METHOD AND DEVICE FOR GENERATING STEAM AND LOW OXYGEN GAS

Abstract

Described is a method and device for generating steam and low oxygen gas. The device includes a burner assembly adapted to generate a hot combustion gas. A combustion chamber is included that has a series of water-filled coils positioned therein. Feedwater that passes through the water-filled coils is turned into steam by heat from the combustion gas. The steam exits the device for transport to a steam system for use therein. A water pool is positioned beneath the combustion chamber to cool combustion gases from the combustion chamber. A cooling water system is included that provides cooling water to the water pool. A demisting filter is positioned above the water pool to remove water droplets from the combustion gas. Finally, an exhaust opening is positioned downstream from the demisting filter to allow the combustion gas to exit the device for use elsewhere.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

This is a non-provisional application of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/444,086, filed on Feb. 17, 2011, and entitled, “Method and Apparatus for Generating Steam and Low Oxygen Gas.”

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a steam and gas generation system and, more particularly, to equipment that simultaneously generates useful steam while producing low oxygen gas.

(2) Description of Related Art

Steam is used aboard ships and, other floating vessels for heating, electricity generation, to drive turbines, and other applications. In order to generate the steam, most vessels utilize a fuel-powered steam engine or steam generator. As the cost of fuel (especially marine diesel fuel) has increased, the cost of generating steam in traditional equipment has increased.

In a different art, international and U.S. Federal regulations require internationally trading cargo ships and other vessels to disinfect ballast water prior to discharge. In doing so, many vessels treat the ballast water with a low oxygen gas to suffocate and kill marine invasive species that are present in the ballast water. To treat the ballast water, some vessels include a low oxygen generation system. As can be appreciated, operating both a steam engine and low oxygen generation system can require a significant amount of fuel.

Thus, a continuing need exists for a device that simultaneously generates useful steam while producing low oxygen gas.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a method and device for generating steam and low oxygen gas. The device includes a burner assembly that is adapted to generate a hot combustion gas. A combustion chamber is included that has a series of water-filled coils positioned therein. Feedwater that passes through the water-filled coils is turned into steam by heat from the combustion gas. The steam exits the device for transport to a steam system for use therein.

A water pool is positioned beneath the combustion chamber to cool combustion gases from the combustion chamber. A cooling water system is included that provides cooling water to the water pool. A demisting filter is positioned above the water pool to remove water droplets from the combustion gas. Finally, an exhaust opening is positioned downstream from the demisting filter to allow the combustion gas to exit the device for use elsewhere (e.g., for transport to a water treatment system for use therein).

In another aspect, the combustion chamber includes walls such that the water-filled coils pass through (are positioned within) the walls of the combustion chamber.

In yet another aspect, the cooling water system further comprises a packing material positioned in the cooling water system between the demisting filter and above the water pool. Spray nozzles are also included for introducing the cooling water into the cooling water system. The spray nozzles are positioned between the packing material and the demisting filter.

Additionally, a float valve is fluidicly connected with the water pool. The float valve is adapted to maintain the cooling water at a level higher than a bottom of the walls of the combustion chamber.

In yet another aspect, the cooling water system concentrically surrounds the combustion chamber.

In another aspect, the combustion chamber includes a top portion and a bottom portion, where the top portion is formed in a conical shape while the bottom portion is cylindrically-shaped.

Finally, as can be appreciated by one in the art, the present invention also comprises a method for forming and using the invention described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptions of the various aspects of the invention in conjunction with reference to the following drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side-view illustration of an, apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is top-view illustration of the apparatus according to the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a side, interior-view illustration of a vessel incorporating the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a steam and gas generation system and, more particularly, to equipment, that simultaneously generates useful steam while producing low oxygen gas. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and to incorporate it in the context of particular applications. Various modifications, as well as a variety of uses in different applications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to a wide range of embodiments. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments presented, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without necessarily being limited to these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with this specification and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. All the features disclosed in this specification, (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

Furthermore, any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” or “act of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6.

Please note, the labels left, right, front, back, top, bottom, forward, reverse, clockwise and counter clockwise have been used for convenience purposes only and are not intended to imply any particular fixed direction. Instead, they are used to reflect relative locations and/or directions between various portions of an object.

