Systems and methods for biomass grinding and feeding

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system for a solar-driven bio-refinery that may include a entrained-flow biomass feed system that is feedstock flexible via particle size control of the biomass. Some embodiments include a chemical reactor that receives concentrated solar thermal energy from an array of heliostats. The entrained-flow biomass feed system can use an entrainment carrier gas and supplies a variety of biomass sources fed as particles into the solar-driven chemical reactor. Biomass sources in a raw state or partially torrified state may be used, as long as parameters such as particle size of the biomass are controlled. Additionally, concentrated solar thermal energy can drive gasification of the particles. An on-site fuel synthesis reactor may receive the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from the gasification reaction use the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products in a hydrocarbon fuel synthesis process to create a liquid hydrocarbon fuel.

1 - 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . A bio-refinery to generate fuel product with an entrained-flow biomass feed system, comprising:
 a boiler to produce steam and to supply steam to a steam input;   a chemical reactor having the steam input and one or more reactor tubes, where in the chemical reactor biomass i) in particle form, ii) in non-particle form, or iii) both, is configured to be gasified in a presence of steam from the steam input and to generate at least hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from the gasification reaction;   the entrained-flow biomass feed system having two or more feed lines to supply the biomass into the chemical reactor, where a gas source for a pressurized entrainment carrier gas is coupled to the entrained-flow biomass feed system;   a heat drying unit to apply heat to the biomass in order to provide dried biomass to enter the entrained-flow biomass feed system, in which the two or more feed lines to supply the biomass; and   a fuel synthesis reactor of the bio-refinery that is geographically located on a same site as the chemical reactor, the heat drying unit, and the entrained-flow biomass feed system, where the fuel synthesis reactor has an input to receive the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products derived from the gasification reaction and is configured to use the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products in a hydrocarbon fuel synthesis process to create a hydrocarbon fuel product at an output of the fuel synthesis reactor.   
     
     
         26 . The bio-refinery of  claim 25 , wherein the bio-refinery has a first stage and a second stage, where the biomass is gasified in a two-phase gasification reaction, where in the first stage and in a first phase, the gasification of the biomass occurs at a lower temperature and produces char and tar, and where in the second stage and in a second phase, the gasification of the produced char and tar occurs at a higher temperature and generates the at least hydrogen and carbon monoxide products which are received downstream at the input of the fuel synthesis reactor. 
     
     
         27 . The bio-refinery of  claim 25 , wherein the entrained-flow biomass feed system further includes a lock hopper system where the biomass is loaded into the lock hopper system with a standard belt or pneumatic conveyer, where the lock hopper has an output, which then feeds the biomass across a pressure boundary into an entraining gas flow of the pressurized entrainment carrier gas for feeding via the two or more feed lines into the chemical reactor. 
     
     
         28 . The bio-refinery of  claim 25 , further including:
 a particle reduction system configured to receive the biomass in non-particle form and to create the biomass in particle form, where particles of the biomass have dimensions of less than 2000 microns in diameter to be supplied to the entrained-flow biomass feed system; and thus, to control a particle size of the biomass in particle form supplied to the two or more feed lines;   wherein the entrained-flow biomass feed system is configured to feed types of biomass that can be fed, individually or in combinational mixtures including forestry thinnings and forestry wastes, where components making up the feed system are not changed as long as a few parameters are controlled including the dimensions of the particles of biomass supplied by the feed lines; and   wherein the particle reduction system is located on the same site of the fuel synthesis reactor.   
     
     
         29 . The bio-refinery of  claim 28 , further comprising:
 a second on-site fuel synthesis reactor having an input to receive a chemical feedstock derived from the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from the gasification reaction and configured to use the chemical feedstock in a hydrocarbon fuel synthesis process to create a liquid hydrocarbon fuel, where the second on-site fuel synthesis reactor is also geographically located on the same site as the chemical reactor and integrated into the process to utilize the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from the gasification reaction;   where the particle reduction system is configured to couple to the entrained-flow biomass feed system, which further includes a conveyer to bring the biomass in non-particle form to the particle reduction system that reduces the particle size of the particles of biomass, where the particle reduction system generates particles that have an average smallest dimension size between 200 microns (um) and 2000 um in diameter, and then the particles are loaded into a lock hopper system; and   wherein a feeding vessel is a pressurized lock hopper having an injection vessel configured to discharge the particles of biomass via a single-outlet and rotational screw and then into an entrainment gas pipe, wherein the particles of biomass are distributed in the entrainment gas line by a flow splitter to feed into the one or more of feed lines, which each feeds its own reactor tube making up the chemical reactor.   
     
