MX2011003098A - Gas liquid contactor and effluent cleaning system and method. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a gas liquid contactor and effluent cleaning system and method and more particularly to an array of nozzles configured to produce uniformly spaced flat liquid jets shaped to minimize disruption from a gas. An embodiment of the invention is directed towards a gas liquid contactor module including a liquid inlet and outlet and a gas inlet and outlet. An array of nozzles is in communication with the liquid inlet and the gas inlet. The array of nozzles is configured to produce uniformly spaced flat liquid jets shaped to minimize disruption from a gas flow and maximize gas flow and liquid flow interactions while rapidly replenishing the liquid.

Description

CONTACTOR OF GAS AND LIQUID AND SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CLEANING OF EFFLUENTS This patent application is a continuation in part of Patent Application No. 12 / 012,568, entitled "Two-Stage Reactor," filed on February 4, 2008, which is a continuation of Patent Application No. 11 / 057,539. , entitled "Two Phase Reactor," filed on February 14, 2005, currently Patent No. 7,379,487, which claims priority of US Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 100,564, entitled "System for Removal of Gas Contaminants, "filed on September 26, 2008, of US Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 100,606, entitled" Liquid and Gas Contactor System and Method, "filed on September 26, 2008, and of the Patent Application Provisional US No. 61 / 100,591, entitled "Liquid and Gas Containers and Effluent Cleaning System and Method," filed on September 26, 2008; all of the inventions set forth above are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The invention relates to a gas and liquid contactor and effluent cleaning system and method and more specifically to a group of nozzles configured to produce flat liquid jets spaced evenly with a shape to minimize the interruption of gas flow and maximize the interactions of gas flow and liquid flow while rapidly replenishing the liquid.

Discussion of Related Art The absorption of a gas within a liquid is a key process step in a variety of gas and liquid contact systems. Gas and liquid contactors, also called gas and liquid reactors, can be classified into surface and volume reactors where the interfacial surface between the two phases is created on the surface of the liquid and within the overall liquid, respectively. There are many examples of gas reactors and surface liquid such as rotating discs and liquid jet contactors. Rotating disc generators are discs (rotors) partially submerged in a liquid and exposed to a gas stream. A thin film of liquid solution forms on the surface of the rotor and is in contact with a current of co-current reactive gas. The disc is rotated to renew the liquid reagent contact with the gas. In a gas and liquid volume reactor, the gas phase is dispersed as small bubbles within the overall liquid. The gas bubbles may have a spherical or irregular shape and are introduced into the liquid by means of gas sprinkler tubes. The bubbles can be stirred mechanically to increase mass transfer.

In many gas and liquid contact systems, the velocity of gas transport to the liquid phase is controlled by the mass transfer coefficient of liquid phase, k, the interfacial surface, A, and the concentration gradient, delta C, between the global fluid and the gas and liquid interface. A practical way for the speed of absorption of gas into the liquid is then: F = fa = kaa (p - pi) = JLa (C¡ - CL) wherein the variable F is the gas absorption rate for each unit volume of the reactor (mol / cm3); f is the average rate of absorption for each unit of area (mol / cm2); a is the interfacial surface of gas and liquid for each unit of volume (cm2 / cm3, or crcf1) p and pi are the partial pressures (bar) of the reactive gas within the global gas and at the surface, respectively; C * L is the lateral concentration of liquid (mol / cm3) that would be in equilibrium with the concentration of the existing gas phase, pi; CL (mol / cm3) is the average concentration of dissolved gas within the overall liquid; and kG and kL are the lateral gas and lateral liquid mass transfer coefficients (cm / s), respectively.

In related art, there are many approaches to maximize mass transfer and surface area in gas contactor systems. The main approaches include a gas sprinkler tube, a wet wall jet and a spray or atomization. The choice of the gas and liquid contactor depends on the conditions of the reaction including a gas / liquid flow, a transfer of more and the nature of the chemical reaction. Table 1 summarizes different mass transfer characteristics of some gas and liquid reactors of the related art. To optimize the speed of gas absorption, the parameters kr a and (C * L - CL) must be maximized. In many gas and liquid reaction systems the solubility of C * L is very low and control of the concentration gradient is therefore limited. Therefore, the main parameters that must be considered in the design of a reactor Efficient gas and liquid are the mass transfer and the ratio of the interfacial surface to the volume of the reactor, which is also called surface area.

TABLE 2: COMPARISON OF GAS / LIQUID REACTOR PERFORMANCE There are different gas and liquid contact reactors whose performance depends on the surface contact area. For example, the oxygen and chemical iodine laser (COIL) produces laser energy from a chemical fuel comprising chlorine gas (Cl2) and basic hydrogen peroxide (BHP). The product of this reaction is singlet delta oxygen, which feeds the COIL. The present technology uses circular BHP jets liquid mixed with Cl2 gas to produce delta singlet oxygen. In a typical generator, the jets are in the order of 350 microns in diameter or less. To generate the jets, the liquid BHP is pushed under pressure through a nozzle plate containing a high density of holes. This produces a high interfacial surface for contact with Cl2 gas. The higher the surface, the smaller the generator will be and the higher the performance of the excited oxygen that can be supplied to the laser cavity. Smaller, more densely packed jets can improve the specific surface, but are prone to clogging and breakage. Clogging is a serious problem since the reaction between chlorine and basic hydrogen peroxide produces chlorine salts of the alkali metal hydroxide used to make the basic hydrogen peroxide. The obstruction also limits the molarity range of basic hydrogen peroxide, which reduces singlet oxygen yield and laser power. The heaviest element of the COIL system is this chemical fuel. The problems inherent in the production of the fuel increase the weight and reduce the efficiency of the COIL laser in its entirety. Therefore, a COIL laser is needed that has increased efficiency and lighter weight than current designs.

In another example, gas and liquid contactors are also used in aerobic fermentation processes. Oxygen is one of the most important reagents in aerobic fermentation. Its solubility in aqueous solutions is low but its demand is high to sustain crop growth. Commercial thermorelers (> 10,000 L) use the stirred bubble dispersion to increase the volumetric mass transfer coefficient, kLa. The agitation helps to move the dissolved oxygen through the global fluid, breaks the coalescence of the bubbles and reduces the boundary layer that surrounds the bubbles. The interfacial surface in these systems is increased by increasing the number of bubbles within the reactor and reducing the size of the bubble diameter. However, the transfer of oxygen mass to the microorganism is still limited by the relatively small interfacial surface of the bubble and the short residence times of the bubbles. The current sprinkler tube systems (bubble dispersion) have a relatively small volume transfer coefficient kLa (0.2 / s); consequently, a new approach is desired to generate the maximum interfacial surface to solve these limitations of mass transfer.

When designing systems for industrial applications, both cost and efficiency must be taken into consideration. The Conventional wisdom usually prevents both from being obtained optimally simultaneously. In the case of gas and liquid contactors, conventional wisdom is generally maintained in industrial applications such as chemical processing, industrial biological applications, pollution control or similar processes that need to react or dissolve a chemical composition. gaseous phase with a liquid phase within a dynamic flow system.

In the example of pollution control, the standard methodology of removing a target compound or compounds in a wet process is a countercurrent flow system that uses fine droplets of the liquid phase that falls through a 180 ° gas flow phase. in an opposite direction. Normally, gravity is used to drag the liquid phase into a capture sink at the base of a column or tower. The gas phase flows upwards through the same column or tower. The gas phase is then captured for further processing or released into the atmosphere.

To adapt to larger scale chemical processes, the column or tower must be linearly increased with the size of the desired process by length or diameter. The current logical methodology is to increase the scale of a single unit of process since the capital costs of a single unit of process generally they do not increase linearly with size.

Another disadvantage of the countercurrent, gravitational or aerosol / standard drop gas and liquid contactors is that the gas flows must have a sufficiently low velocity so that the effects of gravity are greater than the droplet flotation. However, a significant evaporation of the liquid reagent generally does not occur since the contact times are prolonged, for which a significant capture of that vapor is needed before processing or secondary release.

EXTRACT OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the invention relates to a gas and liquid contactor and effluent cleaning system and method that substantially avoids one or more of the problems due to the limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

One of the advantages of the invention is that it provides large volumetric mass transport coefficients and the resultant small-sized low pressure sorbent operation which requires a minimum pumping capacity through the system.

Another advantage of the invention is that it provides a gas and liquid contactor with a reduced system footprint compared to the prior art.

Yet another advantage of the invention is that it provides a gas and liquid contactor with a modular design.

Yet another advantage of the invention is that it provides a gas and liquid contactor that uses an increased surface area of the flat jet (e.g., a thin flat liquid jet) to improve the performance of gas and liquid reactors.

Another advantage of the invention is that it provides a modular system which, due to its smaller size, footprint, factory construction and high contact surface, has a fractionally cost and site impact and a potentially higher quality and unit consistency a unit compared to conventional systems for the same reaction or purification capacity.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description, and in part will be apparent from the description, or should be learned by practicing the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and achieved through the indicated structure particularly in the written description and claims hereof as well as the accompanying drawings.

An embodiment of the invention relates to a gas and liquid contactor module. The gas and liquid contactor module includes a liquid inlet, a gas inlet and a gas outlet. The contactor module also includes a group of nozzles in communication with the liquid inlet and the gas inlet. The group of nozzles is configured to produce flat liquid jets spaced evenly with a shape to minimize gas disruption. The gas and liquid separator is capable of allowing liquid to pass through it while substantially preventing the gas from passing through it. The liquid outlet is in fluid communication with the gas and liquid separator.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for processing molecules of the gas phase with a gas and liquid contactor. The method includes forming a plurality of essentially planar liquid jets, wherein each of the liquid jets includes a planar sheet of liquid and wherein the plurality of liquid jets are disposed in substantially parallel planes. In addition, the method includes providing gas with at least one molecule of reactive or soluble gas phase. and removing or reacting at least a part of the gas phase molecule by a mass transfer interaction between the gas phase molecule and the liquid jets.

Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to a gas and liquid contact system. The gas and liquid contactor system includes a reaction chamber, a gas inlet, a gas outlet, and a liquid plenum connected to the reaction chamber. A group of nozzles is connected to the liquid plenum, the group of nozzles is configured to provide essentially planar liquid jets, wherein each of said liquid jets includes a planar sheet of liquid and where the plurality of jets of liquid is disposed in substantially parallel planes. The system also includes a gas and fluid separator connected to the reaction chamber.

Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to a gas and liquid contactor. The gas and liquid contactor includes a fluid plenum configured to provide a contact liquid and a contact chamber in communication with the fluid plenum and configured to receive the contact liquid from the fluid plenum. A gas inlet and outlet are in communication with the contact chamber. The gas and liquid contactor system is configured to provide an interaction of mass transfer that has a mass transfer coefficient in a range of 5 sec "1 to 250 sec" 1.

Still another embodiment of the invention relates to a gas phase molecule processing system. The gas phase molecule processing system includes a plurality of modular gas and liquid contactors configured to be arranged in parallel or in series which will be dimensioned as necessary for the processing of gas phase molecules.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a gas and liquid contact system using the increased surface area of a flat jet (eg, a thin flat liquid jet) to improve the performance of gas and liquid flow reactors. . In this embodiment, a rigid nozzle plate is used that contains a plurality of holes that generate thin flat jets. The flat jet orifice has in one configuration a V-shaped chamber mounted to the source of the liquid reagent. The flat jet orifice may have a pair of opposing planar walls mounted to a vertex of the V-shaped chamber. The flat jet nozzle may have a conical nozzle mounted at an opposite end of the opposing planar walls such as the chamber in the shape of V. In another configuration, the jet hole may have a hole circular mounted to the liquid source chamber. The flat jet nozzle may have a groove that intersects the circular hole to create an oval-shaped hole. The flat jet orifice may be oriented perpendicularly, opposite or parallel to the gas inlet source. The smallest passage of the flat jet nozzles can have more than 250 μ. The nozzle can produce a flat jet of liquid that has a width that is at least ten times its thickness. Flat jets can be made as thin as 10 μt? or less and being separated by only 1 mm more or less to generate high densities of packaging jets (ß = 0.01) and large specific surfaces of 20 cm "1. This is an improvement of 5 to 10 times more important than specific surface values listed in Table 1. The thin stream allows more liquid to be exposed to the gas flow that generates a higher yield of the reaction product for each liquid mass flow unit than conventional contactors.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to providing a gas and liquid contactor that generates a plurality of streams of thin flat jets which are closely and uniformly spaced, having a high specific surface area, having a uniform jet velocity, having a shape aerodynamic to minimize the interruption of minimum gas flow of the liquid jets, which have holes free of clogging and salt clogging and which are operated within the transverse flow, co-flue gas, or counterflow process streams -flow and parallel flow.

Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to an improved COIL. The COIL includes a chamber that generates excited oxygen with an inlet for a chlorine source and a flat jet nozzle for a BHP source. The nozzle has a multitude of holes that have a minimum dimension that is greater than 600 μt? of length and generates thin flat jets of a high specific surface. A camera that generates photons has a passage connected to the camera that generates excited oxygen and an input for iodine. The BHP orifice can produce a flat jet of basic hydrogen peroxide having a width that has a width that is at least ten times its thickness. The source of hydrogen peroxide can be a basic hydrogen peroxide using a single base or a mixture of bases. A single base can be potassium hydroxide or any alkali metal hydroxide. The nozzle may have a pair of parallel opposed plates having one end mounted to a conical nozzle. The nozzle can have a pair of V-shaped plates connected to a first end of the pair of parallel opposed plates.

Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to an improved COIL that includes a chamber that generates oxygen excited with an inlet for a source of hydrogen peroxide and a flat jet nozzle for an alkali metal hypochlorite source (Li, Na, K) and alkaline earth (Mg, Ca). In this embodiment, hydrogen peroxide is a gas. The nozzle has a multitude of holes that has a minimum dimension that is greater than 600 μ? of length and generates thin flat jets of high specific surface. A camera that generates photons has a passage connected to the camera that generates excited oxygen and an input for iodine.

Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to an improved fermentation reactor that includes an oxygen input source, C02, or some other nutrient or feed gas and a nozzle containing a multitude of holes to generate flat jets of fermentation media. .

Another embodiment of the invention is to provide a high surface jet generator for use in gas cleaning processes where gases such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, acid gases, hydrogen sulfide or sulfur dioxide are separated from a gas by liquid contact.

Yet another embodiment of the invention is to provide a high surface injector device for use in gas and liquid jet combustion engines.

Yet another embodiment relates to a high performance gas and liquid contactor. The gas and liquid contactor includes a fluid plenum to provide a contact liquid. The gas and liquid contactor also includes a contact chamber in communication with the fluid plenum and receiving the contact liquid from the fluid plenum. The gas and liquid contactor also includes a gas inlet in communication with the contact chamber to provide a gas and a gas outlet in communication with the contact chamber to transport the gas outwardly. In addition, the gas and liquid contactor is characterized by a specific surface in the range of between 1"1 and 50 cm" 1 and a gas pressure drop of less than 5 Torr.

Another characteristic includes that the specific surface is in the range of between 10 cm "1 and 20 cm" 1. The gas pressure drop across the gas and liquid contactor of this embodiment is in the range of 5 Torr to 10 Torr. A feature of the embodiments includes that a volume of reactor gas flow for an output of the coal-fired power plant can have more than 2500 cubic feet per minute by molecular weight (MW) from the output of the plant through a reactor volume of less than 15 cubic feet, or ratios of gas flow rate to the volume of the reaction chamber in a range of between 100 min "1 and 1000 min" 1. Another feature includes that a liquid pulse pressure to displace the contact liquid within the chamber is at low pressure, for example less than 50 pounds per square inch (psi). Another feature includes that the liquid impulse pressure is less than 20 pounds per square inch (psi). Yet another feature includes that 99% of liquid entrainment is eliminated. Yet another feature includes that the contact liquid travels through a plurality of nozzles that produce jets of flat liquid and the plurality of nozzles arranged such that the jets form a plurality of parallel rows of jets. Another feature includes that the gas flows into the contact chamber parallel to the rows of jets.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for putting a gas in contact with a liquid. The method includes providing a gas and liquid contactor that includes a fluid plenum to provide a contact liquid, provide a chamber contact in communication with the fluid plenum and receive the contact fluid from the fluid plenum. The contact chamber includes a gas inlet in communication with the contact chamber to provide a gas and a gas outlet in communication with the contact chamber to transport the gas outwardly. The gas and liquid contactor is characterized by a specific surface area between 1 cm "1 and 50 cm" 1. The gas is driven at a pressure drop less than 0.05 psi per linear foot of contactor gas flow.

Another feature includes a specific surface in the range of 10 cm "1 to 20 cm" 1. Another feature relates to a method for driving the contact liquid into the contact chamber at a pressure of less than 20 pounds per square inch. Another feature includes the removal of less than 99% of liquid entrainment. Another feature includes that the contact liquid travels through a plurality of nozzles that produce jets of flat liquid, the plurality of nozzles arranged such that the nozzles form a plurality of parallel rows of jets. Another feature includes that the gas flows into the contact chamber parallel to the jet sheets.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a gas and liquid contactor that includes a plurality of planar liquid jets, each of the liquid jets comprises a planar sheet of liquid, the plurality of jets of liquid being in parallel planes. A contactor chamber that houses the planar liquid jets where the contactor chamber has an inlet and an outlet that define a gas flow. A characteristic includes planar sheets that have a thickness in the range of 10 μ? T? at 1000 μp ?. Another characteristic includes that the thickness is in the range of 10 μp? at 100 μp ?. Another characteristic includes that the thickness is in the range of 10 μ? T? at 100 μp ?. Another characteristic includes that the thickness is in the range of 10 μp? at 50 μ? t ?. Another feature includes that each of the planar sheets of liquid is separated from the adjacent planar sheet at a distance greater than 10 μ? in a single row and less than 2 cm in the adjacent rows of nozzles. Another feature is that the gas and liquid contactor includes a plurality of nozzles that produce the plurality of liquid jets, although other geometric configurations work. Another feature includes that each of the plurality of nozzles has an approximately elliptical outlet. Another feature includes that the plurality of nozzles is disposed on a plate. Another feature includes that the plurality of nozzles arranged on the plate in such a way that the gas flow is parallel to a flat surface of the flat liquid jets. Another feature includes that the plurality of nozzles is arranged in a plurality of rows forming a group of nozzles and jets of liquid. Another feature is that the gas and liquid contactor module includes a splash guard. Another feature includes that a plurality of members of the splash guard is angled to contribute to the flow of liquid after traveling through the contactor chamber. Another feature is that the gas and liquid contactor module includes a mist eliminator.

Still another embodiment of the invention relates to a nozzle for creating a jet of flat liquid, the nozzle includes a plate for receiving the nozzle. The embodiment also includes a fluid inlet bore of the nozzle having a V-shaped cross-section and a fluid outlet bore of the nozzle having a conical cross-sectional outlet. Another feature is that the narrower perforation of the fluid inlet perforation crosses the narrower perforation of the fluid outlet perforation to form the narrower perforation of the nozzle. Another feature is that the narrowest perforation of the nozzle is greater than 600 μp ?. Other characteristic is that the base of the fluid outlet perforation is approximately an oval.

Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to a plurality of nozzles for creating thin liquid jets which include a channel, approximately V-shaped, which forms a fluid inlet bore for the plurality of nozzles. The embodiment also includes a plurality of fluid outlet perforations within the channel, the fluid outlet perforations have a conical cross section. Another feature is that the plurality of fluid outlet perforations have an elliptical shape. A feature is that the narrower perforation of the conical cross section and the plurality of nozzles is greater than 600 μ.

Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to an effluent processing system that includes a plurality of nozzle plates for sprinkling a solvent. Each of one of the plurality of nozzle plates has a plurality of nozzles. The invention also includes a purifying unit, for cleaning a combustion gas, which houses the plurality of nozzle plates. One feature is that the plurality of nozzles creates a group of flat liquid jets. Another feature is that the plurality of flat liquid jets is parallel to a flow of the combustion gas. Another feature is that the plurality of flat liquid jets is arranged in rows. Another feature is that the system includes a flue gas cooler. Another feature is that the system includes a flue gas heater. Another feature is that the system includes a second sewage unit. Another feature is that the sewage unit includes a gas separator and liquid fluid. Another feature is that the system includes a solvent pump for pumping the solvent to the sewage unit and the plurality of nozzles. Another characteristic is that the system includes a solvent collection tank to collect the solvent that passes through the treatment unit. Another feature is that the plurality of nozzle plates is removable from the treatment unit.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to an effluent processing system that includes a plurality of nozzles for sprinkling a solvent. The embodiment also includes a purifying unit for cleaning the combustion gas, which houses the plurality of nozzles. Another feature is that the plurality of nozzles creates a plurality of flat liquid jets. Another feature is that the plurality of flat liquid jets is parallel to a gas flow. Other feature is that the plurality of flat liquid jets is arranged in rows.

Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for the contact of a liquid with a gas. The method includes providing a contact chamber having a liquid inlet point, which creates a plurality of flat liquid jets within the contact chamber, and providing a gas flow parallel to the plurality of flat liquid jets. One feature is that the liquid entry point includes a plate for receiving a plurality of nozzles. Another feature is that the plurality of nozzles has a fluid inlet bore which is U-shaped in cross section and a fluid outlet bore in the nozzle having a conical outlet in the cross section. Another feature is that the method further includes arranging the plurality of liquid jets in a plurality of rows.

Still another embodiment of the invention relates to a gas and liquid contactor that includes a fluid plenum to provide a contact liquid, a contact chamber in communication with the fluid plenum to receive the contact liquid from the fluid plenum. , a gas inlet in communication with the contact chamber to supply a gas and a gas outlet in communication with the contact chamber to transport the gas outwards. The specific surface for the contact chamber is in the range of 10 cm "1 to 20 was" 1 and a lateral mass transfer coefficient of liquid for the contact chamber is greater than 0.02 cm / s. One characteristic may be that the lateral mass transfer coefficient of liquid is greater than 0.1 cm / s. Another feature may be that the lateral mass transfer coefficient of liquid is greater than 1 cm / s. Another characteristic may be that the lateral mass transfer coefficient of liquid is greater than 10 cm / s. Another feature may be that the lateral mass transfer coefficient of liquid is greater than 25 cm / s. Another characteristic may be that the lateral mass transfer coefficient of liquid is less than or equal to 50 cm / s.

Another embodiment relates to a gas and liquid contactor that includes a fluid plenum to provide a contact liquid, a contact chamber in communication with the fluid plenum to receive the contact liquid from the fluid plenum, an inlet of Gas in communication with the contact chamber to supply a gas and a gas outlet is in communication with the contact chamber to transport the gas out. A specific surface is in the range of 10 cm "1 to 20 cm" 1 and a volumetric mass transfer coefficient is greater than 0.2 sec "1. A characteristic may be that the volumetric mass transfer coefficient is greater than 1 sec" 1. Another characteristic may be that the coefficient of transfer of volumetric mass is greater than 10 sec "1. Another characteristic may be that the coefficient of transfer of volumetric mass is greater than 10 sec" 1. Another characteristic may be that the volumetric mass transfer coefficient is greater than 1000 sec "1. Another characteristic may be that the coefficient of volumetric mass transfer is less than 2500 sec" 1.

Yet another embodiment relates to a gas and liquid contactor that includes a fluid plenum to provide a contact liquid. The contactor also includes a plurality of nozzles in fluid communication with the fluid plenum that produces a plurality of flat liquid jets. The contact includes a chamber in communication with the fluid plenum and which receives the contact liquid from the fluid plenum through the plurality of nozzles. A gas inlet is in communication with the contact chamber to provide a gas and a gas outlet in communication with the contact chamber to transport the gas out. A characteristic can be a ratio of the length of the jet to the width of the jet is 10: 1. Another feature may be that the ratio of jet length to jet width is greater than 8: 1 but less than 12: 1.

Another characteristic may be that the ratio of the jet to the width of the jet is greater than 10: 1. Another feature is that each of the plurality of flat liquid jets has a thickness of 10 μp? at 100 μp ?. Another feature is that the jet length of each of the plurality of flat liquid jets is generally greater than 5 cm but less than 30 cm. Another feature is that the jet speeds of the plurality of the flat liquid jets are 10 m / s.

Yet another embodiment relates to a high performance gas and liquid contactor. The gas and liquid contactor includes a fluid plenum to provide a contact liquid. The contactor includes a contact chamber in communication with the fluid plenum and which receives the contact liquid from the fluid plenum. A gas inlet is in communication with the contact chamber to provide a gas and a gas outlet is in communication with the contact chamber to transport the gas out. The gas and liquid contactor is characterized by a specific surface area increased in a range between 1 cm "1 and 50 cm" 1 and a very low gas pressure drop of less than 5 Torr or 1 psig. Another feature is that the very low pressure drop is less than 0.05 psi for each contact distance of the gas contactor and linear liquid. Another characteristic is that the fall of Very low gas pressure is less than 1 psi for the complete gas and liquid contact system that includes gas heaters, gas coolers and defrosters. Another feature is that the contact liquid travels through a plurality of nozzles that produce jets of flat liquid when a liquid flows through the plurality of nozzles, the plurality of nozzles being arranged such that the jets form a plurality of nozzles. of parallel rows of jets. Another feature is that the gas flows in the contact chamber parallel to the rows of jets.

Another feature refers to a high performance gas and liquid contactor. The gas and liquid contactor includes a fluid plenum to provide a contact liquid. The gas and liquid contactor includes a contact chamber in communication with the fluid plenum and which receives the contact liquid from the fluid plenum. A gas inlet is in communication with the contact chamber to supply a gas, and a gas outlet is in communication with the contact chamber to transport the gas out. The gas and liquid contactor is characterized by a specific surface area increased in a range of 1 cnf1 to 50 cm "1 and a pressure that drives the liquid to displace the contact liquid inside the contact chamber is less than 15 psi. characteristic is that the pressure that drives liquid for displacing the contact liquid inside the contact chamber is less than 10 psi. Another feature is that the contact liquid travels through a plurality of nozzles that produce jets of flat liquid when a liquid flows through the plurality of nozzles, the plurality of nozzles being arranged such that the jets form a plurality of nozzles. parallel rows of jets'. Another feature is that the gas flows into the contact chamber parallel to the rows of jets.

Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to a high performance gas and liquid contactor module. The module includes a fluid plenum to provide a contact liquid and a contact chamber in communication with the fluid plenum to receive the contact liquid from the fluid plenum. A gas inlet is in communication with the contact chamber to provide a gas and a gas outlet is in communication with the contact chamber to transport the gas out. The gas and liquid contactor is characterized by a contaminant removal percentage greater than 80%. One characteristic is that the contactor volume is less than 0.5 m3. Another characteristic is that the percentage of elimination of contaminants is greater than 90%. Another characteristic is that the percentage of removal of contaminants is greater than 95%. Another characteristic is that the percentage of elimination of Pollutants is 99% or more. Another feature is that a plurality of gas and liquid contactors are designed to be arranged in parallel for the total system to be dimensioned as necessary. Another feature may be that the plurality of the modular gas and liquid contactors is arranged vertically. Another feature may be that the plurality of the modular gas and liquid contactors is arranged horizontally. Another feature may be that the plurality of modular gas and liquid contactors is arranged in series. Another characteristic may be that the parasitic load of the system is less than 5%. Another characteristic is that the parasitic load of the system is less than 1%. Another feature is that a clearance percentage of clearance for a contaminant such as S02 is greater than 90%. Another feature is that a clearance percentage of clearance for a contaminant such as S02 is greater than 95%. Another feature is that the clearance percentage of clearance for a pollutant such as S02 is greater than 99%.

Yet another embodiment relates to a gas and liquid contactor module that includes numerous combined features. The module includes a liquid inlet to provide a reactive liquid or solvent to the contactor module. It also includes a gas inlet and an outlet that provides a conduit so that the reactive gas or gaseous solute or gas phase reactant passes through the contactor module. The distribution of fluid through the contactor is provided by a group of nozzles in liquid communication with the liquid inlet where the group of nozzles is configured to produce uniformly spaced flat liquid jets with a shape to minimize the interruption from a gas that flows through the contactor. Through the contactor chamber from these liquid jet nozzles is a gas and liquid separator capable of allowing liquid to pass through it while substantially preventing the gas from passing through it, which in turn is a Liquid contact with a liquid outlet.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for processing the gas phase molecules with a gas and liquid contactor. This method includes a plurality of essentially planar liquid jets where each of these liquid jets comprises a planar sheet of liquid. The plurality of liquid jets is arranged in substantially parallel planes. The method also provides gas with at least one molecule of reactive or soluble gas phase. In this method,. at least a part of the gas phase molecule is removed by a mass transfer interaction between the gas phase molecule and the liquid jets.

Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to a gas and liquid contact system that includes numerous combined subsystems. These combined subsystems include a reaction chamber, a gas inlet connected to the reaction chamber, a gas outlet connected to the reaction chamber, a liquid plenum connected to the reaction chamber, a group of nozzles connected to the plenum of liquid, and a gas and fluid separator connected to the reaction chamber. With respect to the group of nozzles, the group of nozzles is configured to provide essentially planar liquid jets. In addition, each liquid jet comprises a planar sheet of liquid and those jets are disposed in a plurality of liquid jets that are essentially in substantially parallel planes.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a gas and liquid contactor where a fluid plenum is configured to provide a contact liquid to a contact chamber. A second feature is that the contact chamber is in communication with the fluid plenum and is itself configured to receive the contact liquid from the fluid plenum. Third, the contactor has a gas inlet and a gas outlet in communication with the contact chamber. In general, the gas and liquid contactor system is configured to provide a mass transfer interaction having a coefficient of volumetric mass transfer in the range of 5 seconds "1 to 250 sec.

It should be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are examples and explanations and do not wish to provide another explanation of the claimed invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system for producing a flat jet according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of a system for producing excited oxygen according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 is a block diagram of an improved oxygen and chemical iodine laser according to another embodiment of the invention. invention.

Figure 4 is a top right perspective view of a flat jet nozzle according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5 is a lower left perspective view of the flat jet nozzle of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a precursor to a nozzle bank according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 7 is a side view of the precursor to the nozzle bank shown in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a top view of a nozzle bank according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 9 is a side view of the nozzle bank of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle bank of Figure 8 along the section B shown in Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a detailed view of the nozzle bank of Figure 8 defined by section A shown in Figure 9.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the nozzle bank of Figure 8.

Figure 13 is a perspective view of a plate inside which the nozzle banks are welded.

Figure 14 is a side view of a nozzle plate according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 15 is a top view of the nozzle plate of Figure 14.

Figure 16 is a perspective view of the nozzle plate of Figure 14.

Figure 17 is a detailed exploded view of the nozzle plate of Figure 14 along the cut line A shown in Figure 15.

Figure 18 is a perspective view of a group of thin flat liquid jets produced by the nozzle plate of Figure 14 Figure 19 is a front view of the group of thin flat liquid jets produced by the nozzle plate of Figure 14.

Figure 20 is a side view of the group of thin flat liquid jets produced by the nozzle plate of Figure 14.

Figure 21 is a side fluid outlet view of a nozzle plate according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 22 is a fluid inlet side view of the nozzle plate of Figure 21.

Figure 23 is a side fluid outlet view of a nozzle plate within another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 24 is a side view of fluid inlet of the nozzle plate of Figure 23.

Figure 25 is a side fluid outlet view of a nozzle plate with a removed nozzle bank.

Figure 26 is a fluid inlet side view of the nozzle plate of Figure 25.

Figure 27 is a top view of a precursor for a nozzle bank.

Figure 28 is a side view of the precursor of Figure 27.

Figure 29 is a sectional view of a schematic of a gas and liquid cofactor according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 30 illustrates a schematic arrangement of a plurality of gas and liquid contactors according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 31 is a schematic of a system for eliminating various pollutants according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 32 is a schematic of a system for removing various pollutants according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 33 is a diagram of a general gas and liquid contactor that allows interaction between the gas and liquid phases according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 34 is an absorbance graph as a function of elapsed time for an N02 removal system.

Figure 35 is a graph of the absorption spectrum of FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) of C02 with liquid aqueous ammonia jets turned on and off.

Figure 36 is a photograph of a 2 MW prototype system.

Figure 37 is a photograph of a gas and liquid contactor.

Figure 38 is a photograph of the solvent pumps of the system of Figure 41.

Figure 39 is a graph of the purification results of S02 using H20, NaOH (0.1% by weight), scale of 0.13 MW.

Figure 40 is a graph of C02 purification tests using 19% by weight of aqueous ammonia, scale of 0.13 MW.

Figure 41 is a graph of the results of the purification of S02 using H20, NaOH (0.1% by weight), scale of 2 MW.

Figure 42 is a representation of a 60 M depuration unit and support structures.

Figure 43 is a front view of a 2 MW section of the scrubber tower of Figure 47.

Figure 44 is a side view of a 2 MW section of the scrubber tower of Figure 47.

Figure 45 shows the geometry of the inlet channel and the jet pack zone.

Figure 46 shows a representation of a jet pack zone with a removable nozzle plate.

Figure 47 shows the configuration of the nozzle plates within the jet pack zone of Figure 51.

Figure 48 shows a seal system for the jet pack zone of Figure 46.

Figure 49 is a process flow diagram for a contaminant removal system according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 50 is a process flow diagram of a pollutant removal system according to another embodiment.

Detailed description of the invention The invention relates to a gas and liquid contactor and effluent cleaning system and method and more specifically to a group of nozzles configured to produce uniformly spaced liquid jets with a shape to minimize gas disruption. In addition, different embodiments directly provide a plurality of processes of a single small unit, aggregated into modules, which, by their design, overcome the drawbacks of conventional designs. Modulating single-unit processes allows small systems that can be scaled by simply multiplying the module by convenient integers to accommodate the scale of the process.

In addition, a single gas and liquid contactor capable of producing a thin liquid jet can be multiplied and added into a module or modules that can be played within a range of gas flow velocities in a very compact, dramatically smaller design than a conventional counter-current reactor for equivalent reaction performance. This grouping within a module or modules can be done in series or in parallel.

In the series realization the modules are incorporated one after the other where the gas flows sequentially through each module. Of course, some modules can be diverted or have recirculation loops. In addition, the modules can run the same liquid phase, or different liquid phases according to the desired selectivity of the target capture reactions and gas module sequence.

In a parallel embodiment the modules are incorporated one above or above the other in such a way that all process or purify the same gas supply, each module processes approximately equivalent amounts of gas or gas molecules as an adjacent module. In general, the parallel modules run liquid phases identical to each other since the processing in each one is contemporary with the adjacent modules.

An embodiment of the invention relates to accommodating higher gas flow rates or transfer coefficients of smaller than the design standard for a single module, the module itself can be multiplied into units of convenient whole numbers in a functional module of bigger than it has longer contact times without formally dividing the target process into redundant systems. In addition, this design logic can be extended to other sub-modules within the chemical processor, such as liquid capture systems and liquid supply systems, all of which accommodate a single main gas flow plenum and a single stage of liquid processing. Expensive capital equipment, such as pumps and bellows from the gas and / or liquid flow systems, can be scaled in a linear fashion to feed the incremental modules; these modules, by their unique designs, are connected together to form a single functional process in a very compact design.

In another embodiment of the invention, the module can be designed to push the liquid phase at very high speeds using liquid jets, for example, thin flat jets, thereby canceling the dependence on gravity or buoyancy to provide transport of the liquid. dough. The liquid can flow at very high speeds, the gas phase can also flow at very high velocities transversely, along the same vec or in countercurrent flows. Since all flows are at high speeds, the direction of flow can be chosen for design convenience rather than gravity or thermal convection limitations. In addition, the transfer coefficients mass and volume transfer can be very high and the contact length can again be scaled in a modular fashion to adapt it to the load as well as to the reaction performance.

In another embodiment of the invention, a gas and liquid contacis configured to obtain selective and high mass transfer rates of gas reagents from high volumetric gas flow rates in continuously spaced liquids confined to small system volumes. In addition, in different methods of the invention, the large dense packaged groups of high velocity stable liquid jets, eg, thin flat liquid jets, are configured to interact with a high velocity gas flow. The jetting orifices and the densities can be optimized based on the characteristics of sorbent or liquid reagent such as viscosity and surface tension. In general terms, without considering the size of the chamber or the general processing scale, when the liquid velocity increases, the stability of the liquid jets increases. As such, the density of the nozzle in the nozzle group can be increased and the nozzle size can be reduced. However, this is not necessary, but it may be desirable to reduce the separation from one jet to another, increasing and thus optimizing the specific surface of the contac In contrast, the smaller surface energies tend to destabilize the jets, which results in a formation of small droplets in some conditions, which is not desired in this invention and which is more typical of prior art. In the case of the smaller surface energies, the lower liquid pressure and the larger nozzle sizes could be indicated to optimize jet properties for a given fluid.

An embodiment of the invention significantly increases the efficiency of processes for gaseous reactants and liquid reagents with respect to conventional methods and systems. The efficiencies of the method and system are achieved from the large volumetric mass transport coefficients and the resulting small size, the low pressure sorbent operation which requires a minimum pumping capacity through the system due to the low resistance of the jets of liquid and the modular and combinable nature of the design. Accordingly, unexpected results of embodiments of the invention are obtained, for example, an approximately equivalent performance is achieved with reference to conventional reactors but with a footprint that can be at least ten times smaller and with a lower capital cost than at least half of the conventional gas and liquid contactors.

An embodiment of the invention relates to a gas and liquid contactor module. The gas and liquid contactor module includes a liquid inlet and outlet and a gas inlet and outlet. The module also includes a group of nozzles in communication with the liquid inlet and the gas inlet where the group of nozzles is configured to produce flat liquid jets spaced evenly with a shape to minimize the interruption of a gas. The module also includes a gas and liquid separator capable of allowing liquid to pass through it while substantially preventing gas from passing through it. The module can be connected with other modules in series or in parallel.

The module can be manufactured from a plurality of different materials, for example, copper, nickel, chrome, steel, aluminum, coated metals, and combinations thereof. In addition, the nozzle may include a plastic material, or at least one of structural polymers, polyamides, compounds and combinations thereof.

The group of nozzles can be formed in a plurality of different configurations, for example, in a stepped configuration. In a stepped configuration, a first row of nozzles, a second row of nozzles and a third row of nozzles are arranged in such a way that the second row of nozzles is displaced and positioned between the first and third row of nozzles.

The group of nozzles can also include a plurality of nozzles separated by a predetermined dimension. The nozzles may include at least two nozzles separated by a distance greater than 0.2 cm. The nozzles can include any number of rows and columns. In a preferred embodiment, at least three rows of nozzles are provided and are separated by a uniform distance. The distance between the nozzles can be in the range of 0.1 cm and 5.0 cm.

The nozzles can be formed from liquid channels having numerous geometric shapes, for example, a U-shaped channel, V-shape, and the like. The channel can be formed using different methods including, but not limited to, machine or other forming of a metal, composite, or ceramic plate, or by machine forming nozzle orifices in a tube or part of a tube. When a single plate is machined, a V-shaped or U-shaped channel is machined from the liquid side of the plate. These channels are then bisected from the process side of the plate with a second V-shaped groove, the depth of which penetrates into the space of the liquid channel.

According to the length of the second groove, the resulting hole or nozzle formed by the intersection of the liquid channel and the channel of the process side may be different sides.

A higher penetration intersection results in larger nozzles. That is, the magnitude of the intersection of the cone within the V-shaped or U-shaped channel derives into a larger nozzle. When the nozzles are formed as tubes, a tangential cut is made at an angle of 90 ° with the axis of the tube radius on the outside of the radius (the process side). Depending on the depth of this cut and the radius of the tube, both the dimension (the smallest or largest cross section) and the size of the resulting nozzle can be changed; deeper cuts can result in larger nozzles. The liquid channel that feeds the nozzle can have a depth greater than 2 mm. In embodiments of the invention the channel may have a depth in a range of 2 mm to 20 mm.

In another embodiment the shape of the nozzle is formed to be substantially oval, such that the nozzle includes a minor to major axis ratio of less than 0.5. In other embodiments, the nozzle may have a cross-sectional area projected in the range of 0.25 mm2 to 20 mm2. The projected cross sectional area is determined by the evaluation of the Two-dimensional shape of the nozzle when observed with a backlight projected on a two-dimensional surface, although recognizing that the real shape is three-dimensional and complex according to both the depth of the cut and the radius and / or shape of the curvature of the channel.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for processing gas phase molecules with a gas and liquid contactor. This method includes forming a plurality of essentially planar liquid jets where each of these liquid jets is formed in a planar sheet of liquid. The plurality of liquid jets are arranged in substantially parallel planes. The method also provides gas with at least one molecule of reactive or soluble gas phase.

In this embodiment, at least a part of the gas phase molecule is removed by a transfer interaction between the gas phase molecules and the liquid jets. The gas phase molecules may include effluents from an industrial process, for example, coal fired plants or other industrial effluents, such as contaminants may include S0X, N0X, C02, Hg, and combinations thereof. Naturally, other gas molecules can also be removed such as acid gases such as HC1, HBr, HF, H2S04, and HN03, CO, H2S, amines (including ammonia), alkanolamines, urea, formamides, alcohols, carboxylates (such as acetic acid), combinations thereof, and a wide variety of other gas phase molecules. The limitation of the invention is simply the ability to provide a gaseous phase molecular reagent or solute and a liquid phase within which it is reactive or soluble, respectively. Although the main description of this specification of the invention focuses on aqueous systems, one skilled in the art will quickly recognize the applicability of this invention of gas and liquid contactor also to non-aqueous systems. For example, partial fluorination of pharmaceutical compounds or chlorination of petrochemical raw materials are known in the art.

In an embodiment of the invention, the liquid can be chosen to remove contaminants within the gas as is known in the art. A water-based solution can be used to remove SO2 and other constituents of flue gases, such as a solution containing 0.1 M to 1.0 NaOH, NH4HC03, Na2S03. As is known in the art, the concentrations of these liquid reagents can be adjusted according to the mass transfer of the gas-liquid interaction and the preferred products.

In addition, some examples of liquids include a solution of at least one of water, ammonia, ammonium salts, amines, alkanolamines, alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, peroxides, hypochlorites, calcium salt, magnesium, and combinations thereof. same. Other solutions may include seawater, brine, combinations thereof and the like.

Seawater can be used to purify S02 or C02, or both, depending on pH control and other engineering factors. In addition, these liquids would also be effective to purify other acid gases, such as HC1 or HF.

The method forms at least one jet. The jet can be configured to have different physical dimensions. For example, the jet can have a length in the range of 5 cm and 20 cm, a jet width of 1 cm to 15 cm, a jet thickness of between 10 μp? and 1000 μp ?. In addition, the jet can have a ratio of length to width in the range of 0.3 to 20.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a gas and liquid contact system that includes a number of combined subsystems. These combined subsystems include a reaction chamber, a gas inlet connected to the reaction chamber, an output of gas connected to the reaction chamber, a liquid plenum connected to the reaction chamber, a group of nozzles connected to the liquid plenum, and a gas and fluid separator connected to the reaction chamber. With respect to the group of nozzles, it is configured to provide essentially planar liquid jets. In addition, each liquid jet comprises a planar sheet of liquid and the plurality of liquid jets is arranged such that it is essentially in substantially parallel planes.

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system for producing a flat jet according to an embodiment of the invention. With reference to Figure 1, a system 0 includes a group of flat jet orifices to produce jets of liquid, for example, thin flat liquid jets, which are highly dense and have a high surface. In this embodiment, a small segment of a group of nozzles is machined from a single plate. This shows the V-shaped liquid channels, but in this example, the hole on the process side intersects the V-shaped liquid channel with a cone as opposed to a groove. However, the resulting nozzle orifice It is still elliptical. The group of nozzles includes stepped orifices in such a way that the orifices are separated by a distance. The distance can be in the range of 0.1 cm to 5 cm in the x direction and from 0.1 cm to 2 mm in the y direction. In a preferred embodiment, the distance is 2 cm in the x direction and 2 mm in the y direction. Naturally, the distance between the holes does not need to be constant throughout the group of holes.

The orifice has a V-shaped inlet 1 and a conical outlet channel 2 for the development of the jet. The intersection of the input 1 and the output channels 2 creates the hole. A cross-sectional view of the nozzle plate 3 shows contours of the inlet 4 and the outlet channels 5. An approximate representation of the jet exiting the orifice is shown as 7. A cross section is provided near the inlet 8 and the exit channels 9. The thin flat liquid jets can be formed with a variable length, for example, the ratio of jet length to jet width is 10: 1 where the jet has a thickness in the range of 10 μp ? at 100 μp ?. The length of the jet can be in the range of 5 cm to 20 cm. The width of the jet can be in the range of 0.5 cm to 20 cm.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of a system for producing excited oxygen according to another embodiment of the invention. The COIL is more efficient, weighs less and is smaller than the previous designs since it uses a group of nozzles according to an embodiment of the invention that is capable of creating a large specific surface area of liquid, for example, basic hydrogen peroxide . With reference to Figure 2, COIL is represented by reference number 10. COIL 10 is used to produce excited oxygen. The OCIL 10 includes a source of gaseous reagent 12, for example, chlorine gas, mounted to a manifold 14. The manifold 14 has numerous openings, for example holes (not shown), configured to allow the jets of gas to enter. in a chamber generating excited oxygen 20. COIL 10 also has a source of liquid reagent 22, for example, basic hydrogen peroxide formed with a single base. In one embodiment, a single base is potassium hydroxide (KOH). The source of basic hydrogen peroxide 22 is connected via a line 24 to a plurality of nozzles 26. The nozzles 26 are configured to create thin flat jets 28 of the liquid basic hydrogen peroxide. The thin flat jets 28 of hydrogen peroxide 22 react with the chlorine gas jets to produce excited oxygen 32. The COIL 10 may also include a method for collecting the basic hydrogen peroxide for the reuse loop, for example, of recycling.

The use of liquid jets increases the specific surface area of hydrogen peroxide 22, thus increasing the efficiency of the reaction with chlorine gas 12. Tests have shown that the specific surface area of thin flat liquid jets is more than three times greater than that of the circular jets of related art. In addition to increasing the surface area of hydrogen peroxide, flat jets do not need the small grooves needed by the previous nozzles. More specifically, the previous nozzles have a throat size in a range of 150 μt? at 350 μ ?? The nozzles 26 can use a throat that has more than 250 μp ?, more than 600 μt ?. Accordingly, the nozzles 26 are unlikely to become clogged due to contaminants, for example salts formed by the reaction of hydrogen peroxide and chlorine gas. In addition, this allows the system 10 to use a higher starting molarity of the hydrogen peroxide solution, for example, molarities as high as ten moles / L can be used. Previous systems are generally limited to a starting molarity of five moles / L due to contaminants that clog the system, for example, the formation of clogging salts. Most systems reuse hydrogen peroxide, although once the molarity falls to 2.5 moles / L the performance of the system is severely degraded. As a result, most systems are limited to a delta molarity in a range of 2.5 moles / L to 5 moles / L while this embodiment allows a delta molarity to be in the range of 2.5 moles / L at 10 moles / L. Consequently, the apparatus can transport a third of the basic hydrogen peroxide or have three times the capacity of the previous systems.

In another embodiment, a COIL includes an excited oxygen generating chamber with an inlet for a source of hydrogen peroxide and a flat jet nozzle for a hypochlorite source of alkali metals (Li, Na, K) and alkaline earth metals (Mg). , Co). The hydrogen peroxide is a gas. The nozzle has a multitude of holes with a minimum dimension that is greater than 300 μ? of length capable of generating thin flat jets of a specific surface. A photon generating chamber having a passage connected to the excited oxygen generating chamber and an inlet for iodine.

Figure 3 is a block diagram of an improved COIL according to another embodiment of the invention. With reference to Figure 3, the improved COIL is generally represented as the 50 reference number. The COIL has a 52 gas source, for example, chlorine gas physically connected through a conduit or pipe 54 through numerous inlets to an excited oxygen generating chamber 56. A source of the liquid reagent 58, eg, basic hydrogen peroxide 58 is conveyed through a pipe 60 to a group of flat jet nozzles 62. The nozzles 62 allow the basic liquid hydrogen peroxide 58 to be mixed with the chlorine gas 52. The reaction produces excited oxygen 64, which includes a single oxygen delta. The excited oxygen 64 is transported to a photon generating chamber 66. An iodine source 68 is connected to an inlet 70 of the photon generating chamber 66. The iodine 68 drifts into the excited oxygen 64 which deteriorates and releases photons . The photon generating chamber 66 has mirrors that allow the laser 72 with an output perpendicular to the flow of the excited oxygen. The spent oxygen 74 leaves the photon generating chamber 66. The laser 50 may include a system for reclaiming the basic hydrogen peroxide to reuse it. The COIL 50 uses the group of nozzles 62 to increase the surface area of the hydrogen peroxide and allow a higher starting molarity of the basic hydrogen peroxide. As a result, the COIL 50 is more efficient to allow a smaller size and weight than previous systems or a higher laser ignition capability.

Figure 4 is a top right perspective view of an embodiment of a flat jet nozzle according to an embodiment of the invention. With reference to Figure 4, a nozzle 80 has a V-shaped chamber 82 that is mounted at a vertex 83 to a first end 84 of a pair of opposing plates 86. A second end 88 of the opposing plates 86 is mounted to a conical nozzle 90. The liquid, for example, basic hydrogen peroxide flows into the V-shaped liquid supply channels or chambers 82 and is pushed through the passage 92 between the opposing plates 86 out of the nozzle 90 and creates a jet of flat liquid 94. According to the surface of the nozzle, the flow velocity of the jet and the velocity, the thickness of the jet 96 can be in the range of 5 μ? at 100 μp? and the width 98 may be in the range of 1 cm to 5 cm.

In this embodiment, the ratio of width to thickness is significantly greater than the factor of ten. For example, for jet velocities of 10 m / s, the length of the flat jet stream may be fifteen or more centimeters. The narrowest passage 100 is where the conical nozzle 90 intersects with the opposing planar plates 86 is greater than 600 μp This nozzle 80 allows a large surface area of liquid, eg, basic hydrogen peroxide, which significantly increases the efficiency of the reaction between basic hydrogen peroxide and chlorine. In addition, due to the large surface of the jet and the small thickness of the jet this nozzle 80 produces a very large specific surface area which is in the range of 10 cm "1 to 20", which allows a smaller generator volume and yields Higher excited oxygen delivered to the laser cavity. In addition, the nozzle 80 does not need a throat or small passage that is likely to become clogged with contaminants, for example, salts that derive from the reaction of chlorine and basic hydrogen peroxide, thereby allowing the system to have a molarity of much higher starting for basic hydrogen peroxide.

Figure 5 is a lower left perspective view of the flat jet nozzle of Figure 4. With reference to Figure 5, the flat jet nozzle 80 includes numerous conical nozzles that can be mounted to the second end 88 of the opposing planar plates. 86. Note that the only outlet of the second end 88 of the opposing planar plates 86 is through the conical nozzles. It is noted that while the description has focused on the application of a COIL, these embodiments are also applicable to any reactor or two-phase contact system. The use of this two-phase reactor system significantly increases the interaction between the phase reagent gas and the liquid phase reagent. As a result, the reaction is significantly more efficient than what is allowed by the designs of two previous phase reactors.

Therefore, a COIL has been described that is taller, smaller and more efficient than previous COIL lasers of similar capacity. This allows the laser to be used with smaller transport systems or increases the capacity of the present transport systems.

Effluent Contact System and Method As described above, system 0 provides a group of nozzles to produce highly dense, thin high surface flat jets. System 0 is described in relation to use with COIL. In an alternative embodiment, many of the principles of system 0 can be applied to a system and method of contaminant mitigation. In one embodiment, the contaminant mitigation system and method includes a gas and liquid contactor. The gas and liquid contactor includes a plurality of nozzle plates. In this embodiment, each nozzle plate includes a plurality of nozzles described in Figures 6-17, the nozzles 1010 form a group of nozzles.

