Apparatus and method for applying an oxidant in a hydrothermal oxidation process

An apparatus for bringing an oxidant into contact with a reactant material to facilitate a hydrothermal oxidation of the reactant material, the apparatus including:

• (a) a contactor vessel having an inner wall defining a contactor volume and encompassing an initial contact zone spaced apart from the contactor vessel inner wall;
• (b) a reactant material conduit connected to the contactor vessel and positioned to inject a reactant material into the initial contact zone within the contactor vessel;
• (c) an oxidant injection arrangement including one or more oxidant injection openings into the contactor vessel at points spaced apart from the initial contact zone;and
• (d) a separation material injection arrangement including a separation material conduit with at least one separation material opening into the contactor vessel in position to inject a separation material into the contactor vessel between each oxidant injection opening and the reactant material injector, the separation material conduit having a diameter larger than the diameter of the reactant material conduit and being mounted coaxially with the reactant material conduit, the annular area between the end of the reactant material conduit and the end of the separation material conduit comprising a separation material injection area.

A method for bringing an oxidant into contact with a reactant material to facilitate a hydrothermal oxidation of the reactant material, the method including the steps of:

• (a) with a reactant material at an elevated reactant material temperature and at a processing pressure above the critical pressure, injecting the reactant material into a contactor vessel through a reactant material injection area of an injection plane, the reactant material injection area being spaced apart from the inner walls of the contactor vessel;
• (b) injecting a separation material at the processing pressure into the contactor vessel through a separation material injection area, the separation material injection area comprising an annular area in the injection plane surrounding the reactant material injection area;
• and
• (c) injecting an oxidant into the contactor vessel at one or more oxidant injection points substantially in the injection plane and separated from the reactant material injection area by a portion of the separation material injection area.

A method of bringing an oxidant into contact with a reactant material to facilitate a hydrothermal oxidation reaction of the reactant material, the method including the steps of:

• (a) with the reactant material heated to an elevated reactant material temperature and at a processing pressure above the critical pressure, injecting the heated and pressurized reactant material into an initial contact zone within a contactor vessel, the contactor vessel having an inner wall defining a contactor volume and the initial contact zone being located within the contactor volume spaced apart from the contactor inner walls;
• (b) with a separation material heated to a separation material injection temperature and pressurized to substantially the processing pressure, injecting the heated and pressurized separation material into the contactor vessel at least at one separation material injection area adjacent to the reactant material being injected into the contactor volume;
• and
• (c) injecting an oxidant into the contactor vessel at one or more oxidant injection points, each oxidant injection point being spaced apart from the initial contact zone by a separation material injection area.

An apparatus for bringing an oxidant into contact with a reactant material to facilitate a hydrothermal oxidation of the reactant material, the apparatus including:

• (a) an oxidant injector arrangement defining an oxidant injection area adjacent to a peripheral wall of:a contactor vessel, the oxidant injector arrangement including an oxidant supply connection to an oxidant supply;
• (b) a reactant materials injector arrangement defining a reactant material injection area, the reactant material injector arrangement including a reactant material connection to a reactant material supply;
• and
• (c) a separation material injector arrangement defining an annular separation material injection area interposed between the reactant material injection area and the oxidant injection area, the separation material injector arrangement including a separation material connection to a separation material supply.

An apparatus for bringing an oxidant into contact with a reactant material to facilitate a hydrothermal oxidation of the reactant material, the apparatus including:

• (a) a contactor vessel;
• (b) an oxidant injector:arrangement defining an oxidant injection area leading into the contactor vessel;
• (c) a reactant material injector arrangement defining a reactant material injection area leading into the contactor vessel;
• and
• (d) a separation material injector arrangement defining a separation material injection area interposed between the second injection area and the first injection area, the separation material injection area comprising a substantially continuous annular opening leading into the contactor vessel.