     
         30 . The bio-refinery of  claim 28 , further comprising:
 a separate biomass entrainment/feed rate metering line is used for each of the one or more gasifier reactor tubes in the chemical reactor, which allows independent temperature control and balancing of an amount of particles of non-food biomass flowing in each of the gasifier reactor tubes in of the chemical reactor;   wherein a feeding vessel is a lock hopper rotary feed system having an output to distribute the particles of biomass to the gasifier reactor tubes, which allows for balanced feeding to individual gasifier reactor tubes;   a screw in the lock hopper rotary feed system, wherein feed rate of the particles of biomass is controlled by a weight measuring device and by controlling a rotational rate of the screw that moves set amounts of biomass along the axis of rotation, and wherein the screw is located at a base of the lock hopper; and   a computerized control system to send a feed demand signal to the screw and weight measuring metering device to control the feed rate of the particles of biomass in each gasifier reactor tube in the chemical reactor.   
     
     
         31 . The bio-refinery of  claim 28 , wherein a multiple output port lock hopper with a multiple rotational feed splitter system is configured to simultaneously feed up to twelve feed gas entrainment lines from a single lock hopper into the chemical reactor with the added ability to accurately control feed rate of the particles of biomass with a rotational rate of each rotational feed splitter. 
     
     
         32 . The bio-refinery of  claim 25 , wherein the heat drying unit is configured to subject the biomass to partial pyrolysis with recouped waste heat in a temperature of at least 100 degrees C. to make the biomass dryer, less sticky, and easier to feed in a conveying system. 
     
     
         33 . The bio-refinery of  claim 28 , wherein a feeding vessel in the entrained-flow biomass feed system is configured to discharge the particles of biomass through one or more single-outlet rotational feed devices that provide a consistent volumetric feed rate, where each rotational feed device feeds a separate gas entrainment line, and where the rotational speed of each of the rotational feed devices is controlled independently, and each of the rotational feed devices feeds a separate reactor tube; and
 an outlet of each of the feed lines controls a dispersion pattern of the particles of biomass into its corresponding reactor tube to maximize radiation absorption by the particles when injected into the reactor tube based on a shape and width of the outlet of the feed line pipe carrying the particles of biomass to its corresponding reactor tube.   
     
     
         34 . The bio-refinery of  claim 25 , further comprising:
 wherein the lock hopper system has an airlock type of feeding rate metering device and varies an amount of biomass being supplied to the one or more reactor tubes based on an amount of available heat to the chemical reactor and the supplied amount of biomass in order to generate the at least hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from the gasification reaction at a greater than 90% conversion rate of the biomass in a residence time.   
     
     
         35 . The bio-refinery of  claim 25 , further comprising:
 a first sensor to generate a signal indicating an amount of available heat energy;   a computerized control system configured to receive a feedback signal from a set of sensors, including the first sensor; and   wherein the computerized control system controls the feed rate of the biomass into the one or more reactor tubes with well controlled feed rates based on two factors of 1) amount of the biomass and 2) amount of heat available given as a feedback signal to the computerized control system by the first sensor.   
     
     
         36 . The bio-refinery of  claim 35 , further comprising:
 one or more temperature sensors in the chemical reactor; and   where the computerized control system in the entrained-flow biomass feed system is further configured to control a biomass a flow rate for the biomass and current temperature in each reactor tube required to achieve from the gasification reaction a greater than 90 percent conversion of the biomass into the at least hydrogen and carbon monoxide products with low tar production of less than 50 milligrams per normal cubic meter.   
     
