Plasma gasification reactor

Abstract

A plasma gasification reactor vessel having a top section with a conical wall extending up from a bottom section, containing a carbonaceous bed into which plasma is injected by plasma torches, to a roof of the vessel is arranged in ways that can contribute to characteristics of gas flow and solids residence time that are favorable for thoroughness of reactions and yield of useful reactions products. In some cases, such a conical wall is combined in arrangements with other features such as one or more feed ports arranged to give more uniform distribution including examples with a feed port that has a distributive feed mechanism. The roof of the vessel, in some examples, has vertical outlet ports that include intrusions into the interior volume of the reactor proximate the conical wall of the top section. The configurations of outlet ports with intrusions and the configurations of feed ports for more uniform distribution of feed material are also applicable to reactor vessels with other geometries.

1 . A plasma gasification reactor comprising:
 a refractory-lined reactor vessel including a bottom section and a top section;   the bottom section containing a carbonaceous bed and arranged with a sidewall with one or more plasma torch ports containing, in each port, a plasma torch with a capability of the one or more plasma torches of establishing an elevated temperature within the bed of at least about 600° C.;   the top section extending from the bottom section to a roof over the top section and comprising a conical wall of increasing cross-sectional diameter substantially continuously from a bottom of the conical wall joined with the bottom section to a top of the conical wall joined with the roof.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the top section further comprises one or more feed ports extending through the conical wall for supply of feed material subjected to elevated temperature from the plasma torches.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein:
 the roof over and joined with the top of the conical wall has one or more outlet ports for exiting gases from the reactor and;   the bottom section has one or more outlet ports for molten slag and metals.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein:
 the conical wall of the top section has a slope, over substantially its entire extent from bottom to top, that is within a range of from about 5 degrees to about 25 degrees for the angle of the wall relative to a central vertical axis of the top section.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein:
 the one or more feed ports include at least one of said feed ports with a distributive feed supply mechanism that can supply feed material at varying locations within the top section relative to the position of the feed port in the conical wall, and the roof of the vessel has no feed ports for supply of feed material into the vessel.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein:
 the distributive feed supply mechanism is controllable for operation to vary the location of feed material to the interior of the top section as to distance from the feed port, or angle from the feed port, or both distance and angle from the feed port.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein:
 the one or more outlet ports of the roof have, in at least one of said ports, a duct that extends vertically through the roof to the exterior of the vessel and, also, has an intrusion that extends vertically within the vessel a distance below the roof.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein:
 the outlet ports number at least two ports each having an intrusion that extends within the vessel a distance below the roof, and   the distance said intrusions extend from the roof is at least about 0.5 meter.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the top section further comprises one or more feed ports extending through the conical wall for supply of feed material;   the roof over and joined with the top of the conical wall has one or more outlet ports for exiting gases from the reactor and;   the bottom section has one or more outlet ports for molten slag and metals;   the one or more feed ports include at least one of said feed ports with a distributive feed supply mechanism that can supply feed material at varying locations within the top section relative to the position of the feed port in the conical wall, and the roof of the vessel has no feed ports for supply of feed material into the vessel; and   the one or more outlet ports of the roof have, in at least one of said ports, a duct that extends vertically through the roof to the exterior of the vessel and, also, an intrusion that extends vertically within the vessel a distance below the roof.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein:
 the conical wall of the top section has substantially the same slope, over its entire extent from bottom to top, that is within a range of from about 5 degrees to about 25 degrees for the angle of the wall relative to a central vertical axis of the top section;   the distributive feed supply mechanism is controllable for operation to vary the location of feed material to the interior of the top section as to distance from the feed port, or angle from the feed port, or both distance and angle from the feed port;   the outlet ports number at least two ports each having an intrusion that extends within the vessel a distance below the roof, and   the distance said intrusions extend from the roof is at least about 0.5 meter.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the top section has one or more feed ports for supply of a feed material that is, at least in part, gasified within the vessel to produce a syngas that exits through one or more outlet ports.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein:
 the one or more feed ports extend through the conical wall of the top section.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein:
 the one or more feed ports have a distributive feed mechanism contributing to uniformity of the distribution of feed material within the vessel.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein:
 the one or more outlet ports extend through the roof over the top section and, also, extend within the space under the roof.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein:
 the one or more feed ports extend through the conical wall of the top section;   the one or more feed ports have a distributive feed mechanism contributing to uniformity of distribution of feed material within the vessel; and   the one or more outlet ports extend through the roof over the top section and, also, extend within the space under the roof.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein:
 the one or more feed ports are arranged to receive feed material from one or more supplies external of the vessel that is delivered into the top section.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein:
 the feed materials delivered into the top section through the one or more feed ports include coal or solid waste or biomass, or a mixture thereof.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein:
 the reactor vessel has one or more tuyeres through a lower part of the top section, below the feed ports, for supply of gas or liquid constituents including at least one or more of air, oxygen, steam, and water.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18  wherein:
 the conditions within the vessel are such that the feed material and the gas and liquid constituents are reacted in one or more stages to produce gaseous products rising and expanding within the conical wall of the top section with sufficient residence time to form the syngas which comprises, at least in part, hydrogen and carbon monoxide that exits through the outlet ports.   
     
     
         20 . A plasma gasification reactor vessel comprising:
 a bottom section that includes a space for a carbonaceous bed and has an exterior wall with one or more plasma torch ports;   a top section vertically extending up from the bottom section with a side wall in a form substantially of a truncated inverse cone that increases in cross-sectional area proceeding up from the bottom section; and,   a roof vertically atop the top section.   
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein:
 the top section side wall is characterized by substantially all portions over its entire extent having an angle relative to a central vertical axis of the top section within a range of from about 5 degrees to about 25 degrees.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21  wherein:
 the top section side wall is further characterized by having, over substantially at least abut 80% of its entire extent, an angle relative to the central vertical axis that is constant within a range of about 5 degrees.   
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22  wherein:
 the top section has one or more feed ports for a process material including solids.   
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 23  wherein:
 the one or more feed ports are located up the side wall from the bottom section at least about 50% of the distance between the bottom section and the roof.   
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 24  wherein:
 the top section side wall also has one or more tuyeres for process material including gases and vapors.   
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 25  wherein:
 the top section side wall tuyeres are located more proximate to the bottom section of the vessel than to the feed ports through the side wall.   
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 23  wherein:
 at least one of said feed ports includes a distributive feed mechanism for said process material into the vessel.   
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein:
 one or more outlet ports are located in or proximate to the roof of the vessel.   
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 28  wherein:
 the outlet ports include one or more outlet ports that include a duct intrusion extending within the vessel.   
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 29  wherein:
 the one or more outlet ports are arranged solely through the roof of the vessel and with each including a duct intrusion.   
     
     
         31 . The apparatus of  claim 26  wherein:
 one or more outlet ports are located in the roof of the vessel, each outlet port including an intrusion extending below the roof into the interior of the vessel within a range of from about 0.5 m. to about 1.0 m.; and   the roof has said outlet ports and no feed ports.   
     
     
         32 . A syngas production system including a plasma gasification reactor vessel in accordance with  claim 22  wherein:
 the bottom section contains a carbonaceous bed and one or more plasma torches are located in respective plasma torch ports supplying plasma into said bed to heat said bed to a temperature of at least about 600° C.;   said top section has one or more feed ports related to one or more supplies of feed material including one or more of coal, solid waste matter, and biomass;   said top section side wall has one or more tuyeres related to one or more supplies of process material including one or more of air, oxygen, steam and water;   one or more outlet ports are located through the roof or an upper end of the top section side wall;   the feed material from the feed ports is deposited over the carbonaceous bed of the bottom section, to a depth that extends above the tuyeres of the top section, and gaseous reaction products, from reactions of the feed material, process material, and plasma fired carbonaceous bed, include carbon monoxide and hydrogen within a syngas exiting through the roof outlet ports.   
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32  wherein:
 the feed ports into the top section include one or more feed ports through the top section side wall and the outlet ports include one or more outlet ports through the roof proximate to the top section side wall.   
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 33  wherein:
 the feed ports include means to provide relatively uniform distribution of material and the outlet ports include an intrusion into the vessel below the roof.   
     
     
         35 . The apparatus of  claim 23  wherein:
 the top section side wall includes a cylindrical part of no more than about 20% of the height of the top section and one or more of the feed ports extend through the cylindrical part of the top section side wall and a portion of the cylindrical part of the wall extends below the feed ports.   
     
     
         36 . A thermal gasification reactor system, particularly for syngas production, comprising:
 a reactor vessel that has, in a vertical arrangement, a bottom section containing a bed of fragmented carbonaceous fuel material supplied with fluids subjected to a temperature sufficiently high to promote surface reactions on the fuel material including
   C+½O 2 →CO, 
   C+CO 2 →2CO, and 
   C+H 2 O→CO+H 2 ; 
   a reactor vessel top section, above the bottom section, and a roof above the top section;   the top section being characterized by a substantially continuous inverse conical side wall configuration that extends from the bottom section of the roof;   a lower portion of the top section having additional fluid inlets extending through the side wall;   a feed port arrangement into an upper portion of the top section receiving feed material from one or more supplies external of the reactor including solids that descend to the lower portion of the top section forming a charge bed above the bottom section into which flow reaction products from the bottom section and, also, fluids from the additional fluid inlets through the side wall with resulting gasification of the least some of the feed material; and   outlet ports located to allow exit from the top section of gaseous reaction products including a syngas containing H 2  and CO.   
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 36  wherein:
 the feed port arrangement into the upper portion of the top section includes at least one feed port with means for enhanced distribution of feed material onto the charge bed.   
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 36  wherein:
 the outlet ports include two or more extending through the roof that have an intrusion extending within the upper portion of the top section.   
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 36  wherein:
 the feed port arrangement into the upper portion of the top section includes at least one feed port with means for enhanced distribution of feed material onto the charge bed;   the outlet ports include two or more extending through the roof that have an intrusion extending within the upper portion of the top section;   the bottom section has one or more plasma torch the bed of fuel material;   the means for enhanced distribution of feed material includes a feed port through the side wall that is arranged with a distributive feed mechanism; and   the outlet ports through the roof have intrusions into the top section proximate the side wall.