Title of Invention	DEVICE AND METHOD FOR RECOVERING FRACTIONAL HYDROCARBONS FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC FRACTIONS AND/OR FROM OILY RESIDUES
Abstract	The invention relates to a method for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from recycled plastic fractions, which are sorted according to type and compacted under the exclusion of air using a feed system (1, 2, 3, 4), the compacted mass being supplied to a fusion container (7), where it is heated. The mass is separated into a first liquid phase, a first gas phase and a residual fraction, the liquid phase and the first gas phase are then transported to an evaporation container (20), in which a second liquid phase and a second gas phase are produced by the application of heat. The second liquid phase is transferred to a secondary heater (23) and heated further to produce a third gas phase. The second gas phase and the third gas phase are then supplied to a cracking tower (27), in which further cracking of the long-chained hydrocarbons occurs and short-chained hydrocarbons are produced. The oil gas is supplied to a primary condenser (30), in which it is condensed to liquid oil, the latter constituting the target product.

Title of Invention

DEVICE AND METHOD FOR RECOVERING FRACTIONAL HYDROCARBONS FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC FRACTIONS AND/OR FROM OILY RESIDUES

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from recycled plastic fractions, which are sorted according to type and compacted under the exclusion of air using a feed system (1, 2, 3, 4), the compacted mass being supplied to a fusion container (7), where it is heated. The mass is separated into a first liquid phase, a first gas phase and a residual fraction, the liquid phase and the first gas phase are then transported to an evaporation container (20), in which a second liquid phase and a second gas phase are produced by the application of heat. The second liquid phase is transferred to a secondary heater (23) and heated further to produce a third gas phase. The second gas phase and the third gas phase are then supplied to a cracking tower (27), in which further cracking of the long-chained hydrocarbons occurs and short-chained hydrocarbons are produced. The oil gas is supplied to a primary condenser (30), in which it is condensed to liquid oil, the latter constituting the target product.

