Treatment of waste material
AssigneePowerhouse Energy Group PLC
InventorDavid Ryan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of treating comminuted waste material, the method comprises: a) feeding comminuted waste material into a heating chamber (28); b) introducing steam into the heating chamber (28); c) contacting the steam and comminuted waste material; d) heating the steam and comminuted waste material to generate a combustible gas; and e) altering or controlling the ratio of steam to comminuted waste material such that the generated combustible gas comprises a target amount (e.g. value or percentage) of a component thereof.
Claims20
A method of treating comminuted waste material, the method comprising:
- a) continuously feeding comminuted waste material into an inlet of a rotatable heating chamber;
- b) introducing steam into the rotatable heating chamber via a steam introducer located within said inlet;
- c) contacting the steam and comminuted waste material upon entry of the steam within said rotatable heating chamber;
- d) heating the steam and comminuted waste material to generate a continuous egress of a combustible gas at an outlet of said rotatable heating chamber;
- and
- e) automatically altering or controlling the ratio of steam to comminuted waste material such that the generated combustible gas comprises a target amount of a component thereof.
A method of treating comminuted waste material, the method comprising:
- a) heating water using one or more combustion heaters to generate steam;
- b) introducing the generated steam into a steam introducer located at an inlet of a rotatable heating chamber;
- c) continuously feeding comminuted waste material into said inlet and heating the comminuted waste material upon entry of the generated steam into the rotatable heating chamber to generate a continuous egress of a combustible gas at an outlet of said rotatable heating chamber;
- and
- d) supplying at least a portion of the combustible gas to the one or more combustion heaters for heating the water.
An apparatus for treating comminuted waste material, the apparatus comprising:
- a rotatable heating chamber comprising an inlet for the continuous feeding of comminuted waste material into the rotatable heating chamber, and an outlet for continuous egress of a generated combustible gas from the rotatable heating chamber;
- a steam introduction system for introducing steam into the rotatable heating chamber, the steam introduction system comprising a steam introducer for introducing steam into the rotatable heating chamber, wherein the steam introducer is located within the inlet for continuously feeding comminuted waste material into the rotatable heating chamber, and is configured such that the steam contacts the comminuted waste material as it enters the rotatable heating chamber;
- a heater for heating a mixture of steam and comminuted waste material in the rotatable heating chamber, in use, to generate a combustible gas;
- and
- a controller configured to automatically alter or control, in use, the ratio of steam to comminuted waste material in the rotatable heating chamber such that a combustible gas generated therefrom comprises a target amount of a component thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.