ES1299342U - PYROLYTIC EQUIPMENT FOR THE RECYCLING OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Pyrolytic equipment for the recycling of composite materials, characterized by the fact that it comprises: a reactor (R) where the pyrolytic treatment of the materials is carried out, which includes electrical resistances (4) and an inner shell (5) that houses on its inner face a gas injection system (6) and a cyclone device (7) with a centrifugal fan (71) and a suction mechanism (74) and pyrolysis gas outlet; a lifting system (8) for a loading basket (CC) containing the materials to be treated; and a mobile lower cover (9) comprising a convection unit (91) for recirculation of internal gases in the reactor; at least one loading basket (CC) with the material to be treated arranged in the subsoil and below the reactor (R); an exchanger-condenser unit (IC) that receives the gases from the reactor (R), which includes a water tank (12); a set of tubes (13) arranged inside the tank through which the gases obtained from the reactor circulate; at least one container for collecting condensate (15) from said tubes at the outlet of the water tank; a ventilation chimney (16) with axial fans (17) blowing outside air perpendicularly to tubes (18) connected to the condensate collection container, where the chimney includes a gas outlet in its upper part and which is in connection with a SO 2 absorption filter (20) ; and a torch (A) that is a burner for the gases generated in the pyrolytic process and filtered in the exchanger-condenser equipment, which includes an outlet (22) to the outside. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

PYROLYTIC EQUIPMENT FOR THE RECYCLING OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS

field of invention

The present invention has its field of application within the industrial sector related to recycling and with the different types of facilities for recycling composite materials, and more specifically with the recycling of composite materials with fiberglass and carbon fiber reinforcement.

The object of the invention is to provide a new type of recycling facility for this type of material with a structure that facilitates and improves the recycling process.

state of the art

The existence of different types of facilities aimed at recycling composite materials is known. In this sense, a composite material must be understood as that which is formed by two or more components, the properties of said composite material being superior to those of the constituent materials separately; and where these materials are made up of two phases, a continuous phase called matrix and another dispersed phase called reinforcement; where the reinforcement provides the mechanical properties to the composite material while the matrix provides the thermal and chemical resistance, the matrix and the reinforcement being separated by an interface.

It is known that, in order to obtain the highest quality in the recycling of the constituents, it is necessary to recover the material in the closest possible state to the original. Therefore, in the case of fibers from continuous fiber composite materials, it is necessary to recover the fibers with a total absence of residues from the matrix, so that it is possible to take advantage of said fibers.

The two most widely used methods of recycling composite materials today are mechanical recycling, which destroys most of the properties of the base material, and incineration, which only allows for energy recovery.

What is disclosed in the document EP0750944 is known, an ultra-high energy impact to reduce the particle size of the composite materials in a recycling process thereof, but where a subsequent separation of the crushed materials cannot be obtained, and where, in addition, the very low cooling temperatures necessary for the proper functioning of the system generate high costs of the process.

It is known what is disclosed in document US2016039118 where a pyrolysis plant for the recovery of carbon fibers from composite materials is defined. This plant includes, among other things, an indirectly heated rotating tube-shaped pyrolysis furnace, and highlights the problem that since the material is subject to rotation at all times, from the beginning when it is a composite material to the end when it is decomposed in fibers and resins, a lower quality of the final product is generated; and also, as the entire process is carried out continuously, there is no clear separation between materials with a greater or lesser degree of separation in their constituent elements, which makes it difficult for the process to be more effective.

Document P201630474 discloses a facility for recycling composite materials with carbon fiber and/or fiberglass reinforcement, where the facility comprises a plurality of chambers independent of each other, which causes multiple problems related to a large volumetry, with a complex structure, in addition to requiring means of dragging the material from one chamber to another, which translates into an expensive installation to maintain and difficult to implement, and with high production costs.