Full Text	FORM 2 THE PATENT ACT 1970 (39 Of 1970) & The Patents Rules, 2003 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (See Section 10, and rule 13) 1. TITLE OF INVENTION DEVICE AND METHOD FOR RECOVERING FRACTIONAL HYDROCARBONS FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC FRACTIONS AND/ OR FROM OILY RESIDUES 2. APPLICANT (S) a) Name : NILL TECH GMBH b) Nationality : GERMAN Company c) Address : ROBERT - BOSCH- STRAS.SE 11, 71088 HOLZGERLINGEN, GERMANY 3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed : - Field of the invention The invention relates to a method for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues, said reclaimed plastic materials and/or residues being sorted according to type and compacted using a feed system, after which the compacted mass is fed to a melting tank where it is heated; the invention likewise relates to a device for carrying out the method for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues. Description of related art: Plastics are used in almost all realms of life nowadays and they have to be recycled and/or disposed of after being used. Disposal that takes health aspects into account poses considerable difficulties. Plastics such as polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) or polystyrene (PS), which consist of long-chained macromolecules, have to be cleaved into small molecules in order to be recycled. A conversion system can perform a low-temperature cracking process to convert such reclaimed plastic materials into an oil-like product containing gaseous admixtures and a solid residue. The gas formed during the cracking process consists of a mixture of methane, ethane, ethylene, propane, propylene, l-butane, l-butane, 1-butene, 1-butane, pentane, etc. as well as a small residue, of water vapor. The oil obtained from polystyrene consists of over 50% styrenes and also contains 2-methyl-styrenes, toluenes, ethyl benzenes and benzenes. The oil obtained from polyethylene and polypropylene consists mainly of paraffins and olefins, and only contains small amounts of aromatic compounds. The low-volatility residues consist of cokes, long-chained hydrocarbons, that are similar to heavy oil. In a subsequent process step, the oil-like residue can be mixed with water. In this process, an oil-water emulsion is formed that can be used for the conversion of refuse to energy, for example, it can be burned as fuel. Chinese patent specification CN 1284537A describes a method for recovering hydrocarbons such AS gases or oils from reclaimed plastic materials, comprising a melting and cracking process with subsequent oil-gas separation as well as distillation of the oil mixture. For this purpose, plastic raw materials are melted and evaporated in a tank (melting and cracking reactor). The plastic raw materials are heated to 280°C to 380°C [536°F to 716°F] and cracked. The drawback here is the one-stage input of the requisite heat energy. Due to the high heat flow density, severe overheating occurs in certain areas. This then leads to the formation of encrustations that have a negative impact on the further that -2- input. As a result, the heat consumption is high relative to the yield. Chinese patent specification CN 2435146Y has also disclosed a similar method. Technical objective: The invention is based on the objective of refining the above-mentioned method and device in such a way that the energy input is improved and that the efficiency of the method and of the device is improved, especially through an optimal and systematic energy utilization and through that recuperation in various areas. Disclosure of the invention and of its advantages: This objective is achieved according to the invention by a method for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues, said reclaimed plastic materials and/or residues being sorted according to type and compacted in the absence of air using a feed system, after which the compacted mass is fed to a melting tank where it is heated, so that a separation occurs into a first liquid phase, a first gas phase and a residue fraction, after which the liquid phase and the first gas phase are transported into an evaporation tank in which a second liquid phase and a second gas phase are formed under continued heat input, whereby the second liquid phase, is transferred to a re-heater and additionally heated there under further heat input so that a third gas phase is formed, after which the second gas phase from the evaporation tank and the third gas phase from the re-heater are conveyed to a cracking tower where further cracking of the long-chained hydrocarbons into short-chained hydrocarbons takes place, and the resulting oil gas is then conveyed to a condenser in which the oil gas is condensed to form liquid oil, whereby the oil constitutes the target product. In another embodiment according to the invention, the method is carried out using a multi-circuit, indirect heating system that generates the process heat for the melting tank, for the evaporation tank and for the re-heater, whereby oil or salt or gas can be used as the heat-transfer medium. For this purpose, a non-condensable fraction of the oil gas can advantageously be fed to the heating system where it can be burned for purposes of thermal recovery. Consequently, the heating system comprises all components for supplying the melting tank and the evaporation tank with energy. The thermally recyclable by-products that are formed in this process - for instance, a fraction of an oil-water emulsion from the residue fractions from the melting tank as well as other non-recyclable gas fractions from fie -3- cracking tower as well as a gas fraction from a flame overvoltage protector- are advantageously used in the heating system for generating the primary process heat. In addition, a maximum amount of heat from the area where the oil gas and residue are pre-cooled arid from a cooling system is returned to the heating system. For this purpose, the condenser can consist of a pre-condenser and a main condenser, which can be connected to a multi-circuit cooling system. The excess heat from the pre-condenser, main condenser and residue pre-cooling tank is thus fed to the heating system. By the same token, the oil-water emulsion can be fed to the heating system when} it can be burned for purposes of thermal recovery. The method according to the invention advantageously has a low energy expenditure as well as an optimal energy utilization through heat recuperation, relative to the yield. In particular, the heat circulation system advantageously provides indirect and targeted heat in the various process areas, In particular, the method according to the invention can utilize reclaimed plastic materials in accordance with the waste utilization regulations. In another embodiment according to the invention, a pre-condenser and a main condenser are used as the condenser, whereby the excess heat from the pre-condenser, main condenser and residue pre-cooling tank is fed to the heating system, and the main condenser is connected to a multi-circuit condensation system. In another embodiment according to the invention, the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues are comminuted in a pretreatment process after having been sorted and, if applicable, they (ye dried before the cracking process is carried out. The reclaimed plastic materials are sorted into PP, f E and PS into hard and soft plastic fractions. Since the water fraction in the plastics should be less than 1% for energy-related reasons, plastics with a higher water fraction should be dried first. In order to feed the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues into the melting tank, a tamping auger or tamping mechanism that compacts the residues in order to remove the oxygen can be used within \|ie feed system. By the same token, the reclaimed plastic materials should be fed to the tamping auger or tamping mechanism in finely shredded form. -4- In another inventive embodiment of the method, the residue fraction is transported inside the melting tank into a sedimentation compartment located underneath where the residue fraction is concentrated and subsequently the concentrated residue fraction is transferred into a residue pre-cooling tank where the residue fraction is cooled by means of a cooling medium, preferably to a temperature below 120°C [248°F]. The cooled residue fraction can be fed to an emulsion unit in which an oil-water emulsion is produced from the residue fraction. In another embodiment of the method, a pre-condenser is arranged between the cracking tower and the main condenser, whereby the pre-condenser pre-cools the oil gas and recovers heat at a high temperature level and also reduces the temperature gradient between the cracking tower and the main condenser. Moreover, the main condenser and optionally the pre-condenser can be connected to a multi-circuit cooling system. The method according to the invention is preferably carried out between 300°C and 450°C [572°F a/id 842°F] and between normal pressure and overpressure of up to 2 bar. A device according to the invention for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues, said reclaimed plastic materials and/or residues being sorted according to type, is characterized by a feed system for compacting the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues in the absence of air, as well as by a downstream melting tank for heating a/id melting the compacted mass in order to create a first liquid phase, a first gas phase and a residue fraction, whereby an evaporation tank is arranged downstream from the melting tank in order to create a second liquid phase and a second gas phase under continued heat input, said evaporation tank being upstream from a re-heater for purposes of feeding and further heating the second liquid phase so a$ to create a third gas phase, and a cracking tower is connected to the evaporation tank and to the re-heater in order to separate the resulting oil gas from the heavy oil as well as from non-evaporated reclaimed plastic materials, and a main condenser is connected to the cracking tower in order to condense the oil gas to form liquid oil. In another embodiment of the device, in order to feed the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues into the melting tank, a tamping auger or tamping mechanism for compacting the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues is arranged within the feed system and, if applicable, a -5- spherical transfer tank is located upstream from said tamping auger or tamping mechanism for purposes of transferring material into the tamping auger or tamping mechanism. The outlet of the tamping auger or tamping mechanism opens into the melting tank below the liquid level of the melted mass. In another embodiment of the device, it has a multi-circuit heating system for generating the necessary process heat at a temperature level that has been optimized for this purpose, whereby oil or salt or gas serves as the heat-transfer medium. In another embodiment of the device, a sedimentation compartment is arranged underneath the melting tank in order to receive the residue fraction. A residue pre-cooling tank with an emulsion unit connected to it can be arranged on the sedimentation compartment in order to produce an oil-water emulsion from the residue fraction. In another embodiment of the device, the condenser consists of a main condenser and a pre-condenser, whereby the pre-condenser is arranged between the cracking tower and the main condenser in order to pre-cool the oil gas. Moreover, a multi-circuit cooling system can be connected; to the main condenser. In another embodiment, the device has a multi-circuit heating system for generating the process that for the melting tank, evaporation tank and re-heater. Furthermore, the melting tank and the evaporation tank as well as, if applicable, the re-heater, have an exterior heating jacket and/or interior heating coils, which can be heated up by means of the shared heating system for the heat-transfer medium. Brief description of the drawings, in which the following is shown: Figures 1a, 1b and 1c a processing installation distributed over three figures, for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues, Figure 2 a feed system that has been modified as compared to that of Figure 1, Figure 3 a processing installation similar to that of Figures 1a, 1b and 1c, in which the heat- transfer medium circuit and the cooling circuit are shown in greater detail, -6- Figure 4 another feed system of a processing installation Figure 5 another feed system of a processing installation