Systems And Methods For Reducing Energy Consumption In Production Of Ethanol Fuel By Conversion To Hydrocarbon Fuels

摘要

Systems and methods are presented that reduce energy and water consumption in processes for producing fuel from renewable alcohol-containing feedstreams. Alcohol content is converted directly to hydrocarbon transport fuels in a catalytic process, with heat transferred between intermediate process streams to reduce heat energy consumption. Overall water consumption is reduced by recovery of water from the catalytic process and reduction of water temperature to reduce evaporative losses.

主权项

1. A method for producing a hydrocarbon product, comprising:
applying an alcohol broth to a primary beer column pre-heater to generate a heated alcohol broth; transferring the heated alcohol broth to a beer column, wherein the beer column is configured to produce a first intermediate product stream comprising an alcohol/water mixture and a second intermediate product stream comprising residual matter; directing the first intermediate product stream to a reactor pre-heater to produce a pre-heated first intermediate product stream having a temperature of at least 220° C.; directing the pre-heated first intermediate product stream to a furnace to produce a heated first intermediate product stream having a temperature of at least 250° C.; directing the heated first intermediate product stream to a catalytic reactor to generate a third intermediate product stream comprising a hydrocarbon product, water, and a light hydrocarbon; directing the third intermediate product stream to a phase separator along a heat transfer route, wherein the heat transfer route is configured to transfer at least a portion of heat energy of the third intermediate product stream to the reactor pre-heater; separating, in the phase separator, the third intermediate product stream into a hydrocarbon product stream comprising the hydrocarbon product, a water stream, and a light hydrocarbon fraction stream and optionally directing at least a portion of the light hydrocarbon fraction stream to the furnace for use as a fuel; and collecting the hydrocarbon product.