US4340446A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Heat recovery in distillation process
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1980-09-30
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Granted: 1982-07-20
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Expires: 2000-09-30
Abstract
Abstract A distillation process for recovering concentrated ethanol from an aqueous fermentate comprises fractionation of components of the aqueous fermentate under reduced pressure with vapor recompression and recovery of waste heat in a manner which obviates the need for substantial external sources of heat to operate the fractionation apparatus. The process includes a preliminary enrichment of the fermentate to separate volatile components, the enrichment also including recompression of a vapor phase and utilization of waste heat. The compression means used during enrichment and fractionation are run by engines which produce the recoverable waste heat. The utilization of vapor recompression and the use of waste heat to dry solid matter separated during the enrichment of the fermentate, for preheating the fermentate and for heating other process streams provides an energy efficient manner in which to recover ethanol from a fermentate.
Inventors
- 👤 Lynn A. Crawford
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 11:36
CPC Classifications
B; B01; B01D; B01D1/00; B01D1/28; B01D1/2803; B01D1/2806; B01D1/284; B01D1/2856; B01D3/00; B01D3/001; B01D3/14; B01D3/143; B01D3/148; B01D3/32; B01D3/322; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P70/00; Y02P70/10; Y10; Y10S; Y10S203/00; Y10S203/14
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
200 words
A process for the separation and recovery of ethanol from an aqueous fermentate consisting essentially of about 7% by weight ethanol, a minor portion of suspended solid matter, with the balance of the fermentate being water, the process comprising the following steps: (a) pumping the fermentate to an evaporator within which separation and discharge of said solid matter from evaporator vapors of ethanol and water occurs; (b) recompressing said evaporator vapors by a first compressor and condensing the compressed vapors; (c) passing the condensate formed from the compressed vapors to a fractionation stage and fractionating said condensate under reduced pressure fractionation into vapors rich in ethanol and liquid bottom product rich in water; (d) withdrawing the vapors and withdrawing the bottom product; (e) recompressing said vapors rich in ethanol in a second compressor and condensing the vapors to form a liquid product rich in ethanol; (f) withdrawing said liquid product containing at least about 97 volume percent ethanol; (g) driving each of said first and second compressors by an engine, said engine producing recoverable waste heat; and (h) using at least a portion of said recoverable waste heat for heating said fermentate, said bottom product, or said discharged solid matter.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
200 words
A process for the separation and recovery of ethanol from an aqueous fermentate consisting essentially of about 7% by weight ethanol, a minor portion of suspended solid matter, with the balance of the fermentate being water, the process comprising the following steps: (a) pumping the fermentate to an evaporator within which separation and discharge of said solid matter from evaporator vapors of ethanol and water occurs; (b) recompressing said evaporator vapors by a first compressor and condensing the compressed vapors; (c) passing the condensate formed from the compressed vapors to a fractionation stage and fractionating said condensate under reduced pressure fractionation into vapors rich in ethanol and liquid bottom product rich in water; (d) withdrawing the vapors and withdrawing the bottom product; (e) recompressing said vapors rich in ethanol in a second compressor and condensing the vapors to form a liquid product rich in ethanol; (f) withdrawing said liquid product containing at least about 97 volume percent ethanol; (g) driving each of said first and second compressors by an engine, said engine producing recoverable waste heat; and (h) using at least a portion of said recoverable waste heat for heating said fermentate, said bottom product, or said discharged solid matter.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
51 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said evaporator includes a tube side and a shell side, said fermentate being pumped from a batch tank to the shell side of said evaporator and condensing the compressed vapors formed in said first compressor by countercurrent flow through the tube side of said evaporator.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 2 wherein said first and second compressors are driven by an internal combustion engine.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process of claim 3 wherein said first compressor is driven by a first internal combustion engine and second compressor is driven by a second internal combustion engine.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
The process of claim 4 wherein said first engine produces waste heat, utilizing said waste heat for preheating said fermentate from said batch tank and drying said separated and discharged solid matter to form meal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
59 words
The process of claim 5 wherein said second engine produces waste heat, utilizing said waste heat for heating a portion of said bottom product rich in water for use in starting high temperature saccarification, further utilizing said waste heat for further heating said bottom product heated in the shell side of said reboiler, further fractionating said reheated bottom product.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
The process of claim 6 wherein said condensate is passed in heat exchange relationship with said fermentate as said fermentate is being pumped from said batch tank to said evaporator for preheating said fermentate, thereafter passing said condensate to said fractionation.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
86 words
The process of claim 1 wherein condensing said vapors rich in ethanol to form a liquid product rich in ethanol includes the step of passing said recompressed vapors rich in ethanol into the tube side of a reboiler having a tube side and a shell side, whereby said vapors condense within said tube side, the process further comprising passing a portion of said bottom product rich in water through the shell side of said reboiler whereby said liquid bottom product is reheated and recycled for fractionation.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process of claim 8 wherein fractionating said condensate further comprises recycling a portion of the condensed vapors rich in ethanol condensed in the tube side of said reboiler for further fractionation.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