having a cooling jacket around the feed pipe and a tamping screw jacket upstream from another melting tank, Figure 6 another example of a main condenser and Figure 7 another processing installation, similar to that of Figure 3. Preferred embodiment of the invention: The processing installation for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues, as shown in the figures, consists of a silo 1 in which the reclaimed plastic materials to be processed are stored, preferably in the shredded state. They can also be stored in a bunker. In order to remove the reclaimed plastic materials, a motor-driven trough conveyor screw 2 that is designated with the letter "M" is connected to the silo 1, and said trough conveyor screw 2 conveys the material into a transfer tank 3, for example, a flanged spherical housing that allows a flexible adaptation to differing local circumstances. The transfer tank 3 is upstream from a tamping auger 4 or tamping mechanism that compacts the reclaimed plastic materials, thereby largely expelling the air ^rid thus the oxygen. The lower end of the tamping auger 4 or tamping mechanism opens into a melting tank 7, above or below its filling level. A pneumatically actuated throttle-check fitting 5 is arranged between the end of the tamping auger 4 or tamping mechanism and the mouth that opens into \|he melting tank 7, and said throttle-check fitting 5 is upstream from a feed fitting 6 in the form of a ball valve 6. The lower end of the melting tank 7 has a sedimentation compartment 10 in order to receive Mid concentrate a residue fraction that precipitates out of the liquid phase of the compacted mass. The sedimentation compartment 10 is connected through piping to a residue pre-cooling tank 15 via three residue discharge fittings 11,12 and 13 arranged consecutively in a row, said residue pre-cooling tank 15 having a cooling jacket 14 on the outside. The residue is collected from a cooling system 34 and cooled inside the residue pre-cooling tank 15 by means of a cooling medium, preferably to below 12QPC [248°F]. The residue is pre-cooled with the possibility of heat return into the heating system, resulting in a reduction of the temperature gradient between the melting tank 7 and an emulsion unit 16 located downstream. -7- The cooled residue is fed through piping to the emulsion unit 16 in which an oil-water emulsion is produced from the residue fraction by means of a motor-driven agitator. The reduction of the temperature gradient also reduces the necessary water seal in the emulsion unit 16, as a result of which a higher oil concentration is possible in the oil-water emulsion and consequently, its calorific value is raised. The melting tank 7 has an agitator 9 for homogenizing the melted plastic mass as well as a scraper 17 for scraping off the inner wall of the melting tank 7 in the area of the mouth of the tamping auger 4 or tamping mechanism. Moreover, the melting tank 7 is closed at the top and has a lateral outlet A in its upper section. As a result, the bottom area of the upper tank is very strong, thanks to the reduction in the number of openings. Moreover, the melting tank 7 is surrounded by an exterior heating jacket 8 which is constructed in such a way that the heat input is homogenous and especially heat peaks ye avoided during operation. By the same token, the exterior heating jacket 8 allows heat discharge and condensation before maintenance work or else in case of a breakdown. Moreover, the melting tank 7 and the evaporation tank 20 can be fitted with, for example, two suspended concentric tubular coils. The use of tubular coils for heat transfer translates into a larger surface area for the transfer. The plastic mass is heated up inside the melting tank 7 so that a separation into a first liquid phase, a first gas phase and a residue fraction occurs, after which the liquid phase and the first gas phase ye transported through piping via the outlet A into an evaporation tank 20 in which, under further heat input into the mass, a second liquid phase and a second gas phase are created. The evaporation tank £0 serves to evaporate reclaimed material fractions with higher evaporation temperatures. The outlet A. of the melting tank 7 or the inlet A of the evaporation tank 20 can have an additional heating unit 18 such as an electric immersible heater that can be followed by another intermediate heater 19 in order to increase the heat input into the intake of the evaporation tank 20. The heat input into the evaporation tank 20 is regulated in a controlled manner via a heating jacket £1 and/or heating coils at a higher level than in the melting tank 7 and the heat input goes into a reduced quantity of plastic, resulting in a reduction in the amount of energy at the high temperature level. The -8- evaporation tank 20 also has a motor-driven agitator 22 for homogenizing the melted reclaimed material. A second liquid phase and a second gas phase are formed inside the evaporation tank 20. Parallel to the evaporation tank 20, a re-heating tank 23 is connected through piping and it has its own heating unit 24, which can be an electric heater E. The re-heating tank 23 serves to further re-heat and evaporate an even smaller amount of reclaimed material fractions than in the evaporation tank 20 at the highest evaporation temperatures of the reclaimed material fractions, so that a third gas phase is formed there. The evaporation tank 20 is closed at the bottom by means of a residue discharge fitting 25, for example, of the ball valve type, so that residues can be discharged. The re-heating tank 23, in turn, has a drain fitting 26 at its lower end in order to drain the re-heating tank 23. A cracking tower 27 is mounted on the evaporation tank 20 and said cracking tower 27 serves to break up the long-chained molecules into short-chained molecules; the resultant oil gas is separated from the high-boiling constituents in the cracking tower 27. The re-heating tank 23 is also connected through piping to the cracking tower 27 so that the second gas phase from the evaporation tank 20 as well as the third gas phase from the re-heating tank 23 are fed into the cracking tower 27. Via a product gas line 28, namely, a pipeline 28, the product gas being formed in the cracking tower can be branched off into a pre-condenser 29 that functions as a heat exchanger in order to recover heat at a high temperature level, so that this pre-cooling of the product gas takes place with the possibility of heat recuperation to return to the heating system. The oil gas is then fed to the main condenser 30 in which the oil gas is condensed to form liquid oil. The main condenser 30 has two cooling circuits, namely, a sump cooling condenser 31 and a head cooling condenser 32. The main condenser 30 has an inlet line and an outlet line with a circulation pump 35 for circulating the oil. In the line, there are likewise two automatic fittings with a throve function in order to switch over and divert the circulating flow to the main condenser 30 or into a transfer line 37 to a separator (not shown here). The line also has a metering point 40 as an inoculation point for metering in additives, for example, in order to condition and stabilize the product oil as well as to set \|ie product properties. The additive can also be added in the line between the cracking tower and the main condenser. -9- Moreover, the main condenser 30 is connected through piping via a residual gas exhaust 39 to a heating system 38 of the processing installation, whereby the non-condensable fraction of the product gas is bled off via the residual gas exhaust 39 into the heating system 38 of the processing installation for purposes of thermal recovery in the heating system. By using the processing principle of quenching, the main condenser achieves a very fast cooling and condensation of the hot product gas (shock cooling) to a mean temperature level of 80°C to 2Q0PC [176°Fto392°F]. Cooled condensate (product oil) is used as the quenching medium. The quenching can be carried out in two different ways in terms of the equipment: the hot gas flow is sucked into the liquid circulating flow from cooled condensate, where intense heat exchange and immediate condensation of the product gas occur as a result of the high turbulence. As an alternative, the quenching apparatus can be configured as a packed column in which a liquid circulating flow consisting of cooled condensate trickles over fie packings and hot product gas flows in a countercurrent from the bottom to the top, condensing in fie process. Due to the large surface of the packings, an intense heat exchange takes place between fie cold condensate and hot product gas, so that the latter immediately condenses. Consequently, an arrangement having two packed columns allows one column to be regenerated while the other is in regular operation, whereby in order to carry out the regeneration, the circulating flow is switched off in the packed column that is to be regenerated and the hot gas flow coming from fie cracking tower is fed through the packed column that is to be regenerated, as a result of which the packing in the column is heated up and deposits are removed. Therefore, the regeneration of fie packed columns is carried out alternatingly. In another modification of the invention, the heat exchangers of the main condenser do not necessity have to be arranged inside the condenser, for example, as a sump cooling condenser and a head cooling condenser, but rather, it is sufficient to install a heat exchanger in the line of the circulating flow, The heating system preferably has multiple circuits in order to generate the necessary process heat at the temperature level optimized for this purpose. Oil or salt or gas can be used as the heat-transfer medium in order to transport heat at a regulatable maximum heating temperature. The efficiency of fie -10- heating system is maximized in that heat is returned into the system, making use of the residual gas as fuel for the heating system. Thus, the method according to the invention can do without the separate gas combustion and gas flares that are needed with the state of the art. Maximum energy utilization is also ensured because, due to several optimized temperature levels, a flexible heating of the heating system is possible, namely, by the product oil, by the product gas and by an oil-water emulsion as well as electrically or through a combination of the various above-mentioned energy sources. Moreover, the occurring temperature differences, the different pressures and the different flow quantities of the heat-transfer medium circuits can be used in order to ascertain and to monitor the energy quantities. Figure 2 shows a feed system that has been modified in comparison to the one shown in Figure 1. The connection pipe of the melting tank 7 for connecting the tamping auger 4 or tamping mechanism is shaped here onto the melting tank at an acute angle; otherwise, the configuration is the same. Figure 3 shows a processing installation that is very similar to Figures 1a, 1b and 1c and in which ttie heat-transfer medium and cooling circuits are shown in their entirety. The heating system 38 is divided into five heat-transfer medium circuits, WT1 to WT5. WT1 is connected via lines to the melting tanjf 7 and supplies it with heat energy; by the same token, WT2 is connected to the evaporation tank 20. W3 and WT4 and WT5 are connected to the pre-condenser 29, to the cooling system 34 and to the residue pre-cooling tank 15, respectively. Figures 4 and 5 show two additional examples of different feed systems of a processing installation according to the invention. The melting tanks 7 shown here have an upper filling vent 40 through which a feed pipe 41 passes, whose opening is below the liquid level 42 of the liquid melted mass. In Figure 5, the feed pipe 41 and the tamping auger are additionally surrounded with a cooling jacket 43 through which cooling water flows. Figure 6 shows another example of a main condenser 44 of the processing installation according to tie invention. The hot gas enters through the opening 45 into the main condenser 44 and flows through packing columns 46 in which packings are present, for example, rings made of stainless steel. Liquated condensate is withdrawn from the sump 54 via a line 47 and fed by a pump 48 to two series-connected heat exchangers 49, 50 and cooled off further, said heat exchangers 49, 50 being connected to two cooling circuits, namely, cooling circuit I and cooling circuit II. Via a return line 51 downstream from tie -11- second heat exchanger 50, cooled condensate is fed in a countercurrent back to the main