The system and method of contaminant mitigation will be described from a bottom-up perspective, concentrating first on the unique and innovative 1010 nozzle used, then the nozzle plate and the unique arrangement of the nozzles, then the configuration of the liquid and gas reactor, then the system layout and complete method of contaminant mitigation, and followed by the implementation of the system with respect to different pollutants. The subcomponents of the system and method of contaminant mitigation have numerous applications beyond that related to the pollutant mitigation system and method, as is clear from the following description.

Nozzle As presented above, in relation to system 0, holes are described that supply a flat jet of hydrogen peroxide. The orifice has a V-shaped inlet 1 and a conical outlet channel 2 for the development of the jet. The intersection of the input 1 and the output channels 2 creates the hole. The cross-sectional views of the nozzle plate show contours of the inlet 3 and the outlet channels 4. An approximate representation of the jet exiting the orifice shows as 5. A cross section near the entrance 6 and the exit channels 7 is provided. The ratio of the length of the jet to the width of the jet is 10: 1 with a thickness in the range of 10 μp? at 100 μt ?.

In addition to increasing the surface of the reactant or sorbent, the flat jets do not need the small grooves that the nozzles in the related art need. As previously explained, the nozzles of the related art have a throat size in the range of 150 μp? at 350 μ? t? in its dimension of greater size. By way of contrast, the embodiments of the invention are configured in such a way that the flat jet nozzles can have a throat having 250 μ? or more in a small dimension of the nozzle. For example, flat jet nozzles can have a throat in a range of 250 μp? at 200 μ ?? Accordingly, it is unlikely that the nozzles of the embodiments of the invention become clogged due to contaminants, for example, salts formed by the reaction of the liquid sorbents and gases, thereby strengthening the systems of the invention. In addition, allow the systems to use a higher starting molarity of reagents or even suspensions of fine sorbents. Molarities as high as 10 moles / L can be used, whereas previous systems are generally limited to a molarity of starting at 5 mol / L due to the formation of clogging salts and / or by-products or solid precipitates. Most systems reuse sorbents or liquid reagents, although once the molarity drops significantly the performance of the system can be seriously degraded. In embodiments of the invention, the sorbent or reagent liquid is easily replenished through simple monitoring of concentrations and titration of reagents appropriately within liquid systems.

The nozzle 1010, as shown in Figures 8-13, is similar to the conical nozzle 90 described above. For example, the similarity is that the cut of the resulting nozzle can be described as an intersection of an approximate cone with the U-shaped channel, although it is manufactured in a different way than using a cone-shaped machine tool drill. The nozzle 1010 creates a jet. Flat when a liquid flows through it and can be configured to produce evenly spaced flat liquid jets with a shape to minimize the interruption of a gas in a gas and liquid contactor system. A flat jet with shutter flow characteristics has also been created. The initially created flat jet has characteristics of very low turbulence, which allows the flat jet to retain its characteristics for a duration important Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a precursor to a nozzle bank. Figure 7 is a side view of the precursor to the nozzle bank shown in Figure 6. With reference to Figures 6-8, a precursor rod 1012 is used to form the nozzle 1010 and the nozzle bank 1011. Rod 1012 can have different dimensions and generally resembles half of a pipe that has flattened. The precursor material can take the form of numerous different geometric shapes, such as ellipsoid, oval and semicircular.

Rod 1012 has a sheath rod thickness 1015 may be in the range of 0.015 inches to 0, 055 inches, the straight rod height 1016 can be in the range of 0.05 to 0.75 inches and a total height of the rod 1017 can be in the range of 0.25 inch to 0.95 inch. In a preferred embodiment, the rod has a sheath rod thickness 1015 of 0.035 inch, a rod width 1014 with a maximum measure of 0.323 inch, a straight rod height 1016 of 0.10 inch, a total rod height 1017 of 0.31 inch and a rod length 1018 of 7.470 inches. The total width 1014 is 0.323 inch and the edge of the nozzle 1019 starts at 0.035 inch from the edge of the nozzle bank 1011 as shown in Figure 9.

In this embodiment, the procedure for creating the nozzle bank 1011 is as follows. The nozzle bank 1011 is created using a progressive matrix. The first stage of the cuts with a matrix creates a rectangular piece of metal of the correct size that must be formed. The material used for the matrix can be a single metal or an alloy, for example stainless steel. In addition, the selection of the metal may depend on the chemical composition of the liquid being used and its corrosivity or reactivity, accordingly, - other metals may be chosen including copper, nickel, chromium, aluminum, or alloys including these metals.

In the second step, the specific geometry of the rod 1012 of Figures 6 and 7 is created. Preferably, the rod 1012 is deburred to eliminate sharp edges or edges. Then, a plurality of nozzles 101 is formed by forming the nozzles 101 on the rod 1012. In a preferred embodiment, the nozzles 1010 are formed with a cable electric discharge machine (EDM) machine. For example, the rod 1012 is mounted to an accessory and placed inside a production EDM machine and the nozzles are formed inside the rod 1012, by example, as shown in Figures 8-11.

As shown in Figure 12, the end covers 1023 are welded to the nozzle bank 1011 and the nozzle bank 1011 is welded to a plate as shown in Figure 13. The welding can be performed as is known in art, example, laser welding. In Figures 8-13 the row of nozzles 1011 is shown with the finished nozzles 1010. The nozzles 1010 are cuts with an angle of 90 degrees as can be seen in Figure 11. The depth of the cut of the nozzle can be in the range from 1 mm to 2.5 rare. In a preferred embodiment, the nozzles 1010 are cut to a depth of the nozzle 1020 of 0.058 inch. The depth of the channel can be in the range of 2 mm to 20 mm.

The nozzles can be formed to have a uniform or non-uniform distance between the centers 1021. In the embodiments of the invention, the distance between the centers can be in the range of 0.1 cm to 5 cm. In a preferred embodiment, the distance between the centers of the nozzles 1021 is 0.158 inch. In addition, there may be any number of nozzles in a nozzle bank 1011. In a preferred embodiment, 45 nozzles are formed within a nozzle bank 1011. In addition, an end space 1022 is formed at both ends of the nozzle bank 1011. In a i preferred embodiment, the end space 1022 is formed at I 0.235 inch. Figure 12 shows where the I nozzle end covers 1023 are welded. Figure 13 shows how it is! welds a nozzle bank 1011 within a plate 1024 along the channel seam 1025. The configuration of this embodiment is advantageous in that it can provide a surface area of large compared to the volume of liquid and also provide a large number of jets within a container of low volume at normal atmospheric pressure. In another embodiment, the channels can also be machined directly into a plate instead of welding them as described herein. In addition, the nozzles can be configured to have a narrow approximately oval slot could also be produced with the smallest dimension less than 0.5 mm, but greater than 50 mm in length. Although this nozzle would have an undesired high liquid flow volume compared to the preferred embodiment, it does not form A sheet of thin flat liquid with a high surface.

I i Nozzle plates i ! ! The arrangement of the nozzles 101 on the banks of nozzles! 1011 or plate 1024 allows the liquid jets ! produced by the nozzles that are to be packed tightly with a small volume. The predictable nature of the flow of fluid allows the jets to pack tightly without interference and without causing turbulence. In a preferred embodiment, the fluid flow is configured such that the incoming liquid flows at 90 ° to the direction of the liquid nozzle feed channel. This has been found to produce the best properties of liquid jets with aqueous fluids; the flow of fluid along or parallel to the liquid feed channel can result in the deflection of the resulting jet in the direction of fluid flow, an undesirable effect. In contrast, the laminar flow of the jets created by the nozzle plates 1020 produces closely packed jets without intersection of the currents in adjacent rows. As a result, little turbulence is created and the fluid distribution remains uniform.

Figure 14 is a side view of a nozzle plate according to another embodiment of the invention. Figure 15 is a top view of the nozzle plate of Figure 14. Figure 16 is a perspective view of the nozzle plate of Figure 14. Figure 17 is an exploded view in detail of the nozzle plate. of Figure 14 along the line of cut A shown in Figure 15.

With reference now to Figures 14-17, a nozzle plate is generally illustrated as the reference number 1020. In this embodiment, each individual nozzle 1010 is short in a shaped channel 1015 creating a row of nozzles within the channel 1015. Several channels are created within a plate 1020 to form the orifice plate or the group of nozzle jets. The channels 1015 may be the nozzle banks 1011 that are welded into a plate as described above. Alternatively, the channels and nozzles can be formed with a single plate by machine forming, a typical result shown in Figures 21-24.

In the embodiment, the nozzles 1010 are accurately separated to maximize the volume filled with the jets produced, such that the jets fill the desired volume but do not intersect with each other. The separation of the jets so close can result in the collision of jets and their breaking in small drops unlike the cohesive flat jets, an undesirable result that reduces the efficiency of this embodiment. In addition, the separation of the jets too far away that can result in a smaller surface area can react with the gas phase molecules, which also reduces the efficiency of the embodiment. The optimum separation is mainly a combined function of the design and dimension of the nozzle, the efficiency of the reaction (or mass transfer), the viscosity of the fluid and the surface energy of the fluid.

Figure 18 is a perspective view of a group of thin flat liquid jets produced by the nozzle plate of Figure 14. Figure 19 is a front view of the group of thin flat liquid jets produced by the nozzle plate. of Figure 14. Figure 20 is a side view of the group of thin flat liquid jets produced by the nozzle plate of Figure 14.

With reference to Figures 18-20, these illustrate the group or matrix of flat jets formed when the liquid is pushed through the nozzles. In this embodiment, each nozzle 1010 is configured to create a stable, flat jet 1050. In a preferred embodiment, the jet is configured to be 2 cm wide, 25 cm long and 0.1 mm thick. Naturally, other dimensions can be used. Each row of nozzles 1055 produces a row of jets 1060 and the rows are arranged to produce the array or group of flat liquid jets' 1065. The plate is configured to produce 24 rows 1055 of jets. Naturally, the number of rows can be increased or decreased. The preferred amount of jet rows can be established by the size of the application of the gas and liquid contactor and the practical aspects of the manufacture of groups of nozzles or jet plates and auxiliary fluid handling hardware. However, there is no fundamental size limit on the top side. For a very small reactor, for example sized for research applications, the practical amount of rows is three to provide two channels of liquid (and half a channel on each of the edges because one half is the reactor wall). ). During operation the gas is configured to flow between the flat jets, parallel to the flat side of the jets, thereby creating a very large surface for intimate contact.

Figure 21 is an end view of the fluid side of a nozzle plate according to another embodiment of the invention. Figure 22 is the fluid inlet side view of the nozzle plate of Figure 21.

With reference to Figures 21-22, a nozzle plate with the reference number 1101 is generally illustrated. The nozzle plate 1101 includes the nozzles 1010 in a shifted or stepped configuration. In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 18, the gas can be configured to flow parallel to the flat surface created by the jets. The stepped or displaced configuration of the nozzles 101 may allow a slightly increased flow compared to a non-stepped configuration because the stepped configuration blocks the cross-flow channels of gas that can cause turbulence.

Figure 23 is an end view of the fluid side of a nozzle plate in another embodiment of the invention. Figure 24 is the fluid inlet side view of the nozzle plate of Figure 23.

With reference to Figures 23-24, a nozzle plate with reference number 1110 is generally illustrated. As shown the fluid leaves the surface shown in Figure 23 and the gas can be configured to flow parallel to the flat surfaces of the jets. Figure 24 shows the back side of the nozzle plate 1110. The nozzle plate includes a plurality of nozzles 1010 which are installed in the nozzle groups 1112 (see nozzle banks 1011) described above. In an alternative embodiment, nozzle groups 1112 can be configured to be removable. The ability to remove the nozzle group provides a group serviceability in the case of nozzle erosion or a need to change the nozzle dimension (for example, in the case of the use of a different fluid with a viscosity). different).

Figure 25 is an output side of the fluid side of an embodiment of a nozzle plate with a removed nozzle bank. Figure 26 is the view of the entrance side of the fluid from the nozzle plate of Figure 25. With reference to Figures 25-26, it is shown that the rows of nozzles 1113 are removable from the nozzle group assembly 1120 the nozzle bank 1113 is removed. The ability to remove nozzle banks 1113 may contribute to a user's ability to clean nozzle plate 1120 or to replace broken nozzle banks 1113, without having to replace a complete plate. In addition, the banks of removable nozzles 1113 can contribute to the manufacturing processes since the specisurface of the contactor can be adjusted; for example, gas-phase molecules with a very high mass transfer may not need such a specisurface to meet the capture or reaction performance. As such, the nozzle banks can potentially be removed to reduce the total liquid flow rates in an existing system.

For example, in one embodiment, the banks or rows of nozzles 1113 shown in Figures 25 and 26 are cut from a flattened tube 1130 (shown in Figures 27 and 28). The tube 1130 is cut along an appropriate tube and flattened slightly or, alternatively, formed from a flat sheet on a mandrel. A plurality of nozzles 1010 are. cut in tube 1130. This is an alternative method of forming nozzle banks. Tube 1130 is shown flattened and with cable EDM grooves formed for the manufacture of holes. After the tube 1130 is cut lengthwise and the non-flattened ends are removed, the groove piece 1113 is substantially complete and ready to fit within a nozzle plate 1120.

Gas and Liquid Contactor Figure 29 is a sectional view of a schematic of a gas and liquid contactor according to another embodiment of the invention. The gas and liquid contactor increases the efficiency and reduces the entrainment of the gas and liquid contactor for the COIL (described herein). The nozzles inside the gas and liquid contactor are configured to create planar, stable jets of liquid that maintain their shape in the gas stream.

These nozzles can be manufactured within a nozzle plate (described herein) in a group that creates a parallel array, packed close to the planar liquid jets. The groups of flat jets are formed in an aerodynamic form and provide the formation of stable jets in a relatively high gas flow. That is, a group of nozzles is configured to produce uniformly spaced flat liquid jets to minimize the interruption of a gas. Further, the group of nozzles produces sheets of liquid that are parallel to the gas flow, providing a very high contact surface and a low gas side pressure drop. The flow of gas can be through the jets of liquid (cross flow), countercurrent or co-current.

The pressure drop of liquid necessary to create the jets with the nozzles is also low, which results in a low pumping cost on the liquid and gas sides. The liquid pressure falls through the main restrictive orifice, for example, the group of nozzles. For example, the range of liquid pressure in which this embodiment operates is between 2 psi and 50 psi8, the best range is between 3 psi and 15 psi. In addition, liquid pressures less than 2 psi can still provide thin flat jets (depending on the dimensions of the nozzles), although the liquid velocity can be made low which results in a significant deviation by the high velocity gas flows. Similarly, pressure above 50 psi can produce excellent thin flat jets, but the energy needed to supply this hydraulic pressure becomes high, which contributes to parasitic energy losses of the system.

In addition to these advantages, since the nozzles are not atomizing the liquid, the liquid entrainment in the gas is greatly reduced compared to the systems that atomize the liquid. He Gas and liquid contactor has a very high surface, for example 20 cm "1, which results in a high contact efficiency and a small footprint, for example less than the equivalent of 100 ft2 / MW for the contactor and the support pumps In addition, the specific surface and other parameters of the gas and liquid contactor are shown in Table 2.

With reference to Figure 29, the gas and liquid contactor is generally illustrated with the reference number 1600. In this embodiment, a cross flow configuration is used, the gas flows from the left to the right through the contactor 1600! The liquid enters the upper part 1610 of the contactor 1600 through the inlet plenum 1630 and is pushed through the nozzle plates 1540 in the upper part of the contact chamber 1650. The flat liquid jets are formed with the nozzles and they flow down through the camera. The gas flows from left to right within the system illustrated in Figure 29 between the parallel jets, where the mass transfer takes place, then through the low pressure drop mist eliminator 1660, and over the 1670 outlet. it is collected through a 1680 splash screen at the bottom of the contactor, treated as necessary, and possibly recycled. The splash grid sub-module 1680 is a grating with shaped perforations to receive the jets blueprints. Splash protection or gas separator and fluid is also configured to substantially minimize the splash back liquid during operation. The 1680 splash screen perforations can be angled slightly towards exits 1700 and / or 1690 of the plenary of liquid capture output 1620 to contribute to the output of the fluid without the application of pressure to the fluid.

The following Tables 2 and 3 compare the contact efficiency and the advantages / disadvantages of various gas and liquid contactors, including the present invention.

TABLE 2: OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS OF GAS CONTACTORS AND COMMON LIQUIDS Surface Type Coefficient of Specific Contactor Coefficient, to Transfer of Transfer (mass surface of contact / liquid mass side, kL, volumetric, volume of in cm / s kL * a, in s "1 contactor), in cm ~ 1 Column 0.1 - 3.5 0, 004 - 0, 02 0, 004 - 0.07 Packaged (against current) Column 1 - 20 0, 003 - 0, 04 0, 003 - 0.08 Burbuj a (agitated) Membrane 15 - 70 0, 02 - 0,06 0,3 - 4 Column 0.1 - 5 0.007 - 0.15 0.0007 - 0.075 aspersion Ejector from 0.05 - 0.10 0.08 - 2.5 Venturi Invention 1 - 50 0.02 - 50 0.2 - 2500 Current (jet flat) TABLE 3: COMPOUNDS OF COMMON GAS AND LIQUID CONNECTORS Type of Advantages Disadvantages Contactor Column • Contact time • Prolonged fluid flooding prolonged • Liquid drag • Large surface area • High pressure drop gas contact • Good mix • Blockage in bed • Packaged countercurrent for effect of various stages Column of • Simple construction • Coalescence of Bubbles • Low cost gas bubbles (agitated) operative • Backward mixing of the liquid phase • Power consumption for agitation • One stage Membrane • Coefficient of • Costly construction transfer • High pressure drop high gas mass • No flooding • Resistance to • Liquid membrane drag Reduced • Membranes are fragile • Can be against • Low flow rates for gas effect of several stages • Direct scale Column • No packaging • Low spray efficiency • Low contact drop gas pressure • Coalescence of drops • Low cost of liquid Operating • High cost of pumping • It can be against liquid due to current for high pressure drop effect of various and high speed of stages pumping • Liquid drag • The nozzles can be seal Ejector • Single nozzle • High pressure drop Venturi • Small drops for gas • High liquid liquid drag very high • Turbulent mixing • Contact time short • One stage Invention • Simple construction • Great speed of Current • Low drop of liquid pumping (liquid pressure jet • Plane configuration) • Low transverse flow fall is Single stage gas pressure • Coefficient of • The configuration Counter current transfer is more complicated high mass • It can be against current for effect of several stages The gas and liquid contactor was originally used for the chemical reactor in a COIL laser, but its applications are not so limited. The gas and liquid contactor can be used in many different applications, for example, in any application where high efficiency is desired, a single stage, low cost, small footprint contact between gas and liquid. Some examples include heat transfer where the gas and liquid are contacted directly, for example by cooling a gas, mass transfer, for example by absorbing pollutants from a flue gas stream, chemical reactions between a liquid and a gas, by example the application of COIL, and biological reactions, such as aerobic digestion. The multi-stage cross flow contact can be made by connecting contactors in series and pumping the liquid from the downstream contactor outlet to the input of the upstream current contactor. Accordingly, two different liquid reactants or sorbents can be independently pumped to the gas and liquid contactors installed in series to obtain two-step reactions with no interruption in a single-stream gas flow. The gas and liquid contactor embodiments produce a gas and liquid contactor with a very high volumetric mass transfer coefficient, low gas pressure drop, low liquid pressure drop, relatively small size, resistance to clogging, low liquid carryover, and low capital and operating costs. This is achieved by using an orifice plate (nozzle plate described herein) with a group of special nozzles that create a matrix of non-atomized, stable, flat liquid jets that are packaged parallel to one another and parallel to the flow of liquid. gas. An embodiment for a single stage gas and liquid contactor is described below. The speed of gas flow and the number of rows of choros determine the contact time for this single stage.

In this embodiment, the jet plate is housed within the gas and liquid contactor 1600. The gas enters from the left 1672, advances through the flat liquid jets of the contact chamber 1650, through the mist eliminator 1660 , and out of the gas outlet 1670. The liquid enters the liquid plenum 1630, is pushed down through the series of nozzle plates 1640 and forms the flat liquid jets, then falls through the gas separator and liquid 1680 and inside the liquid collection chamber 1620 at the bottom of the contactor. The liquid then advances to exits 1690 and 1700 to be processed and / or recycled.

Figure 30 illustrates a schematic arrangement of a plurality of gas and liquid contactors according to another embodiment of the invention. With reference to Figure 30, a multistage cross-flow device contactor is generally illustrated as the reference number 3000 and is connected in series. The multistage cross flow device contactor 3000 includes a first gas and liquid contactor 3002, a second gas and liquid contactor 3004, and a third gas and liquid contactor 3006. Naturally, there may be more than three gas contactors and liquid, for example, the amount of gas and liquid contactors can be determined for the application. That is, the amount of Contactors used is a function of the capture performance or final reaction that the specific chemical composition needs. Sequential contactors can be compared approximately with the sequential chemical extraction known in the art. The gas flows through each contactor in turn and the liquid flows transversely from the downstream end 3008 of the train to the upstream end 3010.

The liquid pumps between each stage (not shown) provide the liquid to each of the contactors. Optionally, a single full liquid supply could serve all gas and liquid contactor modules installed in series, requiring only a single pump of liquid to supply that liquid to a single full liquid supply in series or in parallel from a single pump plenum.

The gas and liquid contactors can be manufactured from a variety of different materials. For example, the contactor can be made of stainless steel. The material can also be chosen based on the chemical composition of the liquid and / or gas and its conductivity or reactivity, for example, copper, nickel, chromium, aluminum and alloys thereof. In addition, coated components or pipe materials can also be used, for example, glass coated, epoxy or powder coated, etc.

Alternatively, some of the structural and / or fluid handling parts of the contactor may be made of plastics or polymers, epoxy or fiber reinforced polymers, structural polymers, polyimides, and compounds and combinations thereof.

Pollution Removal of Aqueous Ammonia Embodiments of the invention described herein may be used for the removal of contaminants in effluents through the use of ammonia. An important cost driver for contaminant removal is the low partial pressure of contaminants within the combustion gas and the slow gas absorption rates. For example, the reaction rates are generally a function of the initial concentrations of the reactants; the higher concentration corresponds to faster reactions. However, with low initial concentrations, the mass transfer becomes the limiting variable in the reaction or elimination of gas or liquid molecules. In embodiments of this invention, the. Low mass transfer coefficients are diverted by high relative surface area and high flow velocities.

In the related art, combustion gas desulphurisation systems (FGD) were developed and installed in power generation plants to face the contribution of S02 and S03 to acid rain and acid contamination. Most FGD systems contact the flue gas with wet limestone to absorb S02 as CaS03, which is then oxidized to CaS04 (gypsum), precipitated and sold or placed in a landfill. A deficit of FGD based on lime or limestone is that it can not face different pollutants, for example, N0X, Hg, or C02. Another disadvantage is the large footprint and the significant capital investment required for an FGD system, for example, the spray tower and the oxidation tank.

The preferred sorbent gas absorption and elimination are those systems that demonstrate high performance of liquid jets, high gas loading capacity, high oxidative stability, low heat of reaction, low sorbent cost, low corrosivity and a product stream salable. An example of a sorbent is aqueous ammonia. Ammonia, ammonia salts and urea are injected into the boiler or combustion gas to reduce N0X through selective catalytic reduction (SCR) or selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR). Ammonia and its salts can control S0X and various contaminants.

In addition, in the control of various pollutants in the related art using an aqueous absorbent, it needs that NO, the main component of N0X of the flue gas, be reduced to N2 through selective catalytic reduction (SCR) or selective non-catalytic reduction. (SNCR), or oxidized to N02 because it does NOT have very low solubility in water. If it oxidizes to N02, then the N0X can be absorbed with any basic solution or nitric acid. When using ammonia-based systems, valuable by-products are produced. Ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate can be used for fertilizers. Ammonia is even more efficient in capturing C02 than monoethanol amine (MEA) or diethanolamine (DEA) and C02 can be used for enhanced oilfield recovery.

Embodiments of the invention can capture various interesting contaminants, such as non-exhaustive form, acid gases, ammonia, VOCs, S0X, N0X, C02, Hg, and combinations thereof. In addition, some embodiments of the invention are configured to have a system of a single small footprint, and the production of valuable by-products. In addition, the embodiments do not come into contact with a suspension and therefore avoid the difficulties of handling associated materials. Not using a suspension prevents the heat necessary to complete a phase change in the ammonia regenerator (or Scraper of C02) In embodiments of the invention, the gas is cleaned of ash within the bag cabinet or electrostatic precipitator (ESP), then cooled as needed for the first wet contact. S02 and NO within the combustion gas can then be oxidized with gaseous hydrogen peroxide, or oxidized in the first scrubber with aqueous hydrogen peroxide. The scrubbers are gas contactors and horizontal cross flow liquid, with small, highly efficient traces that are described here. The scrubbers purify the combustion gas with basic aqueous ammonium sulfate to remove acid gases, for example, S02, S03, N02, HC1, HF. Ammonia composition is added to control the pH and provide hydroxide ions to react with the hydrogen ions produced by the hydrolysed gases. This converts the gases into soluble ammonium salts and reduces their vapor pressure to almost zero. It can achieve more than 99% absorption of S0X. Mercury can also be removed through the processes of oxidation and / or absorption, for example, HgOx is much more soluble than elemental Hg. Some reaction mechanisms for the removal of contaminants in embodiments of the invention include: Hydrolyzing NH3: NH3 + H20"NH4 + + OH" (1) Capture of S02: H20 + S02 H + + HS03"(2) ¾ 02 + HSO3"-> HSO4" (3) 2NH3 + HSV + H20 - (NH4) 2S04 + OH "(ammonium sulfate) (4) N0X capture: NH3 + H20 < ? NH4 + + OH "(5) H202 + OH" - > H02"+ H20 (6) H02" + NO - > N02 + OH "(7) 2N02 + H202" 2HN03 (8) NH3 + HNO3 - > NH4NO3 (ammonium sulfate) (9) Hg capture: H202 + Hg ° - Hg (II) + products (10) H2S capture: H2S (ac) - > HS "+ H + (11) HS "+ NH3 + H + -> NH4HS (12) After the sulfur and nitrogen oxides are captured as (NH4) N03 (NH4) 2S04 salts, the contact solution can be concentrated and precipitated to be sold or discarded. The heavy metals (Hg) and the halides (Cl and F) can be precipitated separately in a step of adjusting the pH. The poor contact solution is recycled to the scrubber.

