High pressure coal gasifier feeding apparatus

A centrifugal pump operable to feed carbonaceous matter, particularly pulverized coal, and gases to a reactor, where the pressure within the reactor is higher than ambient pressure, comprising:

• (a) a housing comprising:
• (i) a hopper;
• (ii) a hopper cover connected to the first end of said hopper;
• (iii) a tubular jacket fixed to the second end of said hopper and extending therefrom;
• and
• (iv) an impeller housing in the form of a frustoconical section extending from the end of said tubular jacket opposite said hopper;
• (b) means for conducting said carbonaceous material into said hopper;
• (c) a drive shaft centrally positioned within said centrifugal pump, extending through said hopper and said hopper cover, said hopper cover surrounding and sealing the first end section of said drive shaft to prevent the escape of said carbonaceous material from said hopper adjacent said first end of said drive shaft, said drive shaft extending through said tubular jacket along the central axis thereof;
• (d) a spiral flute fixed radially to and surrounding at least a portion of said drive shaft, said spiral flute having successive edges which increase in diameter such that said edges track a frustoconical section having its smallest diameter at the lead end of said spiral flute and its largest diameter at the trailing end of said spiral flute, said spiral flute being arranged in such a way that each flight of said spiral flute, beginning at the lead end thereof, is spaced closer to the next succeeding flight than to the next previous flight, at least one flight of said spiral flute, beginning at the lead end thereof, comprising spaced-apart non-continuous sections arranged to release gases which are entrained in said carbonaceous material prior to being conducted into said centrifugal pump;
• (e) means for rotating said drive shaft connected in driving relation to said drive shaft;
• (f) an impeller, mounted to the second end of said drive shaft, and rotatably mounted within said centrifugal pump and aligned with the axis of rotation of said drive shaft, said impeller which is frustoconically shaped, the smaller diameter of which is equal to and abutted against the said second end of said drive shaft, said impeller containing an interior cavity generally shaped as said impeller is shaped, said impeller being hollow, the included angle of said frustoconical shape of said impeller being greater than the included angle of said frustoconical section of said impeller housing, said impeller housing being positioned to symmetrically surround said impeller;
• (g) a slinger fixed to and capping the larger diameter of said impeller, said slinger being aligned with the axis of rotation of said impeller;
• (h) a plurality of gas discharge nozzles forming conduits from said interior cavity of said impeller to the exterior of said cavity, located peripherally upon said impeller, adjacent to said slinger, and being generally evenly spaced apart thereabout;
• (i) a gas channel traversing through the length of said drive shaft positioned about the axis of rotation of said drive shaft and opening into said interior cavity of said impeller;
• (j) a plurality of vanes longitudinally mounted on said impeller, spaced apart equally thereon, each of said vanes being substantially triangular in shape, said triangle shape being substantially equal in size to the triangular gap formed between said impeller and said impeller housing, each of said vanes tapering away from said slinger, being greatest in width at said abutment of said impeller and said drive shaft, each of said vanes extending longitudinally along said drive shaft from said impeller to a section of said drive shaft adjacent to said trailing end of said spiral flute, the end of said vanes most proximate to said trailing end of said spiral flute being canted from the longitudinal toward the direction of the angle of the spiral of said spiral flute, said ends providing means for the transition of movement of said carbonaceous material past said spiral flute down into the sprues, each of which is defined by two adjacent vanes, said impeller and said impeller housing;
• (k) means, operable upon said drive shaft, for longitudinally moving said drive shaft and impeller away from and towards said impeller housing, thereby increasing and decreasing, respectively, said gap between said impeller and said impeller housing.