condenser 44, as can be seen in Figure 6. As a result, the gas flowing through the packing columns 46 is cooled off abruptly. Via the outlet 53 situated at the top, which corresponds to the outlet 39 in Figure 1c, non-condensed residual gas is either used as combustion gas or else another condenser can be installed here by means of which any fractions of hydrocarbons still present in the residual gas are condensed. The liquid oil, the target product of the processing installation, is withdrawn via a branch-off line 52 downstream from the second heat exchanger 50 and upstream from the return line 51. Figure 7 differs from Figure 3 essentially only in that additional heating coils 56, 57 are installed in tfne melting tank 7 as well as in the evaporation tank 20 in order to increase the introduction of heat into the i masses. As shown in Figure 7, in order to obtain a heat supply, these heating coils 56, 57 are connected to their own heat-transfer medium circuits, namely, WT-circuit 1 and WT-circuit 2 of the heat-transfer medium heating system 58 which is either gas-oil-fired - for example, with the residual gas from the main condensers 30 or 44 - or else heated electrically. When heating coils are used, the outer heating jacket can also be omitted. An amount of 100 kg of dry, clean and pure reclaimed plastic materials give rise to about 75 to 90 kg of product oil, 2 to 12 kg of residues and 2 to 15 kg of non-condensable gases for thermal recovery in the heating system. The yield of product oil depends, among other things, on the types of plastic that served as feedstock. Commercial applicability: The method or cracking method and the device according to the invention can be used commercially in the branches of industry involved in the hygienic processing in order to recover reclaimed plastic materials and/or oily residues or plastic waste and/or oily waste. List of reference numerals 1 silo 2 trough conveyor screw 3 transfer tank 4 tamping auger or tamping mechanism -12- 5 throttle-check fitting 6 feed fitting 7,39 melting tank 8,21 heating jacket 9,22 agitator 10 sedimentation compartment 11,12,13,25,26 residue discharge fittings 14,43 cooling jacket 15 residue pre-cooling tank 16 emulsion unit 17 scraper 18 heating unit of the intermediate heater 19 19 intermediate heater 20 evaporation tank 23 re-heating tank 27 cracking tower 28 pipeline 29 pre-condenser 30,44 main condenser 34 cooling system 38 heating system 39,53 outlets 40 upper filling vent 41 feed pipe 42 liquid level 45 opening of the main condenser 46 packing columns 47 line 48 pump 49,50 heat exchanger 51 return line 52 branch-off line -13- 56,57 A heating coils outlet -14- WE CLAIM 1. A method for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues, said reclaimed plastic materials and/or residues being sorted according to type and compacted using a feed system (1,2,3,4) in the absence of air, after which the compacted mass is fed to a melting tank (7) preferably below the liquid level, where it is heated, so thaf a separation occurs into a first liquid phase, a first gas phase and a residue fraction, after which the liquid phase and the first gas phase are transported into an evaporation tank (20) in which, a second liquid phase and a second gas phase are formed under continued heat input, whereby the second liquid phase is transferred to a re-heater (23) and additionally heated there under further heat input so that a third gas phase is formed, after which the second gas phase from the evaporation tank (20) and the third gas phase from the re-heater (23) are conveyed tQ a cracking tower (27) where further cracking of the long-chained hydrocarbons into short-chained hydrocarbons takes place, and the resulting oil gas is then conveyed to a condenser (30) in which the oil gas is condensed to form liquid oil, whereby the oil constitutes the target product, 2. The method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the method is carried out using a multi-circuit heating system (38) for generating the necessary process heat and it generates the process heat for the melting tank (7), for the evaporation tank (20) and for the re-heater (23), whereby oil or salt or gas can be used as the heat-transfer medium. 3. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that in order to feed the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues into the melting tank (7), a tamping auger (4) or tamping mechanism that compacts the residues in order to remove the oxygen is used within the feed system and feeds them into the melting tank below its liquid level. 4. The method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the middle fraction and the heavy fraction of the hot oil gas or cracked gas is cooled off abruptly by means of quenching with cold condensate down to a moderate temperature level, in which -15- process it is condensed so that, at the same time, hydrocarbons having a medium to long chain length condense. 5. The method according to Claim 4, characterized in that 1 in order to carry out the quenching procedure, the gas flow is either sucked into the cold, liquid circulating flow or else it is passed over two packings in packed columns that are operated in a countercurrent, whereby cold condensate trickles over the packings. 6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that an arrangement having two packed columns allows one column to be regenerated while the other is in regular operation, whereby in order to carry out the regeneration, the circulating flow is switched off in the packed column that is to be regenerated and the hot gas flow coming from the cracking tower is fed through the packed column that is to be regenerated, as a result of which the packing in the column is heated up and deposits are removed. 7. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that in order to generate the primary process heat, a non-condensable fraction of the oil gas is red to the heating system where it can be burned for purposes of thermal recovery. 8. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the oil-water emulsion can be fed to the heating system (38) where it can be burned for purposes of thermal recovery. 9. The method according to Claim 1, characterized in that a pre-condenser (29) and a main condenser (30) are used as the condenser, and the exooss heat from the pre-condenser (29), main condenser (30) and residue pre-cooling tank (15) is red to the heating system (38), whereby the main condenser is connected to a multi-circuit condensation system. 10. The method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues are comminuted after having been sorted and, if applicable, they are dried before the cracking process is carried out. -16- 11. The method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the residue fraction is transported inside the melting tank (7) into a sedimentation compartment (10) located underneath where the residue fraction is concentrated and subsequently the concentrated residue fraction is transferred into a residue pre-cooling tank (15) where the residue fraction is cooled by means of a cooling medium from a cooling system (34), preferably to a temperature below 120°C [248°F]. 12. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cooled residue fraction is fed to an emulsion unit (16) in which an oil-water emulsion is produced from the residue fraction. 13. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a pre-condenser (29) is arranged between the cracking tower (27) and the main condenser (30), whereby (fie pre-condenser (29) pre-cools the oil gas in order to recover energy at a high temperature level, as a result of which the temperature gradient between the cracking tower (27) and the main condenser (30) is reduced. 14. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the main condenser (30) and optionally the pre-condenser (29) are connected to a multi-circuit cooling system (34). 15. A device for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues, said reclaimed plastic materials and/or residues being sorted according to type, characterized by a feed system (1,2,3,4) for compacting the reclaimed plastic materials and or oily residues in the absence of air, as well as by a downstream melting tank (7) for heating and melting the compacted mass in order to create a first liquid phase, a first gas phase and a residue fraction, whereby an evaporation tank (20) is arranged downstream from the melting tank (7) in order to create a second liquid phase and a second gas phase under continued heat input, said evaporation tank (20) being upstream from a re-heater (23) for purposes of feeding and further heating the second liquid phase so as to create a third gas phase, and a cracking tower (27) is connected to the evaporation tank (20) and to the re-heater (23) in order to crack -17- the long-chained hydrocarbons into short-chained hydrocarbons, and a condenser (30) is connected to the cracking tower (27) in order to condense the oil gas to form liquid oil. 16. The device according to Claim 15, characterized in that in order to feed the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues into the melting tank (7), a tamping auger (4) or tamping mechanism for compacting the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues is arranged within the feed system and, if applicable, a spherical transfer tank (3) is located upstream from said tamping auger or tamping mechanism for purposes of transferring material into the tamping auger (4) or tamping mechanism. 17. The device according to Claim 15, characterized in that the outlet of the tamping auger (4) or tamping mechanism opens into the melting tank (7) below the liquid level of the melted mass. 18. The device according to Claim 15, characterized in that said device has a multi-circuit heating system (38) for generating the necessary process heat at a temperature level that has been optimized for this purpose, whereby oil or salt or gas serves as the heat-transfer medium. 19. The device according to Claim 15, characterized in that a sedimentation compartment (10) is arranged underneath the melting tank (7) in order to receive the residue fraction. 20. The device according to Claim 17 or 18, characterized in that a residue pre-cooling tank (15) with an emulsion unit (16) connected to it is arranged on the sedimentation compartment (10) in order to produce an oil-water emulsion from the residue fraction. 21. The device according to Claim 16, characterized in that the condenser consists of a main condenser (30) and a pre-condenser (29), and the pre-condenser (29) is arranged between the cracking tower (27) and the main condenser (30) in order to pre-cool the oil gas. -18- 22. The device according to Claim 16, characterized in that a multi-circuit cooling system (34) is connected to the main condenser (30). 23. The device according to Claim 16, characterized in that said device has a multi-circuit heating system (38) for generating the process heat for the melting tank (7), evaporation tank (20) and re-heater (23). 24. The device according to Claim 16, characterized in that the melting tank (7) and the evaporation tank (20) as well as, if applicable, the re-heater (29), have an exterior heating jacket (8,21) and/or heating coils (56,57), which can be heated up by means of the shared heating system (38) for the heat-transfer medium. Dated this 18th day of July, 2006 ABSTRACT A method for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues, said reclaimed plastic materials and/or residues being sorted according to type and compacted using a feed system (1,2,3,4) in the absence of air, after which the compacted mass is fed to, a melting tank (7) preferably below the liquid level, where it is heated, so that a separation occurs into a first liquid phase, a first gas phase and a residue fraction, after which the liquid phase and the first gas phase are transported into an evaporation tank (20) in which a second liquid phase and a second gas phase are formed under continued heat input, whereby the second liquid phase is transferred to a re-heater (23) and additionally heated there under further heat input so that a third gas phase is formed, after which the second gas phase from the evaporation tank (20) and the third gas phase from the, re-heater (23) are conveyed to a cracking tower (27) where further cracking of the long-chained hydrocarbons into short-chained hydrocarbons takes place, and the resulting oil gas is then conveyed to a condenser (30) in which the oil gas is condensed to form liquid oil, whereby the oil constitutes \|ie target product. To, The Controller of Patents The Patent Office Mumbai.

