Simultaneous reactions with gasification of biomass

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system for a solar-driven chemical plant that may include a solar thermal receiver having a cavity with an inner wall, where the solar thermal receiver is aligned to absorb concentrated solar energy from one or more of 1) an array of heliostats, 2) solar concentrating dishes, and 3) any combination of the two. Some embodiments may include a solar-driven chemical reactor having multiple reactor tubes located inside the cavity of solar thermal receiver, wherein a chemical reaction driven by radiant heat occurs in the multiple reactor tubes, and wherein particles of biomass are gasified in the presence of a steam (H2O) carrier gas and methane (CH4) in a simultaneous steam reformation and steam biomass gasification reaction to produce reaction products that include hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas using the solar thermal energy from the absorbed concentrated solar energy in the multiple reactor tubes.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method of producing chemicals in an integrated plant to produce a fuel, comprising:
 providing a chemical reactor having multiple reactor tubes located inside a cavity of a thermal receiver, wherein a simultaneous biomass gasification reaction and steam methane reforming reaction is driven by radiant heat, wherein the simultaneous chemical reaction occurs in the multiple reactor tubes in the chemical reactor, wherein particles of biomass are gasified in a presence of steam to produce products that include hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas using thermal energy from the radiant heat, where the products from the biomass gasification reaction that include hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas are mixed with products from the steam methane reforming reaction, where the products from both reactions are then commonly fed through a first input into a first on-site fuel synthesis reactor, which is configured to produce the fuel;   supplying the particles of biomass from forestry wastes, forestry thinnings, or another woody source from a feed system to the multiple reactor tubes; and   causing the simultaneous steam methane reformation reaction and biomass gasification reaction to produce reaction products that include the hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas using the thermal energy in the multiple reactor tubes, where the feed system, the chemical reactor, and the first on-site fuel synthesis reactor are part of the integrated plant.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 controlling operating parameters for the simultaneous biomass gasification reaction and the steam methane reformation at high temperatures between 700-1500 degrees C., with a controlled amount of i) steam, ii) particles of biomass, iii) methane, and iv) any combination these three, which results in a gas mixture of synthesis gas that contains the products from both reactions supplied to the first input into the first on-site fuel synthesis reactor.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 where the methane in the steam methane reformation reaction is provided from natural gas along with any CO2 contained in the natural gas;   co-feeding the particles of biomass and the natural gas with steam heated by the radiant heat energy to dry reform the methane with CO2 either contained within the natural gas or fed as a separate feedstock, such that even if some CO2 is present in the natural gas, the CO2 and methane react with in a presence of high heat greater than 750 degrees C. via dry reforming to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas from the steam methane reforming reaction; and   wherein a synthesis gas having less than 7% of CO2 by volume syngas is produced when the particles of biomass and the methane are co-fed with steam at temperature ranges of 750-1300 degrees C. in the stoichiometric proportions to produce a molar H2:CO ratio of H2:CO in a range from 1.0 to 3.0.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 co-feeding of the methane in natural gas form with the steam and the particles of biomass within the multiple reactor tubes to produce a low CO2 synthesis gas with CO2 levels at less than 7% by volume in the syngas stream and having a molar H2:CO ratio in a range between 2.0-3.0; and   wherein tar formation in the products from both reactions is mitigated to less than 200 mg/m̂3 by the radiant heat keeping an approximately 1100-1300 degrees C. operating temperature in the chemical reactor and by the multiple reactor tubes separating the heat source from the particles of biomass.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 where the first fuel synthesis reactor is geographically located on the same site as the chemical reactor and the first fuel synthesis reactor is a methanol synthesis reactor, wherein the methanol synthesis reactor is configured to create methanol, and a second fuel synthesis reactor connected downstream of the first fuel synthesis reactor is configured to receive the methanol from the methanol synthesis reactor, where the second fuel synthesis reactor is configured to produce a liquid hydrocarbon chemical product, where the methanol synthesis reactor and the second fuel synthesis reactor are both geographically located on the same site as the chemical reactor and form part of the integrated plant.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 wherein the thermal receiver having the inner cavity has a geometric arrangement specifically shaped and configured with the multiple reactor tubes to exchange the radiant energy to create an oven effect, which gives rise to a fairly uniform temperature profile along the reactor tubes to heat chemical reactants to produce a substantial tar destruction to less than below 50 mg/m̂3 in the reaction products that include the hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 where the feed system is an entraining gas biomass feed system that uses an entrainment carrier gas comprising natural gas, steam, air, and/or any combination of these and supplies the particles of biomass into the chemical reactor; and   controlling a particle size distribution of the particles of biomass to have an average smallest dimension the particles of equal to or less than 2000 um, and where the chemical reactor and feed system of the integrated plant are configured to be feedstock flexible, with no major equipment redesign required to change biomass feedstock via use of a simple multiple reactor tube design with radiant heat driving the biomass gasification reaction and control over the particle size distribution of the particles of biomass.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 oxidizing natural gas to produce a syngas with a ratio of equal to greater than a 2:1 H2:CO ratio on demand that is to be combined with the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from the chemical reactor to raise an amount of H2 present in the products from both reactions to a desired H2:CO ratio for methanol synthesis in the first on-site fuel synthesis reactor.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 passing the methane and steam to pass through a fluidized bed of inert particles to cause the steam methane reformation reaction.   
     
