Multi-functional fecal waste and garbage processor and associated methods
At least one aspect of the technology provides a self-contained processing facility configured to convert organic, high water-content waste, such as fecal sludge and garbage, into electricity while also generating and collecting potable water.
1. A method of processing wet organic sludge having water and solid fuel material, comprising:
Directing a flow of the sludge along a fuel path of a fuel dryer assembly, wherein the sludge moves through a heater portion of the fuel dryer assembly;
boiling the sludge in the fuel dryer assembly with heat from the heater portion and thermally separating the water from the solid fuel material to provide dried fuel;
condensing in a fresh water condenser assembly steam liberated from the sludge for use as potable water;
receiving in a dry fuel combustor assembly the dried fuel from the fuel dryer assembly, the dry fuel combustor assembly having a combustor portion and having a boiler configured to receive heat from the combustor portion;
directing steam from the boiler to a fluid path of a condenser portion of the fuel dryer assembly, wherein the fluid path through the condenser is isolated from the fuel path;
combusting the dried fuel in the combustor portion to generate heat that boils water in the boiler to generate steam;
generating electricity with a steam powered generator via the steam received from the boiler, the steam powered generator providing steam to the condenser portion;
directing the condensed steam from the fresh water condenser assembly through a water treatment system that receives the condensed steam in either vapor phase or liquid phase or both, wherein the condensed steam as liquid water is passed through a purifier and filter to provide the potable water; and
pumping with a water pump a flow of water from the condenser portion of the fuel dryer; wherein the flow of water is pumped from a water outlet of the water pump to the boiler;
wherein the boiler converts a flow of water entering the boiler to a flow of steam to power the steam-powered generator.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising moving and heating the sludge in the fuel dryer with a heated auger in the fuel carrier during the drying process.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the fuel dryer is a two-stage dryer having sequential first and second dryer stages each coupled to the condenser portion and the sludge in each of the first and second dryer stages is dried by evaporating water from the sludge using heat from exhaust steam from the steam-powered generator.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising generating with the first dryer stage sludge steam from the sludge, and using in the second dryer stage the sludge steam from the first dryer stage to dry the sludge.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein the first dryer stage generates first dryer steam from water evaporation from the sludge, and the second dryer stage has a first steam carrier portion coupled to the first dryer stage and the first steam carrier portion carries the first dryer steam adjacent to the sludge, and the second dryer stage has a second steam carrier portion isolated from the first steam carrier portion and the second steam carrier portion carries the exhaust steam from the steam-powered generator adjacent to the sludge, wherein heat from the first and second steam carrier portions dries the sludge moving therein.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving in the condenser portion of the fuel dryer assembly exhaust steam from the steam-powered generator, and the fuel dryer has a first dryer stage connected to the fuel inlet and has a first heater portion coupled to the condenser and the first heater portion evaporates a first portion of the water from the sludge with heat from the exhaust steam, and a second dryer stage is connected to the first dryer stage and the second dryer stage evaporates a second portion of the water from thickened sludge received from the first dryer stage with heat from the exhaust steam.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the condenser of the fuel dryer assembly receives exhaust steam from the steam powered generator, and the fuel dryer assembly having a single stage dryer portion connected to the fuel inlet and adjacent to the condenser portion, the single stage dryer portion evaporates water from the sludge using the heat from the exhaust steam in the condenser.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the combustor portion is a fluidized bed combustor assembly.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein generating electricity includes generating electricity with a steam engine.