Full Text

FORM 2
THE PATENT ACT 1970 (39 Of 1970)
&
The Patents Rules, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10, and rule 13)
1. TITLE OF INVENTION
DEVICE AND METHOD FOR RECOVERING FRACTIONAL HYDROCARBONS FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC FRACTIONS AND/ OR FROM OILY RESIDUES
2. APPLICANT (S)
a) Name : NILL TECH GMBH
b) Nationality : GERMAN Company
c) Address : ROBERT - BOSCH- STRAS.SE 11,
71088 HOLZGERLINGEN, GERMANY
3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be
performed : -

Field of the invention
The invention relates to a method for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues, said reclaimed plastic materials and/or residues being sorted according to type and compacted using a feed system, after which the compacted mass is fed to a melting tank where it is heated; the invention likewise relates to a device for carrying out the method for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues.
Description of related art:
Plastics are used in almost all realms of life nowadays and they have to be recycled and/or disposed of after being used. Disposal that takes health aspects into account poses considerable difficulties. Plastics such as polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) or polystyrene (PS), which consist of long-chained macromolecules, have to be cleaved into small molecules in order to be recycled. A conversion system can perform a low-temperature cracking process to convert such reclaimed plastic materials into an oil-like product containing gaseous admixtures and a solid residue.
The gas formed during the cracking process consists of a mixture of methane, ethane, ethylene, propane, propylene, l-butane, l-butane, 1-butene, 1-butane, pentane, etc. as well as a small residue, of water vapor. The oil obtained from polystyrene consists of over 50% styrenes and also contains 2-methyl-styrenes, toluenes, ethyl benzenes and benzenes. The oil obtained from polyethylene and polypropylene consists mainly of paraffins and olefins, and only contains small amounts of aromatic compounds. The low-volatility residues consist of cokes, long-chained hydrocarbons, that are similar to heavy oil. In a subsequent process step, the oil-like residue can be mixed with water. In this process, an oil-water emulsion is formed that can be used for the conversion of refuse to energy, for example, it can be burned as fuel.
Chinese patent specification CN 1284537A describes a method for recovering hydrocarbons such AS gases or oils from reclaimed plastic materials, comprising a melting and cracking process with subsequent oil-gas separation as well as distillation of the oil mixture. For this purpose, plastic raw materials are melted and evaporated in a tank (melting and cracking reactor). The plastic raw materials are heated to 280°C to 380°C [536°F to 716°F] and cracked. The drawback here is the one-stage input of the requisite heat energy. Due to the high heat flow density, severe overheating occurs in certain areas. This then leads to the formation of encrustations that have a negative impact on the further that
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input. As a result, the heat consumption is high relative to the yield. Chinese patent specification CN 2435146Y has also disclosed a similar method.
Technical objective:
The invention is based on the objective of refining the above-mentioned method and device in such a way that the energy input is improved and that the efficiency of the method and of the device is improved, especially through an optimal and systematic energy utilization and through that recuperation in various areas.
Disclosure of the invention and of its advantages:
This objective is achieved according to the invention by a method for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues, said reclaimed plastic materials and/or residues being sorted according to type and compacted in the absence of air using a feed system, after which the compacted mass is fed to a melting tank where it is heated, so that a separation occurs into a first liquid phase, a first gas phase and a residue fraction, after which the liquid phase and the first gas phase are transported into an evaporation tank in which a second liquid phase and a second gas phase are formed under continued heat input, whereby the second liquid phase, is transferred to a re-heater and additionally heated there under further heat input so that a third gas phase is formed, after which the second gas phase from the evaporation tank and the third gas phase from the re-heater are conveyed to a cracking tower where further cracking of the long-chained hydrocarbons into short-chained hydrocarbons takes place, and the resulting oil gas is then conveyed to a condenser in which the oil gas is condensed to form liquid oil, whereby the oil constitutes the target product.
In another embodiment according to the invention, the method is carried out using a multi-circuit, indirect heating system that generates the process heat for the melting tank, for the evaporation tank and for the re-heater, whereby oil or salt or gas can be used as the heat-transfer medium. For this purpose, a non-condensable fraction of the oil gas can advantageously be fed to the heating system where it can be burned for purposes of thermal recovery. Consequently, the heating system comprises all components for supplying the melting tank and the evaporation tank with energy. The thermally recyclable by-products that are formed in this process - for instance, a fraction of an oil-water emulsion from the residue fractions from the melting tank as well as other non-recyclable gas fractions from fie
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cracking tower as well as a gas fraction from a flame overvoltage protector- are advantageously used in the heating system for generating the primary process heat.
In addition, a maximum amount of heat from the area where the oil gas and residue are pre-cooled arid from a cooling system is returned to the heating system. For this purpose, the condenser can consist of a pre-condenser and a main condenser, which can be connected to a multi-circuit cooling system. The excess heat from the pre-condenser, main condenser and residue pre-cooling tank is thus fed to the heating system. By the same token, the oil-water emulsion can be fed to the heating system when} it can be burned for purposes of thermal recovery.
The method according to the invention advantageously has a low energy expenditure as well as an optimal energy utilization through heat recuperation, relative to the yield. In particular, the heat circulation system advantageously provides indirect and targeted heat in the various process areas, In particular, the method according to the invention can utilize reclaimed plastic materials in accordance with the waste utilization regulations.
In another embodiment according to the invention, a pre-condenser and a main condenser are used as the condenser, whereby the excess heat from the pre-condenser, main condenser and residue pre-cooling tank is fed to the heating system, and the main condenser is connected to a multi-circuit condensation system.
In another embodiment according to the invention, the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues are comminuted in a pretreatment process after having been sorted and, if applicable, they (ye dried before the cracking process is carried out. The reclaimed plastic materials are sorted into PP, f E and PS into hard and soft plastic fractions. Since the water fraction in the plastics should be less than 1% for energy-related reasons, plastics with a higher water fraction should be dried first. In order to feed the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues into the melting tank, a tamping auger or tamping mechanism that compacts the residues in order to remove the oxygen can be used within |ie feed system. By the same token, the reclaimed plastic materials should be fed to the tamping auger or tamping mechanism in finely shredded form.
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In another inventive embodiment of the method, the residue fraction is transported inside the melting tank into a sedimentation compartment located underneath where the residue fraction is concentrated and subsequently the concentrated residue fraction is transferred into a residue pre-cooling tank where the residue fraction is cooled by means of a cooling medium, preferably to a temperature below 120°C [248°F]. The cooled residue fraction can be fed to an emulsion unit in which an oil-water emulsion is produced from the residue fraction.
In another embodiment of the method, a pre-condenser is arranged between the cracking tower and the main condenser, whereby the pre-condenser pre-cools the oil gas and recovers heat at a high temperature level and also reduces the temperature gradient between the cracking tower and the main condenser. Moreover, the main condenser and optionally the pre-condenser can be connected to a multi-circuit cooling system.
The method according to the invention is preferably carried out between 300°C and 450°C [572°F a/id 842°F] and between normal pressure and overpressure of up to 2 bar.