The combustion gas after those processes is now more than 95% clean of all pollutants and is ready for the partial removal of C02. The second scrubber uses an aqueous ammonia and / or a combination of ammonia salts for the liquid. The C02 is absorbed and reacts with ammonium carbonate and water and forms ammonium bicarbonate. The low temperature and the high pH favor the absorption of C02. The ammonia composition controls the pH and the level of free ammonia within the purification solution. Higher ammonia concentrations raise the pH and increase the CO 2 uptake and the C 2/2 load but also increase the ammonia vapor pressure. Some simplified reaction mechanisms for capturing C02 according to embodiments of the invention include: 2NH3 + H20 + C02 < ? (NH4) 2-C03 (ammonium carbonate) (13) (NH4) 2 C03 + C02 + H20 < ? 2NH4HC03 (ammonium bicarbonate) (14) The rich liquid from the contactor is sent to a C02 scraper where the temperature rises to reverse the reaction and release gaseous CO 2 and produce ammonium carbonate. The high temperature and the low pH favor the evolution of C02. The low pH favors the absorption of ammonia, so that a low pH contributes to the evolution of C02 but keeps the ammonia in solution. The C02 is separated and compressed and the ammonium carbonate is returned to the scrubber.

A common problem with the ammonia-based systems of the related art is the escape of ammonia, where the ammonia dissolved in the absorbent liquid returns to the gas phase and is transported up the stack to the combustion gas. This can cause a visible trail if the ammonia reacts with a constituent inside the combustion gas to precipitate a solid. In addition, the ammonia leak greatly increases the cost of the reagents.

In one embodiment, a plurality of gas and liquid contactors shown in Figure 30 are used for the removal of contaminants. In this embodiment, each gas and liquid can be configured for different purposes. For example, the gas and liquid contactor 3006 can be specifically designed to capture all of the ammonia that could escape through the first two contactors 3002, 3004, respectively. In this embodiment, the optimum pH for absorbing acid gases (SOx, NOx, and G02) is high above 7, because the vapor pressure of those gases is the lowest at high pH, but the ammonia vapor pressure is the highest at high pH. Under optimum conditions the first gas and liquid contactor 3002 can capture S02 to more than 99%. Although the third contactor 3006 allows the first gas and liquid contactor 3002 and the second contactor of gas and liquid 3004 to operate in conditions optimal to absorb acid gases, with high ammonia leakage, since the third contactor 3006 works under optimal conditions to capture ammonia. The captured ammonia is returned to the first two gas and liquid contactors. The high efficiency and small size of the gas and liquid contactors means that a third gas and liquid contactor can be obtained and allow very high capture efficiencies.

Numerous efficiencies are created with this embodiment, which include greater efficiencies for the removal of various contaminants from the flue gas reducing energy consumption and the cost of the disposal system; greater efficiencies for the elimination of several pollutants from the gas, minimizing the size of the elimination system; greater efficiencies for the elimination of various pollutants from the combustion gas by creating modular systems that can be produced in the factory and combined in parallel in a way that provides the necessary level of combustion gas processing capacity; greater efficiencies for the elimination of various pollutants from the combustion gas creating modular systems that can be combined in parallel for adaptation to a variety of facility sizes; greater efficiencies for elimination of several pollutants from the combustion gas creating modular systems with very low resistance to flow (pressure drop) which can be combined in series for the selective and sequential elimination of contaminants; greater efficiencies for the elimination of several pollutants from the combustion gas, creating modular systems that combine to provide redundancy (high availability) and maintenance capacity (selective access for periodic maintenance or in case of unit failure); greater efficiencies for the elimination of various pollutants from the combustion gas, creating modular systems that can be mass produced in a process of assembly line; and greater efficiencies for removal of various pollutants from effluent gases from a variety of types and sizes of power generation and chemical processing facilities.

In addition, the embodiment can be described as a method and system for obtaining high and selective mass transfer rates of flue gas pollutants from high volumetric flue gas flow rates in continuously confined spare liquids within small system volumes. . In the method and system, large dense packaged groups of long, stable, thin, very broad, high-speed jets interact with a high velocity flue gas flow. The orifices of formation of jets. they are optimized based on the characteristics of the liquid sorbent such as viscosity and surface tension. The cross-flow and counter-flow designs represent two different embodiments.

The efficiencies of the method and system are achieved from the transfer of significant volumetric mass and the resulting small size, the low pressure sorbent operation that requires minimum pumping capacity, and the pressure drop of low pressure combustion gas through the system due to the low resistance of the aerodynamically shaped jets and the modular and combinable nature of the design . See also Tables 3-4. This greatly increases the efficiency of the processes for the elimination of flue gas pollutants and makes the elimination of contaminants such as C02, S0X, N0X, and Hg economically viable.

In another embodiment, a small scale version easily adapts to the exhaust of large commercial vehicles for the removal of contaminants. In yet another embodiment the volatile organic compounds of a chemical plant can be removed from the exhaust. In yet another embodiment, dry air streams can be achieved using cryogenic liquid flows. In another embodiment a gas can be humidified or dehumidified and the particulate matter can be removed.

Figure 31 is a schematic for an embodiment of a system for removing various contaminants. With reference to Figure 31, a multi-contaminant removal system with reference number 2100 is generally illustrated. System 2100 can be configured to capture S0X, N0X, C02, Hg, HC1, and HF. In this embodiment, the combustion gas 2120 of the boiler 2110 is first cleaned of particles, for example, ash at the particular disposal point 2130 (eg a settling chamber or a net filler) and cooled in the cooling section 2140 as necessary. At this point 2150 the combustion gas contains mainly N2, H20, C02, S02, NO, Hg, HCl, and HF. This course depends on the processing of the boiler 2110. The combustion gas is then contacted in a high efficiency gas and liquid contactor 2160 which is described herein with aqueous ammonia and dissolved ammonium salts. The dissolved ammonium salts come from recycle stream 2170 and supernatant 2210 from precipitation step 2190 and include ammonium sulphite (S03), sulfate (S0), nitrate (N03), chloride (Cl), fluoride (F), and in some cases a small amount of carbonate (C03) and bicarbonate (HC03). Ammonium carbonate and bicarbonate can be kept to a minimum using an approximately stoichiometric amount of ammonia composition.

In step 2165, the oxidation takes place in the liquid phase in the gas and liquid contactor as described in embodiments of the invention. Of course, several oxidants can be used to convert NO to N02 for better absorption. S03"also oxidizes to S042" within the liquid phase. A stream of exudation 2220 from the liquid is sent to the precipitators to remove heavy metals and ammonia salts. In the first step 2230 a pH adjustment precipitates 2210 the heavy metals such as Hg. In the second step 2190 the liquid is concentrated and the ammonia salts precipitate. The heavy metal solids of the precipitation step can be properly disposed 2240 and the solids of ammonium salts sold as the 2250 fertilizer. If the ammonia salts can be sold as fertilizer (with the Hg removed) in concentrated liquid form, the second Precipitation can be eliminated.

Next, the combustion gas 2120, which contains only N2, H20, and C02, is contacted in another high efficiency gas and liquid contactor 2260 as described herein with ammonia and carbonate / dissolved ammonium bicarbonate. Again, the ammonia is a composition stream and the dissolved salts come from the recycle stream 2270. The ammonia is added to direct the pH of the contact liquid to the optimum. C02 is absorbed as ammonium bicarbonate Within the liquid that is sent to the C02 scraper 2280. Here, the temperature rises (and the pH is adjusted if necessary to boost the reaction in reverse and release C02 as the 2290 gas, which has ammonium carbonate inside it). the liquid phase 2300 that must be recycled to the C02 absorbent, C02 can then be compressed 2310 and sold or sequestered 2320. The sequestration consists, for example, in the injection into the spent natural gas wells, the recovery of secondary oil and other methods that will not be described herein because they are outside the scope of this invention.

After the C02 absorption step, the combustion gas is contacted with water in a third high efficiency contactor 2330 as described herein to scrape off all the ammonia that can escape from the previous contactors. The pH of the contact liquid (water) is adjusted as necessary to ensure complete absorption of the ammonia. The exudation stream 2340 can be sent to the C02 2300 scraper or the SOx absorbent.

Finally, the clean combustion gas 2350, which consists only of nitrogen, water, some oxygen and all of the unabsorbed C02, is heated 2360 to reduce condensation and is sent to the ID 2370 fan and the stack. The gas heater 2360 combustion and 2140 refrigerator are interconnected with a liquid heat carrier to make the process more economical. The cold liquid is contacted with the hot combustion gas in a gas and liquid heat exchanger 2140. The cold combustion gas advances to the first absorbent 2160. The hot liquid is now sent downstream to the gas heater of combustion 2360 where it comes into contact with the cold combustion gas 2350 from the last absorbent 2330. The gas and liquid heat exchanger 2360 cools the liquid to be sent back to the refrigerator 2140 and heats the combustion gas 2350 in precipitation for the escape to the atmosphere. The hot liquid can also be used as a hot inlet on the CO2 2300 scraper.

Optionally, the waste heat from the industrial process can be used as a heat source to scrape C02 or reheat the waste gas to prevent condensation of moisture. For example, in a power plant this could come from an ash bag cabinet.

Optionally, the process can be modified to eliminate the capture of C02 if desired. That is, the focus of the system is to capture SOx, NOx, Hg, HCl, and HF and produce ammonium nitrate sulphate as fertilizer.

Figure 32 is a schematic of a system for removing various pollutants according to another embodiment of the invention. With reference to Figure 32, the process can be simplified to capture only S0X, HC1, and HF. The 2400 process is designed to capture only those acid gases that are more easily absorbed. The combustion gas 2120 from the boiler 2110 is first cleaned of ash at the particular disposal point 2130 (by a settling chamber or a net filler) and cooled in the cooling station 2140 as necessary. At this point 2150 the combustion gas contains mainly N2 / H20, C02, S02, NO, Hg, HC1, and HF.

The combustion gas 2150 is then contacted in a high efficiency gas and liquid contactor 2410 as described herein with sodium hydroxide and sulfate / sulphite salts of the recycle stream 2420. The oxidation step 2430 has place in the liquid phase in the gas and liquid contactor. Sulfite (S032") is oxidized to sulfate (S042") in the liquid phase using oxygen from air or from the combustion gas. A 2440 exudation stream of the liquid is sent to the 2450 precipitators to remove the heavy metals and sulfate salts. In the first step a pH adjustment 2460 precipitates with heavy metals such as Hg. In the second step, 2470 calcium hydroxide is added to precipitate sulfate from calcium, which can be separated, dried and eliminated in precipitator 2480. The supernatant 2490 of this precipitator is returned to the recycle stream. Heavy metal solids from the precipitation step can be disposed correctly 2510 and potassium sulfate can be sold as plaster 2520.

Finally the clean combustion gas 2530 consisting only of nitrogen, water, NOx and CO2 is heated to reduce the condensation of the heater 2360 and is sent to the ID fan and the stack 2370. The combustion gas heater 2360 and the refrigerator 2140 They interconnect with a liquid heat carrier to economize the process as described above.

Elimination of SO2 Different performance surfaces to increase the capture capacity of S02 include reducing the size of the reactor vessel, the pressure drop and using efficient mass transfer sorbent systems with salable by-products. Obtaining these desired performances requires innovative design approaches that combine high absorption kinetics of S02 and value-added product streams.

Gas and liquid mass transfer operations take place through the gas and liquid interface. The rate of absorption of a gas within a liquid sorbent is controlled by the mass transfer coefficient of the liquid phase, kLl the specific surface (ratio of the interstitial surface of gas and liquid to volume), a, and the gradient of concentration between the global fluid, CL and the gas and liquid interface, CL *. In many gas and liquid reaction systems the solubility of CL * is low and control of the concentration gradient is limited. To increase the gas absorption rate, the gas and liquid contactor embodiments increase the mass transfer kinetics, the gas and liquid mixture and / or the interfacial surface to volume ratio.

In embodiments of the invention, to efficiently capture S02, the contactor can be used with a wide variety of water-based sorbents including but not limited to limestone / lime (CaCO3), sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) / hydroxide sodium (NaOH), ammonium hydroxide (commonly called aqueous and abbreviated AA), double alkali metals (sodium hydroxide, NaOH, more lime), magnesium oxide (MgO) and zinc oxide (ZnO). The addition of oxidation agents (OX) increases the oxidation of S02, which facilitates the formation of sulphate, S042. " one embodiment, the OX agent is hydrogen peroxide (H202). The combination of aqueous ammonia and hydrogen peroxide is especially beneficial and because it is salable, a stream of byproducts that generates income such as ammonium sulfate (a fertilizer) can be produced. In addition, the decomposition products of H202 (water and oxygen) are friendly to the environment and equipment.

It is thought that the probable chemical steps towards the oxidation of S02 in the presence of aqueous ammonium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide are the following: NH3 + H20 + S02 - NH4 + + HSO3", (1) NH4 + + HSO3"+ NH3 - 2NH42 + + S032" (2) H202 + S032"" H20 + S042"(3) 2NH4 + + S042 ~ - > NH4S04 (ammonium sulfate) (4) In embodiments of the invention, the gas effluent cleaning process allows the removal of sulfur dioxide with high efficiency. The system of this embodiment includes a group of nozzles with a new shape of the orifice plate (or nozzle plate as described herein) and fluid composition engineering to adapt it to a wide range of fluids and operating conditions. The elimination of S02 is carried out passing the gas through a high surface to the gas contactor and liquid volume unit described above. The gas effluent is passed horizontally (called cross flow) through the gas and liquid contactor having a substantially reduced contactor volume and a gas flow pressure drop compared to the related art. Intersecting the transverse flow and gas flow is a plurality of low pressure, groups of vertically oriented flat jets composed of an aqueous based sorbent and with a substantial surface. The groups of flat jets are aerodynamically shaped so as to provide a stable stream of jets with low entrainment of liquid particles at a relatively high gas velocity.

In a preferred embodiment, the sorbent for the absorption and removal of sulfur dioxide are those systems which demonstrate high capacity of S02, high oxidative stability, low heat of reaction, low cost of sorbent, low corrosivity and a stream of salable product. An example of a sorbent for the removal of effective S02 is 28% by weight of ammonia in water. To optimize the contactor, from a fluid and jet performance point of view, 1% to 2% of polymer or suspension is added to aqueous ammonia solutions to increase the performance of the contactor. An example of an additive is one that is not reactive towards ammonia or interfere with the process of mass transfer. A polymer or suspension can make it possible to adapt the properties of the sorbent, for example, the viscosity, to obtain the maximum performance of the jet (width, length, thickness, surface of the jet) at the pressure drop of the minimum liquid side. An example of a polymeric additive is polyethylene glycol. Other polymeric additives include polyethylene oxide or polyvinyl alcohol. An example of an inorganic additive is bentonite.

Other additional chemical compounds are preferred to contribute to the oxidation rate of S02 and hence the mass transfer kinetics. An example of additive to the preferred sorbent system is hydrogen peroxide. To avoid excessive decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to a high pH, a stabilizer is added to the sorbent mixture. An example of a hydrogen peroxide stabilizer at high pH is poly (α-hydroxy acrylic). The oxidation capacity of hydrogen peroxide can be further improved by the addition of hydrogen peroxide catalysts. An example of a hydrogen peroxide catalyst is a macro-cyclic iron (III) tetra-amido ligand (TAML).

Figure 33 is a schematic of a general gas and liquid contactor system design that allows interaction between the gaseous and liquid phases according to another embodiment of the invention. The gas and liquid contactor system includes a gas inlet 2600 connected to a gas distribution unit 2605 to supply gas to the gas and liquid contactor 2645. The system also includes a liquid reagent tank 2610 connected to a 2615 pump and a liquid collection tank 2620. The collection tank 2620 is connected to the gas and liquid contactor 2645 to collect the liquid from the gas and liquid contactor 2645. The collection unit 260 is optionally connected to a liquid recirculation pump 2625. The liquid recirculation pump 2625 allows a liquid recirculation method. A flow control valve 2630 is connected to a liquid plenum 2635 to control the liquid within the liquid plenum 2635. A group of nozzles 2640 to form liquid jets is connected to the liquid plenum and to the gas and liquid contactor 2645 The gas and liquid contactor 2645 includes a gas jet contact zone. A gas and liquid separator 2650 for separating the gas from the liquid sorbent jets is disposed in the gas and liquid contactor 2645. A defroster 2660 capable of removing small gas droplets from the exit gas is positioned near a gas outlet. 2655.

The gas inlet may include a plurality of different gases. For example, it may include industrial effluents, such as contaminants may include S0X, N0X, C02, Hg, and combinations thereof. Naturally, other gaseous molecules such as acid gases such as HC1, HBr, HF, H2S04, and HN03, CO, H2S, amines (including ammonia), alkanolamines, urea, formamides, alcohols, carboxylates (such as acetic acid) can also be eliminated. combinations thereof and a wide variety of other gas phase molecules. The limitation of the invention is simply the ability to provide a gaseous phase molecular reagent or solute and a liquid phase within which it is reactive or soluble, respectively. Although the main description in this specification of the invention focuses on aqueous systems, one skilled in the art will quickly recognize the applicability of this invention of gas and liquid contactor also to non-aqueous systems.

In this embodiment, the injection of a gaseous effluent containing S02 into the gas and liquid chamber is described. A gas plenum distributes the gas flow evenly through the flat liquid jets. Jet streams are created by pumping the sorbent into a liquid plenum that distributes the sorbent evenly through the nozzle orifices. The created jets flow vertically downwards inside the contactor chamber and through a gas and liquid separator inside a collection tank. In the gas and liquid chamber, the vertical flow sorbent intersects the transverse flow of gas. Sulfur dioxide is absorbed into the sorbent liquid and removed from the gas effluent stream. The clean gas effluent is discharged at the outlet of the contactor chamber. The sorbent is recirculated for the continuous removal of SO2 from the effluent gas stream.

The performance of the gas and liquid contactor was demonstrated on a subscale test bed, small as illustrated in Figure 33. Table 4 summarizes the geometric parameters for the example TABLE 4: GEOMETRIC DIMENSIONS OF THE GAS AND LIQUID CONTACTOR Parame Density No. Super An Altu Longi Surface Volume Orifici de ficie cho ratud Specific menu You pack one (cm "1) of the Jets do solo ca Ca Contac channel Jet stream nal nal (cm) tor (jets / (cm2) of of (cm3) cm2) GLC GLC (cm) (cm) Value 96 4 22 15 25 30 5-10 11,250 The geometry of the jet orifice used in this example was described above in relation to the nozzle plates and the gas and liquid contactor. Before the operation the surface of the liquid jet was optimized for all the length, width and thickness of the jet by varying the support pressure of the pump to the jet orifice plate. Another explanation with respect to the jet surface (length and width) can be obtained by using additives (eg, diethylene glycol) to increase the viscosity / surface tension properties of the sorbent or reshaping the orifice nozzle.

An example of the operating conditions of the gas and liquid contactor and the performance is presented in Table 5. A sorbent system containing 28% by weight of aqueous ammonia was tested. No viscosity or oxidant additive was added to the sorbent mixture. The effluent gas consisted of N2 mixed with S02 at 500 ppmv. The gas mixture was injected into the contactor under ambient temperature and pressure conditions and was measured using calibrated mass flow controllers. The liquid volumetric flow rate was determined by recording the amount of the liquid jet discharge within a calibrated receiver vessel during a measured time interval. The results of the test for the uptake of S02 under the test conditions described show a 95% removal of S02 without an oxidative enhancer (ie, H202).

TABLE 5: OPERATING CONDITIONS OF THE GAS AND LIQUID CONTACTOR AND ABSORPTION RESULTS OF S02 Sister Pressure Vel. of Vel. of Pressure Conc of Temp Tem. % S02 of Contac Flow of S02 Flow of Gas Eliminator Support Liquid gas inlet (Torr) Total Jet of (ppm) of do of (LPM) of jet enters Dada liquid (K) Total liquid (K) (LPM) (psi) AA 609 7.5 14 11 500 293 293 > 95 (28% in weight) NOx Capture Device Another embodiment of the invention relates to the use of the gas and liquid contactor to capture NOx. NOx is a primary pollutant that consists mainly of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (N02). According to the combustion process, more than 90% of the NOx is nitric oxide. NOx is produced from the reaction of nitrogen and oxygen at combustion temperatures (> 1,482 ° C) as well as the oxidation of nitrogen in the fuel. Different performance surfaces to increase N0X capture capacity include reducing reactor vessel size, reducing pressure drop and using efficient mass transfer sorbent systems.

Gas and liquid mass transfer operations take place through the gas and liquid interface. The speed of Absorption of a gas within a liquid sorbent is controlled by the liquid phase mass transfer coefficient, kL, the ratio of the specific surface (interfacial surface of gas and liquid to volume), a, and the concentration gradient between the global fluid, CL and the interface of gas and liquid, CL *. In many gas and liquid reaction systems the solubility of CL * is low and control of the concentration gradient is limited. Increasing gas absorption velocity, gas and liquid contactor designs must demonstrate increased mass transfer kinetics, gas and liquid mixture, and interfacial surface to volume ratio.

An embodiment of the invention includes a high performance gas and liquid contactor (which is described herein, e.g., Figure 33). The system is based on a group of thin flat jets with aerodynamic shape, high surface and high density that improve the overall mass transfer and the performance of the contactor. The gas and liquid contactor is characterized by an increased specific surface, in the range of 1 cm ~ 2 to 50 cm "2, a generator volume of 1/10 to part of the volume of the packed towers of the prior art, low fall pressure across the contactor of less than 5 torr / linear foot, a liquid jet impulse pressure of less than 50 psi and more preferably less than 20 psi, and a drag of minimum liquid inside the gas flow.

In a preferred embodiment, the system includes a specific surface in the range of 10 cm "1 to 20 was" 1, a volume of the generator of 1/10 to part of the volume of the packed towers of the prior art, a pressure drop of gas less than 1 Torr per linear foot of the contactor, and a pressure that drives the jet in the range of 5-10 psi, and a minimum liquid drag within the gas flow.

To efficiently capture NOx, the gas and liquid contactor can be used with a wide variety of water-based sorbents including but not limited to ammonium hydroxide (commonly referred to as aqueous ammonia and abbreviated AA), metal chelates or urea. The addition of oxidation agents (OX) increases the oxidation of NO to N02, which increases the absorption rate of the sorbent. Different OX agents include sodium chloride (NaC102), sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) sodium hydroxide-potassium permanganate (K0H-KMn04), and hydrogen peroxide (H202). In preferred embodiments, the contactor utilizes aqueous ammonia and hydrogen peroxide as the decomposition products of H202 are environmentally friendly and with equipment (water and oxygen), which are not corrosive to normal construction materials nor is produced Ammonium nitrate, which can be sold as a fertilizer for crops to reduce operating costs.

It is believed that the chemical mechanisms for the oxidation of NO and N02 in the presence of ammonium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide are: NH3 + H20 - »NH4 + + OH" (1) H202 + OH "- H02" + H20 (2) H02 + NO "N02 + OH" (3) N02 + N02 ~ > N204 (4) N204 + H20 - HN02 + HN03 (5) HN02 + H202 ~ > HNO3 + H20 (6) HNO3 (aqueous) - > H + + N03"(7) NH4 + + N03"-> NH4N03 (ammonium nitrate) (8) In one embodiment, a gas effluent cleaning process is used to remove nitrogen oxide with high efficiency. The system includes a group of nozzles. The group of nozzles includes a new shape of the orifice plate (nozzle plate) and a fluid composition engineering for adaptation to a wide range of fluids and operating conditions. According to the embodiment, NOx removal is carried out by passing the gas through a high gas and liquid contactor unit. surface to volume that is described herein. The gaseous effluent is passed horizontally (called the transverse flow) through the gas and liquid contactor having a substantially reduced contactor volume and a reduced gas flow pressure drop. Intersecting the transverse flow and the gas flow there is a plurality of groups of vertically oriented, low pressure flat jets composed of a water based sorbent and of substantial surface. The group of nozzles is configured to produce groups of flat jets having aerodynamic shape so as to provide a stable jet flow with low entrainment of liquid particles at a relatively high gas velocity.

In embodiments of the invention, a sorbent for the absorption of nitrogen oxide and removal may include those systems that demonstrate high N0X capacity, high oxidative stability, low heat of reaction, low sorbent cost, low corrosivity and a salable product stream. In a preferred embodiment, an example of a sorbent for the removal of effective N0X is 28% by weight of ammonia in water. The nozzle plate (described herein) can be optimized from a fluid and jet performance point of view by adding 1% to 2% polymer or suspension to the aqueous ammonia solutions to increase the performance of the contactor. A preferred additive It is such that it is not reactive towards aqueous ammonia or interfere with the mass transfer process. A polymer or suspension can be used which allows the properties of the sorbent (eg, viscosity) to be adapted to obtain the maximum jet performance (width, length, depth, jet surface) at a minimum liquid side pressure drop. An example of a polymeric additive is diethylene glycol. Other polymeric additives include polyethylene oxide or polyvinyl alcohol. An example of an inorganic additive is bentonite. Other chemical compounds are preferred to contribute to the oxidation rate of NO and therefore the mass transfer kinetics. An example of additive to the preferred sorbent system is hydrogen peroxide. To avoid the decomposition of excessive hydrogen peroxide at high pH, a stabilizer is added to the sorbent mixture. An example of hydrogen peroxide stabilizer at high pH is poly (hydroxy acrylic acid). The oxidation capacity of hydrogen peroxide can also be increased by adding hydrogen peroxide catalysts. An example of a hydrogen peroxide catalyst is a macro-cyclic iron (III) tetra-amido ligand (TAML).

