Solid/heat-transfer gas reactor comprising gas diffusers with reduced risks of blocking

{
  "publication_number": "US9433910B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Solid/heat-transfer gas reactor comprising gas diffusers with reduced risks of blocking",
  "abstract": "A module for a solid/heat-transfer gas reactor, including a plurality of diffusers each including a top portion supporting the solid reagent, and a portion for diffusing reactive/heat-transfer gas, situated under the top portion.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A solid/heat-transfer gas reactor comprising: a plurality of modules stacked in a vertical direction, comprising solid reagents configured to have the heat-transfer gas pass through them; wherein each module comprises a plurality of diffusers each including a top portion supporting one of the solid reagents, and a portion for diffusing reactive/heat-transfer gas, situated under the top support portion, and comprising a lateral gas-distribution channel, and a lateral gas-collection channel, each module further comprising a double wall between which the gas is configured to circulate before entering through the diffusers, the diffusers projecting upwards from a top wall of the double wall, and wherein any two directly consecutive modules in the stack define a housing cavity receiving one of the solid reagents carried at least partially by the diffusers arranged in the cavity, the lateral gas-distribution channels of the stacked modules forming together a vertical distributor supplying gas to each of spaces defined between two walls of the double walls, and wherein the lateral gas-collection channels of the stacked modules form together a vertical collector collecting the gas coming from each of the housing cavities.",
    "2. A reactor according to claim 1, wherein, in vertical projection onto a horizontal plane, the top portion supporting the solid reagents entirely covers the gas-diffusion portion.",
    "3. A reactor according to claim 1, wherein each diffuser takes a form of a cylindrical stud of which at least part of the lateral surface constitutes the gas-diffusion portion.",
    "4. A reactor according to claim 1, wherein, on each module, the diffusers are provided with a density of 75 to 150 diffusers/m 2.",
    "5. A reactor according to claim 1, wherein each module is produced from three bent metal sheets fixed to one another, and by the diffusers.",
    "6. A reactor according to claim 1, further comprising means for bringing gas into the reactor, and means for discharging gas out of the reactor.",
    "7. A solid/heat-transfer gas reaction method implemented by a reactor according to claim 6, comprising: placing the solid reagents in each of the housing cavities; introducing the heat-transfer reactive gas into the distributor by gas-feed means; and after the gas passes through the solid reagents, the gas enters a collector of the reactor before being discharged from the collector by the gas-discharge means.",
    "8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the solid reagents are unstructured pure granular reagents.",
    "9. A method according to claim 7, wherein solid reagents of different natures are arranged in the housing cavities of the reactor."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The invention relates to the field of solid/heat-transfer gas reactors, in which a chemical or physical reaction between a solid and a gas is provided, such as for example a thermochemical reaction or a physical adsorption/desorption reaction. In this type of reactor, the gas coming from an external circuit serves as a heat transfer medium, the heat exchange then taking place by convection during the endothermic/exothermic reaction.\n\nSuch a reactor is generally loaded with a solid reagent, taking the form of a pure or composite granular bed, resting on a horizontal grid. A flow of reactive heat-transfer gas is applied so as to pass through the bed of reactive solid, with a descending vertical direction. The gas then diffuses downwards in the granular bed, by virtue of the porosity of the grains.\n\nNevertheless, this configuration is subject to the soiling of the grid which, in the long term, may lead to the entire blocking of the cross sections of flow of the heat-transfer gas. This is explained by the fact that, when the reactor is functioning, the reactive solid swells and then shrinks during the two reciprocal reactions. The repetition of these changes in volumes gives rise to risks of fragmentation of the grains which, because of the descending vertical gas flow, are then entrained towards the grid, which they gradually block. Such blocking is obviously to be proscribed, since it may impair the correct functioning of the reactor.\n\nMoreover, the reactors of the prior art with stacked modules have a design that is open to improvement.",
  "cpc": [
    "B01J 8/0242",
    "B01J 15/00",
    "B01J 15/005",
    "B01J 19/249",
    "B01J 2208/00707",
    "B01J 2208/0084",
    "B01J 2208/00911",
    "B01J 2219/2453",
    "B01J 2219/2458",
    "B01J 2219/247",
    "B01J 2219/2481",
    "B01J 2219/2496",
    "B01J 8/0207",
    "B01J 8/0278",
    "B01J 8/0285",
    "B01J 8/0292",
    "F28C 3/12"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B01J 15/00",
    "B01J 19/24",
    "B01J 8/02",
    "F28C 3/12"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Commissariat a lEnergie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives CEA"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Joel Wyttenbach",
    "Philippe Papillon",
    "Gwennyn Tanguy"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2012-04-27",
  "publication_date": "2016-09-06",
  "grant_date": "2016-09-06",
  "priority_date": "2011-05-03",
  "application_number": "US-201214113958-A",
  "family_id": "46017872",
  "cited_by_count": 8,
  "citations": [
    "US2204447A",
    "US2961304A",
    "US3592613A",
    "WO2002020149A2",
    "WO2002051538A1",
    "US20030217543A1",
    "US20040191592A1",
    "WO2009062695A2",
    "US20100012740A1"
  ]
}