Continuous thermal reactor system and method

A continuous thermal reactor comprising a reactor vessel defining an elongated upright reaction chamber having a feed inlet in the upper portion thereof for introducing a particulated carbonaceous feed material and a residue outlet in the lower portion thereof for withdrawing the pyrolyzed residue, supply means for supplying the feed material to said feed inlet, a pebble heater having a pebble inlet and a pebble outlet, a first conduit connected to said pebble outlet for transferring heated pebbles into the upper portion of said reaction chamber, distributor means in the upper portion of said reaction chamber for mixing a portion of the pebbles with the feed material in the form of a downwardly moving columnar reaction mass and for distributing the remaining portion of the pebbles substantially devoid of any feed material in the form of a downwardly moving upstream layer and a downwardly moving downstream layer overlying and surrounding said reaction mass, a gas inlet for introducing a gas into said reaction chamber along a region intermediate of said feed inlet and said residue outlet for passage substantially transversely through said upstream layer, said reaction mass and said downstream layer;

• a gas outlet for withdrawing the gas and gaseous pyrolysis products from said reaction chamber along a region disposed adjacent to said downstream layer and transversely spaced from said gas inlet, a separator in the lower portion of said chamber for separating the pyrolyzed residue from said pellets, and a second conduit connected to said pebble inlet for withdrawing and recirculating the separated pebbles to said pebble heater.