As discussed with respect to Figure 33, the system can be used for an N0X capture. The process is described by injecting a gaseous effluent containing N0X into the gas and liquid chamber 2645. A gas plenum 2605 distributes the gas flow evenly through the flat liquid jets. The liquid jets are created by pumping the sorbent into a liquid plenum 2635 that distributes the sorbent evenly through the jet orifices. The created jets flow vertically downwardly into the contactor chamber and through a gas and liquid separator into a capture tank 2620. In the gas and liquid chamber 2645 the vertical flow sorbent intersects with the transverse flow of gas. The nitrogen oxide is absorbed into the sorbent liquid and removed from the gaseous effluent stream. The clean gaseous effluent 2655 is discharged at the outlet of the contactor chamber. The sorbent is recirculated for the continuous removal of NOx from the effluent gas stream. The performance of the gas and liquid contactor was demonstrated on a small subscale test bed that is illustrated in Figure 33. Table 6 summarizes the geometric parameters for the example.

TABLE 6: GEOMETRIC DIMENSIONS OF THE GAS AND LIQUID CONTACTOR Parameter Super Wide Density Nr. Altu Longi Superfi Volume of T orifice R ector of T he C oductor Contactor of a Channel Channel of Species (cm3) De Canal fica GLC GLC jet of GLC (cm2) (jets / (cm2) (cm) (cm) GLC era2) (cm) Value 96 4 22 25 25 30 5-10 11,250 The geometry of the jet orifice used in this example was described above. Prior to the operation the surface of the liquid jet was optimized for the length, width and thickness of the jet by varying the support pressure of the pump to the jet orifice plate. Another optimization with respect to the jet surface (length and width) can be obtained by using additives (eg, diethylene glycol) to increase the viscosity / surface tension properties of the sorbent or by reforming the orifice nozzle.

An example of the operating conditions and performance of the gas and liquid contactor is presented in Table 7. A sorbent system containing 28% aqueous ammonia was tested under the given operating conditions of Table 2. The sorbent does not contained no oxidizer (Ox) or viscosity additive to increase the elimination of N02. The effluent gas consisted of nitrogen (N2) mixed with N02 at 500 ppm. The gas mixture was injected into the contactor under temperature conditions and ambient pressure and were measured using calibrated mass flow controllers. The liquid volumetric flow rate was determined by recording the amount of the liquid jet discharge within a calibrated receiver vessel during a measured time interval. The reduction in the concentration of N02 leaving the contactor was determined by measuring the optical absorbance of N02 at 400 nm. The concentrations of background N02 were recorded before each run. A stable flow of N02 / N2 was first generated and the absorbance recorded without jet flow, AApaid. The jet stream (28% by weight AA) was then injected into the reactor chamber and absorbance was recorded. The amount of reduced N02 (absorbed) is expressed as a percentage using: % Reduction of N02 = IOOX (Reduction-On) (D Figure 34 is a graph of absorbency versus run time for a N02 removal system. With reference to Figure 34, a representative N02 absorption spectrum is shown with the aqueous ammonia jets of liquid on and off. The y-axis represents absorbance at 400 nm and the x-axis represents time in seconds. As shown in this example, a short duration absorbency pin immediately after the start of the jet flow is attributed to a disturbance of flow within the chamber. HE performed an average of four test runs for each test result. The results of the test for the uptake of N02 under the described test conditions show the removal of sufficient N02 (-35%) even without an oxidation enhancer (ie, H202).

G capture device Another embodiment of the invention relates to the use of the gas and liquid contactor to capture HG. Gas and liquid mass transfer operations take place through the gas and liquid interface. The rate of absorption of a gas within a liquid sorbent is controlled by the mass transfer coefficient of liquid phase, kL, the specific surface area (interfacial surface ratio of gas and liquid to volume), a, and the concentration gradient between the global fluid, CL, and the gas and liquid interface, CL *. In many gas and liquid reaction systems the solubility of CL * is low and control of the concentration gradient is limited. Accordingly, it is necessary to improve the gas absorption rate, the improvement of the mass transfer kinetics and the ratio of the interfacial surface to the volume.

One embodiment of the invention / includes a high performance gas and liquid contactor (as described herein, by example, Figure 33). The system is based on a group of thin flat jets with aerodynamic shape, high surface, high density that improve the general mass transfer and the contactor performance. The gas to liquid contactor is characterized by an increased surface area that is in the range of 1 to 50 cm ~ 2, a volume of the generator of 1 / 10a part of the volume of the packed towers of the prior art, low pressure drop of gas through the contactor of less than 5 Torr / linear foot, a pressure that drives the liquid jet less than 50 psi and more preferably less than 20 psi, and minimal liquid entrainment in the gas flow.

In a preferred embodiment, the system includes a specific surface in the range of 10 cm "1 to 20 cm" 1, a generator volume of 1/10 a part of the volume of the packed towers of the related art, a pressure drop of gas less than 1 Torr and a pressure that drives the jet of 5 psi, and a minimum liquid drag in the gas flow.

The gas and liquid contactor can be used with a variety of water-based sorbents that oxidize elemental mercury (Hg °) to Hg (II). Once it is in the Hg (II) state, the mercury becomes soluble in aqueous solutions and the Hg (II) can catalytically remove the elemental mercury (Hg °) from the combustion gas stream. Oxidants (OX) include but are not limited to sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and hydrogen peroxide (H202). The preferred oxidant to be used in the contactor is hydrogen peroxide (H202) with a catalytic additive (Cat) to increase the oxidation rates of Hg °, An example of an additive is HgCl2, TAML (macrocyclic iron tetracyclic ligand (III) ), catalase or peroxidase.

It is believed that the probable chemical mechanisms towards the oxidation of Hg in the presence of aqueous hydrogen peroxide are: H202 + Hg ° - »Hg (II) + products (1) H202 + Cat + Hg ° -» Hg (II) + products (2) In this embodiment a gaseous effluent cleaning process to remove mercury with high efficiency utilizes the high efficiency gas and liquid contactor. The system includes a group of nozzles, for example, the new form of orifice plate (described above in relation to the nozzle plate) and fluid composition engineering to adapt it to a wide range of fluids and operating conditions. The removal of Hg is accomplished by passing the gas through a gas contactor to liquid of high surface to volume which is described in US Pat. No. 7,379,487, which is incorporated herein by reference. The gaseous effluent is it passes horizontally (called transverse flow) through the gas and liquid contactor which has a substantially reduced contactor volume and flow pressure drop. Intersecting the transverse flow and the gas flow there is a plurality of groups of vertically oriented, low pressure flat jets of an aqueous base sorbent and substantial surface. The groups of flat jets are aerodynamically shaped so as to provide a stable stream of jets with low entrainment of liquid particles at a relatively high gas velocity.

In a preferred embodiment, the sorbent for the absorption and removal of mercury are those systems that demonstrate high Hg capacity, high oxidative stability, low heat of reaction, low sorbent cost, low corrosivity and a salable product stream. An example of a sorbent is aqueous with hydrogen peroxide, 10% by weight, with a catalyst, 0.1% by weight, to increase the oxidation of elemental Hg to Hg (II). The configuration of the nozzle plate can be optimized by adding a 1% to 2% suspension to the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution to increase the contactor performance. The additive can be designed in such a way that it is not reactive towards hydrogen peroxide or interfere with the mass transfer process. The additive can make it possible to adapt the properties of the sorbent (eg, viscosity) to obtain the maximum jet performance (width, length, thickness, jet surface) at a minimum liquid side pressure drop. An example of an additive is bentonite.

Other chemical compounds are preferred to contribute to the oxidation rate of Hg and therefore the mass transfer kinetics. An example of a preferred sorbent system additive is hydrogen peroxide. To avoid excessive decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide to pH, a stabilizer is added to the sorbent mixture. An example of hydrogen peroxide stabilizer at high pH is poly (oc-hydroxyacrylic acid). The oxidation capacity of hydrogen peroxide is also increased by adding hydrogen peroxide catalysts. An example of a hydrogen peroxide catalyst is the macro-cyclic tetra-amido ligand of iron (III) (TAML).

As discussed with respect to Figure 33, the systems can be used for Hg capture. The process is desribe by injecting a gaseous effluent containing Hg into the gas and liquid chamber 2645. A 2605 gas plenum distributes the gas flow evenly through the flat jets of liquid. The jets of liquid are created pumping the sorbent into the liquid plenum 2635 which distributes the sorbent evenly through the jet orifices. The created jets flow vertically downwards into the contactor chamber and through a gas and liquid separator into a collection tank 2620. In the gas and liquid chamber 2645 the vertically flowing sorbent intersects the transverse gas flow . The mercury is absorbed into the sorbent liquid and removed from the gaseous effluent stream. The effluent of clean gs 2655 is discharged at the outlet of the contactor chamber. The sorbent is recirculated for the continuous removal of Hg from the effluent gas stream.

H2S Capture Device Another embodiment of the invention relates to using the gas and liquid contactor to capture ¾S. Hydrogen sulfide is a highly toxic, flammable and noxious odor gas. It is considered a broad spectrum poison, the central nervous system is the main affected. The sources for anthropogenic hydrogen sulfide are derived mainly from the processing of natural gas and crude oils with high sulfur content. Natural gas can contain H2S concentrations of up to 28%. The emissions produced by man account for 10% of total global emissions of H2S. Oil refineries contribute to most of the industrial emission of H2S through hydrodesulfurization processes. Other industrial sources for H2S include coke ovens, paper mills and tanneries.

Environmental concerns about refinery H2S emissions and high sulfur fuel products (gasoline and diesel) have resulted in strict government controls. These regulations have resulted in significant cost increases for oil and natural gas refinery operations. Numerous technologies have been demonstrated to eliminate H2S.

The most predominant approach is the Claus process known in the art, which converts H2S through the combustion of oxygen into elemental sulfur. One of the problems with the Claus process is that the C02 present in the raw material reacts with H2S to form carbonyl sulfide and carbon disulfide. Another problem is that due to balancing considerations some H2S that did not react is entrained in the elemental sulfur product. Other processes for the removal of H2S include the reaction processes with alkanolamines (monoethanolamine, diethanolamine and methyldiethanolamine), iron oxide / sodium carbonate, thioarsenate, quinine and vanadium metal. However, it does not exist no single commercial approach that demonstrates high capacity and cost efficiency to eliminate H2S from gaseous effluents. The important cost drivers (which exclude labor and construction equipment) for the capture of H2S are the cost of the reagent, the handling and processing of waste, the hardware (container of absorbent, handling and gas conduits). of combustion) and the limitations of installation space.

Achieving a hydrogen sulfide removal capacity that is efficient and cost effective is the main technical challenge. Different areas to manipulate the H2S capture capacity include reducing the reactor vessel size, reducing the pressure drop and using efficient mass transfer sorbent systems with salable byproducts. An embodiment of the invention relates to achieving these desired performances with innovative design approaches that unite the high H2S absorption kinetics and the value-added product streams.

Flat Jet Spray Contactor Gas and liquid mass transfer operations take place through the gas and liquid interface. The speed of The absorption of a gas within a liquid sorbent is controlled by the mass transfer coefficient of the liquid phase, kL, the specific surface area (the ratio of the interfacial surface of gas and liquid to the volume), a, and the concentration gradient between the global fluid, CL, and the gas and liquid interface, CL *. In many gas and liquid reaction systems the solubility of CL * is low and control of the concentration gradient is limited. Consequently, in order to improve the speed of gas absorption, the increase in mass transfer kinetics and the interfacial surface to volume ratio are needed.

An embodiment of the invention includes a high performance gas and liquid contactor (which is described herein, e.g., Figure 33). The system is based on a group of thin flat jets with aerodynamic shape, high surface, high density that improve the overall mass transfer and the performance of the contactor. The gas and liquid contactor is characterized by an improved specific surface that is in the range of 1 cnf2 to 50 cm "2, a volume of the generator of l / lO part of the volume of the packed towers of the related art, low pressure drop gas through the contactor of less than 5 Torr / linear foot, a liquid jet impulse pressure less than 50 psi and more preferably less than 20 psi and a minimum liquid drag within the gas flow.

In a preferred embodiment, the system includes a specific surface in a range of 10 cm "1 to 20 cm" 1, a generator volume of 1 / 10a part of the volume of the packed towers of the related art, a gas pressure drop less than 1 Torr, a jet impulse pressure of 5 psi and a minimum liquid drag within the gas flow.

The contactor can be used with a variety of conventional liquid sorbents (water based) that oxidize H2S and other sulfur-based compounds. Oxidants (OX) include, but are not limited to, aqueous ammonia, alkanolamines (monoethanolamine, diethanolamine and methyldiethanolamine), iron oxide / sodium carbonate, thiosarsenate, quinine, vanadium metal processes, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), and hydrogen peroxide. (H202). The preferred oxidant to be used within the contactor is a basic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) solution (pH> 7) with a catalytic additive (Cat) to increase the oxidation rate and a stabilizer to control the decomposition of the peroxide hydrogen. An example of a catalytic additive is TAML (ligand macrocyclic iron (III) tetraamido). An example of a stabilizer is poly alpha hydroxyacrylic acid, sodium silicate or acid dimethylenetriaminepentaacetic.

It is believed that the probable chemical mechanisms towards the oxidation of H2S in the presence of aqueous basic hydrogen peroxide are: H2S + OH "-> HS" + H20 (1) 4H202 + HS "- S042" + H + + 4H20 (2) Process for H2S elimination This embodiment relates to a process for cleaning gas effluents to remove hydrogen sulfide with high efficiency. The invention includes a group of nozzles including a nozzle orifice plate (see the description of the new formation of the preceding nozzle plate) and fluid composition engineering to suit a wide range of fluids and operating conditions. The removal of H2S is carried out by passing the gas through a gas contactor unit to high surface liquid to volume a surface as described above. The gas effluent is passed horizontally (called cross flow) through the gas and liquid contactor having a substantially reduced contactor volume and a gas flow pressure drop. Intersecting the transverse flow and the gas flow there is a plurality of groups of vertically oriented, low pressure flat jets composed of a water-based sorbent and of substantial surface.

The groups of flat jets are aerodynamically shaped to provide a stable jet stream with low particle entrainment at a relatively high gas velocity. The sorbents for the absorption and elimination of hydrogen sulphide are those that demonstrate high H2S capacity, high oxidative stability, low heat of reaction, low sorbents cost, low corrosivity and a salable product stream. An example of a sorbent is hydrogen peroxide, 10% by weight, with a catalyst, 0.1% by weight, to increase the oxidation of H2S. To optimize the contactor, a 1% to 2% suspension can be added to the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution to increase the performance of the contactor. An example of an additive is one that is not reactive towards aqueous hydrogen peroxide or interfere with the mass transfer process. An example of an additive makes it possible to adapt the properties of the sorbent (for example, the viscosity) to achieve the maximum jet performance (width, length, thickness, jet surface) at a minimum liquid side pressure drop. An example of an additive is bentonite.

In a preferred embodiment, additional chemical compounds are used to contribute to the oxidation rate of H2S and therefore the mass transfer kinetics. An example of an additive to the preferred sorbent system is hydrogen peroxide. To avoid excessive decomposition of hydrogen peroxide at high pH, a stabilizer can be added to the sorbent mixture. An example of a hydrogen peroxide stabilizer at high pH is poly (a-hydroxyacrylic acid). The oxidation capacity of hydrogen peroxide can be further increased by adding hydrogen peroxide catalysts. An example of a hydrogen peroxide catalyst is the macro-cyclic tetra-amido ligand of iron (III) (TAML).

As disclosed with respect to Figure 33 the system can be used for the removal of H2S. The process is described by injecting a gaseous effluent containing H2S into the gas and liquid chamber 2645. A gas plenum 2605 distributes the gas flow evenly through the flat liquid jets. The liquid jets are created by pumping the sorbent into the liquid plenum 2635 which distributes the sorbent evenly through jets of jets. The created jets flow vertically downwards inside the contactor chamber and through a separator gas and liquid within a catchment bank 2620. In the gas and liquid chamber 2645 the vertical flow sorbent intersects the transverse flow of gas. The hydrogen sulfide is absorbed into the sorbent liquid and removed from the gaseous effluent stream. The clean gaseous effluent 2635 is discharged at the outlet of the contactor chamber. The sorbent is recirculated for the continuous removal of H2S from the effluent gas stream.

Flat Jet Spray Contactor C02 Capture Device Another embodiment relates to the use of the gas and liquid contactor to capture C02. The gas and liquid mass transfer operation takes place through a gas and liquid interface. The rate of absorption of a gas within a liquid sorbent is controlled by the mass transfer coefficient of liquid phase, kLl the specific surface (the ratio of the interfacial surface of gas and liquid to volume), a, and the gradient of concentration between the global fluid, C¿, and the gas and liquid interface, CL *. In many gas and liquid reaction systems the solubility of CL * is low and control of the concentration gradient is limited. To increase the speed of gas absorption, the designs of Gas and liquid contactors must demonstrate increased mass transfer kinetics, gas and liquid mixture and interfacial surface to volume ratio.

An embodiment of the invention relates to a high-performance gas and liquid contactor described above and is based on a group of thin, flat, high-surface, high-density streams that improve the overall mass transfer and performance of the product. contactor An embodiment of the invention includes a gas and liquid contactor (which is described herein, e.g., Figure 33). The system is based on a group of thin flat jets with aerodynamic shape of high surface, high density that improve the general mass transfer and the performance of the contactor. The gas and liquid contactor is characterized by an increased specific surface that is in the range of 1 to 50 cm "2, a generator volume of 1 / 10a part of the volume of the packed towers of the related art, a low pressure drop gas through the contactor less than 5 torr / linear foot, a liquid jet pulse pressure less than 50 psi and more preferably less than 20 psi, and a minimum liquid entrainment within the gas flow.

In a preferred embodiment, the system includes a specific surface in the range of 10 cm "1 to 20 cm" 1, a generator volume of l / 10 a part of the volume of the packed towers of the related art, a gas pressure drop less than 1 Torr, a jet impulse pressure of 5 psi, and a minimum liquid drag within the gas flow.

To efficiently capture CO2, the contactor can be used with a wide variety of water-based sorbents including but not limited to monoethanolamine (MEA), hindered amines such as methylaminopropanol (AMP) and piperazine (PZ), potassium carbonate ( K2C03) and ammonium hydroxide (commonly called aqueous ammonia and abbreviated AA). The use of the contactor with aqueous ammonia is especially beneficial since it creates ammonium bicarbonate, which can be converted into urea (a fertilizer) or sold as a chemical raw material to reduce operating costs. It is believed that the probable chemical mechanisms for the capture of C02 and the generation of byproducts in aqueous ammonia are: 2NH3 + H20 + C02 - (NH4) 2C03 (ammonium carbonate) (1) (NH4) 2 C03 + C02 + H20 - > 2NH4HCO3 (ammonium bicarbonate) (2) NH4HCO3 + heat, pressure - > (NH2) 2CO (urea) (3) Process for the elimination of C02 This embodiment is a process for cleaning gaseous effluents to remove carbon dioxide with high efficiency through a gas and liquid contactor of one embodiment of the invention. The system includes a group of nozzles that include a new form of nozzle orifice plate (the nozzle plate described above) and fluid composition engineering for adaptation to a wide range of fluids and operating conditions. The removal of C02 is carried out by passing the gas through a gas and liquid contactor unit of high surface area to volume as described above. The gaseous effluent is passed horizontally (called cross flow) through the gas and liquid contactor having a substantially reduced contactor volume and a gas flow pressure drop. Intersecting the transverse flow and the gas flow there is a plurality of groups of vertically oriented, low pressure flat jets composed of a water based sorbent and of substantial surface. The groups of flat jets are aerodynamically shaped so as to provide a stable stream of jets with low carry-over of liquid particles at a relatively high gas velocity. A sorbent for the absorption and elimination of carbon dioxide can those that they demonstrate high carbon dioxide capacity, high oxidative stability, low heat of reaction, low sorbent cost, low corrosivity and a salable product stream. An example of a sorbent for the efficient removal of C02 is 28% by weight of ammonium in water. To optimize the gas and liquid contactor, add 1% to 2% polymer or suspension to aqueous ammonia solutions to increase the performance of the contactor.

An example of an additive is one that is not reactive to aqueous ammonia or interfere with the mass transfer process. The preferred polymer or suspension makes it possible to adapt the properties of the sorbent (eg, viscosity) to achieve the maximum jet performance (width, length, thickness, jet surface) at a minimum liquid side pressure drop. An example of a polymeric additive is diethylene glycol. Other polymeric additives include polyethylene oxide or polyvinyl alcohol. An example of an inorganic additive is bentonite.

As discussed in Figure 33, the system can be used for the elimination of C02. The process is described by injecting a gaseous effluent containing C02 into the gas and liquid chamber 2645. A gas plenum 2605 distributes the gas flow evenly through the flat jets of liquid. The liquid jets are created by pumping the sorbent into the liquid plenum 2635 which distributes the sorbent evenly through the jet orifices. The created jets flow vertically downwardly into the contactor chamber and through a gas and liquid separator within a collection basin 2620. In the gas and liquid chamber 2645 the vertical flow sorbent intersects the transverse gas flow . The carbon dioxide is absorbed into the sorbent liquid and removed from the gaseous effluent stream. The clean gaseous effluent 2655 is discharged at the outlet of the contactor chamber. The sorbent is recirculated for the continuous removal of C02 from the effluent gas stream.

The performance of the gas and liquid contactor was demonstrated in a small subscale test bed that is illustrated in Figure 33. Table 7 summarizes the geometric parameters for the example.

TABLE 7: GEOMETRIC DIMENSINOES OF THE GAS AND LIQUID CONTACTOR Parameter Super Width Density Altu Longi Superfi Volume of T orifice R ector of T ra d C ector Contactors of a Channel Wrap Spec Channel (cm3) Single jets (cm) (cm) Canal fica jet stream (cm) (jets / (cm2) w Value 96 4 22 15 25 30 5-10 11,250 The geometry of the jet orifice used in this example was described above. Prior to the operation the surface of the liquid jet was optimized for the length, width and thickness of the jet by varying the support pressure of the pump to the jet orifice plate. Another optimization with respect to the jet surface (length and width) can be obtained by using additives (eg diethylene glycol or bentonite) to increase the viscosity / surface tension properties of the sorbent or by reforming the orifice nozzle.

An example of the operating conditions and performance of the gas and liquid contactor is presented in Table 8. Two systems of sorbent, aqueous ammonia and MEA were tested under the given operating conditions. No viscosity additive was added to the sorbent mixture. The effluent gas consisted of air mixed with C02 at a dilution ratio of C02: typical air of 1: 9. The gas mixture was injected into the contactor under ambient temperature and pressure conditions and was measured using calibrated mass flow controllers. The liquid volumetric flow rate was determined by recording the amount of the liquid jet discharge within a calibrated receiver vessel during a measured time interval / The amount of reduced (absorbed) C02 is expressed as a percentage using: % REDUCTION of C02 = 100 X (Cdentro-CfUera) / Cdentro (1) where Caentro and Cfuera is the concentration of C02 that enters the contactor and exits the contactor, respectively. The relative amounts of C02 entering and leaving the contactor were determined by integrating the fundamental absorption band of C02 about 4.2 μp? with Foourier Transform Infrared spectrometry (FTIR).

Figure 35 is a graph of the absorption spectrum of FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) of C02 with liquid aqueous ammonia jets turned on and off. With reference to Figure 35, an average of four test runs was performed for each test result. Background concentrations of C02 were recorded before each run. The results of the tests for the absorption of C02 under the described test conditions show more than 90% removal of C02. The depth illustrates a slight absorbance of the C02 molecule in the optical range of its fundamental optical absorption region of 2400 cm "1 to 2250 ctn" 1. The graph clearly illustrates a reduction in the absorption of species in the fundamental region of C02, which indicates efficient removal. The performance of standard mathematic analysis to these spectra provides the concentrations that provide these levels of absorbency, which are then examined by the ratio to determine the percentage of elimination.

TABLE 8: CONDITIONS OF OPERATION OF THE GAS AND LIQUID CONTACTOR AND RESULTS OF ABSORPTION OF C02 OF FLOW FLOW RATE OF SORBENT TOTAL LIQUID (LPM) Sorbent Pressure VelcidadVel. Pressure Conc. Temp Temp. % C02 Fluid Flow Container or C02 Support Liquid Gas Eliminated (Torr) Gas Jet Jets Entrance Entrance Entrance Total Liquid Liquid (%) (K) (K) (LPM) Total (psi) (LPM) AA 609 1.8 14 11 9.5 293 293 96 (28% in weight) MEA 609 1.8 14 11 9.5 293 293 91 (30% in weight) System for Flat Jet Spray Contactor Elimination of Gaseous Contaminants In embodiments of the invention, contaminants can be removed in gas streams with a gas and liquid contactor. The system transfers a mass from one phase (gas) to another (liquid). In this process a gas stream passes through or is brought into contact with a sorbent in the form of a spray or liquid mixture. Since the gaseous pollutant is soluble in the sorbent, it dissolves or absorbs into the liquid sorbent and is removed from the gas stream. The magnitude of the absorption process is governed by the mass transfer operation, which includes the diffusion, solubility and chemical reactivity of gas and liquid.

Gas and liquid mass transfer operations take place through the gas and liquid interface. The rate of absorption of a gas within a liquid sorbent is controlled by the liquid phase transfer coefficient, kL, the specific surface area (the ratio of the interfacial surface of gas and liquid to volume), a, and the concentration gradient. between the global fluid, CL, and the gas and liquid interface, CL *. In many gas and liquid reaction systems the solubility of CL * is low and control of the concentration gradient is limited. To increase the speed of gas absorption, the gas and liquid contactor designs must demonstrate increased mass transfer kinetics, gas and liquid mixture and interface and volume ratio.

An embodiment of the invention includes a high performance gas and liquid contactor (which is described herein). The system is based on a group of thin, high-density, high-surface streamlined jets with aerodynamic shape that improve overall mass transfer and contactor performance. The gas and liquid contactor is characterized by an increased specific surface that is in the range of 1 to 50 cm "2, a volume of the generator of l / lO part of the volume of the packed towers of the related art, a low pressure drop through the contactor less than 5 torr / linear foot, at a liquid jet pulse pressure of less than 50 psi and more preferably less than 20 psi, and minimal liquid entrainment within the gas flow.

