Modar, Inc.

Aphios Corporation

Other

General Atomics, Inc.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Abb Lummus Crest, Inc.

Glenn T Hong

William R Killilea

Trevor Percival Castor

Alain L Bourhis

Chiung-Yuan Huang

Maury D Cosman

John Edward Sawicki

Michael H Spritzer

Kevin William Downey

Terry Blane Thomason

Peter Richard d'Entremont

Niles W Johanson

Baldomero Casas

Christopher Shallice

Herbert E Barner

David W Ordway

Vladimir A Zilberstein

Hemant M Chikarmane

Matthew Albert Britz

William S Rickman

Kathleen C Swallow

The disclosed technology relates to methods of inhibiting corrosion in reaction chambers configured for hydrothermal reaction of feeds containing a heteroatom. An embodiment of such a method comprises providing a feed stream comprising a phosphorus-containing material, an alkali metal compound, water, and a corrosion-inhibitor. The embodiment additionally includes introducing the feed stream and oxidant into a reactor chamber and oxidizing the phosphorus-containing material at an oxidation temperature greater than about 374&#xb0; C. and an oxidation pressure exceeding about 25 bar, wherein the reactor chamber has inner surfaces comprising a material that corrodes when in contact with a phosphorus compound within the reactor. The embodiment additionally includes selectively reacting the corrosion-inhibitor with phosphorus within the reactor, thereby precipitating in the reactor chamber a phosphorus-containing solid inorganic compound. The embodiment further includes forming in the reactor chamber an alkali salt melt and carrying away from the reactor chamber a mixture comprising the solid phosphorus-containing inorganic compound and the alkali salt melt.

Corrosion inhibition in hydrothermal processing

A system and method for treating feedstocks containing solids, sludges or slurries that contain organics includes introducing the feedstock into a desorption chamber. In the desorption chamber, the temperature and pressure of the feedstock are elevated to volatilize a portion of the feedstock and thereby separate the feedstock into a volatile portion containing organics and a residue portion. Steam, water or oxidants can be injected into the desorption chamber to aid in the volatilization process. From the desorption chamber, the volatile portion of the feedstock is transferred to a reactor for hydrothermal treatment to oxidize or reform the organics in the volatile portion. In the hydrothermal reactor, the volatile portion may be reacted with excess oxidant and auxiliary fuel at a temperature between approximately 1000&deg; F. and approximately 1800&deg; F. and a pressure of between approximately 20 atmospheres and approximately 200 atmospheres.

Process for hydrothermal treatment of materials

Supercritical and near critical fluids are used to fractionate biomass materials such as microbial cells in two steps. In the first step, the biomass is exposed to elevated pressure supercritical or near critical fluid to bring about disruption of the biomass to liberate structural biomass constituents. In the second step, the disrupted biomass is subjected to a multiplicity of supercritical or near critical fluid extraction steps, with different solvation conditions used for each fraction. Thus, fractionation of the biomass to obtain one or more compounds is effected. Different solvation properties are obtained using different temperatures, pressures and/or modifier concentrations.

Method of fractionation of biologically-derived materials using critical fluids

Compressed gases, liquefied gases, or supercritical fluids are utilized as anti-solvents in a crystal growing process for complex molecules. Crystals of the present invention exhibit greater crystal size and improved morphology over crystals obtained by conventional methods.

Method for producing large crystals of complex molecules

Liquefied gases, compressed gases, and supercritical fluids are used to form protein particles without first dissolving the protein. The product material is expected to retain full activity and be devoid of residual processing chemicals such as solvents, salts, or surfactants.

Method for size reduction of proteins

Supercritical and near critical fluids are used to fractionate biomass materials in two steps. In the first step, the biomass is exposed to elevated pressure supercritical or near critical fluid to bring about disruption of the biomass. In the second step, the disrupted biomass is subjected to a multiplicity of supercritical or near critical fluid extraction steps, with different solvation conditions used for each fraction. Thus, fractionation of the biomass is effected.

Methods for fractionation of biologically-derived materials

A method of continuous flow hydrothermal oxidation which provides for a low cost means of reaction initiation and propagation. The aqueous-organic feedstock and oxidant are introduced to a small reaction chamber and allowed to mix with the hot, partially reacted contents thereof. This backmixing serves to initiate the reaction of the incoming feedstock. Optionally, the contents of the chamber then pass to a second reactor located downstream, in order to allow for completion of the oxidation reaction.

Method for hydrothermal oxidation

A process for water oxidation of combustible materials in which during at least a part of the oxidation corrosive material is present and makes contact with at least a portion of the apparatus over a contact area on the apparatus. At least a portion of the contact surface area comprises titanium dioxide coated onto a titanium metal substrate. Such ceramic composites have been found to be highly resistant to environments encountered in the process of supercritical water oxidation. Such environments typically contain greater than 50 mole percent water, together with oxygen, carbon dioxide, and a wide range of acids, bases, and salts. Pressures are typically about 27.5 to about 1000 bar while temperatures range as high as 700.degree. C. The ceramic composites are also resistant to degradation mechanisms caused by thermal stresses.

