Method and apparatus for manufacturing high-temperature materials using rotary generated thermal energy

Abstract

A method is provided for inputting thermal energy into fluidic medium in a high-temperature material production process by at least one rotary apparatus comprising a casing with at least one inlet and at least one exit, a rotor comprising at least one row of rotor blades arranged over a circumference of a rotor hub mounted onto a rotor shaft, and a stator configured as an assembly of stationary vanes arranged at least upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades. In the method, an amount of thermal energy is imparted to a stream of fluidic medium directed along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the exit by virtue of a series of energy transformations occurring when said stream of fluidic medium passes through the stationary vanes and the at least one row of rotor blades, respectively. The method further comprises: integration of said at least one rotary apparatus into a high-temperature material production facility configured to carry out high-temperature material production, such as the production of glass, glass wool, carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, and clay-based materials at temperatures essentially equal to or exceeding 500 degrees Celsius (° C.), and conducting an amount of input energy into the at least one rotary apparatus integrated into the heat-consuming process facility, the input energy comprises electrical energy. A rotary apparatus and related uses are further provided.

1 . A method for high-temperature material production, the method comprising generation of a heated fluidic medium by at least one rotary apparatus integrated into a high-temperature material production facility, the at least one rotary apparatus comprising:
 a casing with at least one inlet and at least one exit,   a rotor comprising at least one row of rotor blades arranged over a circumference of a rotor hub mounted onto a rotor shaft, and   a plurality of stationary vanes arranged into an assembly at least upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades,   wherein an amount of thermal energy is imparted to a stream of fluidic medium directed along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the exit by virtue of a series of energy transformations occurring when said stream of fluidic medium passes through the stationary vanes and the at least one row of rotor blades, respectively, whereby a stream of heated fluidic medium is generated,   the method further comprising:
 conducting an amount of input energy into the at least one rotary apparatus integrated into the high-temperature material production facility, the input energy comprising electrical energy, 
 supplying the stream of heated fluidic medium generated by the at least one rotary apparatus into the high-temperature material production facility, and 
 operating said at least one rotary apparatus and said high-temperature material production facility to carry out high-temperature material production at temperatures essentially equal to or exceeding about  500  degrees Celsius (° C.). 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, in the high-temperature material production facility, the at least one rotary apparatus is connected to at least one heat-consuming unit configured to carry out a process or processes related to high-temperature material production at temperatures essentially equal to or exceeding about 500 degrees Celsius (° C.). 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the high-temperature material is glass, and wherein the heat-consuming unit to which the at least one rotary apparatus is connected is at least one furnace configured to heat sand, limestone, soda ash, and recycled glass to produce glass in the high-temperature material production facility configured as a glass production facility. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the high-temperature material is glass wool, and wherein the heat-consuming unit to which the at least one rotary apparatus is connected is at least one furnace configured to melt glass to produce molten glass and/or to cure glass fibers to produce glass wool in the high-temperature material production facility configured as a glass wool production facility. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the high-temperature material is carbon fibers, and wherein the heat-consuming unit to which the at least one rotary apparatus is connected is at least one furnace configured to carbonize polyacrylonitrile fibers to form carbon fibers in the high-temperature material production facility configured as a carbon fiber production facility. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the high-temperature material is carbon nanotubes, and wherein the heat-consuming unit to which the at least one rotary apparatus is connected is at least one furnace configured to effect disproportionation of high-pressure carbon monoxide to form carbon nanotubes in the high-temperature material production facility configured as a carbon nanotube production facility. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the high-temperature material is bricks, and wherein the heat-consuming unit to which the at least one rotary apparatus is connected is at least one kiln configured to burn bricks in the high-temperature material production facility configured as a brick production facility. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the high-temperature material is a clay-based material, and wherein the heat-consuming unit to which the at least one rotary apparatus is connected is at least one kiln configured to thermally process said clay-based material in the high-temperature material production facility configured as a facility for manufacturing of clay-based products. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the high-temperature clay-based material is ceramic or porcelain, and wherein the high-temperature material production facility is configured as a ceramic production facility and/or as a porcelain production facility. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising generation of the fluidic medium heated to the temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 500 degrees Celsius (° C.), preferably, to the temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 1200° C., still preferably, to the temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 1700° C. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising adjusting velocity and/or pressure of the stream of fluidic medium propagating through the rotary apparatus, to produce conditions, at which the stream of the heated fluidic medium is generated. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the heated fluidic medium is generated by at least one rotary apparatus comprising two or more rows of rotor blades sequentially arranged along the rotor shaft. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the heated fluidic medium is generated by at least one rotary apparatus further comprising a diffuser area arranged downstream of the at least one row of rotor blades, the method comprises operating the at least one rotary apparatus integrated into the high-temperature material production facility such, that an amount of thermal energy is imparted to a stream of fluidic medium directed along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the exit by virtue of a series of energy transformations occurring when said stream of fluidic medium successively passes through the stationary vanes, the rotor blades and the diffuser area, respectively, whereby a stream of heated fluidic medium is generated. