Apparatus for gasifying organic materials
AssigneesHylsa S.A. de C.V., GTS Duratek, Inc.
InventorsNorman G. Bishop, Ricardo Viramontes-Brown
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process and apparatus for gasification of organic materials (typically incorporated in domestic and industrial wastes, including auto shredder residues) to produce useful synthesis gas (primarily CO & H.sub.2) with effectively non-toxic ash residue by means of a preferably stoichiometric burner directed into a single stage reactor containing a tumbling charge thus heated to 650.degree. to 800.degree. C. (below the incipient fusion temperature of the charge) resulting in thermally cracking and gasifying the organic materials in the charge and reacting the complex hydrocarbons and gas evolved with the CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O generated by the burner by combustion of a fuel and oxygen-containing gas at a high flame temperature, typically 2500.degree. to 3000.degree. C.
Claims19
Apparatus for gasifying a charge containing significant amounts of organic materials to produce a synthesis gas, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) a rotary reactor having a substantially horizontal axis of rotation with a refractory lining and with respective openings only at a charge end and at an opposing discharge end;
- (b) a reactor charging device operative to feed the organic material containing charge through the opening at the charge end of the reactor in a manner to atmospherically seal the latter opening;
- (c) a reactor-rotating drive for tumbling materials charged within said rotary reactor whereby such materials are mixed and caused to move, by effect of such tumbling action and by the volumetric displacement in the bed of added materials charged into said reactor, from said charge end to said discharge end;
- (d) at least one flame-projecting continuous burner having a fuel supply and an oxygen-containing gas supply and any such burner being located at and directed into said reactor, only through its discharge opening, to above the bed formed of any of such materials charged therein and being capable of producing heat sufficient to pyrolyse and gasify organic materials present inside said reactor by combustion of supplied fuel with supplied oxygen-containing gas;
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- (e) reactor seals substantially isolating the interior of said reactor.
Apparatus for gasifying a charge containing organic materials to produce a synthesis gas, said apparatus comprising:
- a) a rotary reactor having respective openings only at a charge end and at an opposing discharge end, and a hearth having a barrel-shaped volume defined by a generally conical tapered wall converging from the mid-portion of said reactor towards said discharge end and said charge end, adapted to retain a bed of solid organic materials and residue within a high temperature atmosphere;
- b) a device for feeding said charge containing organic materials through the opening at the charge end of the reactor in a manner to atmospherically seal said opening at the charge end;
- c) at least one projecting burner entering said reactor through said discharge opening whereby the flame produced by said burner by combustion of oxygen and a suitable fuel within said reactor heats and pyrolyses the organic materials in said charge;
- d) a reactor-rotating drive for causing said reactor to rotate whereby said charge containing organic materials is tumbled within said rotary reactor and is moved from said charge end to said discharge end;
- e) a discharge device located at the discharge end of said reactor and being capable of separately discharging said residue from said reactor concurrently with the stream of hot synthesis gas produced in the reactor and directing the synthesis gas and said residue away from said reactor for its further processing of disposal;
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- f) sealing means between said rotary reactor and said charging device at the charge end and between said rotary reactor and said discharge device at the discharge end to prevent access of atmospheric air into said reactor and also to prevent escape of synthesis gas therepast out of said reactor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.