Device for conveying fuels into a gasification reactor

A method of conveying fuel comprising bulk material into a gasification reactor that has a lateral infeed opening, wherein the fuel is conveyed to the lateral infeed opening through a conveying pipe, said conveying pipe comprising a first cylindrical section and a second section being arranged downstream of the first cylindrical section and having an internal cross-section, which decreases continuously in the conveying direction of the fuel in order to form a compacting cone, wherein the second section is configured as an exchangeable pipe portion, the method comprising

• providing at least two exchangeable pipe portions, each configured to comprise a second section of the conveying pipe, said at least two exchangeable pipe portions having compacting cones that differ from each other in their degree of compaction,
• selecting one of said at least two exchangeable pipe portions based on a desired degree of compaction, the desired degree of compaction depending on the type of fuel to be conveyed,
• interposing a fitting between the exchangeable pipe portion and the lateral infeed opening, said fitting being configured to accept an exchangeable pipe portion selected from among the at least two exchangeable pipe portions,
• installing the selected exchangeable pipe portion,
• providing an adapter between the first cylindrical section of the conveying pipe and the exchangeable pipe portion, the adapter comprising an intermediate section for interconnecting the first cylindrical section of the conveying pipe and the exchangeable pipe portion, the adapter configured to allow for removal from the conveying pipe in the radial direction,
• discharging the fuel into the conveying pipe from a bulk material container, the bulk material container having a discharge hopper with a discharge opening to the first cylindrical section of the conveying pipe, and having a plurality of air injection openings distributed over the circumference of the discharge hopper in the region of the discharge opening,
• disintegrating the fuel, while being discharged, by means of air jets that are directed onto the fuel from the plurality of air injection openings,
• firstly conveying the fuel through said first cylindrical section of the conveying pipe by means of a hydraulically drivable plunger, which is movably guided in the conveying pipe towards the infeed opening, secondly conveying the fuel through said second section of the conveying pipe by means of the hydraulically drivable plunger, said second section being arranged downstream of the first cylindrical section, and compacting the fuel that is conveyed through the second section by means of said compacting cone,
• thirdly conveying the compacted fuel via the lateral infeed opening into the gasification reactor,
• cooling the second section of the conveying pipe including the compacting cone with a cooling jacket surrounding the second section, wherein a cooling fluid inlet and a cooling fluid outlet are connected to the cooling jacket, wherein the temperature of the cooling fluid withdrawn from the cooling jacket via the cooling fluid outlet is measured by means of a temperature sensor and the measured values are fed to a control device, which cooperates with a drive of a cooling fluid circulating pump, wherein the rate per time unit, at which the cooling fluid is conveyed, is controlled as a function of the measured cooling fluid temperature,
• wherein in the conveying the hydraulically drivable plunger is moved towards the infeed opening to reach its maximum working stroke in the conveying direction, wherein the hydraulically drivable plunger, at its maximum working stroke, blocks off the ingress of fuel from a bulk material container into the conveying pipe.