System and method for gasification of solid carbonaceous fuels

Abstract

A system is disclosed for the conversion of solid carbonaceous fuels to combustible gases having a high energy content. The system utilizes a two-stage reaction system where a particulate fuel is entrained in a high velocity, hot gas stream emanating from a fixed-bed char reactor, the particulate fuel delivered to a gasification reactor by the hot gas stream while being rapidly heated (fast pyrolized). The gases produced are drawn a fixed distance through a bed of char at the bottom of the gasification reactor, after which they are withdrawn from the reactor and cooled. To promote methanation, the generated gases, after passing through the fixed bed of char in the gasification reactor, exit the reactor through a dip leg within the reactor filled with a catalyst which promotes methanation. Char from the gasification reactor is continuously removed and delivered to the fixed-bed char reactor where an oxygen-containing gas (air or oxygen) and steam are injected into the bed of char to produce the hot gas stream used to entrain the incoming particulate solid fuel.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.