It is also known what is disclosed in the document ES1264129U where a facility for recycling composite materials with fiberglass reinforcement is described, but which is not designed for recycling composite materials with carbon fiber reinforcement and therefore cannot be used for this type of materials, which is made up of a reactor that adopts a vertical layout, being formed by a cylindrical cavity that determines a treatment chamber, which is automatically fed from the top and discharged from the bottom. This system makes it possible to improve the costs of production and implantation with respect to the precedents previously indicated; however, it has the problem that its configuration is not intended for carbon fiber recycling.

Faced with these precedents known in the state of the art, which can be summarized in horizontal solutions with several chambers and in vertical systems, and knowing the previously indicated technical problem, the present invention consists of a new type of facilities for recycling composite materials with fiberglass and carbon fiber reinforcement with a structure different from any other known, which also provides improvements in terms of the loading process. and discharge, and also allows with different gases simultaneously or independently at different moments of the treatment.

Explanation of the invention

The present invention consists of a facility for recycling composite materials with fiberglass and carbon fiber reinforcement that is made up of a reactor, loading baskets, an exchanger-condenser unit with filtered smoke outlet and a torch.

Going into the detail of the reactor (R), an element that houses the material to be treated that is found in a loading basket, the reactor comprises:

an outer casing (1), preferably made of welded steel sheets and profiles; that contributes to the whole of the reactor robustness; and a supporting structure of steel beams welded and bolted to the casing, allowing the reactor to be detachable for its possible transport, and which may include guide means for the movement of said outer casing and location on the load baskets;

thermal insulation (2), comprising at least one insulating layer, such as mineral rock wool or refractory ceramic fiber;

an inner lining (3) made up of at least one stainless steel sheet that delimits the thermal insulation and prevents detachment and/or erosion of said insulation;

electrical resistances (4), preferably made of Ni80Cr20 alloy wire, in the form of spirals that are placed on a chassis of stainless steel plates and dielectric steatites in order to avoid electrical short circuits; an inner shell (5), which is a concentric cylinder with the inner lining, and which is made of stainless steel sheet, delimiting the zone of the resistances inside the shell itself, and where the shell houses a gas injection system and a vault cyclone device;

where the gas injection system (6) is made up of helical circuits attached to the inner wall of said shell, which include a plurality of ejectors that allow the gases to be blown inside the shell chamber, and where this system allows differentiated control of each of the circuits to insufflate different gases simultaneously inside the shell depending on the moment of the treatment and that allows the treatment of both composite materials with glass fiber reinforcement and carbon fiber reinforcements; and

where the vault cyclone device (7) is formed by a centrifugal fan (71) made of stainless steel, with a large capacity; a motor (72) for its drive, placed outside the cyclone dome and attached to the fan by pulleys and belts (73), an aspiration mechanism (74) to improve fan dynamics;

a lifting system (8), which can be in the vault or on the outside of the reactor, comprising an electric geared motor with a hollow shaft that drives, through two elastic couplings, two grooved drums that are used to wind and unwind the power cables. those in which the loading basket containing the materials to be recycled is suspended; a lower cover (9), located in the lower area or lower base of the reactor, which is a mobile element by means of a rack and pinion system actuated by a hydraulic cylinder or an electric geared motor; and that houses a convection equipment driven by an electric motor that drives the axis of a centrifugal fan through pulleys and belts, the latter built in stainless steel; and where this convection equipment allows the internal gases to be recirculated through the interior of the ferrule and the resistances, facilitating the transmission of heat to the materials contained in the loading basket.

As for the loading baskets (C), these are arranged under the reactor, and are cylindrical-shaped rooms, which are built with sheets, round and stainless steel mesh, so as to delimit the load from the outside and to the time allows the passage of gases recirculating through them.

