Process and apparatus for feeding particulate material into a pressure vessel

Abstract

An improved method and apparatus for feeding a crushed or pulverized solid supply material such as coal or the like, from a supply source under ambient pressure into a reactor or the like which is under significantly higher pressure; such as in connection with a hydrogenation/oxidation process producing so-called "fuel" or "synthesis" gases. A liquefied gas such as carbon dioxide or the like, is fed under pressure into a moving supply of such materials (as may be contained in a closed casing screw conveyor/extruder or the like) in order to form a slurry which is suitable to be pumped into the receiver against its superior pressure. Process temperatures are so controlled that as the input liquefied gas component of the slurry migrates toward the lower pressure feed inlet end of the conveyor in response to the superior pressure at the discharge end of the conveyor, it solidifies into solid particles which intermingle with and substantially fill the interstices between the supply material particles. There is thus provided a pressure differential "block" which opposes the higher reactor pressure such as would otherwise cause gas blow-backs through the supply material system; and therefore the need for intermediate pressure-lock devices is obviated. Ancillary means for efficient supply/recovery/reuse of the slurrying gas and heat transfer supply liquids involved in the process are also disclosed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.