US 12,134,070 B2
Mechanical vapor re-compressor heat pump for separating CO2 from water vapor in temperature-vacuum swing adsorption cycles
Brian Holman, Los Angeles, CA (US); David Wait, Los Angeles, CA (US); and Mazdak Kebria, Los Angeles, CA (US)
Assigned to CARBON CAPTURE INC., Los Angeles, CA (US)
Filed by CARBON CAPTURE INC., Los Angeles, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 11, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/484,776.
Application 18/484,776 is a continuation of application No. 18/484,222, filed on Oct. 10, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/378,764, filed on Oct. 7, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0115994 A1, Apr. 11, 2024
Int. Cl. B01D 53/02 (2006.01); B01D 53/04 (2006.01); B01D 53/047 (2006.01); B01D 53/34 (2006.01); B01D 53/62 (2006.01)
CPC B01D 53/343 (2013.01) [B01D 53/0462 (2013.01); B01D 53/0476 (2013.01); B01D 53/62 (2013.01); B01D 2257/504 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, the method comprising:
circulating atmospheric air containing an ambient concentration of CO2 over, through, or around a sorbent 103 provided within a sorbent container 102 that is capable of being hermetically sealed, wherein the sorbent 103 is configured to adsorb CO2 from the atmospheric air;
hermetically sealing the sorbent container 102 using valves (403, 404) when adsorption reaches a predetermined threshold;
removing residual air from the sorbent container 102 by evacuating the sorbent container 102 using a vacuum pump 109;
admitting process steam from an evaporator 101 through a pathway 310 into the sorbent container 102 to heat the sorbent 103 to a desired temperature, wherein steam leaves condensed water, steam vapor, and CO2 within the sorbent container 102;
purging the sorbent container 102 with additional process steam from the pathway 310 to desorb CO2 from the sorbent and directing a resulting product stream comprising steam vapor and CO2 out of the sorbent container 102 along a path 302 and into a re-boiler 113;
using the re-boiler 113 to recover latent heat from the product stream, transfer the heat to convert cooling water in the re-boiler 113 to generate low-pressure steam which exits re-boiler 113 through a pathway 308 to a jet ejector 114, and create a cooled mixture of condensed steam and CO2;
directing the cooled mixture of condensed steam and CO2 to exit the re-boiler 113 through a pathway 311 for further separation and processing;
using a pressure-sensing valve 209 to direct a flow of high-pressure plant steam 309 through the jet ejector 114 to create a motive force to pull the low-pressure steam through the jet ejector 114 and into the pathway 310;
stopping the purging of the sorbent container 102 and hermetically sealing the sorbent container 102 using the valves (403, 404) when desorption is complete;
evacuating the sorbent container 102 with the vacuum pump 109 to evaporate condensed water and cool the sorbent 103 and the sorbent container 102 by evaporative cooling; and
returning the sorbent container 102 to atmospheric pressure after it has been cooled to a desired temperature to complete one cycle.