Method of producing product gas from multiple carbonaceous feedstock streams mixed with a reduced-pressure mixing gas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10364398-B2
Application number	US-201615251494-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2016
Priority date	Aug 30, 2016
Publication date	Jul 30, 2019
Grant date	Jul 30, 2019

Abstract

A feedstock delivery system transfers a carbonaceous material, such as municipal solid waste, into a product gas generation system. The feedstock delivery system includes a splitter for splitting bulk carbonaceous material into a plurality of carbonaceous material streams. Each stream is processed using a weighing system for gauging the quantity of carbonaceous material, a densification system for forming plugs of carbonaceous material, a de-densification system for breaking up the plugs of carbonaceous material, and a gas and carbonaceous material mixing system for forming a carbonaceous material and gas mixture. A pressure of the mixing gas is reduced prior to mixing with the carbonaceous material, and the carbonaceous material to gas weight ratio is monitored. A transport assembly conveys the carbonaceous material and gas mixture to a first reactor where at least the carbonaceous material within the mixture is subject to thermochemical reactions to form the product gas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing product gas from a carbonaceous material, the method comprising:
(a) splitting a source of bulk carbonaceous material into a plurality of carbonaceous material streams;
(b) providing a supply of pressurized mixing gas;
(c) reducing a pressure of the pressurized mixing gas by between 5 psig to 750 psig to form a reduced-pressure mixing gas;
(d) mixing the reduced-pressure mixing gas with each of the plurality of carbonaceous material streams to form a plurality of gas-laden carbonaceous material streams, each having a carbonaceous material to gas weight ratio that is less than about 50:1;
(e) transferring said plurality of gas-laden carbonaceous material streams to a first reactor via a plurality of inlets that are circumferentially spaced apart from one another; and,
(f) endothermically reacting the transferred carbonaceous material with steam in a first reactor to produce a first reactor product gas containing char.

2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising, in step (f), endothermically reacting a portion of the carbonaceous material in the first reactor with a portion of the gas mixed in step (d).

3. The method according to claim 1 , where the mixing gas is carbon dioxide.

4. The method according to claim 1 , where the mixing gas is an oxygen-containing gas.

5. The method according to claim 4 , where the mixing gas is air equal to or less than 21 mole % O2.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first reactor has a steam to carbonaceous material weight ratio in the range of about 0.125:1 to about 3:1.

7. The method according to claim 1 , comprising, in step (f), operating the first reactor at a temperature between 320° C. and 569.99° C. to endothermically react the carbonaceous material in the presence of steam to produce the first reactor product gas.

8. The method according to claim 1 , comprising, in step (f), operating the first reactor at a temperature between 570° C. and 900° C. to endothermically react the carbonaceous material in the presence of steam to produce the first reactor product gas.

9. The method according to claim 1 , comprising, in step (f), operating the first reactor at a temperature between 600° C. and 1000° C. to endothermically react the carbonaceous material in the presence of carbon dioxide to produce the first reactor product gas.

10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
introducing carbon dioxide gas to the first reactor such that the first reactor has a carbon dioxide gas to carbonaceous material weight ratio in the range of about 0:1 to about 1:1.

11. The method according to claim 1 , comprising, in step (f), operating the first reactor at a temperature between 500° C. and 1400° C. to exothermically react the carbonaceous material in the presence of an oxygen-containing gas to produce the first reactor product gas.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
introducing an oxygen-containing gas to the first reactor such that the first reactor has an oxygen-containing gas to carbonaceous material weight ratio in the range of about 0:1 to about 0.5:1.

13. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising weighing each of the carbonaceous material streams after step (a) and prior to step (d).

14. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising densifying each of the carbonaceous material streams to form a plurality of densified carbonaceous material streams after step (a) and prior to step (d).

15. The method according to claim 14 , comprising densifying each of the carbonaceous material streams by compressing with a force of at least 235 tons to form a plurality of plugs of densified carbonaceous material.

16. The method according to claim 15 , comprising, for each carbonaceous material stream, creating at least three plugs of carbonaceous material to form a seal against the first reactor.

17. The method according to claim 15 , wherein each plug of carbonaceous material has a length to diameter ratio of less than 1.5.

18. The method according to claim 15 , wherein each of the carbonaceous material streams is compressed into plugs at a rate of about 4 plugs per minute.

19. The method according to claim 14 further comprising de-densifying each of the densified carbonaceous material streams, prior to step (d).

20. The method according to claim 1 , comprising providing particulate heat transfer material in the first reactor to promote the reaction between the carbonaceous material and steam.

21. The method according to claim 20 , further comprising, in step (e), injecting said plurality of gas-laden carbonaceous material streams into the first reactor, below a bed level of particulate heat transfer material within the first reactor.

22. The method according to claim 21 , wherein:
the particulate heat transfer material is comprised of Geldart Group A solids; and
the Geldart Group A solids comprise one or more from the group consisting of inert material, catalyst, sorbent, and engineered particles.

23. The method according to claim 22 , wherein the engineered particles comprise one or more from the group consisting of alumina, zirconia, sand, olivine sand, limestone, dolomite, catalytic materials, microballoons, and microspheres.

24. The method according to claim 20 , wherein:
the particulate heat transfer material comprises Geldart Group B solids, the Geldart Group B solids being one or more from the group consisting of inert material, catalyst, sorbent, and engineered particles.

25. The method according to claim 24 , wherein:
the engineered particles are one or more from the group consisting of alumina, zirconia, sand, olivine sand, limestone, dolomite, catalytic materials, microballoons, microspheres, and combinations thereof.

26. The method according to claim 24 , wherein:
the particulate heat transfer material comprises both Geldart Group A and B solids, the Geldart Group A and B solids together being one or more from the group consisting of inert material, catalyst, sorbent, and engineered particles.

27. The method according to claim 26 , wherein:
the engineered particles are one or more from the group consisting of alumina, zirconia, sand, olivine sand, limestone, dolomite, catalytic materials, microballoons, and microspheres.

28. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
combusting a fuel source in a first reactor heat exchanger to form a combustion stream, said combustion stream indirectly heating particulate heat transfer material present in the first reactor.

29. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first reactor operates at a superficial fluidization velocity range between 0.6 ft/s to about 1.2 ft/s.

30. The method according to claim 29 , wherein the first reactor operates at a superficial fluidization velocity range between 0.8 ft/s to about 1.0 ft/s.

31. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first reactor product gas of step (f) further comprises H2, CO, CO2, semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC), and volatile organic compounds (VOC).

32. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the char in the first reactor product gas has a carbon content of about 10% carbon to about 90% carbon on a weight basis.

33. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the char in the first r

Assignees

• Thermochem Recovery Int Inc

Inventors

• Chandran Ravi
• Burciaga Daniel A
• Leo Daniel Michael
• Freitas Shawn Robert
• Newport Dave G
• Miller Justin Kevin
• Harrington Kaitlin Emily
• Attwood Brian Christopher
• SCHULTHEIS Emily Jane
• Kishton Kelly Ann

Classifications

• C10L5/46

  on sewage, house, or town refuse {(C10L5/403, C10L5/406 take precedence)} · CPC title

• C10L2290/04

  Gasification · CPC title

• C10L1/04

  essentially based on blends of hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C10J3/845

  Quench rings · CPC title

• C10J2300/0969

  Carbon dioxide · CPC title