In a preferred embodiment, the system includes a specific surface in the range of 10 cm "1 to 20 cm" 1, a generator volume of l / 10 a part of the volume of the packed towers of the related art, a gas pressure drop less than 1 Torr, a jet impulse pressure of 5 psi, and a minimum liquid drag within the gas flow.

Efficient capture of gaseous pollutants is obtained using a wide variety of water-based sorbents in combination with a polymeric additive to increase the surface of the jet. Acid gases such as H2S and C0C are usually removed with alkanolamines, monoethanolamine (MEA) and diethanolamine (DEA). The reference S02 and N0X sorbents include mixtures of calcium carbonate (limestone / lime) and ammonium hydroxide (aqueous ammonia), respectively. The personalization of the sorbent system to allow an all-in-one contaminant capture system is preferred since it simplifies and reduces the size of the contamination control contactor. The all-in-one system can be configured in series or in parallel. In addition, the all-in-one system utilizes a gas and liquid contactor that is described herein.

In a preferred embodiment, the additives for increasing the surface of the jet are polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl oxide, ethylene glycol or diethylene glycol. Inorganic suspensions such as bentonite are also a preferred treatment for increasing the surface of the jet. Aqueous ammonia is the preferred sorbent since it has the ability to remove C02, S02, N0X and H2S. The addition of an oxidation agent such as hydrogen peroxide contributes to oxidize NO and Hg, which are otherwise difficult to absorb in aqueous solutions. A hydrogen peroxide catalyst for operation at high pH is the macrocyclic tetra-amido ligand of iron (III) (TAML). A preferred hydrogen peroxide stabilizer at a high pH is poly (a-hydroxyacrylic acid). Aqueous ammonia is a particularly preferred sorbent since ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate are byproducts of the reaction of N0X and S02 with aqueous ammonia. These products can be sold as fertilizers to reduce the operating costs of the plant. The basic chemical composition for a system of capture of pollutants and generation of by-products all in one is: Capture of S02: NH3 + H20 + S02 - > NH4 + + HS03"(1) NH4 + + HSO3 + NH3 - > 2 (NH4) + S032"(2) 2H202 + S032"-> H20 + H2S04 (sulfuric acid) (3) H2S04 + H20 - »2H + + S042" + H20 (4) 2NH4 + + S042 ~ - (NH4) 2S04 (ammonium sulfate) (5) N0X capture: NH3 + H20 NH4 + + OH "(1) H202 + OH "- H02" + H20 (2) H02"+ NO ~> N02 + OH" (3) N02 + N02 ~ > N204 (4) N204 + H20 - »HN02 + HNO3 (5) HN02 + H202 - > HN03 + H20 (6) HN03 (aqueous) ^ H + + N03"(7) NH4 + + N03 - > (NH4) N03 (ammonium nitrate) (8) Capura de Hg: H202 + Hg 0 - > Hg (II) + products (1) H2S capture: H2S + H20 - HS "+ H30 + (1) HS "+ NH3 + H20 ~> NH4HS + OH (2) System Process for the Elimination of Gaseous Contaminants An embodiment of the invention relates to a system that includes a group of nozzles for the removal of gaseous pollutants. The group of nozzles includes a new form of nozzle orifice plate and fluid composition engineering for adaptation to a wide range of fluids and operating conditions. The removal of polluting gases is carried out by passing the gas through a gas and liquid contactor unit of high surface area to volume that was described above. The gaseous effluent is passed horizontally (called cross flow) through the gas to liquid contactor having a substantially reduced contactor volume and gas flow pressure drop. Intersecting the transverse flow and the gas flow there is a plurality of low pressure, groups of flat jets oriented vertically compounds of a water-based sorbent and substantial surface. The groups of flat jets have an aerodynamic shape in such a way as to provide a stable jet flow with low entrainment of liquid particles at a relatively high gas velocity.

In a preferred embodiment, the preferred sorbent for gas uptake and removal are those systems that demonstrate high liquid jet performance, high gas loading capacity, high oxidative stability, low heat of reaction, low sorbent cost, low corrosivity and a stream of salable product. The jet nozzle plate configuration (described above) can be optimized in one embodiment by including a 12% polymer or suspension added to the sorbent solution to increase the performance of the contactor.

The preferred additive is such that it is not reactive to the sorbent or interfere with the mass transfer process. The preferred polymer or suspension allows the sorbent properties (eg, viscosity) to be adapted to obtain the maximum jet performance (width, length, thickness, jet surface) at a minimum liquid side pressure drop. An example of a sorbent is aqueous ammonia, 28% by weight, with an additive or polymer suspension to increase the viscosity of the liquid for the optimum width, length and thickness of the liquid at a minimum impulse pressure. An example of a polymeric additive is diethylene glycol. An example of an inorganic suspension is bentonite.

Other additives can be added to contribute to the oxidation rate of the contaminant and therefore the mass transfer kinetics. An example of an additive to increase the oxidation of contaminant molecules that include non-exhaustive form Hg ° and S02 is hydrogen peroxide. To avoid decomposition of excessive hydrogen peroxide to a high pH, a stabilizer is added to the sorbent mixture. An example of hydrogen peroxide stabilizer at high pH is poly (a-hydroxy acrylic acid). The oxidation capacity of hydrogen peroxide is also improved by adding hydrogen peroxide catalysts. An example of a hydrogen peroxide catalyst is the iron (III) macrocyclic tretra-amido ligand (TAML).

In one embodiment, a gas and liquid contactor can be used which is described in Figure 33 for the removal of gaseous contaminants. The process is described by injecting the gaseous effluent 2600 into the gas chamber and liquid 2645. A 2605 gas plenum distributes the gas flow evenly through the flat liquid jets. Jet streams are created by pumping the sorbent into the liquid plenum 2635 which distributes the sorbent evenly through the jet orifices. The created jets flow vertically downwardly into contactor chamber 2645 and through a gas and liquid separator 2650 within a collection tank 2620. In the gas and liquid chamber 2645 the vertically flowing sorbent intersects the transverse flow of gas. The gaseous pollutants are absorbed into the sorbent liquid and are removed from the gaseous effluent stream. The clean gaseous effluent 2655 is discharged at the outlet of the contactor chamber. The sorbent is recirculated for the removal of the contaminant from the effluent gas stream. Table 9 summarizes a preferred embodiment of the geometric parameters for this embodiment.

TABLE 9: GEOMETRIC DIMENSIONS OF THE GAS AND LIQUID CONTACTOR Parameter Density Super Width Altu Longi Superfi Volume of tro Orifi de ficie de ra de tud cié Contactor Prior to the operation the surface of the liquid jet was optimized for the length, width and thickness of the jet by varying the support pressure of the pump to the jet orifice plate. Another optimization with respect to the surface of the jet (length and width) can be obtained by using preferred additives to increase the viscosity / surface tension of the sorbent or by reforming the orifice nozzle. However, for these tests no polymeric additive was added to the liquid sorbents.

An example of the operating conditions and performance of the gas and liquid contactor is presented in Table 10. Two systems of sorbent, aqueous ammonia and MEA were tested under the given operating conditions. No viscosity or oxidant additive was added to the sorbent mixture. The effluent gas consisted of air mixed with C02 at a dilution ratio of C02: typical air of 1: 9. The gas mixture was injected into the contactor under ambient temperature and pressure conditions and measured using calibrated mass flow controllers. The liquid volumetric flow rate was determined by recording the amount of the liquid jet discharge within a calibrated receiver vessel during a measured time interval. The amount of C02 reduced (absorbed) is expressed as a percentage using: % Reduction of C02 = 100 x (Cdentro-CfUera) / Cdentro (1) where C and C is the concentration of C02 that enters the contactor and leaves the contactor, respectively. The relative amounts of C02 entering and leaving the contactor were determined by integrating the fundamental absorption band of C02 about 4.2 μp? with Infrared spectrometry Transformed Foourier (FTIR). In Figure 3 9 a FTIR absorption spectrum of representative C02 is shown with the thin flat jets of liquid aqueous ammonia liquid on and off. An average of four test runs were performed for each test result. Background concentrations of C02 were recorded before each run. The results of the tests for the absorption of C02 under the described test conditions show more than 90% removal of C02.

TABLE 10: CONDITIONS OF OPERATION OF THE GAS AND LIQUID CONTACTOR AND ABSORPTION RESULTS OF C02 Sorbent Pressure VelcidadVel. Pressure Conc. Temp. Tem. % co2 Flow Flow Container Support of C02 Liquid Gas Eliminated (Torr) Gas Jet Jets Entrance Entrance Entrance Total Liquid Liquid (%) (K) (K) (LPM) Total (psi) (LPM) AA 609 1.8 14 11 9.5 293 293 96 (28% in weight) MEA 609 1.8 14 11 9.5 293 293 91 (30% in weight) Pilot test in the Coal-fired Power Plant In this experiment, a 2 MW unit, mounted to a trailer (10,000 ACFM gas flow) was designed and manufactured for the pilot test in a coal-fired power plant. The apparatus system consists of a gas plenum, a combustion gas bellows, a heat exchange submodule, a gas and liquid contactor module that includes a liquid and splash capture submodule, a defroster submodule , assemblies of nozzle groups, sorbent pumps, a liquid handling submodule, diagnostic components and other auxiliary components. The system is designed to work in a stationary closed-loop state or in a batch configuration and meet the wastewater discharge requirements of priority pollutants. of the power plants. The initial pilot tests were carried out on a scale of 0.13 MW (nominally 650 ACFM of combustion gas) in an exhaust stream to reduce the time and risk of development. A spill stream was diverted to the scrubber using two 15.24 cm steel pipes. The rate of combustion gas within the contactor was equal to the velocity of the effluent conduit of the power plant (17 m / s) using an inlet channel surface of 0.018 m2. The residence time of gas inside the contactor was 0.04 seconds. The system operated with a 5 psi liquid side pressure drop and a minimum combustion gas pressure drop of approximately 0.1 psi was observed. The emission of combustion gases for S02, NO, N02, CO, and C02 were measured using a combustion gas analyzer verified with the performance of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The spill current entered the unit at a temperature and pressure of 65.5 ° C and 11.2 psiA, respectively. 0.1% by weight of NaOH solution circulated through the system to purify S02.

Figure 36 is a photograph of a 2 MW prototype system. Figure 37 is a photograph of a gas contactor and liquid. Figure 38 is a photograph of the solvent pumps of the system of Figure 36.

With reference to Figure 36, a gas and liquid contactor 3210 contains a contact system of flat liquid jets which was described herein. A 3220 solvent feed plenum provides a solvent for contact with the 3210 contactor. In Figure 37 the combustion gas enters the 3230 combustion gas inlet point and advances to the 3210 contactor. The combustion gas exits the 3250 combustion gas outlet point. In Figure 38, solvent pumps 3260 are shown. Figures 39-40 are graphs showing concentrations of white pollutants within the combustion gas from a coal-fired power plant in the Y axis without and with the gas and liquid contactor geared as a function of time on the X axis. A TESTO 335 electrochemical analyzer was used for the three analytical measurements. Figure 39 shows the concentration of S02 in the first small-scale test using the contactor, in an equivalent combustion gas drag of 0.13 MW. When the combustion gas was ignited, the concentrations of S02 reached an approximate steady state near 200 ppm. The gear of the contactor system immediately reduced these emission levels of S02 close to the detection limits of the instrument, reaching the steady state again. He TESTO instrument was kept sampling the system when the contactor was disengaged, showing an immediate rise to concentrations of S02 towards the original levels of the contaminants. Figure 40 is a figure that illustrates the levels of C02 in the same mechanical system, but using a different sorbent. The TESTO analyzer clearly shows a reduction in C02 levels over a period of 4 minutes, reaching the steady state at this level.

In addition, deep SO2 removal efficiencies (> 99%) may be required to meet emission requirements and pretreat combustion gas for efficient removal of C02 contaminants. Using the 0.13 MW scrubber, an S02 removal efficiency of 99.5% was achieved, with an average of 99% as shown in Figure 39. A scope test was also carried out for the elimination of several contaminants. using 19% by weight of aqueous ammonia shown in Figure 40. Although the system was not optimized for C02 absorption (low and short residence time), the unit absorbed more than 50% of the C02 spill current in these conditions. In addition, more than 99.5% of S02 and more than 80% of N0X were simultaneously eliminated. Through the optimization of the jet and the solvent, it is projected that only two units are needed to achieve a 90% removal efficiency of C02.

The results were quickly scaled and successfully used to demonstrate the operation of the 2 MW modular pilot scrubber (8400 ACFM) comprising parallel gas and liquid contactor modules in the same power plant. The surface of the inlet channel of the gas and liquid contactor was 0.35 m2 (which provided a flow rate equalizing the effluent of the power plant of 18 m / s and for a residence time of 0.07 seconds. solvent flow rates were 2800 GPM, giving an L / G of 330 GPM / 1000 ACFM.The pressure drop of liquid through the jets was 6 psi.The full gas side pressure drop for a total stage of 2 MW contactor that includes a fog eliminator submodule and a jet pack submodule was 0.4 psi where the gas pressure drop was 0.1 psi through 0.29 m2 of the jet pack (0 , 03 psi / ft.) The inlet and outlet combustion gas temperatures were 121 ° C and 46 ° C, respectively, and a twenty-four-hour stationary test was carried out. (with solvent discharge) with a purification efficiency of S02 greater than 99%.

Figure 41 provides a view of a scaled test for the capture of S02 with approximately 2 MW of equivalent flue gas flow through a larger contactor. Several on / off cycles were performed to confirm the operational consistency. With reference to Figure 41, a graph of the purification results of S02 using H20, NaOH (0.1% by weight), 2 MW scale is shown. The graph includes the time in hours on the x axis and the concentration in ppm is on the y axis. As shown, the combustion flux was being emitted at more than 350 ppm of S02 as a pollutant molecule. The operation of the gas and liquid contactor module virtually eliminated all of S02. More specifically, to test if this was reproducible, the liquid jets of the contactor were closed, at which time the concentration of the S02 again rose above 350 ppm as shown in Figure 41. The gear of the liquid jet module reduced the concentration of S02 near the baseline. The repetition of this coincidentally produces the same results shown in Figure 41. In addition, recent follow-up trials confirmed the elimination efficiency of S02. In addition, a simulated wastewater treatment experiment is being conducted using the solvent used in the laboratory, to demonstrate the precipitation of calcium sulfate.

The embodiments of the invention refer to a modular gas and liquid contactor or a gas and liquid contactor that includes the technology after combustion to remove various combustion gas pollutants (SOx, NOx, C02 and particulates) in a wide range of combustion gas conditions. The Wet scrubber systems are susceptible to operational closures due to mechanical failures or emissions compliance. The gas and liquid contactor debugger systems are designed as small footprint packs to meet continuous line operation with performance, flexibility, usability and reliability.

Although the actual performance measures (for example, the elimination of S02) are directly comparable with conventional equipment methods and designs, the designs, methods and systems presented in this invention that provide that equivalence of the process are very surprising; the size and cost to produce these results can be more than ten times smaller at less than half the cost of capital, respectively, of conventional systems.

A modular design approach is used for the manufacture and scale of the gas and liquid-liquid contactor depuration unit. The debugger modules are added in parallel or in series to obtain the necessary contaminant removal performance. This is allowed by the low pressure drop, for example, a pressure drop of 0.4 psi and the low parasitic energy requirements, for example, less than 0.8% per stage. This approach normalizes the manufacture although it allows the customization of a debugger unit according to the requirements of the site. The modular liquid and gas contactor is factory made in a production process of assembly line.

Gas and Liquid Contactor Modules Figure 42 is a representation of a 60 MW purification unit and support structures. Figure 43 is a front view of a 2 MW section of the scrubber tower of Figure 42. Figure 44 is a side view of a 2 MW section of the scrubber tower of Figure 42. Figure 45 shows the geometry of the inlet channel and the jet pack zone. In this embodiment, the system is configured to have less than 600 pounds and to have dimensions of 1.50 m x 3 m x 3 m. These units can also handle more than 85,000 cfm of flue gas flow and can be scaled up or down as needed.

The units are modules that are designed to be stacked in parallel and sized as needed for power plants. In a parallel configuration, the modules are one above or next (next to) the other. The incoming gas stream is divided, for example, in equal parts, between the modules in parallel, each module provides a processing equivalent. In one embodiment, a composite module of 20 MW (85,000 cfm) is created by vertically stacking ten base modules of 2 MW. Three 20 MW modules are then connected horizontally and produce a 60 MW system with the incoming gas stream divided equally between the three 20 MW modules that include the 60 MW system.

In this embodiment and as shown in Figure 42, sorbent is fed from the sorbent storage tank 3315 to the purification system in the solvent feed plenum 3305 where it is pumped through a plurality of nozzles configured in a group of nozzles The group of nozzles is configured to provide essentially planar liquid jets, each of said liquid jets comprises a planar sheet of liquid, said plurality of liquid jets being in substantially parallel planes. The flat liquid jets are formed in a scrubber tower 3345, where a gas flow 3320 is passed parallel to the flat surfaces of the jets. After the sorbent falls to the bottom of the tower a heat exchanger 3340 captures the heat absorbed by the sorbent in the contact process. The sorbent then flows into the conduit 3335 to a pump cabinet 3330 where it is subsequently pumped to a water treatment system 3325.

The water treatment system illustrated in 3325 is a schematic reference only in which, according to the secondary or tertiary treatment of the liquid, this segment 3325 of the contactor system may be small or large. For example, a small system could only include a heat exchanger for the dissolution of the captured gas phase molecule and could be fitted within the "box" illustrated in Figure 42. A large system could include precipitation tanks, sedimentation tanks and press subsystems of solids that can be large, depending on the chemical composition and the applications that are being applied.

The pump cabinet illustrated in Figure 3330 would be a liquid pump sized appropriately to supply an appropriate volume of liquid to the contactor system known in the art. The block illustrated in 3330 is optional, but it would depend on the medium of the site and the choice of the pump and if necessary to protect that pump choice from rain or snow. · Reference is now made to Figures 43-45 illustrating a geometry of the spray package base units. The base units or base modules of this embodiment consist of an inlet channel of 25 cm x 130 cm and a package surface 1.7 m2 sprinkler that contains approximately 5 sprinkles / cm2 based on a total of 3400 nozzles (40 rows of 85 nozzles) within the spray package. Figure 41 shows a 3360 effluent inlet, an effluent outlet 3350 and a jet pack zone 3355. The jet pack zone 3355 is the actual volume of the contactor where the liquid jets and gas molecules come into contact with each other. In Figure 45 a jet cleaning package 3365 is shown as a side cut, followed by a mist or spray remover 3370, which removes the fluid entrained from the effluent stream. Although the velocity of the liquid jets is high, some liquid still creeps into the gas flow, particularly when the gas velocities become higher. This drag includes small droplets, for example, an aerosol or mist. The mist eliminator provides a small area where small mist droplets move through an area with elements represented by 1660 in Figure 29, condense on the surface of those elements and flow back to the liquid collection system. In this particular embodiment, these elements are vertical rods, but any design that provides a small pressure drop and produces a turbulent gas flow combined with a condensing / coalescing surface, which includes but is not limited to gears, elements of heat exchange or aerodynamic plates or deflectors.

Figure 46 shows a representation of a jet pack zone with a removable nozzle plate according to another embodiment of the invention. Figure 47 shows the configuration of the nozzle plates within the jet pack zone of Figure 46. Figure 48 shows a seal system for the jet pack zone of Figure 46. As shown, the contactor Gas and liquid modular is designed for usability, accessibility and reliability. The system, for example, the gas contactor or the purification unit may use a press fit design approach for the group of nozzles that includes an orifice plate so that worn or clogged orifices can be replaced without stopping the operations. The system can also be designed with redundancy within the mechanical equipment and support systems. For example, large plant facilities include a 20% spare parts concept so that parallel units are repaired if necessary without interrupting plant operations.

Referring now to Figure 46, a removable plate 3410 is shown in a partially removed position. The removable plate 3410 includes a plurality of nozzle plates that they have a plurality of rows of nozzles to create a plurality of parallel flat liquid jets. Figure 47 shows a complete section of removable plates 3410. The removable plate 3415 is shown in the placed position and the removable plate 3410 is shown being removed. Figure 48 shows a sealing mechanism 3440 designed to seal the jet plate 3425 on the sealing surface 3435 with an elastomeric seal 3430. That is, a side view of a small section of the edge of the jet plate 3425 is shown, a small expansion of the edge of a standard jet plate, for example 3410 or 3415. In this embodiment, the jet plate is installed according to 3415, the edge of 3415 has a series of small angled grooves where the pin 3440 mounted at frame 3435 fits into the groove 3445. The angle of the groove 3445 is such that the torque applied in the sealing direction causes the angle of the groove to act as a cam against the pin 3440, which derives a pressure against the seal Elastomeric 3430. Although this is not a specific embodiment, an expert in the art of mechanical systems and hydraulic surface sealing may foresee alternatives to be an equally functional.

Contactor of Gas and Modular Liquid for Process of SOx, NOx and Particulates Another embodiment relates to a design that has been analyzed for the deep elimination of S02 from combustion gas using a Double Na / Ca alkaline metal process incorporating the compact, high-performance, low-cost gas and liquid contactor system with low water usage and highly Efficient energy or scrubber system with advanced wastewater and product stream processing. The Design requirements for this process are provided in the Table TABLE 11: DESIGN REQUIREMENTS FOR ELIMINATION OF GLC S02 Parameter Requirement Debugging of S02 > 99% Debugging of N0X > 80% Purification of Matter > 99% Particulate Sulfate Removal > 99% Parasite System Load < 1% Drag removal from > 99% Liquid (fog) pH of Solvent Loop 6 Loop Temperature of 107 ° F Solvent Loop Flow Rate of 28000 GPM Solvent Composition of Water to Scrubber 12 GPM Caustic Capacity 7 days Current ratio of < 1/500 exudation to loop flow of absorbent Current ratio of < l / 40 brine to solvent flow recycling Continuous operation 24 hours / day, 7 days / week Combustion Gas Conditioning System In an application where combustion gas is processed using an embodiment of this invention, the methodologies employed are They can describe in general terms. These generalities can be customized according to the requirements of the site and the application but can be divided into approximately four sections. Figure 49 is a process flow diagram for a system for the elimination of pollutants. With reference to Figure 49, the baseline process flow diagram for the Gas and liquid contactor system shows the main components of the system and key points of the current. The four sections include: Section 1, section of the flue gas or process gas, Section 2, a section of scrubber or reactor, Section 3, sorbent or reagent input and Section 4, reaction product processing and recycling (or release) of sorbent. Although, for the purposes of this embodiment, these four sections will be described in more detail for the application of a case of a flue gas desulfurization application, an expert in the art would recognize that these processes can also be modified to cope with a large number of different processes that can benefit from high gas and liquid contactor systems efficiency.

With reference to Section 1, combustion gas 5402 is generated and released from an industrial process, for example, a coal-fired plant. The flue gas enters Section 2 at process point 1 (PP1), the gas flows through and is processed in Section 2, passes through PP2, the gas is then heated in the optional combustion gas heater 5404 (if necessary), then flows to a fan or bellows in PP3, which pushes the combustion gas in PP4 into the stack of combustion gas 5406 for release. The combustion gas can contain numerous pollutants according to the source of the fuel and the efficiency of the combustion. In this embodiment it is assumed that only SOx, NOx, H20, C02 / HCl, and HF are formed in the boiler that feeds the reactor system described in Figure 49. Between generation and release of the flue gas 5402, a current The spillage of the flue gas stream (some or all) is redirected into a pollution reduction or purification system, for example, Sections 2-4.

Section 2 includes a modular assembly of gas and liquid contactor 5408 that behaves like the scrubber or reactor according to different embodiments of the invention. This section removes S02, HCl, HF, and some N02 from the flue gas stream when using the chemical composition described in Figure 49. The CO2 removal efficiency from this flue gas stream and chemical composition described in Figure 49 can be marginal, it can be dramatically improved according to the chemical composition used and the sorbent pH, but for this embodiment, it will be assumed that C02 is not captured at a large magnitude. Contactor 5408 captures S02 / HCl and HF. The fluid comprising liquid from the liquid jet is an aqueous solution. That solution, with entrained gases, is captured within a catchment tank 5410. In Section 2, the captured fluid is recirculated using a recirculation pump through PP6. A spill stream from the recirculated fluid is drawn out through process valve 5418 for secondary processing in Section 4.

Section 3 is the fluid section of sorbent and solvent composition that is configured to adjust the chemical activity, the pH of the liquid, or the filling reagents. All liquid lost through evaporation is replenished with a local water source 5412 through PP7. The liquid is established with a H relatively high (above 7) and maintained at that level by a source of NaOH 5414 through PP8 or, once the soluble sulfite concentrations reach a more stationary state, the pH is maintained by adding lime 5416 in the Section Four.

Section 4 is the secondary processing section where gas phase molecules that are dissolved or ted are converted or chemically mineralized to solid products, for example, CaS04, solid waste, for example, CaS03, or other useful products, for example, fertilizer / NH4S04 or NH4N03. The process liquid is drawn from Section 2 through PP12 into a precipitation tank 5420 where lime / Ca (OH) 2 5416 is added in PP15 both to ince the pH and to provide Ca2 + for the tion / precipitation with S022"(or in fully oxidized mode, S04 ~). The resulting mixture of CaS03 flows through PP16 into a settling tank 5422 and is stored after sedimentation within a containment tank of suspension 5424. Once that sufficient CaSC> 3 has been captured, moves to a filter press 5426 to remove the liquid, which moves through PP29 to a brine containment tank 5428. The solids 5430 of the filter press 5426 are discarded by landfill or sale for tertiary processes, for example, CaS0 for plaster. The liquid from brine tank 5428 moves through PP26 for recycling and regeneration in a softening pass 5432 to remove excess Ca2 + and replenish Na + through the addition of sodium ash (Na2C03) 5434. The sorbent regenerated then sent back through PP33 to Section 2 through a second process valve 5436.