On the other hand, the exchanger-condenser (IC) unit is a unit for the mixed exchange of water and air with perpendicular flows; and comprises a water tank (12) with a water inlet (121) and a water outlet (122), and by a set of tubes (13) arranged inside of which the vapors obtained in the heating process circulate. inside the reactor. This water tank has a temperature control system based on a PT100 immersion probe, a temperature controller and an external air-cooler driven by the previous controller. The gases enter the tank through an inlet manifold (14). In the lower part of the equipment, after the outlet of the water tank, there is at least one container for collecting the condensate (15) obtained in both sections of tubes, both the descending and the ascending ones, which has a vertex or V shape. After that, in a vertical current in a chimney of ventilation (16), some axial fans (17) are located in the lower part, blowing outside air perpendicular to some tubes (18), both ascending and descending, with a non-condensed gas outlet collector (19) in an upper part of the the ventilation chimney. The manifolds at the inlet and outlet allow the flow rates and speeds of study particularized for the work processes

After the outlet of non-condensed gases, there is a filter (20) with the SO2 absorption function, and after that, a torch (A); where the torch is treated by a gas burner with at least one flame, whose function is to burn the uncondensed vapors generated in the pyrolytic process; thus, CO2 and H2O are obtained in small quantities, avoiding the discharge of undesired products into the outside atmosphere, said torch comprising a non-return section (21) for the gases and an outlet (22).

Regarding the known equipment and systems, the present invention has a different structure from any other known one, where the system incorporates an automatic loading system located in the vault of the reactor equipment, which is inserted to load the basket with the materials to be treated by the lower base; This solution makes it possible to avoid bulky external load handling systems. It also incorporates a cyclone device in the upper part of the reactor that is responsible for sending the gases produced in the pyrolytic process, at the same speed that they are generated, towards the inlet section of the exchanger-condenser equipment. For its part, the exchanger-condenser device arranged after the cyclone outlet is made up of a receptacle where the hot gases produced in the pyrolytic process arrive, preserving their temperature; a determined number of tubes placed in a descending ramp until they connect with a second container for collecting condensed liquids, then another determined number of tubes exit in an ascending ramp to a third outlet receptacle. In other words, this equipment is independent and isolated from the rest of the installation by means of gate valves automatically activated, improving the operation process of the whole. In this sense, the exhaust gases from the exchanger-condenser equipment flow into a thermally insulated circular duct, which is connected to a filtering and cleaning system for the remaining volatiles. This conduit and the filtering system lead at their outlet through another conduit to a torch in charge of combusting the non-condensable compounds, only pouring CO2 and H2O into the atmosphere in small quantities, which is an advantage over other known systems.

Additionally, the reactor can comprise a mobile structure with wheels (10) in its lower part, which allows it to move automatically along some steel rails (11), thus allowing the equipment to collect, load or unload on its way. the baskets automatically in any of the positions occupied by the loading baskets (C) in the subfloor. This mobility of the reactor provides advantages compared to other known systems where all the components are fixed, therefore, in the present invention work performance is improved.

Taking into account the previous aspects, it can be indicated that the advantages compared to horizontal systems with several chambers is that it is a vertical equipment, which occupies less space, there is less gas consumption, and it is an installation that avoids the need to have means of motorized mechanical racking of the baskets on their way through the different chambers; and with respect to known vertical solutions, the loading and unloading process is facilitated and improved, the cyclone allows the flow of pyrolytic gases to be conveniently managed, avoiding overpressures in the chamber and leaks, the injection of gases inside the ferrule allows direct action in the space occupied by the load; and the gas injection system allows operating with different gases simultaneously or independently at different moments of the treatment.

It must be taken into account that the present invention corresponds to the technical field of materials recycling, specifically to the recycling of composite materials with fiberglass and carbon fiber reinforcement, and, by way of example, it can be used in the recycling of the blades from wind energy turbines that must be replaced at the end of their life cycle or due to damage suffered during their operation, or due to the disuse of the wind farm in which they are installed.

Finally, it must be taken into account that, throughout the description and the claims, the term "comprises" and its variants are not intended to exclude or limit other technical characteristics or additional elements such as, for example, dimensions, shapes or materials of the different elements that constitute the equipment object of the present invention.