     
         30 . The integrated plant of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 controlling temperature in the thermal receiver by factoring an amount of particles of biomass and methane feed rate against available energy from the heat source such that the temperature in the thermal receiver is maintained at a desired set point in the range of 800-1600 degrees C. by a balance of energy consumed by the simultaneous chemical reaction and reactant sensible heat, and thermal losses from the thermal receiver by radiation, convection and/or conduction;   keeping the temperature high enough at 1000-1300 degrees C. for substantially an entire conversion of the particles of biomass to product gases and causes an elimination of tar products to a concentration of less than 200 mg/m̂3; and   keeping the temperature low enough, <1600 degrees C., for the walls of the multiple reactor tubes to not structurally weaken or significantly reduce thermal receiver efficiency, and to control the amounts of steam, methane, and the particles of biomass to keep a generated syngas within a desired H2:CO ratio, where a control system for the first on-site fuel synthesis reactor is configured to communicate with the control system to alter the desired H2 to CO ratio of the products coming out of the chemical reactor.   
     
     
         31 . An integrated plant to produce a fuel, comprising:
 a chemical reactor having multiple reactor tubes located inside a cavity of a thermal receiver,   a feed system of particles of biomass connected via two or more feed lines to the chemical reactor to supply the particles of biomass to the chemical reactor, where the particles of biomass are generated from forestry wastes, forestry thinnings, or other woody source,   a heat source thermally coupled to the chemical reactor, wherein a simultaneous biomass gasification reaction and steam methane reforming reaction is driven by radiant heat, and the simultaneous chemical reaction occurs in the multiple reactor tubes in the chemical reactor, and wherein particles of biomass are gasified in the presence of steam to produce products that include hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas using thermal energy from the radiant heat in the multiple reactor tubes, where the products from the biomass gasification reaction that include hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas are mixed with products from the steam methane reforming reaction, where the products from both reactions are then commonly fed through a first input into a first on-site fuel synthesis reactor, which is configured to produce the fuel; and   wherein the multiple tubes are configured with dimensions and material selection to cause the simultaneous steam methane reformation and biomass gasification reaction to produce reaction products that include the hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas using the thermal energy in the multiple reactor tubes, where the feed system, the chemical reactor and the first on-site fuel synthesis reactor are part of the integrated plant.   
     
     
         32 . The integrated plant of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 wherein the thermal receiver has cavity walls and is aligned to absorb energy from the heat source; and   a control system for the chemical reactor to control operating parameters for the simultaneous biomass gasification reaction and the steam methane reformation at high temperatures between 700-1500 degrees C., with a controlled amount of steam, and methane, and any combination, which results in a gas mixture of synthesis gas that contains the products from both reactions supplied to the first input into the first on-site fuel synthesis reactor.   
     
     
         33 . The integrated plant of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 a natural gas source in fluid communication with the chemical reactor, where the methane in the steam methane reformation reaction is provided from natural gas along with any CO2 contained in the natural gas;   where the chemical reactor is configured to co-feed the particles of biomass and the natural gas with steam heated by the radiant heat energy to dry reform the methane with CO2 either contained within the natural gas or fed as a separate feedstock, such that even if some CO2 is present in the natural gas, the CO2 and methane react with in a presence of high heat greater than 700 degrees C. via dry reforming to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas from the steam methane reforming reaction; and   a control system configured to ensure the first input into the first on-site fuel receives the products from both reactions having less than 7% of CO2 by volume syngas, where the control system controls an amount and when the particles of biomass and the methane are co-fed with steam at temperature ranges of 750-1300 degrees C. in the stoichiometric proportions to produce a molar H2:CO ratio of H2:CO in a range from 1.0 to 3.0.   
     
     
         34 . The integrated plant of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 wherein within the multiple reactor tubes the co-feeding of the methane in natural gas form with the steam and the particles of biomass occurs to produce a low CO2 synthesis gas with CO2 levels at less than 7% by volume in the syngas stream and having a molar H2:CO ratio in a range between 2.0-3.0, as well as avoids a water-gas-shift reaction that may otherwise produce CO2; and   wherein tar formation in the products from both reactions is mitigated to less than 200 mg/m̂3 by the radiant heat keeping an approximately 1100-1300 degrees C. operating temperature in the chemical reactor and by the multiple reactor tubes separating the heat source from the particles of biomass.   
     
     
         35 . The integrated plant of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 where the first fuel synthesis reactor is geographically located on the same site as the chemical reactor and the first fuel synthesis reactor is a methanol synthesis reactor, wherein the methanol synthesis reactor is configured to create methanol, and a second fuel synthesis reactor connected downstream of the first fuel synthesis reactor is configured to receive the methanol from the methanol synthesis reactor, where the second fuel synthesis reactor is configured to produce a liquid hydrocarbon chemical product, where the methanol synthesis reactor and the second fuel synthesis reactor are both geographically located on the same site as the chemical reactor and form part of the integrated plant.   
     
     
         36 . The integrated plant of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 wherein the thermal receiver having the inner cavity has a geometric arrangement specifically shaped and configured with the multiple reactor tubes to exchange the radiant energy to create an oven effect, which gives rise to a fairly uniform temperature profile along the reactor tubes to heat chemical reactants to produce a substantial tar destruction to less than below 50 mg/m̂3 in the reaction products that include the hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas.   
     
     
         37 . The integrated plant of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 where the feed system is an entraining gas biomass feed system that uses an entrainment carrier gas comprising natural gas, steam, air, and/or any combination of these and supplies the particles of biomass into the chemical reactor;   a feed vessel containing the particles of biomass, which supplies the particles of biomass via the two or more feed lines into the chemical reactor; and   wherein a particle size distribution of the particles of biomass has an average smallest dimension the particles of equal to or less than 2000 um, and where the chemical reactor and feed system of the integrated plant are configured to be feedstock flexible, with no major equipment redesign required to change biomass feedstock via use of a simple multiple reactor tube design with radiant heat driving the biomass gasification reaction and control over the particle size distribution of the particles of biomass.   
     
     
         38 . The integrated plant of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 one or more high temperature oxidizers configured to oxidize natural gas to produce a syngas with a ratio of equal to greater than a 2:1 H2:CO ratio on demand that is to be combined with the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from the chemical reactor to raise an amount of H2 present in the products from both reactions to a desired H2:CO ratio for methanol synthesis in the first on-site fuel synthesis reactor.   
     
     
         39 . The integrated plant of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 wherein the thermal receiver includes the multiple reactor tubes configured to allow the methane and steam to pass through a fluidized bed of inert particles to cause the steam methane reformation reaction.   
     
     
         40 . The integrated plant of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 a control system configured to control temperature in the thermal receiver by factoring an amount of particles of biomass and methane feed rate against available energy from the heat source such that the temperature in the thermal receiver is maintained at a desired set point in the range of 800-1600 degrees C. by a balance of energy consumed by the simultaneous chemical reaction and reactant sensible heat, and thermal losses from the thermal receiver by radiation, convection and/or conduction; and   wherein the control system 1) keeps the temperature high enough at 1000-1300 degrees C. for substantially an entire conversion of the particles of biomass to product gases and causes an elimination of tar products to a concentration of less than 200 mg/m̂3, and 2) keeps the temperature low enough (<1600 degrees C.) for the walls of the multiple reactor tubes to not structurally weaken or significantly reduce thermal receiver efficiency, and to control the amounts of steam, methane, and the particles of biomass to keep a generated syngas within a desired H2:CO ratio, where a control system for the first on-site fuel synthesis reactor is configured to communicate with the control system to alter the desired H2 to CO ratio of the products coming out of the chemical reactor.