In the specific embodiment shown in Figure 49, a 20 M system takes a portion of the combustion gas from a 140 MW coal-fired power plant. The combustion gas is generated by burning under sulfur carbon, for example, coal from Powder River Basin (Wyoming). The specific attributes considered in this embodiment are shown in Table 12. Coal combustion produces approximately 350 to 400 ppm of SO2 in the flue gas, a contaminant which is the principal I target for the removal of this example from the system. Other contaminants include HC1, HF, NOx and some Hg. This is the front i side of Section 1, with gas flow velocities in the spill st at approximately 84,000 ACFM as! it is shown in Process Point 1 (PP1). The gas temperature of I incoming combustion in PP1 is in the range of 121 ° C to 148 ° C and i comes from the central ash bag office | of energy. The ash bag cabinet eliminates all the ash produced by the combustion of coal and also serves to reduce the temperature to a consistent range as j manifests itself. The concentration of water in the combustion gas is in a range of 6% to 7% in the mass. j I I In PP1, the flue gas spill st entered into i Section 2, the scrubber section. The flue gas fl ow through the gas and liquid contactor 5404 at a gas velocity j of about 10 m-sec "1. The gas and liquid contactor i is described herein.The sorbent liquid that is used1 is Sodium sulfite formed by the initial starting tion of NaOH with S02 50% by weight of sodium hydroxide solution is added to the water within the sorbent loop to initially develop and maintain a pH of about 6.5. NaOH; can be used during continuous operation to maintain this p'H a 6.5, if necessary. At the beginning, water can absorb some of the S02, but this quickly results in a drop in pH and an acid solution. Consequently, NaOH serves to keep the pH approximately neutral and provide Na + as a counter ion for S032. "The following equations describe the main tions of interest in this system, which leads to the elimination of S02.

S02 + H20 - 2H + + S032"(1) 2NaOH + 2H + + S032 ~ 2Na + + S032" + 2H20 In the steady state operation, the sodium sulfite solution is the one that ts efficiently with S02, accumulating approximately at a concentration of 0.5M, ting to form sodium bisulfite in water. The chemical equation that describes the general tion is: Na2S03 + S02 + H20 - > 2NaHS03 (1) 1 i The combustion gas leaving the contactor has cooled I by evaporation at a temperature in the range of 37 ° C to 5 ° C.

A mist eliminator downstream of the contactor but inside the module eliminates excess water. Once the gas! from combustion leaves the gas and liquid contactor region with í S02 depleted (PP2), optionally heated with a combustion gas heater 5404 (to increase the temperature well above the dew point), passed through an ID 5440 Ventilator and released to the exhaust stack of combustion gas 5406. Other options for gas conditioning! of combustion include using a gas gas exchanger, converting into the wet cell configuration, or using the waste steam from the power plant for reheating. 1 some cases, the residual heat of the processing system of The total sorbent can be used as is favorable to reheat the combustion gas using the hot desorbed gases in a thermal desorption step exiting the scraper. The continuous operation of the gas and liquid contactor 5408 leads to a accumulation of sodium bisulfite and a reduction in the absorption efficiency of S02 unless the products of the S02 reaction are eliminated. As such, a spill stream (PP12) 1 of the liquid sorbent recirculation system in Section 2 is removed on a continuous basis within a secondary chemical processing system. j In that secondary processing system shown in Section 4, S02 is completely mineralized, forming a solid product of calcium sulfite (PP16). Calcium sulfite I subsequently it is filtered (PP18), eliminating excess water and discarded appropriately, for example, in a sanitary landfill (PP24). Lime (Ca (OH) 2) is used to mineralize the sulfite to a solid precipitate (PP15) and also serves to also maintain the pH at appropriate levels as a substitute for other aggregates of NaOH in the sorbent loop. The reactions performed in the secondary processing are: j 2Ca (OH) 2 + 4NaHS03 - > (CaS03) 2H20 + 2Na2S03 + 3H20 j Calcium scale emissions are avoided by then removing the excess calcium in a "softening" step (PP26) using ! standard ion exchange processes using carbonate! of sodium (soluble in water - PP31) to form carbonate of caljcio (insoluble at this pH) that is diverted to the process of pressing j filter (PP32). In this same step, sodium thiosulphate (PP34) can be added to help inhibit sulphite oxidation (S032") to sulfate (S042 ~). The process also serves to I reproduce the capture reagent of S02, Na2S03: J i CaS03 + Na2C03 - > CaC03 + Na2S03 j After softening and regeneration of the chemical composition of the active sorbent, it is recycled back into the loop J of the main contactor process (PP33). 1 System Module Elimination System and S02 The analysis and process dimension of the gas and liquid contactor strainer absorbent system is based on the design parameters of Table 12 TABLE 12: DESIGN VARIABLES FOR THE ABSORBENT SYSTEM i GLC DE 20 MH Parameters Value jj Combustion Gas (a) Flow rate 84,084 ACF Speed 30-50 feet / s Residence Time 0, 07-0, 10 s Temperature 121-148 ° C I Pressure -10 inches w.c. | Ambient Pressure 810 mBar S0X 400 ppm Dew Point S03 / H2S04 81 ° C Liquid Flow i Flow rate 28,000 gpm Temperature 41 ° C Sorbent SOx: NaOH / Na2S03 diluted \ Salt loading 14.4% (t) Na2S04 (1.0 M) j PH 6.5 Pressure drop Gas Side < 0.03 psi-foot Liquid Side < 8 psi Elimination Requirements Emissions > 99%! S0X j Specific Surface > 8 was "1 Absorbing i L / G < 330 gal / 1000 CF ^ _ j The gas and liquid contactor (absorbent) is operated in a mode of steady state, continuous using spray nozzles1 of flat jets in a cross flow configuration. j Absorbent demonstrates high volumetric mass transfer total (Kca 64 s "1) that maximizes the elimination efficiency of I S02 with minimum use of water, reactor volume, drop) í pressure and contact time. ! The absorber has low pressure drops on the side of the gas and on the side of the liquid that result in low energy consumption and energy. The pressure drop across the liquid jet orifices is less than 10 psi, which greatly reduces the hydraulic power requirements for the operation. A liquid pump of 28,000 gpm for the circulation of solvent i constitutes the total energy consumption in the absorbent loop. Energy drag, P (kW) = [0.75 x Flow rate (gpm) x ??] / [1714 x pump efficiency]] is 150kW (or the energy draw at 20 MWe) for 8 psi of pressure drop and pump efficiency of 65% at 28,000 gpm. The pressure drop of the gas side in the flat jet system is small aj0, l psi (2.7 in w.c.) through 99 cm jet pack. i In comparison, an average pressure drop for a packed tower of the related art is 2.54 cm of H20 per 30 cm of packaging, or 25 cm of H20 for a typical absorbent bed of 3 m. There is a reduced energy consumption of the gas and liquid contactor1 compared to conventional technology, and the absorber can be run at higher L / G ratios (330 gallons / 1000 ACFM) and therefore elimination efficiencies! higher than conventional absorbers (L / G 90 -130).

I I Absorber system captures not only pollutants white from the combustion gas, such as S0X, N0X and matter j particulate, but also heavy metals, chlorides and fluorides. The particulate matter is mainly ash from the cabinet j of bag that has 2.5 μ? T? or less. Metals and halides are derived from coal and depend on the particular coal in combustion. Tojdos these constituents are removed from the absorption loop in; the solvent processing system. The molar flow velocity i of all the constituents of the combustion gas in the absorber loop is equal to the molar flow velocity of these contaminants outside the absorbent loop in the solvent process system, and then out of the solids and brine streams. The concentrations of all the constituents in the absorbent loop reach the steady state.

The solubility of the gas, the temperature of the solvent and the pH also play a key role in the absorption; of contaminants. The system of this embodiment operates relatively low temperatures of the liquid, for example, 37 ° C to 51 ° C to optimize gas solubility and minimize! the i evaporation of the solvent. The equilibrium solubility (300 ° K) between a pollutant in the gaseous phase, pa, and in the aqueous phase, C¿, is governed by Henry's coefficient, KH = Ca / paj S02 (g) - > H2S03, KH = l, 4M / atm (1) i H2S03"H + + HS03", Ki = 0.014 M (2 |) HSO3"-» H + + S032", K2 = 7.1 x 10-8 M i (3) HSO3"+ ¼02 S042" + H +, k > 106 M-ls-1 (4) For the purposes of discussion, S (IV) is the sum of all forms of sulfur in the oxidation state +4, [S (IV)] tot = [S02] + [HSO3"] + [S032"], and S (VI) is the sum of all forms) of sulfur in the oxidation state +6, [S (VI)] tot = [S03] + [HS04T] + 2 1 [S04"] When the S02 gas dissolves in water, the solute is transformed into the products bisulfite (HS03) and sulfite (S03) according to the equilibrium governed by KH, Ki and K2. it depends on the pH given the formation of the H + product.When more H + is formed (lowering the pH) the equilibrium moves back towards i the formation of the reagent. At pH values lower than 3.5, significant amount S02 is gasified from the solvent. To optimize the efficiency and cost of the elimination of S02, i I injects a steady-state aggregate of sodium hydroxide or other chemical base into the solvent loop to maintain pH _ -,. I of the system above 6-7: i S02 (g) + ½02 (g) + 2NaOH (ac) - »Na2S04 (ac) + H20 (T) Sulfite Oxidation System > The oxidation driven from nickel to sulfate can be achieved with a simple air sprinkler (using a 14 kW air compressor) in a separate tank, although a sprinkler is simple, i I Contact efficiency of gas and liquid is low so that the Air flow rate is set to 3 times the amount stoichiometric necessary to finish the oxidation. Assuming I 100% oxidation, 533 pounds per hour of sulfite oxidize towards I sulfate. For a full scale system, an additional high efficiency liquid and gas contactor to replace! The sprayer can be effective in cost. | i i Solvent processing system j If the system is run in a fully oxidized mode, ie with most of the sulfur as sulphate (S02 ~), the design criteria for precipitation and sulfate removal are presented in Table 13. The system is designed for < 50'ppm of HS03", and 14.4% of S042" in the liquid in the steady state operation. The flow velocity of the solvent process stream depends directly on the concentration of the steady state loop of S0X and determines the size requirements for the design of the process system. ! TABLE 13: DESIGN CRITERIA FOR SULPHATE ELIMINATION Parameter Value Aggregate speed Ca (OH) 2 at 233 pounds / hour of reagent > 10 pH > 99% Percentage of S02 3.1 pounds-mol / hour Processed < 0.7 GPM Process Speed of S02 Flow rate of current Advanced Design, Sorbent Options and Process Other sorbents including hydroxide are shown in Table 14 sodium, ammonia, sodium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide, j Decalcium hydroxide, limestone (calcium carbonate) j and possibly ash. Each sorbent needs a particular sorbent processing system and each generation side Energy can have requirements for the disposal of particular solid and liquid waste.

TABLE 14: ADVANCED DESIGN, SOLVENT OPTIONS AND PROCESS Option Focus Benefit Design - double loop of - Possible increased absorption NH3 / Ca with oxidation of NOx 1 in situ sulfites recycle expensive NH3 using air and / or chemical oxidants - 100% separation of NH3, and with Ca gas contactor in the precipitation step! and liquid NH3 is in place for C02 absorption Solvent - NH3 for capture of S0X, N0X - > 3X reduction in cost of - CaO / Ca (OH) 2 for solvent! capture of S0X i i Absorbent operating process - Reduced water use near limits of solubility of S (IV) -Additional no cost, on the site, for precipitation of Use ash as sulphate agent of precipitation for sulfate - Reduced use of water, use CaO or ash not expensive for Use focus precipitate sulphates, generate double loop to gypsum product stream 'precipitation of S (VI) The choice of a sorbent / sorbent processing / waste disposal system is driven by requirements for performance, reagent cost and elimination of byproducts J of the I site. Table 15 shows a comparison of the most commonly used reagents for the elimination of S02 in the towers packaged with respect to reactivity and operational cost.

TABLE 15: COMPARISON OF REACTIVITY OF REAGENTS AND COST Reactive Reactivity Cost Caustic (by Máxima Máximo example, NaOH, KOH) Ammonia (NH3) Maximum Maximum Sodium ash Very Moderate (Na2C03) Moderate Moderate Hydroxide magnesium (MgO) Cal (CaO / Ca (OH) 2) Lower Low Limestone (CaC03) Minimum Lowest The systems based on caustic and ammonia offer the maximum reactivity and potential for the deep elimination of S02 but I to the detriment of a higher cost. The cost of these reagents can be greatly displaced by the double loop operation where the solvent is recycled back to the absorbent. Of all the possibilities, the most promising are the double loops of NaOH / Ca (OH), NaCO / Ca (OH), NH / Ca (OH). The ash option presents the possibility of zero cost of reagent but also presents the highest risk.

Although the double loop of Na / Ca may be preferable, the double loop of NH / Ca is also a viable alternative. It retains the advantages of a highly reactive and soluble sorbent, a transparent contact solution, and a sorbent processing loop that recycles relatively expensive ammonia. The advantage of ammonia over sodium is that the precipitation step separates the ammonia as a gas, so that the return loop contains neither calcium nor other contaminants that can scale the absorbent. Also, if the gas and liquid contactor system I of embodiments of the invention is combined with a C02 absorption system, ammonia can be used both because the ammonia is volatile and because an additional (small) purification unit i is placed in the combustion gas vent line for prevent the spillage of ammonia into the pile.

The ash is presented as a promise as an agent, I absorption of FGD due to its alkaline nature and rapid availability. Table 16 lists the typical composition of sub-bituminous Class C ash). The first attempts to combine; FGD with ash capture, however, encountered difficulty due to downstream dirt and a < the handling characteristics of the FGD suspension! in Gas Purification, Kohl, et al, Gulf Professional Publishing, 5th edition (1997), which is incorporated herein by reference reference. However, careful preparation of the ash (for example, at stoichiometric levels of S02-CaO MgO I optimized) to avoid cement reactions inside the own gas and liquid contactor can allow the i operations of the contactor in conditions in which the ash does not soil the operation of the debugger. Alternatively, these same Ca / Mg reactions can be desired and as such can be used to produce a cement material on the surface of sorbent processing as a commercial product. Further,; If the commercial gypsum is a desired by-product then it is needed a processing system and a disposal scheme for the solvent to separate the ash from the plaster.

TABLE 16: COMPOSITION OF CLASS C ASH (SPECIFICATION OF ASTM C618) Component% by weight S03 0.23 - 3 CaO 17 - 32 gO 4 - 12,5 Si02 25 - 42 A1203 14 - 21 Fe203 5 - 10 Metals 0 - 8 alkaline available System Summary The process and system of the double alkaline metal contactor: from Na / Ca offers advantages over conventional systems by! its high technical and economic performance. Table 17 summarizes the i key line performance parameters for the contactor system of this embodiment for the case of 20MW and a system i generalized (by MW).

TABLE 17: RESULMEN OF KEY PARAMETERS AND OPERATIONAL VALUES Parameter Value Contactor Generalized Contactor MW (per MW) Elimination Efficiency of 99 +% 99 +% SOx Concentration of S (IV) in 400 ppm 200-4000 ppm combustion gas pH of Solvent Loop 6 6 Loop Temperature of 107 ° F 107 ° F Solvent Loop flow rate 28000 GPM 1400 GPM / MW solvent Water Inlet to Scrubber 12 GPM 0.6 GPM / MW 50% by weight of Input of 0.07 GPM 0.003 GPM / MW NaOH to the Scrubber 0.66 TPD 0.033 TPD / MW Ca (OH) 2 input (solid) 2.80 TPD 0.14 TPD / MW to the precipitator Treatment Current of 40 GPM 2 GPM / MW Sewage water Precipitate supernatant 39 GPM 2 GPM / MW to the Debugger Solid Gypsum Residue 6.5 TPD 0.32 TPD / MW (CaS04 '2H20) Brine Stream < 1 GPM < 0.05 GPM / MW Parasite Energy 1.3% 0.8% The deep elimination of S02 needs a fast and efficient mass transfer kinetics and is fulfilled using NaOH. Although calcium hydroxide / carbonate systems are low cost solvents, they are also good reactivity solvents. To increase the reactivity the absorbent based! in lime / limestone runs with suspensions (solids). However, solids are prone to scale absorbent surfaces (through sulphite / sulphate formation) and in some cases can still impede mass transfer. Significant cost reductions are achieved using the 1 Na / Ca as sodium (NaOH) is recovered in the loop; of solvent processing. The operating cost for a double-loop system is equal to or less than for a single-loop limestone system, particularly for high-sulfur fuels such as in Gas Purification, Kohl, et al, Gulf Professional Publishing, 5a edition (1997), which is incorporated herein as a reference as if it were exhibited in; its entirety in the present. The least expensive reagent is calcium (Ca (OH) 2) and is used to precipitate gypsum, a commercial by-product. The advantages of the double loop system process are that it can handle higher sulfur loads, the liquid; from 1 contact is non-erosive and can allow the operation of; a I gas and liquid contactor much more efficient. The drawbacks are the increased complexity and the need for two reagents In contrast, in a single-loop wet limestone FGD process all the necessary steps are carried out in a single vessel, the necessary steps are to dissolve the limestone pie'dra as calcium carbonate, gas contact and liquid to absorb it S02, the reaction with calcium, oxidation, | Y i precipitation. These results in a single relatively simple system. The drawback is that the corrosive / abrasive character! of the suspension needs exotic nozzle material and poor 1 efficiency of the spray tower needs an important contact surface and therefore a large tower. j I i The parasitic energy for the main components of the equipment for contactor systems of 20 MW and more than 200 M described; in I the present is summarized in Table 18. In these embodiments, it is assumed that the combustion gas exhaust bellows (ID fans) are already in place and therefore I do not realize them. The totality of the energy tractions are I linked to solvent recirculation pumps. The system The contactor operates at low hydraulic and mechanical power from the liquid side due to the large flat jet orifice area (> 10X the conventional spray nozzle). In this embodiment, the described 20 MW (28,000 GPM) liquid pumps draw considerable energy from the systems due to the moderate efficiency of the pump (65%). The bombs ! from Larger liquid (> 100,000 GP) that can be used; in full-scale operations (> 200 MW) would be much more efficient (85%) and therefore allow significantly lower parasitic energy loads (1.7X). i TABLE 18: PARASITE ENERGY CHARGES FOR THE GLC SYSTEM 20 MW Unit Component System > 200 MW of Parasite Energy Energy Equipment (MWp / MWe) Parasite (MWp / MWe) Pumps of 0.012 0, 007 Liquid 0.0001 0.0001 pumps provision solvent Processing 0.0003 (est. 0.0003 (est.) of Waste Dryer from 0.001 0.001 current brine Energy% 1.3 0.8 Parasite Gas and Liquid Contactor for CO process? i These advantages describe a process of cost saving and advanced energy that incorporates the compact, low cost, low pressure drop and highly efficient system of scrubber. i energy to meet the environmental goals of efficiency! from elimination of C02 (> 90%) and energy cost (> 20%). The possible absorption / regeneration reactions using solutions I of ammonia are given in Processing Technology! from Fuels, Yeh et al, Volume 86, Editions 14-15, pages 1533-1546, October 2005, which are incorporated herein by reference. ! 2NH3 (aq) + C02 (g) + H20 - (NH4) 2C03 (i), delta Hr = -24.1 kcal / mol (-986 BTU / lb C02) (1) · NH3 (1) + C02 (g) + H20 - > NH4HC03 (1), delta Hr = -15.3 kcal / mol (-622 i BTU / lb C02) (2) (NH4) 2C03 (i) + C02 + H20 - 2NH4HC03 (D, deltaHr = -6.4 kcal / mol (-262 BTU / lb C02) (3) I The reactions are written for absorption and therefore they are 1 exothermic. The most efficient energy path to capture CO2 and solvent regeneration is reaction 1 of carbonate / bicarbonate of Equation (1). Since the reaction of 1 absorption is favored at low temperature the liquid, the scrubber is cooled to 32 ° C to release the C02 gas at 1 atmosphere.

The chemical composition of carbonate / ammonium bicarbonate offers the potential for significant lower operating costs compared with the solvents based on alkanolamines because their energy! of regeneration is less than half that of MEA. ! , j Process Flow Diagram of the Gas and Liquid Contactor and Analysis for C02 j i Figure 50 is a flow diagram of the process from a pollutant removal system according to another embodiment.

The combustion gas first enters the contactor to eliminate I contaminants, for example, S0X, N0X and particulate matter. Then it enters the C02 absorbent where it is put in contact with, for For example, the solution of cooled ammonium carbonate or piperazine and an important part of C02 is captured as bicarbonate! of ammonium or as piperazine carbonate, respectively. Other amines, alkanolamines, and / or bases (e.g., KOH, NaOH, etb.) i can also be used in this loop. If the system; from The chemical composition used is the ammonium ammonium hydroxide / ammonium carbonate system, some ammonium enters the combustion gas as an ammonia spill, is transported towards it; he The ammonia scrubber is eliminated.

The clean combustion gas continues to the condensing heat exchanger must be heated to 4 ° C above its dew point and then exits through the stack. The carbonate / ammonium bicarbonate absorbent stream is recirculated back through a cooler and a heat pump before returning to the scrubber. A side stream of the solution Absorbent is removed, and sent to the scraper to release the I C02 captured. The lean solution returns to the absorbent loop.1 I C02 scraping carries some water vapor and ammonia, which eliminates in the condensing heat exchanger and during the compression. Water and ammonia are returned to the loop absorbent. The pure C02 is sent to the compressor train and kidnap One step of the key energy saving process is to use a heat pump to cool the absorbent solution! of ammonium carbonate and expel the heat into the liquid scraper to raise its temperature to separate the C02. Using a heat pump to capture the energy in the stream Absorbent and transfer it to the scraper current saves! 10% parasitic energy The design criteria for sizing and analyzing the system are shown in Table 20. The process is divided into six Sections of the main process shown in Figure 50 that include Section 1 the gas conditioning system combustion, Section 2 the absorber loop of C02, Section 3 the I Scratch loop of C02, Section 4 the absorbent loop of spill of ammonia or amine, section the cooling system and I Section 6, the compressor train of C02. All speeds1 of The flow and heat loads are calculated for a 20 MW demonstration system. i TABLE 19: DIESOR CRITERIA FOR A GAS AND LIQUID CONTACTOR OF C02 OF 20 MW Parameters Value Combustion Gas Flow Rate 84,084 ACFM Speed 58.6 ft / s Residence Time 0, 07s Temperature 43 ° C Pressure -10 inches w.c.

Ambient Pressure 810 mBar C02 10-15% Liquid Flow Flow rate 28,000 gpm Temperature 32 ° C Sorbent 3M Ammonium Carbonate Solids loading none pH 9 Pressure drop Gas Side < .03 / ft psi Liquid Side < 8 psi Elimination Requirements Emissions > 90% C02 Specific Surface of > 8 cm Absorbent L / G 330 gal / 1000 CF Parasite Energy < twenty % Commercial subproduct C02 Combustion Gas Conditioning System In this embodiment as shown in Figure 50, the system of combustion gas conditioning includes an inlet 5002 of the combustion gas inside a cooler of optional heat exchanger 5004 and one output 5006 .; The combustion gas conditioning system receives an inlet gas that may already have been subjected to some j processing, for example, processing to eliminate gases acids such as S02, HCl and the like. The cooler | of heat exchanger 5004 is optional as it depends on the constituents of the inlet gas and the chemical composition of the As is known in the art, for example, ammonia / ammonium carbonate would require a cooler. The combustion gas has been cooled and purified from S02, for example, from a contactor system (not shown) in accordance with (an embodiment of the invention.

I Combustion 5002 contains contaminants such as C02, N2, H20, 02 i and other traces of gases.

I CO 'Absorber loop i With reference to Section 2, the absorbent loop includes1 the gas and liquid contactor 5008 and a catchment tank 5010 .; A heat exchanger / cooler 5012 of section 5 is! an optional component. Again, heat exchanger / cooler 5010 is optional because it depends on the constituents of the inlet gas and the chemical composition of the I Absorbent as an art expert will know. In this embodiment, the gas and liquid contactor is connected to a i output 5006 of Section 1. The gas and liquid contactor 5008 C02 absorbent are handled with the exchanger; heat / cooler 5012 of Section 2. The general chemical composition described herein, using ammonium carbonate, amines, alkanol amines, absorbs C02 most preferably when cooled below the gas temperatures observed in the combustion gases. typical systems. Consequently, if necessary, the heat exchanger / cooler 5012 of the Section 5 states that the cooling capacity of maintaining the optimal operating conditions of the solution j of i absorbent. j I Scratch Loop of C02 I With reference to Section 3 it includes an input 5016 connected to a heat exchanger / cooler 5018 that has a salt 5020. The outlet 5020 is connected to a gas and liquid contactor 5022. The gas and liquid contactor 5022 has an outlet 5024 connected to a collection tank 5023 with a recycle loop j. The gas and liquid contactor 5022 is configured to remove the C02 captured from the absorbent solution. í C02 scraping can be performed by numerous means, including pressure oscillations, pH adjustment or heating the C02 absorbent solution. The components of Section 3 may vary according to the chosen methodology. In any case, it is advantageous to capture the absorbent after releasing C02 and recirculate that absorbent liquid back into the loop of the main absorber of Section 2. An output of Section 3 is sent to stack 5034. i NH3 / PZ Absorber loop I The ammonia or amine absorbent loop, Section 4, is i designed to capture the spill of ammonia or amine in; he j Combustion gas after it exits the absorber of C02 5008.

This can be a particular problem with NH3, depending on the temperature of the absorbent solution (colder drift and less spillage). The NH3 / PZ Absorber Loop includes a contactor for gas and liquid 5026 connected to input 5024. The 5026 gas and liquid contactor includes a 5028 output connected to the 5030 catchment tank, the recycling loop, one exit 5032. If an amine is used, such as piperazine or alkanol amines, As the absorbent solution, Section 4 is less necessary, therefore the implementation of said section would be determined to through the examination of the requirements of the general process and the temperatures. This Section 4 is optional since the amines of less molecular weight can be spilled and it can be advantageous to capture while amines of molecular weight can be spilled I higher and as a result, it may not be necessary to process them.