Ceramic coating system or water oxidation environments

A process for hydrothermal oxidation of combustible materials in which, during at least a part of the oxidation, corrosive material is present and makes contact with at least a portion of the apparatus over a contact area on the apparatus. At least a portion of the contact surface area comprises iridium, iridium oxide, an iridium alloy, or a base metal overlaid with an iridium coating. Iridium has been found to be highly resistant to environments encountered in the process of hydrothermal oxidation. Such environments typically contain greater than 50 mole percent water, together with oxygen, carbon dioxide, and a wide range of acids, bases and salts. Pressures are typically about 27.5 to about 1000 bar while temperatures range as high as 800.degree. C.

Iridium material for hydrothermal oxidation environments

A method for pretreating a halogenated hydrocarbon feed to a hydrothermal oxidation reactor which includes forming a combination of a halogenated hydrocarbon with added alkali under hydrothermal conditions, adding water to the combination, thereby effectuating hydrolysis of the halogenated hydrocarbon so as to liberate halogen ions which are neutralized by the alkali. The neutralized halogen ion, a salt, may be removed from the process prior to or during the oxidation step as brine droplets.

Method for treating halogenated hydrocarbons prior to hydrothermal

The invention involves the supercritical or near-critical fluid disruption of microbial cells and extraction of intracellular components. First, a solvent that is a gas at ambient conditions and that has a critical temperature of between 0.degree. and 100.degree. C. is selected. This solvent is brought to near-critical pressure or higher and to near-critical temperature. The solvent then is combined with a slurry of cells to saturate the cells with the solvent under the prescribed conditions. Next, the pressure is released to cause a pressure drop which results in partial disruption of the cell membrane and release of solvent and other materials from the cell. Novel apparatus and associated methods are provided for carrying out the foregoing process continuously.

Supercritical fluid disruption of and extraction from microbial cells

Disclosed is an apparatus and a process for high temperature water oxidation of combustibles in which during at least a part of the oxidation, corrosive material is present and makes contact with at least a portion of the apparatus over a contact area on the apparatus, wherein at least a portion of the contact surface area comprises a zirconia based ceramic, with the temperature of the oxidation process in excess of about 300.degree. C. and the pressure of the oxidation process is in excess of about 27.5 bar (400 psi).

Zirconium oxide ceramics for surfaces exposed to high temperature water

This invention relates to improved wet oxidation process for the destruction of organic components in a wastewater stream contaminated with inorganic salts. In wet oxidation, the wastewater stream is contacted with an oxygen-containing water stream at elevated temperatures and pressures. The improvement for treating aqueous wastewater streams contaminated with inorganic salts wherein the organic contaminants are present in an amount from about 0.5 to 2% by weight resides in oxidizing the organic components in a tubular reactor at a temperature ranging from 325.degree. C. to not more than 370.degree. C. and a pressure ranging from 220 to 345 bar. The oxidation reaction is carried out in a reaction time of 5 minutes or less.

Wet oxidation of aqueous streams

Disclosed is a method of substantially completely oxidizing material in an aqueous phase at supercritical temperatures and sub- or supercritical pressures by initiating the oxidation in the presence of small amounts of strong oxidizing agents that function to increase the initial reaction rate for the oxidation. The strong oxidizing agents suitable for use in the present invention comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of ozone (O.sub.3), hydrogen peroxide (H.sub.2 O.sub.2), salts containing persulfate (S.sub.2 O.sub.8.sup.2-), salts containing permanganate (MnO.sub.4.sup.-), nitric acid (HNO.sub.3), salts containing nitrate (NO.sub.3.sup.-), oxyacids of chlorine and their corresponding salts, hypochlorous acid (HOCl), salts containing hypochlorite (OCl.sup.-), chlorous acid (HOClO), salts containing chlorite (ClO.sub.2.sup.-), chloric acid (HOClO.sub.2), salts containing chlorate (ClO.sub.3.sup.), perchloric acid (HOClO.sub.3), and salts containing perchlorate (ClO.sub.4.sup.-).

Process for the oxidation of materials in water at supercritical

In a supercritical oxidation process, the oxidized supercritical fluid effluent (46) discharged from the upper region of the reactor vessel (10) is contacted with a cold quench liquid (66) so as to produce a relatively solids free vapor stream (53) and a liquid stream (51) containing the bulk of the precipitates and other solids carried over in the oxidized supercritical fluid effluent (46). The temperature of the resultant liquid stream (51) is maintained at a temperature below the solids solubility inversion temperature, typically below 600.degree. F., so as to dissolve a substantial portion of the precipitates and other solids collected therein.

Growing community of inventors

Tewksbury, MA, United States of America

Glenn T Hong