US 4,123,332 AGranted

Process and apparatus for carbonizing a comminuted solid carbonizable material

AssigneeEnergy Recovery Research Group, Inc.

InventorFranz Rotter

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Abstract

Process and apparatus for treating a comminuted solid carbonizable material, such as comminuted municipal waste; sawdust, granulated coal, shredded tires and the like wherein the material is caused to be pyrolyzed in a horizontally disposed elongated reaction zone essentially free of any oxygen containing gases at ambient pressure and at a temperature of from 400.degree. C. to 900.degree. C. The material is passed through the reaction zone by paddle-like impellers mounted on a shaft while being subject to an indirect heat transfer relationship via a burning air fuel mixture spirally swirling within a heating zone about the reaction zone and the mixture being withdrawn from a lower portion of the heating zone. During pyrolysis, the material is chemically changed into valuable gaseous, liquid and solid products.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A process for carbonizing a comminuted solid carbonizable material to form combustible gases, vaporous hydrocarbons and solid residue which comprises:

(a) introducing said comminuted solid carbonizable material into an elongated horizontally-extending reaction zone under conditions to effectively exclude oxygen-containing gases therefrom;
(b) passing said comminuted solid carbonizable material as a bed through said reaction zone;
(c) agitating said bed of comminuted solid carbonizable material during passage through said reaction zone;
(d) introducing a burning mixture of an oxygen-containing combustion gas and fuel into a heating zone surrounding said reaction zone in a manner to spirally pass said burning mixture through said heating zone generally countercurrent to said bed of comminuted solid carbonizable material passing through said reaction zone thereby to carbonize said comminuted solid carbonizable material to form said combustible gases, vaporous hydrocarbons and solid residue;
(e) withdrawing combusted gases from said heating zone at a point below a horizontal plane passing through the axis of said heating zone;
(f) withdrawing said solid residue from an outlet end of said reaction zone under conditions to effectively exclude oxygen-containing gases therefrom;
and
(g) withdrawing said combustible gases and vaporous hydrocarbons from said reaction zone under conditions to effectively exclude oxygen-containing gases.

5 more elements

An apparatus for carbonizing comminuted solid carbonizable material to form a gas-vapor mixture and a solid residue which comprises:

(a) a substantially horizontally disposed elongated vessel having end walls forming a reaction zone, said vessel having a solid material inlet conduit, a solid residue outlet conduit and a gas-vapor mixture outlet conduit;
(b) a jacket disposed about said vessel and having end walls thereby forming a heating zone with said vessel, said jacket having an exhaust gas outlet conduit, said gas outlet conduit being positioned at a point below a horizontal plane passing through the axis of said jacket;
(c) feed means in communication with said solid material inlet conduit of said vessel for introducing said comminuted solid carbonizable material into said vessel through said solid material conduit under conditions to effectively exclude oxygen-containing gases therefrom;
(d) means for conveying said comminuted solid carbonizable material through said vessel as an agitated moving bed of said material;
(e) combustion means for introducing a mixture of an oxygen-containing combustion gas and fuel into said heating zone for burning therein, said combustion means being disposed so as to cause said burning mixture to spirally pass through said heat zone about said reaction zone to said exhaust outlet conduit of said jacket in a direction generally countercurrent to said agitated moving bed of said comminuted solid carbonizable material;
(f) outlet means in communication with said solid residue outlet conduit of said vessel for removing said solid residue from said vessel through said solid residue oulet conduit under conditions to effectively exclude oxygen-containing gases therefrom;
and
(g) outlet means in fluid communication with said gas-vapor mixture outlet conduit of said vessel for withdrawing said gas-vapor mixture from said vessel under conditions to effectively exclude oxygen-containing gases therefrom.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 05/830,753Filed 6 Sep 1977
Granted: 31 Oct 1978
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

C10B 7/10
Coke ovens with mechanical conveying means for the raw material inside the oven: with conveyor-screws
C10B 47/44
In ovens with mechanical conveying means: with conveyor-screws
C10B 53/00
Destructive distillation, specially adapted for particular solid raw materials or solid raw
C10B 53/07
Destructive distillation, specially adapted for particular solid raw materials or solid raw materials in special form: of solid raw materials…