# US 2016/0115405 A1 · Organic Fuel and Waste Reformer > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0115405 A1 - Document ID: US20160115405A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/921,981 - Filed: 2015-10-23 - Published: 2016-04-28 - Earliest claimed: 2014-10-24 - Assignees: Pioneer Astronautics - Applicants: Pioneer Astronautics - Inventors: Robert Zubrin; Mark Berggren; Stacy Lorraine Carrera - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160115405A1 ## CPC - C10J 3/34: Grates; Mechanical ash-removing devices - C07C 1/0485: {Set-up of reactors or accessories; Multi-step processes} - C10J 3/06: Continuous processes - C10J 3/726: {Start-up} - C10J 3/82: Gas withdrawal means - C10K 1/205: {Methods and apparatus for treating the purifying masses without their regeneration (recovering of sulfur C01B17/00; recovering of cyanide compounds C01C3/00)} - C10K 3/026: {Increasing the carbon monoxide content, e.g. reverse water-gas shift [RWGS]} - C10K 3/04: reducing the carbon monoxide content {, e.g. water-gas shift [WGS]} - C25B 1/04: by electrolysis of water - C10J 2200/33: Laboratory scale gasifiers - C10J 2300/0916: Biomass - C10J 2300/092: Wood, cellulose - C10J 2300/093: Coal - C10J 2300/094: Char - C10J 2300/0959: Oxygen - C10J 2300/0976: as steam - C10J 2300/0986: Catalysts - C10J 2300/1656: Conversion of synthesis gas to chemicals - C10J 2300/1659: to liquid hydrocarbons - C10J 2300/1662: to methane - C10J 2300/1665: to alcohols, e.g. methanol or ethanol - C10J 2300/1853: Steam reforming, i.e. injection of steam only - Y02E 50/10: Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel - Y02E 50/30: Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel - Y02E 60/36: Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis - Y02P 20/00: Technologies relating to chemical industry - Y02P 20/129: Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines - Y02P 20/145: the feedstock being materials of biological origin - C10J: PRODUCTION OF PRODUCER GAS, WATER-GAS, SYNTHESIS GAS FROM SOLID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL, OR MIXTURES CONTAINING THESE GASES (synthesis gas from liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons C01B; underground gasification of minerals E21B43/295); CARBURETTING AIR OR OTHER GASES - C07C: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS - C10K: PURIFYING OR MODIFYING THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF COMBUSTIBLE GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE - C25B: ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOUNDS OR NON-METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR (anodic or cathodic protection C23F13/00; single-crystal growth C30B) - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract This invention pertains to the non-catalytic oxygenated steam reforming of organic matter to produce a gas mixture rich in hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The reforming gas is used for production of methane, methanol, dimethyl ether, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other compounds via downstream processing catalytic gas-phase processes and electrolysis. The reforming gas may also be combusted directly for electricity generation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process for oxygenated steam reforming of organic matter to a gas product of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and water comprising: a. Injection of oxygen and steam preheated by process waste into a reaction zone along with said organic matter; b. Operating the process at temperatures above 400 C and up to 1,500 C in the reformer section; c. Operating the process at pressures near atmospheric pressure to 200 bar in the absence of a catalyst; and, d. Partially combusting said organic matter with oxygen to generate heat that is used to reform the remainder of the organic matter in the presence of steam to form said product gas. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 in which the organic matter is gas, liquid, or solid household wastes, organic agriculture, forestry, fishing wastes, organic construction wastes, organic manufacturing or industrial wastes, organic municipal or sanitary wastes, organic medical wastes, organic chemicals, fuels, organic matter from chemicals, fuels including those derived from petroleum, lignite, coal, shale, natural gas, or mixed organic wastes including those produced at human space exploration outposts in which the organic matter fed to the reformer consists of as-is material, a shredded, chopped, crushed, or ground feed, or feed otherwise reduced in size or compacted or pelletized to achieve the particle size range optimum for reforming. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 in which water for steam reforming is fed at rates sufficient for reforming, in excess of that for reforming and introduced manually, by automatic controls, and is premixed with organic matter, pumped, injected separately, mixed with an oxygen source selected from atmospheric air, cryogenically produced pure oxygen source, concentrated or partially concentrated oxygen generated by pressure-swing, vacuum-swing, temperature-swing, absorption methods, membrane separation, or other oxygen concentration or nitrogen removal devices. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 in which chemical compounds or absorbents are added to the organic matter to trap contaminants such as sulfur, chlorine, fluorine, and other contaminants contained in the feed and released during reforming or are located in the hot, moist reformer exhaust, or are located in the dried reformer exhaust. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 in which charcoal, carbon, or unprocessed organic matter is loaded into the reformer at a location downstream of the reaction zone to provide a physical support for the organic matter being processed and to provide a back up source of fuel in the event of feed depletion or other upset. ### Claim 6 A process for production of high quality methane in a methanation reactor system by reacting carbon monoxide and hydrogen in a methanation reactor system comprising: a. Efficient thermal management via internal and external heat exchangers b. Product gas separation via membranes; and, c. Gas recycling via gas compressors. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 in which the methanation reactor feed gases are first passed through an indirect heat exchanger contained within the methanation reactor ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 in which the product gas resulting from methanation is used directly as fuel or other uses or is stored for later use. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 in which the ratio of hydrogen to carbon oxides is varied by separating component gases to enable complete carbon oxide conversions to methane at higher hydrogen ratios. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 in which a part or all of the water present in the steam reformer and/or the methanation reactor exhaust is condensed and fed to an electrolysis system for production of hydrogen and oxygen. ### Claim 11 A device for oxygenated steam reforming of organic matter to produce a gas containing predominately hydrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and water where product gas may be used as feed for electricity generation, methanation reactions, methanol and dimethyl ether synthesis, and other organic chemical conversion reactions comprising: a. A feeding system to deliver organic matter to a reaction zone containing an injector arrangement for oxygen and steam preheated by waste heat for controlled addition of oxygen and steam in the absence of catalyst, b. A grid to support reacted residue and to allow reformer gases to pass to the exhaust gas line, c. A residue removal system, d. A heat exchanger to transfer waste heat from reformer exhaust gas to the oxygen and steam feeds, e. A trap to capture contaminants contained in the organic matter feed, and f. A condenser system to remove water from reformer gases. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11 which is equipped with a feed magazine of a size required to provide continuous feed of organic matter for a designated operating time, a semi-continuous feed system such as a lock-hopper, auger, or other feeding device to allow for extended operating time and in which the organic matter is metered manually or via automatic controls. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11 in which oxygen and steam are metered manually, metered through an automated feed control system, fed separately into the reformer, metered through an automated feed control system and are passed through a mixer prior to injection into the reformer and in which a concentric jacket surrounding all or a portion of the reformer length is installed for purposes of cooling the reformer reactor shell preheating oxygen and steam and in which single or multiple ports are installed to allow the oxygenated steam to enter the reformer reaction zone at one or more positions along the reformer length. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11 in which a plate or disk or screen is installed at a location downstream of the reaction zone to provide a physical support for charcoal, carbon, or organic matter residue including a mechanism such as an auger, lock hopper, or other material flow device installed for continuously or periodically removing accumulated inorganic matter, unreacted organic matter, a mechanism to allow the oxygenated steam reforming vessel to be inverted for periodic removal of accumulated inorganic matter and/or unreacted organic matter through the feed flange or seal system, a pneumatic or vacuum system for removal of accumulated inorganic matter and unreacted organic matter through the feed flange or seal system when the system is idle. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11 in which a boiler or steam generator is installed to vaporize water during start up of the reformer and to further increase the temperature of water that is preheated and/or vaporized via heat exchange from the reformer system, methanation system, or other downstream reaction system. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11 in which a heat exchanger is installed for cooling or partially cooling the hot steam reforming exhaust gases using water, steam, or oxygen fed to the reformer or using separate air, water, or other cooling and chilling media and in which a condenser is used to remove a part of or all of the moisture prior to feeding gases to downstream methanation or other reaction systems. ### Claim 17 A device to perform methanation of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide gases with hydrogen comprising: a. an integrated internal indirect heat exchanger b. a recycle gas compressor, and c. a gas separation membrane for recycle of unreacted hydrogen and carbon oxides to the catalytic reactor zone ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17 in which provision is made to allow moisture present in the reforming gas to remain in the methanation reactor feed to prevent carbon formation. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17 in which provision is made to load catalyst comprising ruthenium, nickel, or other suitable catalyst into the methanation reactor. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17 in which internal and external heaters are installed for start up and temperature control between 250 C and 600 C in which materials of construction are selected to allow for operation at pressures near ambient to 200 bar. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17 in which provision is made to inject supplemental hydrogen produced by water electrolysis or other means to allow for methanation reactions to take place under substoichiometric hydrogen conditions, stoichiometric conditions, or excess hydrogen conditions for which hydrogen can be used to control reaction extent and reactor temperatures. ### Claim 22 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17 in which an indirect heat exchanger is installed inside the methanation reactor to transfer reaction heat to the methanation reactor feed gases which are first passed through said heat exchanger and create within a single vessel first a favorable reaction zone in which methanation reactions are carried out at relatively high rates at relatively higher temperature and second a favorable reaction zone in which methanation reactions are carried out to a relatively high equilibrium conversion at relatively lower temperature and in which provisions are installed to subsequently cool or partially cool said gas via radiative, convective, or conductive heat exchange prior to introduction to the methanation reactor catalyst zone. ### Claim 23 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17 in which a heat exchanger is installed to indirectly cool or partially cool the hot methanation reactor exhaust gases against water, steam, or oxygen being fed to the reformer, indirect radiative heat exchanger using air or other cooling media including a chiller to cool or partially cool methanation reactor exhaust gases and to condense and remove moisture contained in the methanation reactor exhaust gases. ### Claim 24 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17 in which an exhaust system is installed to direct the dry product gas resulting from methanation for use as fuel, other purposes, or storage installed for later use of methanation product gas. ### Claim 25 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17 in which a gas compressor and separation membrane are installed for recovery of carbon dioxide-rich, hydrogen plus carbon dioxide-rich, or hydrogen-rich gases that are partially or entirely recycled to the methanation reactor simultaneous with recovery of methane-rich gas that is used directly as fuel, stored, sold, or used as a feed to downstream reaction systems. ### Claim 26 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17 in which an electrolysis system is installed to process part or all of the condensed water present in the steam reformer exhaust, methanation reactor exhaust for production of hydrogen and oxygen gas with provision to direct hydrogen to the methanation reactor and oxygen to the oxygenated steam reforming reactor with provisions to compress, liquefy, store, sell hydrogen and oxygen produced in excess of reforming and methanation process requirements. ### Claim 27 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17 in which an infrared gas analyzer or other analysis hardware is installed to determine the composition of the product gas from methanation in near real time in which a data acquisition and control system is installed using said composition data for feedback control to adjust the hydrogen addition rate to the methanation reactor and to adjust the electrolyzer rate to produce hydrogen accordingly. ### Claim 28 A device to remove organic matter such as tar and dissolved organic matter from steam reforming condensate comprising: a. Oxidation in aqueous phase, or b. Oxidation in gaseous phase. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The device of claim 28 in which provision is made to inject oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, other oxidizing materials into a non-catalytic reaction zone to oxidize tars and organic matter present in condensate in aqueous or gaseous form at temperatures above ambient to 1000 C and pressures near ambient to 200 bar, into a catalytic reaction zone containing copper or other suitable wet oxidation catalysts to oxidize tars and organic matter present in condensate in aqueous or gaseous form at temperatures above ambient to 1000 C and pressures near ambient to 200 bar.