Brief description of the drawings

To complement the description that will be made below and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of practical embodiment thereof, it is attached as an integral part of said description, a set of plans where, with an illustrative and non-limiting nature, the following has been represented:

Figure 1: shows a schematic view of an embodiment of the pyrolytic equipment object of the present invention.

Figure 2: shows a view of a section of the reactor of the pyrolytic equipment.

Figure 3: shows a perspective view of a reactor on a loading basket.

Detailed description of an embodiment of the invention

As can be seen in the figures, a preferred embodiment of the equipment object of the present invention comprises a reactor (R) where the pyrolytic treatment of the composite materials is carried out; some loading baskets (CC) with the material to be treated arranged in the subsoil and below the reactor; an exchanger-condenser (IC) unit that receives the pyrolysis gases and includes a filtered smoke outlet; and a torch (A); where

the reactor (R), which has an internal space where the material to be treated is placed, comprises an outer casing (1); thermal insulation (2) comprising at least one insulating layer; an inner lining (3) that delimits and closes the thermal insulation; electrical resistances (4) in the form of spirals that are placed on a chassis of stainless steel plates and dielectric steatites in order to avoid electrical short circuits; an inner shell (5), which is a concentric cylinder with the inner lining that delimits the area of the resistances inside the shell itself, and where the shell houses a gas injection system (6) and a gas injection system on its inner face. vault cyclone device (7); where the gas injection system (6) comprises a plurality of ejectors that allow gases to be blown into the shell chamber, and where this system allows differentiated control of each of the circuits to blow different gases simultaneously into the interior of the shell depending on the moment of the treatment and allowing the treatment of both composite materials with glass fiber reinforcement and carbon fiber reinforcements; and where the vault cyclone device (7) is formed by a centrifugal fan (71) made of stainless steel, with a large capacity; a motor (72) for its drive, placed outside the cyclone dome and attached to the fan by means of pulleys and belts (73), an aspiration mechanism (74) to improve the dynamics of the fan and the outlet of gases from the pyrolysis; a lifting system (8) comprising a hollow shaft electric geared motor that drives Through two elastic couplings, two grooved drums that are used to wind and unwind lifting cables from which the loading basket is suspended, containing the materials to be recycled; a lower cover (9), located in the lower zone or lower base of the reactor, which is a mobile element and houses a convection unit (91) that allows the internal gases to be recirculated through the interior of the shell and the resistances, facilitating the transmission of heat to the materials contained in the loading basket; and it also comprises a mobile structure with wheels (10) in its lower part, which allows it to move automatically along some steel rails (11) arranged on the ground. which allows the equipment to pick up, load or unload the baskets automatically in any of the positions occupied by the loading baskets (CC) in the subsoil;

some loading baskets (CC), these are arranged under the reactor, and are cylindrical-shaped rooms, which delimit the load from the outside and at the same time allow the passage of gases recirculating through them when said materials are treated inside of the reactor (R), and that as can be seen in Fig.1, there may be several, the reactor being able to move, and there being a loading basket in the loading position (CC1), a basket in the unloading position ( CC2), a basket in a position to collect the recycled product (CC3) and a basket in a waiting position (CC4);

an exchanger-condenser unit (I-C) which is a mixed water and air exchange unit comprising a water tank (12) with a water inlet (121) and water outlet (122), and a set of tubes ( 13) arranged inside the tank through which the vapors obtained in the heating process circulate inside the reactor. In this sense, the gases enter the tank through an inlet manifold (14). In the lower part of the equipment, after the outlet of the water tank, there is at least one container for collecting the condensate (15) obtained in both sections of tubes, both the descending and the ascending ones. After that, in a vertical current in a ventilation chimney (16), some axial fans (17) are located in the lower part, blowing outside air perpendicular to some tubes (18), both ascending and descending, with a gas outlet manifold. non-condensed (19) in an upper part of the ventilation chimney. After the outlet of non-condensed gases, there is a filter (20) with the SO2 absorption function, and after that, a torch (A);

where the torch (A) is treated by a gas burner, whose function is to burn the uncondensed gases generated in the pyrolytic process of the reactor (R) and filtered in the exchanger-condenser equipment (IC); thus, CO2 and H2O are obtained in small quantities, avoiding the discharge of undesired products into the outside atmosphere, said torch comprising a non-return section (21) for said gases and an outlet (22) to the outside.

