Piston-type transfer pump device, method for transferring particulate solid matter using such a device, application of the method to the feeding of a gasification reactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9903351-B2
Application number	US-201214006205-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2012
Priority date	Mar 22, 2011
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

A device for transfer of granular solid material between two chambers at different pressures. A piston type transfer pump device used in a horizontal position transfers granular material into the compression chamber by gravity and evacuates the material into the exhaust chamber at a higher pressure. Such a device may for example find an application for feeding a gasification reactor with biomass.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A piston pump device for transfer between an inlet chamber and an exhaust chamber, the exhaust chamber being pressurized at a greater pressure than pressure in the inlet chamber comprising:
a tubular sleeve comprising a first inlet orifice in fluid communication with the inlet chamber, and a second exhaust orifice in fluid communication with the exhaust chamber, the inlet orifice and the exhaust orifice being offset longitudinally along the axis of the tubular sleeve, delimiting a third compression chamber between them;
an inlet piston, sliding in the tubular sleeve between an extreme open position in which it at least partially exposes the inlet orifice in the sleeve and an extreme closed position in which it closes off the inlet orifice while at least partially leaving the exhaust orifice exposed;
an exhaust piston, sliding in the tubular sleeve between an extreme closed position in which it closes off the exhaust orifice while leaving the inlet orifice exposed, and an extreme open position in which it at least partially exposes the exhaust orifice;
wherein the inlet piston and the exhaust piston are mechanically independent and are each fitted with sealing rings around their periphery in contact with an internal surface of the sleeve as the pistons slide; and
wherein the exhaust piston and inlet piston are configured to move in a compression phase such that the exhaust piston is held in its extreme position closing the exhaust orifice until the inlet piston reaches a first intermediate closed position in which it closes off the inlet orifice such that the compression chamber is isolated in a fluid tight manner from the inlet chamber and the exhaust chamber, and the exhaust piston jointly with the inlet piston delimits a volume of the compression chamber, the volume of the compression chamber being reduced in the compression phase by the inlet piston moving towards the exhaust piston such that the gas pressure inside it is at least equal to the gas pressure in the exhaust chamber, and then the exhaust piston is configured to slide in an exhaust phase from its extreme closed position to its open position to allow compressed gas to pass into the exhaust chamber.

2. A piston transfer pump device according to claim 1 , wherein the inlet orifice and the exhaust orifice are on opposite sides of the axis of the tubular sleeve.

3. A piston transfer pump device according to claim 1 , wherein the tubular sleeve comprises a balancing chamber and a balancing orifice located diametrically opposite the exhaust orifice, the balancing chamber being in fluid communication with the exhaust chamber through the balancing orifice when the exhaust piston is in the extreme open position, and the balancing chamber being closed off from the exhaust chamber when the exhaust piston is in the extreme closed position.

4. A piston transfer pump device according to claim 1 , wherein the first intermediate closed position of the inlet piston is such that the pressure in the compression chamber is approximately equal to the pressure in the exhaust chamber.

5. A piston transfer pump device according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust piston slides under action of the gas itself compressed as it passes from the compression chamber into the exhaust chamber.

6. A piston transfer pump device according to claim 5 , further comprising a recuperator for recovering energy supplied by the exhaust piston sliding from its extreme closed position to its extreme open position.

7. A piston transfer pump device according to claim 1 , wherein the inlet piston is in a second intermediate position when the exhaust piston slides from its open position to its extreme closed position and sliding of the inlet piston from its second intermediate position to its extreme open position is actuated by the compressed gas in the compression chamber.

8. A piston transfer pump device according to claim 7 , further comprising a recuperator for recovering energy supplied by the inlet piston sliding from its second intermediate closed position to its extreme open position.

9. A piston transfer pump device according to claim 6 , wherein the recuperator for recovering the energy includes a connecting rod-crank system or gas pressure accumulators.

10. A piston transfer pump device according to claim 8 , wherein the recuperator for recovering the energy includes a connecting rod-crank system or gas pressure accumulators.

11. A piston transfer pump device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an inlet hopper to create fluid communication between the inlet chamber and the inlet orifice; and
an exhaust hopper to create fluid communication between the exhaust chamber and the exhaust orifice.

12. A piston transfer pump device according to claim 11 , wherein the inlet hopper and the exhaust hopper each form a tubing that can be fitted around the tubular sleeve.

13. A piston transfer pump device according to claim 12 , wherein the tubing delimits a balancing chamber on the inside, in fluid communication with the balancing orifice when fitted around the tubular sleeve.

14. A piston transfer pump device according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing rings are arranged around a periphery of an end of the pistons.

15. A piston transfer pump device according to claim 1 , further comprising a feed device comprising a rotary lock connected to the first chamber of the device.

16. A method of transferring solid granular material between two chambers at different pressures using a device according to claim 1 , according to which the sleeve is in an approximately horizontal position with the inlet orifice and the exhaust orifice in an upper part and lower part respectively of the sleeve, and comprising:
a) moving the inlet piston into its extreme open position such that solid granular material flows by gravity into the compression chamber and to bring the exhaust piston into its extreme closed position;
b) moving, in the compression phase, the inlet piston into its extreme closed position of the inlet orifice while the exhaust piston is held in its extreme closed position so as to move the granular solid material horizontally and to reduce the volume of the compression chamber to compress the gas present in the compression chamber;
c) when the inlet piston has reached its first intermediate closed position, moving the exhaust piston to its extreme open position until communication is created between the compression chamber and the exhaust orifice; and
d) moving the inlet piston as far as its extreme closed position so as to make granular solid material flow by gravity from the compression chamber through the exhaust orifice.

17. A transfer method according to claim 16 , wherein the pressure in the inlet chamber is approximately equal to atmospheric pressure.

18. A transfer method according to claim 16 , wherein a pressure difference between the inlet chamber and the exhaust chamber is in a range of 10 Bar to 30 Bar.

19. A transfer method according to claim 16 , wherein the extreme closed position of the inlet piston is the position in which it has reached at least an edge of the exhaust orifice so as to make all solid granular materials present in the compression chamber flow by gravity.

20. A transfer method according to claim 16 , wherein the granular solid material is also evacuated to the exhaust chamber by the gas at the pressure in the exhaust chamber present in the balancing chamber through the balancing orifice.

21. A transfer method according to cl

Assignees

• Gros Daillon Luc Francois
• Chataing Thierry
• Rouge Sylvie
• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Gros Daillon Luc Francois
• Chataing Thierry
• Rouge Sylvie

Classifications

• F04B15/02

  the fluids being viscous or non-homogeneous · CPC title

• C10J3/30

  Fuel charging devices · CPC title

• C10J3/503

  for gasifiers with stationary fluidised bed · CPC title

• C10J2200/154

  Pushing devices, e.g. pistons · CPC title

• F04B7/045

  Two pistons coacting within one cylinder · CPC title