     
         37 . The bio-refinery of  claim 25 , wherein the entrained-flow biomass feed system having one or more feed lines, further comprising:
 wherein a filtered form of the carbon monoxide and hydrogen resulting from the chemical reaction in the chemical reactor is supplied to an input of a downstream chemical synthesis processes, in which methanol is generated from the fuel synthesis reactor, and then supplied to a Methanol-to-Gasoline process.   
     
     
         38 . The bio-refinery of  claim 25 , wherein a separate entrainment line and metering device used for each of the gasifier reactor tubes in the chemical reactor, which allows balancing of 1) an amount of the particles of non-food biomass flowing to each reactor tube to 2) a temperature of that reactor tube in the chemical reactor, wherein the thermal energy drives gasification of the biomass to achieve from the gasification reaction a greater than 90% conversion of the biomass to at least hydrogen and carbon monoxide products with low tar production of less than 50 mg/Nm̂3. 
     
     
         39 . The bio-refinery of  claim 25 , further comprising:
 the on-site fuel synthesis reactor having an input configured to receive the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from the gasification reaction and configured to use the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products in a hydrocarbon fuel synthesis process to create a liquid hydrocarbon fuel;   wherein the entrained-flow biomass feed system includes a common entrainment line, a multiple port lock hopper with a metering device and a rotating screw to feed each of the separate feed lines; and   wherein feed rate is controlled by each feed line's metering device and controlling the rotational rate of the screw at the base of the lock hopper, which responds to a feed demand signal from a computerized control system.   
     
     
         40 . A method of producing fuel in a bio-refinery, comprising:
 applying heat to biomass i) in particle form, ii) in non-particle form, or iii) both, in a heat drying unit and providing dried biomass to enter two or more feed lines of an entrained-flow biomass feed system;   supplying the biomass to a chemical reactor through the entrained-flow biomass feed system having the two or more feed lines, where a gas source for a pressurized entrainment carrier gas is coupled to the entrained-flow biomass feed system;   supplying steam from a boiler to a steam input of the chemical reactor;   gasifying the biomass in the chemical reactor in a presence of the steam from the steam input;   generating at least hydrogen and carbon monoxide products from the gasification reaction;   receiving the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products derived from the gasification reaction by a fuel synthesis reactor geographically located on a same site as the chemical reactor, the heat drying unit, and the entrained-flow biomass feed system; and   creating a hydrocarbon fuel product from the hydrogen and carbon monoxide products at an output of the fuel synthesis reactor.   
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein gasifying further includes:
 gasifying the biomass in a first phase and at a lower temperature to produce char and tar, and   gasifying the produced char and tar in a second phase and at a higher temperature to produce the at least hydrogen and carbon monoxide products; and wherein supplying the biomass further includes:   loading the biomass into a lock hopper, and   feeding the biomass across a pressure boundary into an entraining gas flow of the pressurized entrainment carrier gas to the two or more feed lines of the entrained-flow biomass feed system.   
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 40 , further including:
 bringing the biomass in non-particle form to a particle reduction system;   grinding the biomass in non-particle form to in the particle reduction system to create the biomass in particle form, where particles of the biomass have dimensions of less than 2000 microns;   controlling a particle size of the biomass in particle form;   loading the biomass in particle form into a lock hopper system with a standard belt or pneumatic conveyer;   feeding the biomass in particle form across a pressure boundary into an entraining gas flow of the pressurized entrainment carrier gas to the two or more feed lines of the entrained-flow biomass feed system.   
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , further including:
 pressurizing a lock hopper having an injection vessel;   discharging the particles of biomass via a single outlet and a rotational screw into an entrainment gas pipe;   distributing the particles of biomass into the feed lines of the entrained-flow biomass feed system by a flow splitter;   feeding the particles of biomass to the one or more reactor tubes making up the chemical reactor.   
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 40 , further including:
 generating a signal by a first sensor indicating an amount of available heat energy for a reaction tube;   receiving the signal by a computerized control system;   controlling a feed rate of the biomass into the reactor tube by a computerized control system based on the available heat energy and controlling a current temperature in the reactor tube to achieve from the gasification reaction a greater than 90 percent conversion of the biomass into the at least hydrogen and carbon monoxide products with low tar production of less than 50 milligrams per normal cubic.