95 words
The process of claim 9 wherein said recycled portion of the condensed vapors is passed through an expansion valve and into a flash tank, whereby partial evaporation in said flash tank produces reflux vapors and reflux liquid, a portion of said reflux liquid being passed for further fractionation, said refluxed vapors being passed to said second compressor for recompressing, a portion of said reflux liquid formed in said flash tank being withdrawn from said flash tank as said liquid product, said process further including pumping with a vacuum pump the contents of said flash tank.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process of claim 10 wherein said vacuum pump maintains said flash tank and reduced pressure fractionation at a pressure of about 95 mm Hg.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
165 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said first compressor is driven by a first internal combustion engine and said second compressor is driven by a second internal combustion engine, wherein the pressure ratio over said first compressor is about 1.4 and the pressure ratio over said second compressor is about 3.5, said evaporator vapors being evolved from said evaporator and recompressed by said first compressor a temperature of about 180° F., said separated vapors rich in ethanol being recompressed by said second compressor a temperature of about 100° F., said fractionating further comprising the step of refluxing a portion of said liquid product, the refluxed portion being passed for recycling for further fractionation, the ratio of the volume of said refluxed portion to said withdrawn liquid product is about 8, said liquid product being separated into a recovered portion and a fuel portion, the fuel portion being used to operate the internal combustion engines, the ratio of recovered portion to fuel portion being about 5.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
156 words
A process for the separation and recovery of ethanol from an aqueous fermentate comprising a liquid mixture consisting essentially of ethanol in water and a minor portion of suspended solid matter, the process comprising; separating and discharging said solid matter from said mixture in an evaporator, producing evaporator vapors during separation of said solid matter, recompressing said evaporator vapors by means of a compressor and condensing the compressed vapors, fractionating said liquid mixture under reduced pressure fractionation into vapors rich in ethanol and liquid bottom product rich in water, recompressing said vapors rich in ethanol in a compressor and condensing the vapors to form a liquid product rich in ethanol, withdrawing said liquid product containing at least about 97 volume percent ethanol, driving each of said compressors by an engine, said engine producing recoverable waste heat, and using at least a portion of said recoverable waste heat for heating said fermentate or said discharged solid matter.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
156 words
A process for the separation and recovery of ethanol from an aqueous fermentate comprising a liquid mixture consisting essentially of ethanol in water and a minor portion of suspended solid matter, the process comprising; separating and discharging said solid matter from said mixture in an evaporator, producing evaporator vapors during separation of said solid matter, recompressing said evaporator vapors by means of a compressor and condensing the compressed vapors, fractionating said liquid mixture under reduced pressure fractionation into vapors rich in ethanol and liquid bottom product rich in water, recompressing said vapors rich in ethanol in a compressor and condensing the vapors to form a liquid product rich in ethanol, withdrawing said liquid product containing at least about 97 volume percent ethanol, driving each of said compressors by an engine, said engine producing recoverable waste heat, and using at least a portion of said recoverable waste heat for heating said fermentate or said discharged solid matter.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
132 words
A process for separation and recovery of ethanol from a fermentate comprising a liquid mixture consisting essentially of ethanol in water and a minor portion of suspended solid matter, the process comprising: passing said liquid mixture to a fractionation stage and fractionating said mixture under reduced pressure fractionation into vapors rich in ethanol and a liquid bottom product rich in water, withdrawing the vapors and withdrawing the bottom product, recompressing said vapors rich in ethanol in a compressor, condensing the vapors to form a liquid product rich in ethanol, withdrawing said liquid product containing at least about 97 volume percent ethanol, driving said compressor by an engine, said engine producing recoverable waste heat, and using at least a portion of said recoverable waste heat for heating said fermentate or said bottom product.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
132 words
A process for separation and recovery of ethanol from a fermentate comprising a liquid mixture consisting essentially of ethanol in water and a minor portion of suspended solid matter, the process comprising: passing said liquid mixture to a fractionation stage and fractionating said mixture under reduced pressure fractionation into vapors rich in ethanol and a liquid bottom product rich in water, withdrawing the vapors and withdrawing the bottom product, recompressing said vapors rich in ethanol in a compressor, condensing the vapors to form a liquid product rich in ethanol, withdrawing said liquid product containing at least about 97 volume percent ethanol, driving said compressor by an engine, said engine producing recoverable waste heat, and using at least a portion of said recoverable waste heat for heating said fermentate or said bottom product.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1985-07-19 | 1986-01-18 | 1986-07-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1989-07-19 | 1990-01-18 | 1990-07-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1993-07-19 | 1994-01-18 | 1994-07-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |