Method for forming a plurality of plugs of carbonaceous material

• US 9,920,712 B1
• Filed: 10/18/2017
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thermochem Recovery International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Thermochem Recovery International, 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Merkling, Matthew J
• Application Number:
  US15/786,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20180058381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 153 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2/00 Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures of undefined composition from oxides of carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2200/09 Mechanical details of gasifiers not otherwise provided for, e.g. sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2200/15 Details of feeding means
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2200/154 Pushing devices, e.g. pistons
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2200/36 Moving parts inside the gasification reactor not otherwise provided for devices for distributing fuel evenly over a fixed bed C10J3/32
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0903 Feed preparation
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0906 Physical processes, e.g. shredding, comminuting, chopping, sorting
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/094 Char
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0946 Waste, e.g. MSW, tires, glass, tar sand, peat, paper, lignite, oil shale
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0956 Air or oxygen enriched air
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0959 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0969 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0993 Inert particles, e.g. as heat exchange medium in a fluidized or moving bed, heat carriers, sand
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1246 by external or indirect heating
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1606 Combustion processes
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1637 Char combustion
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/165 integrated with a gas turbine or gas motor gas turbine plants provided with a gas producer F02C3/28; engines using solid fuels F02B43/08
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1656 Conversion of synthesis gas to chemicals
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1659 to liquid hydrocarbons Fischer-Tropsch process C10G2/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1846 Partial oxidation, i.e. injection of air or oxygen only
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1853 : Steam reforming, i.e. injection of steam only
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/10 : using external heating
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/12 : using solid heat-carriers
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/24 : to permit flow of gases or vapours other than upwardly through the fuel bed
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/32 : Devices for distributing fuel evenly over the bed or for stirring up the fuel bed
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/721 : Multistage gasification, e.g. plural parallel or serial gasification stages
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/723 : Controlling or regulating the gasification process
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/845 : Quench rings
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0209 : Hydrocarbon fuels, e.g. methane or acetylene
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/029 : Arrangement on engines or vehicle bodies; Conversion to gaseous fuel supply systems
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 13/00 : Sparking plugs structurally combined with other parts of internal-combustion engines connection of ignition coil to spark plug connector F02P3/02; with fuel injectors F02M57/06 ; spark plug connector per se H01T13/04 – H01T13/06; predominant aspects of sparking plug, see H01T13/40 – H01T13/44
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/16 : Combined cycle power plant [CCPP], or combined cycle gas turbine [CCGT]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 : Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 : Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels

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.

Claims

1. A method for forming a new plug of densified carbonaceous material in a cylinder already having a series of previously formed plugs pressed together, and supplying a leading plug of said series of previously formed plugs to a pressurized first reactor,

the cylinder (D30) comprising a first opening (D19) through which carbonaceous material (2D-01) is introduced into the cylinder, and a first output (D45) through which the leading plug is supplied to the pressurized first reactor;

the method comprising;

(a) introducing, via the first opening (D19), a quantity of carbonaceous material having a density of 4 pounds per cubic foot to 50 pounds per cubic foot;

(b) while said plurality of previously formed plugs are prevented from advancing within the cylinder, compressing said carbonaceous material (D+1) against a nearest plug of said plurality of previously formed plugs, to thereby form a new plug against said plurality of previously formed plugs;

(c) advancing the new plug and said series of previously formed plugs such that the leading plug appears at the cylinder'"'"'s first output (D45);

(d) removing the leading plug from the cylinder, thereby leaving behind a new series of previously formed plugs; and

(e) shredding the removed leading plug and introducing the shredded carbonaceous material therefrom into the pressurized first reactor, wherein;

said series of previously formed plugs are sufficiently dense to maintain a pressure difference between the cylinder'"'"'s first opening and the pressurized first reactor.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the series of previously formed plugs creates a pressure difference that ranges from 9 pounds per square inch to 75 pounds per square inch.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the series of previously formed plugs includes at least a first plug (1D) and a second plug (2D) each having a length ranging from 10 inches to 15 inches.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the series of previously formed plugs includes at least a first plug (1D) and a second plug (2D) each having a diameter ranging from 10 inches to 15 inches.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

weighing the carbonaceous material before step (a).

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

creating a new plug within the cylinder (D30) about every 15 seconds, by repeating steps (a) through (e).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

each plug within the series of previously formed plugs weighs from about 32 pounds to about 40 pounds.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

mixing a gas with the shredded carbonaceous material after step (e) and prior to introducing the shredded carbonaceous material into the pressurized first reactor.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

mixing the shredded carbonaceous material with gas at a mass ratio of carbonaceous material to gas that is less than 75 pounds of carbonaceous material per pound of gas.

10. The method according to claim 8, where the gas is carbon dioxide or an oxygen-containing gas.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the mixing gas is carbon dioxide and the method comprises:

endothermically reacting a portion of the carbonaceous material in the first reactor with a portion of the carbon dioxide.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

(f) introducing steam into the first reactor such that a mass ratio of the steam to carbonaceous material in the range of 0.125;

1 to 3;

1; and

(g) operating the first reactor at a temperature between 570°

C. and 900°

C. to endothermically react the carbonaceous material with the steam to produce a first reactor product gas.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first reactor product gas of step (g) further comprises H2, CO, CO2, char, semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC), and volatile organic compounds (VOC).

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

(i) providing a second reactor;

(ii) introducing at least a portion of the char into the second reactor;

(iii) reacting the char introduced into the second reactor, with an oxygen-containing gas in the second reactor to produce a second reactor product gas; and

(iv) combining the first reactor product gas with the second reactor product gas to form a combined product gas.

15. The method according to claim 14, comprising:

operating the first reactor and the second reactor at a superficial fluidization velocity range between 0.5 ft/s to about 25.0 ft/s.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

(v) transferring heat from the second reactor to a heat transfer medium via a second reactor heat exchanger in thermal contact with an interior of the second reactor, the heat transfer medium comprising steam; and

(vi) introducing at least a first portion of the steam that has been heated by the second reactor, into the first reactor, to react with the carbonaceous material.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

(f) introducing carbon dioxide gas to the first reactor such that a mass ratio of the carbon dioxide gas to carbonaceous material in the range of 0.1 to 1;

1; and

(g) operating the first reactor at a temperature between 600°

C. and 1000°

C. to endothermically react the carbonaceous material with the carbon dioxide to produce a first reactor product gas.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

(f) introducing an oxygen-containing gas to the first reactor such that a mass ratio of the oxygen-containing gas to carbonaceous material in the range of 0.1 to 0.5;

1; and

(g) operating the first reactor at a temperature between 500°

C. and 1400°

C. to exothermically react the carbonaceous material with the oxygen-containing gas to produce a first reactor product gas.

19. 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.

20. 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.