Output 5032 can be directed to a stack of combustion gas : I Train of CO2 Compressor Section 6 describes the area of the process to scrape the: C02 i from the absorbent solution. The Compressor Train of C02j a 5036 compressor connected to the gas and liquid contactor 5022. This section is configured to capture and pressurize the C02! That comes from the gas and liquid contactor 5022. That is, after that section, to be transportable in a convenient form for secondary industrial uses, secondary steps of Augmented Oil Recovery (EOR), or sequestration are desired. One of these options could include that the C02 condenses in a compressor train and is sequestered at a supercritical pressure that forms C02 liquid that can be transported by truck or pipeline to its final application.

I i Other solvent systems for CO2 capture j In Sections 2 and 3 of Figure 50, different sorbents may be used for the capture and / or scraping of C02. The sorbents may include solvents based on ammonia carbonate selected as the baseline solvent. However, the system can also be designed to operate with a wide variety of wet scrubbing solvents after the ? combustion that include amines such as ammonia, diethanolamine I (DEA), and monoethanolamine (MEA) and advanced solvent systems such as promoted carbonates, piperazine, tertiary amines and I hindered such as methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) and 2-aminomethylpropanolamine (AMP), organic metal frames and molecular encapsulation. j The embodiments of the C02 system have several strengths and advantages for the capture of C02 after combustion. A very large contact surface is available in one volume i of small contactor. This translates into economic savings! In both areas, the small footprint needed translates into a cost of I Small capital and low pressure drops from the gas side and from the liquid mean low operating cost. The low cost of capijtal and operative increases the range of possible C02 sorbents. For example, if a non-expensive sorbent has a slow reaction velocity and needs a large contact surface, such as seawater or deep brine aquifers, it may still be economically viable in the C02 gas and liquid contactor system. whereas normally it would not be considered in j a I standard gas and liquid contactor such as a bubble column l or a spray tower. I In the most mature C02 capture systems for the combustion gas j, alkanolamines and carbonate / ammonium bicarbonate I (C / ABC), the maximum energy consumption is related to the heat of the reaction. The energy associated with the AC / ABC reaction i consumes almost 70 $ of the total energy needed to absorb and desorb C02. The ABC solution should be cooled to 12 ° C to absorb C02 and heated to 129 ° C to release time in i the scraper. The options for reducing the energy required are two: finding a system with lower heat of reaction to absorb and desorb C02 or transfer the heat released during the absorption towards the desorption reaction. Ammonium carbonate / bicarbonate is currently the lowest energy chemical sorbent. Physical solvents do not need almost any energy for regeneration, but they work better at í high pressure. The membrane systems transfer the energy; of absorption towards the process of desorption, but currently ' i apply only to small systems. The following paragraphs describe the classification and description of other processes that can be applied to capture C02 from the combustion gas. ! i When exploring other C02 absorption systems, the sorbent must be matched to the technology. Three absorption technologies are being developed after combustion: conatactor Í gas and liquid, dry contact systems, and systems I i membrane contact. The gas and liquid contactor system needs a liquid sorbent. A gas and liquid system separates the absorption and desorption in two steps of the process separately in two different containers at different pressures and temperatures. This system generally requires the expenditure of energy in both steps, cooling for exothermic absorption and heating for endothermic desorption. The process needs a temperature and / or pressure oscillation, which I It is of intensive energy. The Jen regenerable sorbent system ! Dry using baking soda works the same as the gas and liquid contactor, except that the sorbent phase is solid. ' I Membrane systems, however, are fundamentally different. In a membrane system, a membrane is a very thin wall of permeable material that separates two streams; and may be a solid or a liquid contained within a sponge-like material. The membranes are designed to select the gas to be separated. If the material of the membrane is solid or liquid, the membrane absorbs C02 from the concentrated side and transports it to the diluted side where the membrane is desorbed.

C02 The driving force is the concentration gradient of C02 i through the very thin membrane. The advantage of the system 'of The membrane is that absorption and desorption are carried out in the same container, at the same temperature, at almost the same pressure. As absorption and desorption are carried out within a few microns of each other in a very thin membrane, the absorption energy is transferred to the desorption reaction to constant temperature. Therefore the change in entropy is zero and the net energy needed is zero. The liquid in the 1 membrane can be adapted to selectively transport C02.

The drawbacks are the cost of manufacture, the duration of the membrane, the requirement of very pure combustion gas, and the enormous contact surface needed (almost a million meters I squares for the complete commercial system). Several hundred; of thousands of ACFM of the combustion gas that travels within the duct up to 100 m cross section must be channeled inside; of billions of fibers with cross sections of each fiber of 60nm2.

Other solvent systems applicable to the absorption after combustion inside a gas and liquid contactor are chemical and physical. Wet chemical sorbents include amines, carbonates, promoters, hybrid and pH oscillation. Wet physical sorbents include organic metal frames, ionic liquids, seawater, and saline groundwater. The I Glycols are not discussed because they are high pressure systems and are more applicable to absorption before combustion. Selexol is an example of a commercialized glycol system that is currently used to purify natural gas, a high pressure process. Each wet sorbent is discussed below as it is applied to the gas and liquid contactor of C02. : Aqueous amines are the technology of the current state of the art I for capturing C02 for power plants like j lo j will recognize experts in the art. Amine sorbents include ammonia (NH3), monoethanolamine (MEA), methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), 2-aminomethylpropanolamine (AMP), PZ I piperazine (PZ) and others. All react with C02 initially to form the amine carbamate (C02 + 2RNH2 < RNH2COO < I RNHCOOH). In addition, amine and water can react with C02 to produce the bicarbonate of amine (RNH2 + H20 + C02"? RNH3 + + HC03"). Absorption / desorption can take advantage of the lower energy reaction, bicarbonate < carbonate. Amine systems require a gas and liquid contactor and a scraper. The benefit of the system described here is the very efficient gas and liquid contactor.Although it would benefit any amine system, the carbonate / ammonium bicarbonate sorbent He chose because ammonia is less expensive and the energy of the reaction for ammonia is less than alkanolamines as MEA.

Alkali metal carbonates include Na, K and Ca, carbonates / bicarbonates. Although in the early 1900 alkali metal carbonates were widely used for absorption I of C02 at room temperature and pressure, they have been replaced by very efficient alkanolamines. Since j the absorption rate of C02 in aqueous solutions! is usually slow, promoters are usually added (catalysts or j enzymes) to increase the speed. i Examples of promoters are formaldehyde, MEA, DEA, glycine and carbonic anhydride in gas purification, Kohl et al, Gulf Professional Publishing, 5th edition (1997), which is hereby incorporated by reference. The most rabid catalyst available for the uptake of CO2 is carbonic anhydrase enzyme as described in MC Trachtenberg, L Bao, SL Goldman., 2004, Seventh International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT-7) , Vancouver, BC, I i which is incorporated herein by reference. The amino acids i I they also promote the absorption of C02 as well or better than MEA or DEA as described in Capture of CO2 from gas; of combustion using amino acid solutions, Jacco van Hoíst, I Patricia P. Politiek, John P. M. Niederer, Geert F. Versteeg, Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Technology 1 Control of Greenhouse Gases of 2006, which is hereby incorporated as a reference. Although the enzymes and 1 catalysts do not change the energy of a reaction or its equilibrium point, they lower the activation energy and can increase the reaction speed in several orders of magnitjud. The hydrolysis of C02 in water and the subsequent reaction to I baking is quite slow. The effect of the increase of 'the i speed is the reduction of the residence time necessary to the contact and therefore the reduction of the surface! from necessary contact. However, as it is a biological enzyme, CA It is sensitive to temperature and is not applicable to the temperature oscillation process with a high desorption temperature.

This means that an oscillation process j of pressure is needed. Since the partial pressure of C02 in the combustion gas is 0.15 atmosphere, the total desorption pressure must be substantially less than 0.1 atmosphere if it is to be captured. i C02 pure. The other alternative for CA is to pressurize all the gas I of combustion before contact. Other parameters, such as DEA, are currently used at high temperature and pressure in j I hot potassium carbonate process. j I i I The hybrid sorbents use a combination of sorbents! Y carbonate plus an amine. A current example of K2C03 / PZ, an aqueous potassium carbonate solution promoted by piperazine (PZ) that is expected to use less energy than MEA. This system is currently being researched at the University of Texas' i Austin They discovered that the absorption speed and the I Load of C02 are much higher for K2C03 / PZ than for MEA.

In addition, the loss and degradation of PZ are also much higher than for MEA as described in Plasynski, et al., Capt.

Carbon Dioxide by absorption with potassium carbonate, carbon sequestration, Facts Project, USDOE, NETL, April, (2008). The main contribution of the GLC absorbent to this system would be the increased contact efficiency, the more footprint small, and the smaller pressure drops that derive i in lower capital and operating costs.

The last chemical absorption / desorption system, pH oscillation, is not usually mentioned because the energy cost is very high. C02 is absorbed with a base such as NaOH and released with a acid like HC1. The resulting salt is then electrolyzed to regenerate the acid and base. The energy input enters electrochemistry instead of pressure or temperature oscillations. The calculated energy required is much higher than others processes. This process has commercialized, however, parajla í absorption of S02. Physical sorbents include glycols, frames I organic metals (MOF), ionic liquids, seawater and saline groundwater. These do not depend on the reaction with the sorbent, but physical absorption. Although there is no energy associated with the chemical reaction, the desorption process does not need a change in pressure. j I Glycols work best at high pressure in a process! of pressure oscillation, such as the Selexol process proposed for the separation before combustion of C02 in the synthesis gas at 700 psi. The gas and liquid contactor system is not compatible with the high pressure absorption processes. j I i The organic metal frame (MOF) is a molecular "cage" that can enclose a tiny gas bubble C02. MOF have high selectivity, good absorption / desorption velocities; and high CO2 capacity. They are applicable to gas and liquid contactors and liquid membranes. The risk is the high cost of the reagent and that has not been demonstrated in gas and liquid contactors.

Ionic liquids are organic salts that are liquid to i room temperature. They are not aqueous solutions. Ionic liquids can absorb both C02 and S02 and therefore have a high combustion gas cleaning potential. They are applicable to gas and liquid contactors and liquid membranes.

Like MOFs, ionic liquids have been synthesized only on a laboratory scale and the cost of the reagent can be very high. They have also been tested in gas and liquid contactors. I Saline groundwater or seawater: As a favored C02 sequestration method, it is the injection into aquifers j of deep saline solution, a possible method for the capture and j the 1 I sequester is to absorb C02 with groundwater of naturally alkaline saline solution and reinject it in a solution. This completely avoids the energy needed to absorb and I Compress the C02 for injection as a gas. According; the alkalinity of the groundwater, the absorption speed can be slow and need a large contact surface. The high specific surface area of the GLC contactor would be perfect. Furthermore, even when many natural saline aquifers are naturally abundant in Ca and / or Mg, the The alkalinity of groundwater can be increased with lime to an optimal intermediate point between capital costs! and operatives. i I This process is similar to the absorption of seawater of C02 or 'of S02 or both, which essentially takes advantage of the infinite availability of the absorbent and the elimination (which depends on the site, naturally). In addition, seawater has some level of natural abundance of Ca and Mg that can form solid precipitates such as carbonates or sulfates. These or other desired ratios can also be produced artificially using different magnesium and / or calcium salts including nitrates, hydroxides, sulfates, carbonates, or halides. The solubilities of these salts vary dramatically according to the starting compound, I j the pH and temperature of the desired solutions, and it would be It is necessary that they be considered by an expert in the art with respect to what his desired goals and compounds would be.

The following table compares the advantages, disadvantages and costs estimates of different C02 sorbent systems that are applicable to the gas and liquid contactor.

TABLE 20: COMPARISON OF SORBENT SYSTEMS OF C02 Sorben-be Advantages Disadvantages Energy Cost Cost from the Reaction, Reacti Absor BTU / lb or, tion, i C02 $ / lbmol kWh / Kg C02 MEA Expensive Technology +703 for $ 40 0.53- commercial, carbamate 0, mature 78 MEA + C02 Carbona In NH3 it is a +262 for $ 5 for 17, 3 to / material development 2 H4HC03 NH3 dangerous bicarb C02 + born of H20 + 1 ammonium (NH4) 2C03 (AB / ABC) i Carbona Composition Costs of +260 for $ 16 0.41-; to / recycled chemistry 2NaHC03? for 1.1 simple sodium bicarb C02 + H20 NaOH born of + Na2C03 sodium 1 Anhídri Increases Quantity +116 for tbd High i do available speed HC03"+ H + carbon absorption insufficient? co2 + co te, H20 sensitive to the temperature demonstrated in membrane only K2C03 / Reactive Speed +259 for $ 40 < MEA PZ absorbing expensive 2KHC03? for j high, load (PZ) C02 + H20 K2C03, high I, + K2C03 $ 300 degradation for PZ goes down Oscillates Composition Very high +1, 083 $ 16 High chemistry energy, pra for Simple pH, regenerates H20? H + + NaOH scraping of OH "$ 10 simple, acid and for HC1 base regeneration of acid and you need base is another island 1 1 market process, do not demonstrated MOF and High Only scale Tbd High tbd Liquids speed of Ionic absorption, laboratory 1 high load,, high low risk degradation Water Without scraping, No n / a 0 Potenti subterrá without proven, almente line of compression depends on the very solution site under saline or water from sea I It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is desired that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention as long as they fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 1 1

Claims (91)

1. A gas and liquid contactor module, comprising: a liquid inlet; a gas inlet; a gas outlet; a group of nozzles in communication with the liquid inlet and the gas inlet, wherein the group of nozzles is configured to produce uniformly spaced flat liquid jets to minimize the interruption j of the gas; j I a gas and liquid separator capable of allowing liquid to pass through it while substantially preventing gas from passing therethrough; and j a liquid outlet in fluid communication with the gas and liquid separator. I
2. The module according to claim 1, further comprising at least two gas and liquid contactor modules connected in parallel. I
3. The module according to claim 1, further comprising j comprising at least two gas and liquid contactor modules connected in series.
4. The module according to claim 1, wherein the gas and liquid contactor module comprises a material selected from the group consisting of copper, nickel, chrome, steel, aluminum, coated metals and combinations of they.
5. A module according to claim 1, wherein the gas and liquid contactor module comprises a material plastic. ! i I i
6. The module according to claim 1, wherein j the Gas and liquid contactor module comprises at least one of structural polymers, polyimides, compounds and i combinations of them.
7. The module according to claim 1, wherein I the I Nozzle group comprises nozzles in a stepped configuration.
8. The module according to claim 1, wherein | the Gas and liquid contactor module is sized to process an increase in the processing requirement Total default i
9. 9. The module according to claim 1, wherein! he I group of nozzles is oriented to provide a module, of ! I Gas contactor and transverse flow liquid. i I
10. 10. The module according to claim 1, wherein i the I group of nozzles is oriented to provide a module of gas contactor and co-current flow liquid. j I i i
11. 11. The module according to claim 1, wherein! the group of nozzles is oriented to provide a module j of gas contactor and countercurrent flow liquid.
12. 12. The module according to claim 1, wherein the ? A group of nozzles comprises at least two nozzles separated by a distance greater than 0.2 cm. | !
13. 13. The module according to claim 1, where I read The group of nozzles comprises at least one single row i nozzles.
14. 14. The module according to claim 1, wherein the A group of nozzles comprises at least three rows of nozzles separated by a uniform distance. 'I
15. 15. The module according to claim 1, wherein j the group of nozzles comprises a U-shaped channel.
16. 16. The module according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle group comprises a V-shaped channel.
17. 17. The module according to claim 1, wherein; The group of nozzles comprises a channel having a depth greater than 2 mm. j
18. 18. The module according to claim 1, wherein j the group of nozzles comprises a channel having a depth in the range of 2 mm to 20 mm. |
19. 19. The module according to claim 1, wherein the liquid inlet is configured to supply liquid1 to the i group of nozzles at a 90 degree angle with channel j of the nozzle. ' j
20. 20. The module according to claim 1, wherein! the group of nozzles comprises a first row of nozzles, a second row of nozzles and a third row of nozzles, the second row of nozzles is disposed between the first and third row of nozzles and the second row of nozzles displaced relation with the first and third rows of nozzles. !
21. 21. The module according to claim 1, wherein! the group of nozzles comprises at least one nozzle having a minor to major axis ratio of less than 0.5.
22. 22. The module according to claim 1, wherein! he The group of nozzles comprises at least one nozzle which has a transverse cross-sectional area projected in juna. I range from 0.25 mm2 to 20 mm2.
23. 23. The module according to claim 1, wherein the gas and fluid separator is configured to substantially minimize back splash of liquid i I during the operation. ' i I i
24. 24. The module according to claim 1, wherein the The gas and fluid separator comprises a plurality i of components. j I
25. 25. The module according to claim 24, wherein the plurality of components comprises several curved vanes I separated one from another.
26. 26. The module according to claim 24, wherein 'the plurality of components comprises several vanes | at an angle separated from each other.
27. 27. The module according to claim 1, further comprising a plenum draining liquid arrangement adjacent to the gas and liquid separator. j I i
28. 28. The module according to claim 27, further comprising a defogger configured to remove at least a portion of the entrained liquid in a gas. ,
29. 29. The module according to claim 28, wherein! the defogger comprises a plurality of deflectors. I i
30. 30. The module according to claim 28, wherein the defroster is disposed adjacent to the gas outlet. i
31. 31. The module according to claim 1, wherein the flat liquid jets comprise at least one of water, ammonia, ammonium salts, amines, alkanolamines, alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, peroxides and hypochlorites.
32. 32. The module according to claim 1, wherein the j flat planes of liquid comprises at least one of a aqueous solution of calcium salt and an aqueous solution! of magnesium salt. I
33. 33. The module according to claim 1, wherein the Flat jets of liquid comprise seawater.
34. 34. The module according to claim 1, wherein the liquid inlet comprises brine.
35. 35. A method for processing molecules of the gas phase with a gas and liquid contactor, comprising the steps of: i forming a plurality of essentially planar liquid jets, each of said liquid jets comprising a planar sheet of liquid, said plurality of jets i of liquid being arranged in substantially parallel planes; provide gas with at least one reactive or soluble gas phase molecule; Y eliminate at least a part of the gaseous phase gas molecules by a mass transfer interaction between the gaseous phase molecules and the liquid jets.
36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the mass transfer interaction comprises a 1 volumetric mass transfer coefficient in a range of 1 sec "1 to 250 sec" 1. I
37. The method according to claim 35, wherein! the ! mass transfer interaction comprises an i volumetric mass transfer coefficient in a range of 5 sec "1 to 150 sec" 1. I
38. The method according to claim 35, wherein; the mass transfer interaction comprises | a coefficient of transfer of volumetric mass in the range of 10-100 sec.
39. The method according to claim 35, wherein the step of providing the gas comprises providing gas with a ratio of the gas flow rate to the volume of: the reaction chamber in the range of 100 min. "1 to 1000 min. "1. j
40. The method according to claim 35, wherein the step of forming a group of uniformly spaced flat liquid jets comprises forming the jets of flat liquid at a liquid pressure in the range of 2 psig to 50 psig. j
41. 41. The method according to claim 5, wherein! at least one of the liquid jets flat in the flow It comprises a width greater than 1 cm. ! I
42. 42. The method according to claim 35, wherein by at least one of the flat liquid jets of the group comprises a width in the range of 1 cm to 15 cm. i I I
43. 43. The method according to claim 35, wherein by at least one of the group's liquid jets of liquid I comprises a thickness in the range of 10 μt? at 1000 μp ?. I
44. 44. The method according to claim 35, wherein by At least one of the flat liquid jets of the group comprises a thickness in the range of 10 μt? to 250
45. 45. The method according to claim 35, wherein by at least one of the group's liquid jets of liquid comprises a thickness in the range of 10 μp? at 100 μt. I
46. 46. The method according to claim 35, wherein by At least one of the flat liquid jets of the range comprises a length of 5 cm to 30 cm. !
47. 47. The method according to claim 35, wherein by at least one of the flat liquid jets of the grppo i comprises a length in the range of 5 cm to 20 cm.
48. 48. The method according to claim 35, wherein at least one of the flat liquid jets of the clump It has a speed of less than 15 m / sec. j i I
49. 49. The method according to claim 35, wherein at least one of the flat liquid jets of the group It has a speed in the range of 5 m / sec to 15 m / sec. i í
50. 50. A method for removing gaseous phase molecules with an apparatus according to claim 1.! I
51. 51. The method according to claim 50, wherein the gas phase molecules comprise at least one of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, ammonia, acid gases, amines, halogens and oxygen. !
52. 52. The method according to claim 50, wherein the gas phase molecules comprise sulfur oxides. ' I
53. 53. The method according to claim 50, wherein | Gas phase molecules comprise carbon dioxide.
54. 54. The method according to claim 50, wherein the Gas phase molecules comprise nitrogen oxides.
55. 55. The method according to claim 50, wherein the Gas phase molecules comprise amines. j
56. 56. The method according to claim 50, wherein the gas phase faith molecules comprise chlorine. |
57. 57. The method according to claim 35, wherein i the jet of planar liquid comprises at least one I of water, ammonia, ammonium salts, amines, alkanolamines, salts of alkali metals, alkaline earth metal salts, peroxides and hypochlorites. j
58. 58. The method according to claim 35, wherein the jet of planar liquid comprises at least one of a calcium salt solution and a salt solution < from magnesium.
59. 59. The method according to claim 35, wherein! he Jet of planar liquid comprises seawater. ' I
60. 60. The method according to claim 35, wherein! the jet of planar liquid comprises brine. I i
61. 61. A gas and liquid contact system, comprising: a reaction chamber; ' a gas inlet connected to the reaction chamber; ! í a gas outlet connected to the reaction chamber; a liquid plenum connected to the reaction chamber;; i a group of nozzles connected to the liquid plenum, where the group of nozzles is configured to provide jets of essentially planar liquid, each of said jets of liquid comprises a planar sheet of liquid, and said plurality of liquid jets is in planes substantially parallel; Y a gas and fluid separator connected to the chamber; of reaction.
62. The system according to claim 61, which also comprises a subsystem of secondary chemical processing in fluid contact with the liquid plenum. I
63. 63. The method according to claim 61, wherein the I Gas and liquid contact system is configured to j mineralize the sulfur oxides absorbed to sulphites or sulfates. I
64. 64. The subsystem according to claim 61, wherein The gas and liquid contact system is configured to mineralize C02 to carbonates. !
65. 65. The subsystem according to claim 61, wherein The gas and liquid contact system is configured i to release pure C02 for tertiary processing. ! i i
66. 66. The subsystem according to claim 61, wherein the contact system of gas and liquid reacts oxides, nitrogen absorbed to soluble nitrates. I
67. 67. The system according to claim 61, which also I I comprises a defroster disposed in the gas outlet. ?
68. 68. The system according to claim 67, further comprising a gas outlet plenum connected to the gas outlet.
69. 69. The system according to claim 68, which also I it comprises a collection tank in fluid communication with the reaction chamber.
70. 70. The system according to claim 61, in dohde I the group of nozzles comprises a plurality of nozzles j in I a stepped configuration. j I
71. 71. The system according to claim 61, wherein the group of nozzles is oriented to provide a transverse flow liquid and gas contact system.
72. 72. The system according to claim 61, wherein the group of nozzles is oriented to provide a co-current gas and liquid contact system. i i
73. 73. The system according to claim 61, wherein the group of nozzles is oriented to provide a countercurrent gas and liquid contact system. i
74. 74. The system according to claim 61, wherein the group of nozzles comprises at least one row | from nozzles I I
75. 75. The system according to claim 61, wherein the Nozzle group comprises a U-shaped channel! I I j
76. 76. The system according to claim 61, in which the group of nozzles comprises a channel with a V shape.
77. 77. The system according to claim 61, wherein the A group of nozzles comprises a channel having a depth greater than 2 mm. ! I I ? i
78. 78. The system according to claim 61, wherein | he I I Group of nozzles comprises a channel having an depth in the range of 2 mm to 20 mm. i i i
79. 79. The system according to claim 61, wherein the group of nozzles comprises at least one nozzle that has a minor to major axis ratio less than 0, 5. i i I
80. 80. The system according to claim 61, wherein the I group of nozzles comprises at least one nozzle that it has a projected cross sectional area in the range of 0.25 mm2 to 20 mm2.; I I
81. • A gas to liquid contactor, which includes: a fluid plenum configured to provide a liquid! contact; j a contact chamber in communication with the fluid plenum i and configured to receive the contact liquid I from the fluid plenum; a gas inlet in communication with the camera, I Contact; | a gas outlet in communication with the camera; from i contact, wherein the gas and liquid contactor system i is configured to provide a mass transfer interaction having a volumetric mass transfer coefficient I in the range of 5 sec "1 to 250 sec. "1.
82. The gas and liquid contactor according to claim 81, further comprising a group of I nozzles
83. 83. The gas and liquid contactor according to the i claim 81, wherein the group of nozzles comprises at least one single row of nozzles. 1 I I
84. 84. The gas and liquid contactor according to claim 81, wherein the group of nozzles comprises a U-shaped channel. I
85. 85. The gas and liquid contactor according to; Claim 81, wherein the group of nozzles comprises a V-shaped channel. i
86. 86. The gas and liquid contactor according to claim 81, wherein the group of nozzles comprises a channel having a depth greater than 2 mm. j
87. 87. The gas and liquid contactor according to claim 81, wherein the volumetric mass transfer coefficient is in the range of 10 sec "1 to 100 sec" 1.
88. The gas and liquid contactor according to claim 81, wherein the volumetric mass transfer coefficient is in the range of 5 sec "1 to 25 sec" 1. i
89. 89. A gas phase molecule processing system, which comprises a plurality of modular contactors! from gas and liquid configured to be arranged in parallel or in series to be dimensioned as necessary p the processing of gaseous phase molecules.
90. 90. The system according to claim 89, wherein i each of the plurality of modular contactors of gajs and liquid comprises a group of nozzles configured to provide essentially planar liquid jets, each one of the liquid jets comprises a planar sheet. of liquid. j i
91. 91. The method according to claim 50, wherein the Gas phase molecules comprise organic compounds I volatile.