Apparatus for converting carbonaceous material into fuel gases and the recovery of energy therefrom
AssigneeRasor Associates, Inc.
InventorNed S. Rasor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention is concerned with novel apparatus and process for converting crude carbon such as coal, carbonaceous wastes and the like into valuable chemical products and/or energy. A mass of solid crude carbonaceous fuel is fed into a high temperature liquid which acts as a solvent for carbon at a temperature sufficient to carbonize the mass and by which the carbon is separated from impurities. Volatile fractions are removed from the mass which acts as a distillation column. Air, or another oxygen source, is introduced into the reactor wherein it reacts with the carbon dissolved in the liquid therein, which may preferably be iron to form a hot fuel gas. The hot fuel gas is then used to produce useful energy, generally via a stepwise procedure.
Claims29
Apparatus for converting a feed which includes a sulfur component and which yields carbon on being heated above a carbonization temperature thereof and which is solid at ambient temperature into a hot gas, comprising:
- a reactor;
- a liquid solvent for carbon which fills said reactor up to a liquid level therein below a top thereof;
- partition means, separating said reactor above said liquid level into a carbonization chamber and oxidation chamber means, said partition means terminating below said liquid level and above a bottom of said reactor to allow flow of liquid between said carbonization chamber and said oxidation chamber means, said partition means further defining a leaching chamber within said reactor separated above said liquid level from said carbonization chamber and said oxidation chamber means but allowing flow of liquid thereinto and thereoutof;
- means for introducing a feed which yields carbon on being heated above a carbonization temperature thereof and which is solid at ambient temperature into said carbonization chamber;
- means for introducing oxidizing means having an oxygen content into said oxidation chamber means to produce oxygen bound in said liquid solvent;
- means for causing flow of said liquid between said carbonization chamber and said oxidation chamber means;
- means for introducing a metal oxide, said metal forming a sulfide which is insoluble in said liquid and of a different density therefrom whereby said metal sulfide when formed separates into a sulfide layer, into said leaching chamber;
- means for conducting off gas formed by reaction of said metal oxide with sulfur and carbon dissolved in said liquid in said leaching chamber away therefrom;
- means for removing said sulfide layer from said leaching chamber;
- and
- means for conducting away from said oxidation chamber means a first hot gas formed therein.
Apparatus for converting a feed which yields carbon on being heated above a carbonization temperature thereof and which is solid at ambient temperature into a hot gas, comprising:
- a reactor;
- a liquid solvent for carbon which fills said reactor up to a liquid level therein below a top thereof;
- partition means, separating said reactor above said liquid level into a carbonization chamber and oxidation chamber means, said partition means terminating below said liquid level and above a bottom of said reactor to allow flow of liquid between said carbonization chamber and said oxidation chamber means;
- means for introducing a feed which yields carbon on being heated above a carbonization temperature thereof and which is solid at ambient temperature into said carbonization chamber, said feed introducing means comprising means for contacting a first end of a mass of said feed extending generally linearly into said carbonization chamber with said liquid;
- and means for progressively adding said feed to a second end of said mass to maintain the extension thereof into said carbonization chamber substantially constant and create a temperature gradient therealong;
- a plurality of volatile fraction takeoff means in flow communication with said mass along the length thereof for selectively removing fractions of differing volatilities therefrom;
- means for introducing oxidizing means having an oxygen content into said oxidation chamber means to produce oxygen bound in said liquid solvent;
- means for causing flow of said liquid between said carbonization chamber and said oxidation chamber means;
- and
- means for conducting away from said oxidation chamber means a first hot gas formed therein.
Apparatus for converting a feed which yields carbon on being heated above a carbonization temperature thereof and which is solid at ambient temperature into a hot gas, comprising:
- a reactor;
- a liquid solvent for carbon which fills said reactor up to a liquid level therein below a top thereof;
- partition means, separating said reactor above said liquid level into a carbonization chamber and oxidation chamber means, said partition means terminating below said liquid level and above a bottom of said reactor to allow a flow of liquid between said carbonization chamber and said oxidation chamber means;
- means for introducing a feed which yields carbon on being heated above a carbonization temperature thereof and which is solid at ambient temperature into said carbonization chamber;
- means for introducing oxidizing means having an oxygen content into said oxidation chamber means to produce oxygen bound in said liquid solvent;
- means for causing flow of said liquid between said carbonization chamber and said oxidation chamber means;
- means for conducting away from said oxidation chamber means a first hot gas formed therein;
- and
- back pressure creating means in said hot gas conducting means to prevent flow of said hot gas therethrough unless the pressure thereof reaches a required value;
- and wherein said liquid level comprises a first liquid level in said carbonization chamber and a second liquid level in said oxidation chamber means and the difference in height between said first and second liquid levels comprises a hydraulic pressure head of said liquid generally equal to said required hot gas pressure value.
Apparatus for converting a feed which yields carbon on being heated above a carbonization temperature thereof and which is solid at ambient temperature into a hot gas, comprising:
- a reactor;
- a liquid solvent for carbon which fills said reactor up to a liquid level therein below a top thereof;
- partition means, separating said reactor above said liquid level into a carbonization chamber and oxidation chamber means, said partition means terminating below said liquid level and above a bottom of said reactor to allow flow of liquid between said carbonization chamber and said oxidation chamber means;
- means for introducing a feed which yields carbon on being heated above a carbonization temperature thereof and which is solid at ambient temperature into said carbonization chamber, said feed introducing means comprising means for contacting a generally circular mass of said feed extending into said carbonization chamber with said liquid;
- and means for progressively adding said feed to a central portion of said mass to maintain the extention thereof into said carbonization chamber substantially constant and create a temperature gradient from said central portion to a peripheral portion of said mass;
- means for causing flow of said liquid between said carbonization chamber and said oxidation chamber means;
- a plurality of volatile fraction takeoff means in flow communication with said carbonization chamber extending radially along said mass for selectively removing fractions of differing volatilities therefrom;
- and
- means for conducting away from said oxidation chamber means a first hot gas formed therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.