A device according to the invention for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues, said reclaimed plastic materials and/or residues being sorted according to type, is characterized by a feed system for compacting the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues in the absence of air, as well as by a downstream melting tank for heating a/id melting the compacted mass in order to create a first liquid phase, a first gas phase and a residue fraction, whereby an evaporation tank is arranged downstream from the melting tank in order to create a second liquid phase and a second gas phase under continued heat input, said evaporation tank being upstream from a re-heater for purposes of feeding and further heating the second liquid phase so a$ to create a third gas phase, and a cracking tower is connected to the evaporation tank and to the re-heater in order to separate the resulting oil gas from the heavy oil as well as from non-evaporated reclaimed plastic materials, and a main condenser is connected to the cracking tower in order to condense the oil gas to form liquid oil.
In another embodiment of the device, in order to feed the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues into the melting tank, a tamping auger or tamping mechanism for compacting the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues is arranged within the feed system and, if applicable, a
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spherical transfer tank is located upstream from said tamping auger or tamping mechanism for purposes of transferring material into the tamping auger or tamping mechanism. The outlet of the tamping auger or tamping mechanism opens into the melting tank below the liquid level of the melted mass.
In another embodiment of the device, it has a multi-circuit heating system for generating the necessary process heat at a temperature level that has been optimized for this purpose, whereby oil or salt or gas serves as the heat-transfer medium.
In another embodiment of the device, a sedimentation compartment is arranged underneath the melting tank in order to receive the residue fraction. A residue pre-cooling tank with an emulsion unit connected to it can be arranged on the sedimentation compartment in order to produce an oil-water emulsion from the residue fraction.
In another embodiment of the device, the condenser consists of a main condenser and a pre-condenser, whereby the pre-condenser is arranged between the cracking tower and the main condenser in order to pre-cool the oil gas. Moreover, a multi-circuit cooling system can be connected; to the main condenser.
In another embodiment, the device has a multi-circuit heating system for generating the process that for the melting tank, evaporation tank and re-heater.
Furthermore, the melting tank and the evaporation tank as well as, if applicable, the re-heater, have an exterior heating jacket and/or interior heating coils, which can be heated up by means of the shared heating system for the heat-transfer medium.
Brief description of the drawings, in which the following is shown:
Figures 1a, 1b and 1c a processing installation distributed over three figures, for recovering fractional
hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues,
Figure 2 a feed system that has been modified as compared to that of Figure 1,
Figure 3 a processing installation similar to that of Figures 1a, 1b and 1c, in which the heat-
transfer medium circuit and the cooling circuit are shown in greater detail,
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Figure 4 another feed system of a processing installation
Figure 5 another feed system of a processing installation having a cooling jacket around the
feed pipe and a tamping screw jacket upstream from another melting tank,
Figure 6 another example of a main condenser and
Figure 7 another processing installation, similar to that of Figure 3.
Preferred embodiment of the invention:
The processing installation for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues, as shown in the figures, consists of a silo 1 in which the reclaimed plastic materials to be processed are stored, preferably in the shredded state. They can also be stored in a bunker. In order to remove the reclaimed plastic materials, a motor-driven trough conveyor screw 2 that is designated with the letter "M" is connected to the silo 1, and said trough conveyor screw 2 conveys the material into a transfer tank 3, for example, a flanged spherical housing that allows a flexible adaptation to differing local circumstances. The transfer tank 3 is upstream from a tamping auger 4 or tamping mechanism that compacts the reclaimed plastic materials, thereby largely expelling the air ^rid thus the oxygen. The lower end of the tamping auger 4 or tamping mechanism opens into a melting tank 7, above or below its filling level. A pneumatically actuated throttle-check fitting 5 is arranged between the end of the tamping auger 4 or tamping mechanism and the mouth that opens into |he melting tank 7, and said throttle-check fitting 5 is upstream from a feed fitting 6 in the form of a ball valve 6.
The lower end of the melting tank 7 has a sedimentation compartment 10 in order to receive Mid concentrate a residue fraction that precipitates out of the liquid phase of the compacted mass. The sedimentation compartment 10 is connected through piping to a residue pre-cooling tank 15 via three residue discharge fittings 11,12 and 13 arranged consecutively in a row, said residue pre-cooling tank 15 having a cooling jacket 14 on the outside. The residue is collected from a cooling system 34 and cooled inside the residue pre-cooling tank 15 by means of a cooling medium, preferably to below 12QPC [248°F]. The residue is pre-cooled with the possibility of heat return into the heating system, resulting in a reduction of the temperature gradient between the melting tank 7 and an emulsion unit 16 located downstream.
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The cooled residue is fed through piping to the emulsion unit 16 in which an oil-water emulsion is produced from the residue fraction by means of a motor-driven agitator. The reduction of the temperature gradient also reduces the necessary water seal in the emulsion unit 16, as a result of which a higher oil concentration is possible in the oil-water emulsion and consequently, its calorific value is raised.
The melting tank 7 has an agitator 9 for homogenizing the melted plastic mass as well as a scraper 17 for scraping off the inner wall of the melting tank 7 in the area of the mouth of the tamping auger 4 or tamping mechanism. Moreover, the melting tank 7 is closed at the top and has a lateral outlet A in its upper section. As a result, the bottom area of the upper tank is very strong, thanks to the reduction in the number of openings. Moreover, the melting tank 7 is surrounded by an exterior heating jacket 8 which is constructed in such a way that the heat input is homogenous and especially heat peaks ye avoided during operation. By the same token, the exterior heating jacket 8 allows heat discharge and condensation before maintenance work or else in case of a breakdown.
Moreover, the melting tank 7 and the evaporation tank 20 can be fitted with, for example, two suspended concentric tubular coils. The use of tubular coils for heat transfer translates into a larger surface area for the transfer.
The plastic mass is heated up inside the melting tank 7 so that a separation into a first liquid phase, a first gas phase and a residue fraction occurs, after which the liquid phase and the first gas phase ye transported through piping via the outlet A into an evaporation tank 20 in which, under further heat input into the mass, a second liquid phase and a second gas phase are created. The evaporation tank £0 serves to evaporate reclaimed material fractions with higher evaporation temperatures. The outlet A. of the melting tank 7 or the inlet A of the evaporation tank 20 can have an additional heating unit 18 such as an electric immersible heater that can be followed by another intermediate heater 19 in order to increase the heat input into the intake of the evaporation tank 20.
The heat input into the evaporation tank 20 is regulated in a controlled manner via a heating jacket £1 and/or heating coils at a higher level than in the melting tank 7 and the heat input goes into a reduced quantity of plastic, resulting in a reduction in the amount of energy at the high temperature level. The
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evaporation tank 20 also has a motor-driven agitator 22 for homogenizing the melted reclaimed material. A second liquid phase and a second gas phase are formed inside the evaporation tank 20.
Parallel to the evaporation tank 20, a re-heating tank 23 is connected through piping and it has its own heating unit 24, which can be an electric heater E. The re-heating tank 23 serves to further re-heat and evaporate an even smaller amount of reclaimed material fractions than in the evaporation tank 20 at the highest evaporation temperatures of the reclaimed material fractions, so that a third gas phase is formed there. The evaporation tank 20 is closed at the bottom by means of a residue discharge fitting 25, for example, of the ball valve type, so that residues can be discharged. The re-heating tank 23, in turn, has a drain fitting 26 at its lower end in order to drain the re-heating tank 23.
