Reactor for the hydrothermal oxidation treatment of an organic material in a reaction medium

A reactor for the hydrothermal oxidation treatment of an organic material in a reaction medium, the reactor comprising:

• an enclosure delimiting a cavity;
• a confinement member, which is housed in the cavity, the confinement member defining an internal confinement zone for containing the reaction medium, and an external peripheral zone;
• at least one oxidizing fluid inlet for introducing an oxidizing fluid into the external peripheral zone;
• at least one first cooling system configured to cool the oxidizing fluid at the oxidizing fluid inlet in a first portion of the external peripheral zone, so as to define a cold peripheral zone;
• at least one heating system for heating the oxidizing fluid in a second portion of the external peripheral zone, prior to its introduction into the internal confinement zone, so as to define a hot peripheral zone;
• and
• at least one introduction channel for introducing a loaded fluid, comprising the organic material and water, into the internal confinement zone, said introduction channel being provided with an introduction mouthpiece through which the loaded fluid is introduced into the introduction channel;
• an outlet from the internal confinement zone for discharging effluents produced in the internal confinement zone from the enclosure;
• the confinement member having two opposing ends, one end being located in the cold peripheral zone and the other end being located in the hot peripheral zone;
• the internal confinement zone and the external peripheral zone being in fluid communication via at least one opening arranged in the end of the confinement member located in the hot peripheral area;
• wherein the reactor further comprises:
• a stirring system of the introduction channel adapted to create turbulence in the loaded fluid in said introduction channel;
• at least one second cooling system adapted to create, in the loaded fluid, a temperature gradient along the introduction channel between a cold temperature, lower than a reaction temperature prevailing in the internal confinement zone, and the reaction temperature;
• a mixing zone in which the organic material and an aqueous fluid are mixed to form the loaded fluid, said mixing zone being upstream of the introduction mouthpiece;
• and wherein the first cooling system is an outer circulation cold loop having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet opening into the cold peripheral zone, and the heating system is an outer circulation hot loop having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet opening into the hot peripheral zone, each circulation loop being equipped with a circulator and a heat exchanger, and having as a coolant the oxidizing fluid circulating in the external peripheral zone, an element being placed in the external peripheral zone to separate the cold and hot loops, while allowing the oxidizing fluid to pass from the cold peripheral zone to the hot peripheral zone.