(1) Description

Steam is used aboard ships and other floating vessels for heating, electrical generation, to drive turbines, and other applications. Thus, most vessels include a steam engine to generate the steam. Alternatively, international and U.S. Federal regulations require internationally trading cargo ships and other vessels to disinfect ballast water prior to discharge. In doing so, many vessels treat the ballast water with a low oxygen gas to suffocate and kill marine invasive species that are present in the ballast water. To treat the ballast water, the vessels include a low oxygen generation system. As can be appreciated, operating both a steam engine and low oxygen generation system can require a significant amount of fuel. Thus, the present invention improves upon the prior art by providing a device that simultaneously generates useful steam while producing low oxygen gas. In doing so, the invention effectively replaces two pieces of equipment with a single device, thereby reducing the total fuel consumption of a vessel. Specific details of the present invention are provided below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention is directed to a device 10 for generating steam and low oxygen gas for use in a variety of vessels. The device 10 can be designed to fit the requirements of a wide range of vessels, non-limiting examples of which include cargo vessels, tankers, passenger vessels, oil production platforms, and container ships.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1, combustion air 12 is introduced to a burner assembly 14 that burns a fuel that is introduced into the burner assembly 14 via a fuel line 40. The fuel is any suitable fuel, non-limiting examples of which include marine diesel or any other suitable fuel. Although the burner or burners (of the burner assembly 14) are depicted as being located on the top of the equipment, it should be understood that a similar function can be achieved if the burners are located on the bottom, or any other suitable location, such as the sides, on a slope, etc. The burner assembly 14 includes one or more burners that burn the fuel to generate the hot combustion gases. Combustion by-products (i.e., combustion gases) are introduced into the combustion chamber 16 where the flow of gas is downward from top to bottom.

In a desired aspect, a top portion 15 of the combustion chamber 16 is formed in a conical shape as depicted). However, it should be understood that the present invention is not intended to be limited thereto as the top portion 15 of the combustion chamber 16 can be formed in any suitable shape to achieve a similar function.

After combustion, combustion gases move through the combustion chamber 16, passing through (over and around) a series of water-filled coils 18 that are positioned in a bottom portion 19 of the combustion chamber 16. Although the bottom portion 19 of the combustion chamber 16 is depicted as being formed in a vertical cylindrical shape, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto as it can be formed in any suitable shape.

It should also be noted that the coils 18 can be formed in the walls 17 of the combustion chamber 16. Desirably, the coils 18 are formed in the walls 17 of both the cylindrical-shaped and conical-shaped portions of the combustion chamber 16. In this aspect, not only are the coils 18 within the combustion chamber 16, but they also surround the combustion chamber 16 through incorporation into the walls 17 of the combustion chamber 16.

Suitable feedwater 20 is introduced into the water-filled coils 18. Desirably, the Feedwater-moves through the coils 18 from the bottom of the apparatus 10 towards its top (in the direction opposite to the flow of gas). Contact between the coils 18 and combustion gas (in the combustion chamber 16) transfers heat (through the walls of the coils 18) from the combustion gas to the water, transforming it into steam. The size of the chamber 16 and the total length of the steam coil is provided to assure enough contact time between the gas and coils 18 to produce useful steam. Useful steam 22 exits the device to be conveyed to another location within the ship. Thus, the useful steam 22 is provided to any suitable steam system that utilizes hot steam, non-limiting examples of which include heating systems, electricity generation, and to drive turbines, etc.

After passing through the steam-generating coils 18, partially cooled combustion gas exits the combustion chamber in a radial manner. As this occurs the gas comes into contact with cooling water 24 that is pooled in a water pool 25. The cooling water 24 is maintained in the water pool 25 at a level approximately even with, but slightly higher than, the combustion chamber 16. As a non-limiting example, the cooling water 24 is maintained at a level slightly higher than the bottom of the walls 17 of the combustion chamber 16. Cooling water level is automatically maintained by a float valve 26.

After passing through the pooled cooling water 24, the gas passes through a counter-current cooling water system 28 filled with water spray diffusion packing (i.e., demisting filter 32). Counter-current contact between the gas and cooling water continues to reduce the temperature of the gas. The counter-current cooling water system 28 uses cooling water 42 that is introduced to a cooling chamber 44 through spray nozzles 30 and drains through a packing material 45 flowing downward to the pooled cooling water 24. The packing material 45 is any suitable material that provides a cooling water diffusion, a non-limiting example of which includes the Metal Q-PAC product as sold by Lantec Products, Inc., located at 5302 Deny Ave, #G, Agoura Hills, Calif. 91301.

Cooled gas passes upward through a demisting filter 32 to remove water droplets from the gas. The demisting filter 32 is any suitable demister or mist eliminator that removes the liquid droplets from the gas, a non-limiting example of which includes the demister pads as sold by NCS Associates, located at 1009, Mettupalayam Road, IInd Floor, Coimbatore-641 002, India. After the combustion gas passes through the cooling water 24, the packing material 45, and demisting filter 32, it is largely a cooled gas. Thereafter, the cooled gas exits the device through one or more exhaust openings 34, from which the gas (i.e., low oxygen gas) is conveyed to another location in the vessel for use elsewhere, such as ballast water treatment, etc. It is to be understood that this produced gas (e.g., low oxygen gas) could be useful for purposes other than ballast water treatment, such as inerting oil cargo tanks to provide an explosion proof atmosphere, or to remove oxygen from other tanks and spaces aboard vessels to reduce steel corrosion. As such, the present is not limited to use of the gas in a ballast water treatment system as that is but one non-limiting example of a use thereof.