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein, in said rotary apparatus, the diffuser area is configured with or without stationary diffuser vanes. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the amount of thermal energy added to the stream of fluidic medium propagating through the rotary apparatus is controlled by adjusting the amount of input energy conducted into the at least one rotary apparatus integrated into the high-temperature material production facility. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising arranging an additional heating apparatus downstream of the at least one rotary apparatus and introducing a reactive compound or a mixture of reactive compounds to the stream of fluidic medium propagating through said additional heating apparatus, whereupon the amount of thermal energy is added to said stream of fluidic medium through exothermic reaction(s). 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the reactive compound or a mixture of reactive compounds is introduced to the stream of fluidic medium preheated to a predetermined temperature. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the reactive compound or a mixture of reactive compounds is introduced to the stream of fluidic medium preheated to a temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 1700° C. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein preheating of the stream of fluidic medium to the predetermined temperature is implemented in the rotary apparatus. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising generation of the heated fluidic medium by at least two rotary apparatuses integrated into the high-temperature material production facility, wherein the at least two rotary apparatuses are connected in parallel or in series. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , comprising generation of the heated fluidic medium by at least two sequentially connected rotary apparatuses, wherein the stream of fluidic medium is preheated to a predetermined temperature in at least a first rotary apparatus in a sequence, and wherein said stream of fluidic medium is further heated in at least a second rotary apparatus in the sequence by inputting an additional amount of thermal energy into the stream of preheated fluidic medium propagating through said second rotary apparatus. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein, in at least the first rotary apparatus in the sequence, the stream of fluidic medium is preheated to a temperature essentially equal to or exceeding about 1700° C. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the additional amount of thermal energy is added to the stream of fluidic medium propagating through said at least second rotary apparatus in the sequence by virtue of introducing the reactive compound or a mixture of compounds into said stream. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising introducing the reactive compound or a mixture of compounds into a process or processes related to the production of high-temperature materials implemented in the furnace or kiln. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the heated fluidic medium generated by the at least one rotary apparatus is selected from the group consisting of a feed gas, a recycle gas, a make-up gas, and a process fluid. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fluidic medium that enters the rotary apparatus is an essentially gaseous medium. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising generation of the heated fluidic medium in the rotary apparatus. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the heated fluidic medium generated in the rotary apparatus comprises any one of: air, steam (H 2 O), nitrogen (N 2 ), hydrogen (H 2 ), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH 4 ), or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the heated fluidic medium generated in the rotary apparatus is a recycle gas recycled from off-gases generated during production of high-temperature materials. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising generation of a heated fluidic medium, such as gas, vapor, liquid, and mixtures thereof, and/or heated solid materials outside the rotary apparatus through a process of heat transfer between the heated fluidic medium generated in the rotary apparatus and any one of the above-mentioned substances bypassing the rotary apparatus. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising increasing pressure in the stream of fluidic medium propagating through the rotary apparatus. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the amount of electrical energy conducted as the input energy into the at least one rotary apparatus integrated in the high-temperature material production facility is within a range of about 5 percent to 100 percent. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the amount of electrical energy conducted as the input energy into the at least one rotary apparatus integrated in the high-temperature material production facility is obtainable from a source of renewable energy or a combination of different sources of energy, optionally, renewable energy. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one rotary apparatus is utilized to balance variations, such as oversupply and shortage, in the amount of electrical energy, optionally renewable electrical energy, by virtue of being integrated, into the high-temperature material production facility, together with an at least one non-electrical energy operable heater device. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein energy efficiency of the high-temperature material production facility is improved and/or wherein greenhouse gas and particle emissions in the high-temperature material production facility are reduced. 
     
     
         36 . A high-temperature material production facility comprising at least one rotary apparatus configured to generate a heated fluidic medium and at least one heat-consuming unit configured to carry out a process of processes related to production of high-temperature materials, the at least one rotary apparatus comprising:
 a casing with at least one inlet and at least one exit,   a rotor comprising at least one row of rotor blades arranged over a circumference of a rotor hub mounted onto a rotor shaft, and   a plurality of stationary vanes arranged into an assembly at least upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades,   wherein the at least one rotary apparatus is configured to operate such that an amount of thermal energy is imparted to a stream of fluidic medium directed along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the exit by virtue of a series of energy transformations occurring when said stream of fluidic medium passes through the stationary vanes and the at least one row of rotor blades, respectively, whereby a stream of heated fluidic medium is generated, and   wherein said at least one rotary apparatus is configured to receive an amount of input energy, the input energy comprising electrical energy, and to generate a heated fluidic medium for inputting thermal energy into at least one heat-consuming unit configured to carry out a process or processes related to production of high-temperature materials at temperatures essentially equal to or exceeding about 500 degrees Celsius (° C.).   
     
