thermal swing absorbers are in the first configuration others of the plurality of thermal swing absorbers are in the second configuration.

13. The gas generator as recited in claim 12 , wherein the plurality of thermal swing absorbers are connected to the calciner when in the second configuration.

14. The gas generator as recited in claim 12 , wherein the high pressure gas-generation system includes a methanator that is arranged upstream from the plurality of thermal swing absorbers when in the first configuration.

15. The gas generator as recited in claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of thermal swing absorbers includes a sorbent material.

16. The gas generator as recited in claim 15 , wherein the sorbent material is activated carbon.

17. The gas generator as recited in claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of thermal swing absorbers is capable of absorbing the constituent gas at a first temperature and releasing absorbed gas at a second temperature that is greater than the first temperature.

18. The gas generator as recited in claim 14 , wherein the methanator is arranged upstream from the respective thermal swing absorber when the thermal swing absorber is in the first configuration and downstream from the sorbent-assisted fluidized-bed reactor to receive the product gas stream therefrom, the methanator including a catalyst capable of converting carbon oxides in the product gas stream into methane.

19. The gas generator as recited in claim 12 , wherein the sorbent-assisted fluidized-bed reactor includes a calcium oxide sorbent.

20. A method of generating a gas, comprising:

generating a product gas stream at a non-ambient, elevated nominal pressure using a fluidized-bed reactor of a high pressure gas-generation system;

converting carbon oxides in the product gas stream into methane using a catalyst-containing methanator arranged downstream from the fluidized-bed reactor;

removing a constituent gas from the product gas stream using a thermal swing absorber in a first configuration arranged to receive the product gas stream from the methanator;

releasing the constituent gas from the thermal swing absorber in a second configuration and at a pressure that is substantially equal to the elevated nominal pressure; and

feeding the released constituent gas as an input into the high pressure gas-generation system.

21. The method as recited in claim 20 , wherein the removing of the constituent gas includes absorbing the constituent gas at a first temperature, and the releasing of the constituent gas includes releasing at a second temperature that is greater than the first temperature.

22. The method as recited in claim 20 , including feeding the released constituent gas to a calciner of the high pressure gas-generation system.

23. The method as recited in claim 20 , further including purging the thermal swing absorber with a heated sweep gas.

24. The method as recited in claim 20 , further including purging the thermal swing absorber with steam.

25. The method as recited in claim 20 , wherein the constituent gas that is removed from the product gas stream using the thermal swing absorber in the first configuration is methane.

26. A method of generating a gas, comprising:

generating a product gas stream at a non-ambient, elevated nominal pressure using a high pressure gas-generation system;

removing a constituent gas from the product gas stream using a thermal swing absorber in a first configuration;

releasing the constituent gas from the thermal swing absorber in a second configuration and at a pressure that is substantially equal to the elevated nominal pressure; and

feeding the released constituent gas to a sorbent-assisted fluidized bed reactor of the high pressure gas-generation system and feeding a different type of gas than the released constituent to a calciner of the high pressure gas-generation system gas.