A cracking tower 27 is mounted on the evaporation tank 20 and said cracking tower 27 serves to break up the long-chained molecules into short-chained molecules; the resultant oil gas is separated from the high-boiling constituents in the cracking tower 27. The re-heating tank 23 is also connected through piping to the cracking tower 27 so that the second gas phase from the evaporation tank 20 as well as the third gas phase from the re-heating tank 23 are fed into the cracking tower 27. Via a product gas line 28, namely, a pipeline 28, the product gas being formed in the cracking tower can be branched off into a pre-condenser 29 that functions as a heat exchanger in order to recover heat at a high temperature level, so that this pre-cooling of the product gas takes place with the possibility of heat recuperation to return to the heating system. The oil gas is then fed to the main condenser 30 in which the oil gas is condensed to form liquid oil.
The main condenser 30 has two cooling circuits, namely, a sump cooling condenser 31 and a head cooling condenser 32. The main condenser 30 has an inlet line and an outlet line with a circulation pump 35 for circulating the oil. In the line, there are likewise two automatic fittings with a throve function in order to switch over and divert the circulating flow to the main condenser 30 or into a transfer line 37 to a separator (not shown here). The line also has a metering point 40 as an inoculation point for metering in additives, for example, in order to condition and stabilize the product oil as well as to set |ie product properties.
The additive can also be added in the line between the cracking tower and the main condenser.
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Moreover, the main condenser 30 is connected through piping via a residual gas exhaust 39 to a heating system 38 of the processing installation, whereby the non-condensable fraction of the product gas is bled off via the residual gas exhaust 39 into the heating system 38 of the processing installation for purposes of thermal recovery in the heating system.
By using the processing principle of quenching, the main condenser achieves a very fast cooling and condensation of the hot product gas (shock cooling) to a mean temperature level of 80°C to 2Q0PC [176°Fto392°F].
Cooled condensate (product oil) is used as the quenching medium. The quenching can be carried out in two different ways in terms of the equipment: the hot gas flow is sucked into the liquid circulating flow from cooled condensate, where intense heat exchange and immediate condensation of the product gas occur as a result of the high turbulence. As an alternative, the quenching apparatus can be configured as a packed column in which a liquid circulating flow consisting of cooled condensate trickles over fie packings and hot product gas flows in a countercurrent from the bottom to the top, condensing in fie process. Due to the large surface of the packings, an intense heat exchange takes place between fie cold condensate and hot product gas, so that the latter immediately condenses.
Consequently, an arrangement having two packed columns allows one column to be regenerated while the other is in regular operation, whereby in order to carry out the regeneration, the circulating flow is switched off in the packed column that is to be regenerated and the hot gas flow coming from fie cracking tower is fed through the packed column that is to be regenerated, as a result of which the packing in the column is heated up and deposits are removed. Therefore, the regeneration of fie packed columns is carried out alternatingly.
In another modification of the invention, the heat exchangers of the main condenser do not necessity have to be arranged inside the condenser, for example, as a sump cooling condenser and a head cooling condenser, but rather, it is sufficient to install a heat exchanger in the line of the circulating flow,
The heating system preferably has multiple circuits in order to generate the necessary process heat at the temperature level optimized for this purpose. Oil or salt or gas can be used as the heat-transfer medium in order to transport heat at a regulatable maximum heating temperature. The efficiency of fie
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heating system is maximized in that heat is returned into the system, making use of the residual gas as fuel for the heating system. Thus, the method according to the invention can do without the separate gas combustion and gas flares that are needed with the state of the art. Maximum energy utilization is also ensured because, due to several optimized temperature levels, a flexible heating of the heating system is possible, namely, by the product oil, by the product gas and by an oil-water emulsion as well as electrically or through a combination of the various above-mentioned energy sources. Moreover, the occurring temperature differences, the different pressures and the different flow quantities of the heat-transfer medium circuits can be used in order to ascertain and to monitor the energy quantities.
Figure 2 shows a feed system that has been modified in comparison to the one shown in Figure 1. The connection pipe of the melting tank 7 for connecting the tamping auger 4 or tamping mechanism is shaped here onto the melting tank at an acute angle; otherwise, the configuration is the same.
Figure 3 shows a processing installation that is very similar to Figures 1a, 1b and 1c and in which ttie heat-transfer medium and cooling circuits are shown in their entirety. The heating system 38 is divided into five heat-transfer medium circuits, WT1 to WT5. WT1 is connected via lines to the melting tanjf 7 and supplies it with heat energy; by the same token, WT2 is connected to the evaporation tank 20. W3 and WT4 and WT5 are connected to the pre-condenser 29, to the cooling system 34 and to the residue pre-cooling tank 15, respectively.
Figures 4 and 5 show two additional examples of different feed systems of a processing installation according to the invention. The melting tanks 7 shown here have an upper filling vent 40 through which a feed pipe 41 passes, whose opening is below the liquid level 42 of the liquid melted mass. In Figure 5, the feed pipe 41 and the tamping auger are additionally surrounded with a cooling jacket 43 through which cooling water flows.
Figure 6 shows another example of a main condenser 44 of the processing installation according to tie invention. The hot gas enters through the opening 45 into the main condenser 44 and flows through packing columns 46 in which packings are present, for example, rings made of stainless steel. Liquated condensate is withdrawn from the sump 54 via a line 47 and fed by a pump 48 to two series-connected heat exchangers 49, 50 and cooled off further, said heat exchangers 49, 50 being connected to two cooling circuits, namely, cooling circuit I and cooling circuit II. Via a return line 51 downstream from tie
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second heat exchanger 50, cooled condensate is fed in a countercurrent back to the main condenser 44, as can be seen in Figure 6. As a result, the gas flowing through the packing columns 46 is cooled off abruptly. Via the outlet 53 situated at the top, which corresponds to the outlet 39 in Figure 1c, non-condensed residual gas is either used as combustion gas or else another condenser can be installed here by means of which any fractions of hydrocarbons still present in the residual gas are condensed. The liquid oil, the target product of the processing installation, is withdrawn via a branch-off line 52 downstream from the second heat exchanger 50 and upstream from the return line 51.
Figure 7 differs from Figure 3 essentially only in that additional heating coils 56, 57 are installed in tfne melting tank 7 as well as in the evaporation tank 20 in order to increase the introduction of heat into the
i
masses. As shown in Figure 7, in order to obtain a heat supply, these heating coils 56, 57 are connected to their own heat-transfer medium circuits, namely, WT-circuit 1 and WT-circuit 2 of the heat-transfer medium heating system 58 which is either gas-oil-fired - for example, with the residual gas from the main condensers 30 or 44 - or else heated electrically. When heating coils are used, the outer heating jacket can also be omitted.
An amount of 100 kg of dry, clean and pure reclaimed plastic materials give rise to about 75 to 90 kg of product oil, 2 to 12 kg of residues and 2 to 15 kg of non-condensable gases for thermal recovery in the heating system. The yield of product oil depends, among other things, on the types of plastic that served as feedstock.
Commercial applicability:
The method or cracking method and the device according to the invention can be used commercially in the branches of industry involved in the hygienic processing in order to recover reclaimed plastic materials and/or oily residues or plastic waste and/or oily waste.
List of reference numerals
1 silo
2 trough conveyor screw
3 transfer tank
4 tamping auger or tamping mechanism
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5 throttle-check fitting
6 feed fitting
7,39 melting tank
8,21 heating jacket
9,22 agitator
10 sedimentation compartment
11,12,13,25,26 residue discharge fittings
14,43 cooling jacket
15 residue pre-cooling tank
16 emulsion unit
17 scraper
18 heating unit of the intermediate heater 19
19 intermediate heater
20 evaporation tank
23 re-heating tank
27 cracking tower
28 pipeline
29 pre-condenser
30,44 main condenser
34 cooling system
38 heating system
39,53 outlets
40 upper filling vent
41 feed pipe
42 liquid level
45 opening of the main condenser
46 packing columns
47 line
48 pump
49,50 heat exchanger
51 return line
52 branch-off line
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56,57
A

