Method and apparatus for producing biofuel in an oscillating flow production line under supercritical fluid conditions.
The invention discloses a method for producing bio-fuel (BF) from a high-viscosity biomass using thermo-chemical conversion of the biomass in a production line ( 10 ) with pumping means (PM), heating means (HM) and cooling means (CM). The method has the steps of 1) operating the pumping means, the heating means and the cooling means so that the production line is under supercritical fluid conditions (SCF) to induce biomass conversion in a conversion zone (CZ) within the production line, and 2) operating the pumping means so that at least part of the production line is in an oscillatory flow (OF) mode. The invention is advantageous for providing an improved method for producing biofuel from a high-viscosity biomass. This is performed by an advantageous combination of two operating modes: supercritical fluid (SCF) conditions and oscillatory flow (OF).
1 . A production line for producing biofuel, or other bio-based chemicals, from biomass in a continuous flow, preferably using thermo-chemical conversion of the biomass, the production line comprising
a tubular reactor
pumping means (PM) capable of pumping the biomass through the tubular reactor under a controlled pressure and flow,
heating means (HM) in thermal contact with a first part of the tubular reactor for controlling the temperature in the tubular reactor,
cooling means (CM) in thermal contact with a second part of the tubular reactor for cooling the biomass under conversion, and
a heat exchanger including heat clamps made from solid matrixes of heat conducting material that surround the tubular reactor.
2 . A method for producing bio-fuel, or other bio-based chemicals, from biomass under continuous flow in the production line of claim 1 comprising:
operating the production line in a manner such that the flow in at least part of the tubular reactor oscillates such that local flow has alternating direction between forward and backward, resulting in lower viscosity of the biomass and higher heat transfer; and
thermo-chemically converting the biomass in the tubular reactor.
3 . A method for producing bio-fuel, or other bio-based chemicals, from biomass under continuous flow in the production line of claim 1 comprising:
maintaining a conversion zone situated between the first part of the tubular reactor in thermal contact with the heating means and the second part of the tubular reactor in thermal contact with the cooling means at a temperature between 500K and 650K; and
thermo-chemically converting the biomass in the tubular reactor.
4 . A method for producing bio-fuel or other bio-based chemicals, from biomass under continuous flow in the production line of claim 1 comprising:
operating the production line in a manner such that a conversion zone (CZ) situated between the first part of the tubular reactor in thermal contact with the heating means and the second part of the tubular reactor in thermal contact with the cooling means is maintained under supercritical or near-supercritical fluid conditions to induce biomass conversion; and
thermo-chemically converting the biomass in the tubular reactor.
5 . A method for producing bio-fuel or other bio-based chemicals, from biomass under continuous flow in the production line of claim 1 comprising:
thermo-chemically converting the biomass in the tubular reactor in the presence of water or other polar solvents.