Reactor and process for gasifying and/or melting of feed materials

A method of gasifying a carbonaceous feedstock material to generate hot reducing gases using a reactor, the method including the steps of:

• choke-feeding a carbonaceous feedstock material via a sluice to form a discharge bed in a pyrolysis zone of the reactor;
• heating the discharge bed in the pyrolysis zone to initiate pyrolysis in the carbonaceous feedstock material and to form a pyrolysis product;
• providing a lower lying hot upper oxidation zone in the reactor by supplying a source of oxygen at a temperature of at least 800° C. to the reactor at a location beneath the pyrolysis zone;
• gasifying the pyrolysis product and remaining un-pyrolyzed carbonaceous feedstock material in the hot upper oxidation zone to form a char bed in an upper reduction zone of the reactor, the upper reduction zone being located beneath the hot upper oxidation zone;
• converting thermal energy into chemical energy in the upper reduction zone;
• providing a lower lying hot lower oxidation zone in the reactor by supplying a source of oxygen at a temperature of at least 800° C. to the reactor at a location beneath a lower reduction zone of the reactor;
• collecting any metal and/or slag melts present in the lower oxidation zone;
• removing the metal and/or slag melts present in the lower oxidation zone;
• and
• discharging hot reducing gases having a temperature of at least 1300° C. and a CO/CO2 ratio of ≥5 which have been generated in the upper reduction zone through a gas outlet located in a gas outlet section of the reactor, the gas outlet section being located between the upper reduction zone and the lower reduction zone of the reactor.