Combustion heater for oil shale
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorsRichard G. Mallon, Otis R. Walton, Arthur E. Lewis, Robert L. Braun
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A combustion heater for oil shale heats particles of spent oil shale containing unburned char by burning the char. A delayed fall is produced by flowing the shale particles down through a stack of downwardly sloped overlapping baffles alternately extending from opposite sides of a vertical column. The delayed fall and flow reversal occurring in passing from each baffle to the next increase the residence time and increase the contact of the oil shale particles with combustion supporting gas flowed across the column to heat the shale to about 650.degree.-700.degree. C. for use as a process heat source.
Claims8
A combustion heater, comprising:
- a vertical column having a pair of opposing sides;
- a vertically spaced stack of alternately opposed overlapping downwardly sloped stationary solid baffles mounted in the column, successive baffles extending from opposing sides of the column, to produce a delayed continuous fall of a stream of material containing a combustible component through the column to produce segregation of particles in a layer of material by size as the material flows down one baffle, and an inversion of the layer as flow is reversed in passing to the next baffle, the baffles comprising a first segment having a slope, measured from the horizontal, in the range of about 24.degree.-60.degree. and a second segment joined to and above the first segment, the slope of the second segment being greater than the slope of the first segment, the stack of baffles being arranged so that the lower tip of one baffle is above and slightly offset from the junction between the first and second segments of the next baffle;
- and
- a plurality of inlet ports and outlet ports in opposing sides of the column and below the baffles to provide a cross-flow of combustion supporting gas through the column to contact material as it falls through the column and support combustion of the combustible component to heat the material, the ports being sufficient to provide combustion supporting gas substantially uniformly through the column and to allow sufficiently low output gas flux at each port to minimize removal of fine burned material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.