     
         37 . The high-temperature material production facility of  claim 36 , wherein the at least one heat-consuming unit is a furnace or kiln. 
     
     
         38 . The high-temperature material production facility of  claim 36 , configured as a glass production facility, wherein the at least one heat-consuming unit is a furnace or kiln configured to heat sand, limestone, soda ash, and recycled glass to produce glass in said glass production facility. 
     
     
         39 . The high-temperature material production facility of  claim 36 , configured as a glass wool production facility, wherein the at least one heat-consuming unit is a furnace or kiln configured to melt glass to produce molten glass, and/or to cure glass fibers in said glass wool production facility. 
     
     
         40 . The high-temperature material production facility of  claim 36 , configured as a carbon fiber production facility, wherein the at least one heat-consuming unit is a furnace or kiln configured to carbonize polyacrylonitrile fibers to form carbon fibers in said carbon fiber production facility. 
     
     
         41 . The high-temperature material production facility of  claim 36 , configured as a carbon nanotubes production facility, wherein the at least one heat-consuming unit is a furnace or kiln configured to effect disproportionation of high-pressure carbon monoxide to form carbon nanotubes in said carbon nanotubes production facility. 
     
     
         42 . The high-temperature material production facility of  claim 36 , configured as a brick production facility, wherein the at least one heat-consuming unit is a furnace or kiln configured to burn bricks in said brick production facility. 
     
     
         43 . The high-temperature material production facility of  claim 36 , configured as a facility for manufacturing of clay-based products, wherein the at least one heat-consuming unit is a furnace or kiln configured to thermally process clay-based material in said facility for manufacturing of clay-based products. 
     
     
         44 . The high-temperature material production facility of  claim 43 , configured as a ceramic production facility and/or as a porcelain production facility, wherein the at least one heat-consuming unit is a furnace or kiln is configured to thermally process ceramic or porcelain in said ceramic and/or porcelain production facility. 
     
     
         45 . The high-temperature material production facility of  claim 36 , in which the at least one rotary apparatus is further connected to a heat-consuming unit configured as any one of: an oven, a reactor, a heater, a burner, a dryer, a boiler, a conveyor device, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         46 . The high-temperature material production facility of  claim 36 , wherein the at least one rotary apparatus comprises two or more rows of rotor blades sequentially arranged along the rotor shaft. 
     
     
         47 . The high-temperature material production facility of  claim 36 , wherein the at least one rotary apparatus further comprises a diffuser area arranged downstream of the at least one row of rotor blades. 
     
     
         48 . The high-temperature material production facility of  claim 47 , wherein the rotary apparatus comprises the diffuser area configured with or without stationary diffuser vanes. 
     
     
         49 . The high-temperature material production facility of  claim 36 , wherein the at least one rotary apparatus is further configured to increase pressure in the fluidic stream propagating therethrough. 
     
     
         50 . The high-temperature material production facility of  claim 36 , wherein at least two rotary apparatuses are arranged into an assembly and connected in parallel or in series. 
     
     
         51 . A high-temperature material production facility configured to implement a process or processes related to high-temperature material production through a method as defined in  claim 1 . 
     
     
         52 . A method for inputting thermal energy into a process or processes related to producing high-temperature materials in a high-temperature material production facility, the method comprises generation of a heated fluidic medium by at least one rotary apparatus integrated into the high-temperature material production facility, the at least one rotary apparatus comprising:
 a casing with at least one inlet and at least one exit,   a rotor comprising at least one row of rotor blades arranged over a circumference of a rotor hub mounted onto a rotor shaft, and   a plurality of stationary vanes arranged into an assembly at least upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades,   the method further comprises:
 integrating the at least one rotary apparatus into the high-temperature material production facility configured to carry out process or processes related to production of high-temperature materials at temperatures essentially equal to or exceeding about 500 degrees Celsius (° C.), 
 conducting an amount of input energy into the at least one rotary apparatus integrated into the high-temperature material production facility, the input energy comprising electrical energy, and 
 operating the at least one rotary apparatus integrated into the high-temperature material production facility such, that an amount of thermal energy is imparted to a stream of fluidic medium directed along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the exit by virtue of a series of energy transformations occurring when said stream of fluidic medium passes through the stationary vanes and the at least one row of rotor blades, respectively, whereby a stream of heated fluidic medium is generated. 
   
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein the process related to producing high-temperature materials in the high-temperature material production facility is any one of: (i) production of glass, (ii) production of glass wool, (iii) production of carbon fiber and carbon nanotubes, (iv) production of brick and/or tile, (v) production of clay-based material, such as ceramic and/or porcelain, or (vi) any combination thereof.