Submerged gas evaporators and reactors

Abstract

A submerged gas processor in the form of an evaporator or a submerged gas reactor includes a vessel, a gas delivery tube partially disposed within the vessel to deliver a gas into the vessel and a process fluid inlet that provides a process fluid to the vessel at a rate sufficient to maintain a controlled constant level of fluid within the vessel. A weir is disposed within the vessel adjacent the gas delivery tube to form a first fluid circulation path between a first weir end and a wall of the vessel and a second fluid circulation path between a second weir end and an upper end of the vessel. During operation, gas introduced through the tube mixes with the process fluid and the combined gas and fluid flow at a high rate with a high degree of turbulence along the first and second circulation paths defined around the weir, thereby promoting vigorous mixing and intimate contact between the gas and the process fluid. This turbulent flow develops a significant amount of interfacial surface area between the gas and the process fluid resulting in a reduction of the required residence time of the gas within the process fluid to achieve thermal equilibrium and/or to drive chemical reactions to completion, all of which leads to a more efficient and complete evaporation, chemical reaction, or combined evaporation and chemical reaction process.

1 . A submerged gas processor comprising:
 a vessel having an interior adapted to hold a liquid;   a tube disposed within the vessel and adapted to transport a gas into the interior of the vessel;   a weir disposed within the vessel adjacent the tube in a manner that defines a confined volume between the tube and the weir;   an exhaust stack adapted to transport exhaust gases from the interior of the vessel; and   a liquid inlet adapted to supply a liquid to the interior of the vessel;   wherein the weir includes a first weir end and a second weir end and is disposed within the vessel to define a first circulation gap between the first weir end and a first wall of the vessel and to define a second circulation gap between the second weir end and a second wall of the vessel which enables liquid within the vessel to flow through the first and second circulation gaps when gas is introduced into the vessel from the tube.   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 1 , further including a baffle disposed proximate the second circulation gap and generally perpendicular to the weir, wherein the distance between the second weir end and the baffle is in the range of 1 to 20 inches. 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 1 , further including a baffle disposed proximate the second circulation gap and generally perpendicular to the weir, wherein the baffle is attached to an interior wall of the vessel. 
     
     
         6 - 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of gas exit slots is disposed in the tube, the gas exit slots being sized to produce a ratio of gas flow in actual cubic feet per minute (acfm) out of the tube to a cross sectional area of the gas exit slots in the tube in the range of approximately 1,000 acfm/ft 2  to approximately 18,000 acfm/ft 2  when the operating temperature of the gas flowing out of the tube is approximately 1400 degrees F. 
     
     
         9 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of gas exit slots is disposed in the tube, the gas exit slots being sized to produce a ratio of gas flow in actual cubic feet per minute (acfm) out of the tube to the cross sectional area of the gas exit slots in the tube in the range of approximately 2,000 acfm/ft 2  to approximately 10,000 acfm/ft 2  when the operating temperature of the gas flowing out of the tube is approximately 1400 degrees F. 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of gas exit slots is disposed in the tube, the gas exit slots being sized to produce a ratio of gas flow in standard cubic feet per minute (scfm) out of the tube to a cross sectional area of the confined volume in the range of approximately 200 scfm/ft 2  to approximately 10,000 scfm/ft 2 . 
     
     
         13 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of gas exit slots is disposed in the tube, the gas exit slots being sized to produce a ratio of gas flow in scfm out of the tube to a cross sectional area of the confined volume in the range of approximately 500 scfm/ft 2  to approximately 6,000 scfm/ft 2 . 
     
     
         14 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 1 , wherein the weir comprises a generally flat plate member. 
     
     
         23 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 22 , wherein the generally flat plate member extends across the interior of the vessel between opposite sides of the vessel. 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 1 , wherein the tube is connected to a source of waste heat. 
     
     
         26 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 25 , wherein the source of the waste heat is one or a combination of a landfill gas processing device, a reciprocating internal combustion engine operating on landfill gas and/or a turbine operating on landfill gas. 
     
     
         27 - 29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 - 33 . (canceled) 
     
     
         34 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 1 , further including a baffle disposed within the vessel at or above an at rest fluid level of the vessel. 
     
     
         35 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 1 , further including a baffle disposed within the vessel above the second end of the weir. 
     
     
         36 - 42 . (canceled) 
     
     
         43 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 1 , wherein the weir comprises a generally flat plate member. 
     
     
         44 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 43 , wherein the generally flat plate member extends across the interior of the vessel between opposite sides of the vessel. 
     
     
         45 . (canceled) 
     
     
         46 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 1 , wherein the tube is connected to a source of waste heat. 
     
     
         47 - 51 . (canceled) 
     
     
         52 . The submerged gas processor of  claim 1 , wherein the gas tube is connected to a combustion device and the combustion device combusts biogas. 
     
     
         53 . A method of processing a fluid in a gas reaction device having a weir disposed within a vessel to define first and second volumes within the vessel and a gas delivery tube extending into the vessel into the first volume, comprising:
 supplying fluid to the vessel at a rate sufficient to maintain a fluid surface level in the vessel near or above a first end of the weir;   providing gas through the gas delivery tube to force the gas through an exit in the gas delivery tube to cause mixing of the gas and the fluid within the first volume by creating a circular flow of fluid from the first volume around the first end of the weir into the second volume and from the second volume around a second end of the weir and into the first volume;   removing exhaust gases through an exhaust stack in the vessel; and   removing fluid from the vessel via a fluid exit.   
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 53 , further including removing fluid with suspended solid particulate from the vessel. 
     
     
         55 - 72 . (canceled)