Claims (15)

1. - Pyrolytic equipment for the recycling of composite materials, characterized by the fact that it includes: a reactor (R) where the pyrolytic treatment of the materials is carried out, comprising electrical resistances (4) and an internal ferrule (5) that houses a gas injection system (6) and a cyclone device ( 7) vault with centrifugal fan (71) and a suction mechanism (74) and outlet for pyrolysis gases; a lifting system (8) for a loading basket (CC) containing the materials to be treated; and a mobile lower cover (9) comprising a convection unit (91) for recirculation of internal gases in the reactor; at least one loading basket (CC) with the material to be treated arranged in the subsoil and below the reactor (R); an exchanger-condenser unit (IC) that receives the gases from the reactor (R), which includes a water tank (12); a set of tubes (13) arranged inside the tank through which the gases obtained from the reactor circulate; at least one container for collecting condensate (15) from said tubes at the outlet of the water tank; a ventilation chimney (16) with axial fans (17) blowing outside air perpendicularly to tubes (18) connected to the condensate collection container, where the chimney includes a gas outlet in its upper part and which is in connection with a SO ² absorption filter (20); and a torch (A) that is a burner for the gases generated in the pyrolytic process and filtered in the exchanger-condenser equipment, which includes an outlet (22) to the outside. 2. - Pyrolytic equipment, according to claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises an outer casing (1), with thermal insulation (2) made up of at least one insulating layer, and an inner lining (3) that delimits and closes the insulation. term. 3. - Pyrolytic equipment, according to claim 1, where the electrical resistances (4) are arranged in the form of spirals and are placed on a chassis of stainless steel plates and dielectric steatites. 4. - Pyrolytic equipment, according to claim 1, wherein the cyclone device (7) of the vault comprises a drive motor (72) arranged outside the cyclone vault and which is attached to the fan (71) by means of pulleys and belts. (73). 5. - Pyrolytic equipment according to claim 1, wherein the lifting system (8) comprises an electric geared motor that drives lifting cables for the load basket (CC). 6. - Pyrolytic equipment according to claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises a mobile structure with wheels (10) in its lower part that moves along steel rails (11) arranged on the ground. 7. - Pyrolytic equipment, according to claim 1, where the loading baskets are cylindrical-shaped rooms. 8. - Pyrolytic equipment, according to claim 1, where the gases generated in the reactor (R) enter the tank (12) of the exchanger-condenser equipment (IC) through an inlet manifold (14). 9. - Pyrolytic equipment according to claim 1, wherein the water tank (12) comprises a water inlet (121) and a water outlet (122). 10. - Pyrolytic equipment according to claim 1, wherein the water tank (12) comprises a temperature control system. 11. - Pyrolytic equipment, according to claim 10, wherein the control system comprises an immersion probe, a temperature controller and an external air-cooler driven by the controller. 12. - Pyrolytic equipment according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation chimney (16) of the exchanger-condenser equipment (IC) comprises a non-condensed gas outlet manifold (19). 13. - Pyrolytic equipment, according to claim 1, where the filter (20) is an SO ² absorption filter 14. - Pyrolytic equipment, according to claim 1, wherein the one torch (A) has a non-return section (21) of the burned gases. 15. - Use of a pyrolytic equipment as defined in any of claims 1-14 to recycle composite materials with fiberglass and carbon fiber reinforcement.