As shown in the top-view of FIG. 2, the cooling water section 28 of the device 10 concentrically surrounds the outside of the combustion chamber 16. This form allows the combustion gases to exit the combustion chamber 16 radially into the water cooling section 28. Although the radial dispersion of the combustion gases is not required, it is desirable for space conservation.

Also shown in this top-view is the burner assembly 14 that is fed via a fuel line 40 and combustion air 12 (air intake) to generate the combustion gases. Further, the feedwater 20 line is shown that introduces feedwater 20 to the coils (not shown), which is heated into steam (by the combustion gases) and exits via the steam 22 line. The combustion gases are cooled through water that is introduced to the device 10 via the cooling water 42 line. After passing through a demisting filter, the gases then exit the device through an exhaust opening 34. As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art and based on the description above, the device 10 according to the present invention effectively generates steam while simulataneously forming a low oxygen gas that can be used in the vessel (e.g., to treat ballast water).

Therefore and as shown in FIG. 3, the present invention also includes a vessel 50 having the device 10 attached therewith. In this aspect, the device 10 is fluidicly connected to a steam system 52 via the steam 22 line. As noted above, the steam system 52 is any suitable vessel bound system that utilizes steam, such as a heating system, electrical generation, etc. Separately, the device 10 is fluidicly connected to a low-oxygen gas usage system 54 via the exhaust opening 34. The low-oxygen gas usage system 54 is any suitable vessel-bound system that utilizes low-oxygen gas, a non-limiting example of which includes a ballast water treatment system. An example of a suitable ballast water treatment system includes the System and Method of Water Treatment as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 6,840,983, which is incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein. Thus, through incorporation with a steam system 42 and ballast water treatment system, the present invention effectively replaces two pieces of equipment with a single device, thereby reducing the total fuel consumption of a vessel. Finally, it should be understood that the device 10 of the present invention can be applied to any suitable application that requires both steam and low oxygen gas and, as such, it is not specifically limited to vessels.

Claims

1. A device for generating steam and low oxygen gas, comprising:

a burner assembly adapted to generate a hot combustion gas;

a combustion chamber, the combustion chamber having series of water-filled coils positioned therein, wherein the water-filled coils receive feedwater that passes through the water-filled coils such that the feedwater is turned into steam by heat from the combustion gas, the steam exiting the device for transport to a steam system for use therein;

a water pool positioned beneath the combustion chamber, the water pool adapted to maintain pooled cooling water and cool combustion gases from the combustion chamber;

a cooling water system, the cooling water system having: a cooling water inlet for providing cooling water to the water pool; a demisting filter positioned above the water pool, the demisting filter adapted to remove water droplets from the combustion gas; and an exhaust opening downstream from the demisting filter, the exhaust opening adapted to allow the combustion gas to exit the device for use elsewhere.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the combustion chamber includes walls and wherein the water-filled coils pass through the walls of the combustion chamber.

3. The device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the cooling water system further comprises a packing material positioned in the cooling water system between the demisting filter and above the water pool.

4. The device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the cooling water system further comprises spray nozzles for introducing the cooling water into the cooling water system, the spray nozzles positioned between the packing material and the demisting filter.

5. The device as set forth in claim 4, further comprising a float valve fluidicly connected with the water pool, the float valve adapted to maintain the cooling water at a level higher than a bottom of the walls of the combustion chamber.

6. The device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the cooling water system concentrically surrounds the combustion chamber.

7. The device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the combustion chamber includes a top portion and a bottom portion, where the top portion is formed in a conical shape while the bottom portion is cylindrically-shaped.

8. The device as set forth in claim 2, further comprising a float valve fluidicly connected with the water pool, the float valve adapted to maintain the cooling water at a level higher than a bottom of the walls of the combustion chamber.

9. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cooling water system further comprises a packing material positioned in the cooling water system between the demisting filter and above the water pool.

10. The device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the cooling water system further comprises spray nozzles for introducing the cooling water into the cooling water system, the spray nozzles positioned between the packing material and the demisting filter.

11. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cooling water system concentrically surrounds the combustion chamber.

12. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the combustion chamber includes a top portion and a bottom portion, where the top portion is formed in a conical shape while the bottom portion is cylindrically-shaped.

13. A method for generating steam and low oxygen gas, comprising acts of:

generating a hot combustion gas with a burner assembly;

passing water through a series of water-filled coils positioned in a combustion chamber;

heating the water in the water-filled coils with the combustion gas to turn the water into steam;

discharging the steam for transport to a steam system for use therein;

cooling the combustion gas in pooled cooling water;

removing water droplets from the combustion gas using a demisting filter; and

discharging the combustion gas via an exhaust opening for use elsewhere.