heating coils outlet

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WE CLAIM
1. A method for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues, said reclaimed plastic materials and/or residues being sorted according to type and compacted using a feed system (1,2,3,4) in the absence of air, after which the compacted mass is fed to a melting tank (7) preferably below the liquid level, where it is heated, so thaf a separation occurs into a first liquid phase, a first gas phase and a residue fraction, after which the liquid phase and the first gas phase are transported into an evaporation tank (20) in which, a second liquid phase and a second gas phase are formed under continued heat input, whereby the second liquid phase is transferred to a re-heater (23) and additionally heated there under further heat input so that a third gas phase is formed, after which the second gas phase from the evaporation tank (20) and the third gas phase from the re-heater (23) are conveyed tQ a cracking tower (27) where further cracking of the long-chained hydrocarbons into short-chained hydrocarbons takes place, and the resulting oil gas is then conveyed to a condenser (30) in which the oil gas is condensed to form liquid oil, whereby the oil constitutes the target product,
2. The method according to Claim 1, characterized in that
the method is carried out using a multi-circuit heating system (38) for generating the necessary process heat and it generates the process heat for the melting tank (7), for the evaporation tank (20) and for the re-heater (23), whereby oil or salt or gas can be used as the heat-transfer medium.
3. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that
in order to feed the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues into the melting tank (7), a tamping auger (4) or tamping mechanism that compacts the residues in order to remove the oxygen is used within the feed system and feeds them into the melting tank below its liquid level.
4. The method according to Claim 1, characterized in that
the middle fraction and the heavy fraction of the hot oil gas or cracked gas is cooled off abruptly by means of quenching with cold condensate down to a moderate temperature level, in which
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process it is condensed so that, at the same time, hydrocarbons having a medium to long chain length condense.
5. The method according to Claim 4, characterized in that
1
in order to carry out the quenching procedure, the gas flow is either sucked into the cold, liquid circulating flow or else it is passed over two packings in packed columns that are operated in a countercurrent, whereby cold condensate trickles over the packings.
6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that
an arrangement having two packed columns allows one column to be regenerated while the other is in regular operation, whereby in order to carry out the regeneration, the circulating flow is switched off in the packed column that is to be regenerated and the hot gas flow coming from the cracking tower is fed through the packed column that is to be regenerated, as a result of which the packing in the column is heated up and deposits are removed.
7. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that
in order to generate the primary process heat, a non-condensable fraction of the oil gas is red to the heating system where it can be burned for purposes of thermal recovery.
8. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that
the oil-water emulsion can be fed to the heating system (38) where it can be burned for purposes of thermal recovery.
9. The method according to Claim 1, characterized in that
a pre-condenser (29) and a main condenser (30) are used as the condenser, and the exooss heat from the pre-condenser (29), main condenser (30) and residue pre-cooling tank (15) is red to the heating system (38), whereby the main condenser is connected to a multi-circuit condensation system.
10. The method according to Claim 1, characterized in that
the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues are comminuted after having been sorted and, if applicable, they are dried before the cracking process is carried out.
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11. The method according to Claim 1, characterized in that
the residue fraction is transported inside the melting tank (7) into a sedimentation compartment (10) located underneath where the residue fraction is concentrated and subsequently the concentrated residue fraction is transferred into a residue pre-cooling tank (15) where the residue fraction is cooled by means of a cooling medium from a cooling system (34), preferably to a temperature below 120°C [248°F].
12. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that
the cooled residue fraction is fed to an emulsion unit (16) in which an oil-water emulsion is produced from the residue fraction.
13. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a pre-condenser (29) is arranged between the cracking tower (27) and the main condenser (30), whereby (fie pre-condenser (29) pre-cools the oil gas in order to recover energy at a high temperature level, as a result of which the temperature gradient between the cracking tower (27) and the main condenser (30) is reduced.
14. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that
the main condenser (30) and optionally the pre-condenser (29) are connected to a multi-circuit cooling system (34).
15. A device for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from
oily residues, said reclaimed plastic materials and/or residues being sorted according to type,
characterized by a feed system (1,2,3,4) for compacting the reclaimed plastic materials and or
oily residues in the absence of air, as well as by a downstream melting tank (7) for heating and
melting the compacted mass in order to create a first liquid phase, a first gas phase and a
residue fraction, whereby an evaporation tank (20) is arranged downstream from the melting
tank (7) in order to create a second liquid phase and a second gas phase under continued heat
input, said evaporation tank (20) being upstream from a re-heater (23) for purposes of feeding
and further heating the second liquid phase so as to create a third gas phase, and a cracking
tower (27) is connected to the evaporation tank (20) and to the re-heater (23) in order to crack
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the long-chained hydrocarbons into short-chained hydrocarbons, and a condenser (30) is connected to the cracking tower (27) in order to condense the oil gas to form liquid oil.
16. The device according to Claim 15, characterized in that
in order to feed the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues into the melting tank (7), a tamping auger (4) or tamping mechanism for compacting the reclaimed plastic materials and/or the oily residues is arranged within the feed system and, if applicable, a spherical transfer tank (3) is located upstream from said tamping auger or tamping mechanism for purposes of transferring material into the tamping auger (4) or tamping mechanism.
17. The device according to Claim 15, characterized in that
the outlet of the tamping auger (4) or tamping mechanism opens into the melting tank (7) below the liquid level of the melted mass.
18. The device according to Claim 15, characterized in that
said device has a multi-circuit heating system (38) for generating the necessary process heat at a temperature level that has been optimized for this purpose, whereby oil or salt or gas serves as the heat-transfer medium.
19. The device according to Claim 15, characterized in that
a sedimentation compartment (10) is arranged underneath the melting tank (7) in order to receive the residue fraction.
20. The device according to Claim 17 or 18, characterized in that
a residue pre-cooling tank (15) with an emulsion unit (16) connected to it is arranged on the sedimentation compartment (10) in order to produce an oil-water emulsion from the residue fraction.
21. The device according to Claim 16, characterized in that
the condenser consists of a main condenser (30) and a pre-condenser (29), and the pre-condenser (29) is arranged between the cracking tower (27) and the main condenser (30) in order to pre-cool the oil gas.
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22. The device according to Claim 16, characterized in that
a multi-circuit cooling system (34) is connected to the main condenser (30).
23. The device according to Claim 16, characterized in that
said device has a multi-circuit heating system (38) for generating the process heat for the melting tank (7), evaporation tank (20) and re-heater (23).
24. The device according to Claim 16, characterized in that
the melting tank (7) and the evaporation tank (20) as well as, if applicable, the re-heater (29), have an exterior heating jacket (8,21) and/or heating coils (56,57), which can be heated up by means of the shared heating system (38) for the heat-transfer medium.
Dated this 18th day of July, 2006

ABSTRACT
A method for recovering fractional hydrocarbons from reclaimed plastic materials and/or from oily residues, said reclaimed plastic materials and/or residues being sorted according to type and compacted using a feed system (1,2,3,4) in the absence of air, after which the compacted mass is fed to, a melting tank (7) preferably below the liquid level, where it is heated, so that a separation occurs into a first liquid phase, a first gas phase and a residue fraction, after which the liquid phase and the first gas phase are transported into an evaporation tank (20) in which a second liquid phase and a second gas phase are formed under continued heat input, whereby the second liquid phase is transferred to a re-heater (23) and additionally heated there under further heat input so that a third gas phase is formed, after which the second gas phase from the evaporation tank (20) and the third gas phase from the, re-heater (23) are conveyed to a cracking tower (27) where further cracking of the long-chained hydrocarbons into short-chained hydrocarbons takes place, and the resulting oil gas is then conveyed to a condenser (30) in which the oil gas is condensed to form liquid oil, whereby the oil constitutes |ie target product.
To,
The Controller of Patents
The Patent Office
Mumbai.

Documents:

853-mumnp-2006-abstract.doc

853-mumnp-2006-abstract.pdf

853-mumnp-2006-claim.doc

853-mumnp-2006-claims.pdf

853-mumnp-2006-correspondence-received.pdf

853-mumnp-2006-description (complete).pdf

853-mumnp-2006-drawings.pdf

853-mumnp-2006-form-1.pdf

853-mumnp-2006-form-2.doc

853-mumnp-2006-form-2.pdf

853-mumnp-2006-form-3.pdf

853-mumnp-2006-form-5.pdf

853-mumnp-2006-pct-searchreport.pdf

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Patent Number

234462

Indian Patent Application Number

853/MUMNP/2006

PG Journal Number

28/2009

Publication Date

10-Jul-2009

Grant Date

29-May-2009

Date of Filing

18-Jul-2006

Name of Patentee

NILL TECH GMBH

Applicant Address

ROBERT-BOSCH-STRASSE 11, 71088 HOLZGERLINGEN,

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	NILL,WOLF-EBERHARD	IM-HIMMEL 46, DE-71069 STUTTGART,
2	SCHMILLEN,Anton	Blumenstrasse 4/4, D-71116 G, ringen,
3	WESER,Gerold	Dorfstrasse 32, CH-5405, Baden/Dettwill,

PCT International Classification Number

C10G1/10,1/00

PCT International Application Number

PCT/EP05/000661

PCT International Filing date

2005-01-24

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	10 2004003667.5	2004-01-24	Germany
2	PCT/EP2005/000504	2005-01-20	Germany