Hydrocarbon Research, Inc.

Power Generating, Inc.

Franklin D Hoffert

J David Milligan

James A Morrison

John D Milligan

Bernard L Denker

Harold H Stotler

Jose M Fernandez

Jose M Marina

A pressurized incineration method for pressurized incineration of a solid waste material to produce electrical and thermal energy is disclosed. A combustion chamber is fueled by a solid waste fuel. The chamber is pressurized by an air compressor and the fuel is combusted. The hot compressed gases created by combustion pass out of the combustion chamber into an exhaust line that splits so as to provide hot gases to a turbocharger and a separate power recovery turbine. The turbocharger and the power recovery turbine have a rugged design so as to handle compressed gases containing corrosive effluents and particulate matter. If necessary, gas cleaning equipment may also be used to reduce corrosive effluents and particulate matter to an acceptable level in the inlet gas stream to both the turbocharger and the power recovery turbine. Expansion of a portion of the hot compressed gas through the turbine section of the turbocharger provides energy to drive the turbocharger's air compressor. Expansion of the remaining hot compressed gas through a separate power recovery turbine creates mechanical energy that may be converted to electricity by an electrical generator.

Efficient incinerator

A pressurized cyclonic combustion method and a cylindrical burner apparatus for pressurized combustion of particulate solid fuels to produce a pressurized clean effluent gas. In the burner, the particulate solids such as wood chips are fed tangentially into a primary combustion chamber at its inlet end and flow at high tangential velocity in a helical path through the burner. Oxygen-containing combustion gas such as air is supplied tangentially at high velocity through multiple ports spaced along the burner length to maintain and/or increase the high tangential velocity and produce high centrifugal forces on the particulate solids and provide for prolonged combustion and produce high burner volumetric heat release rates exceeding about 400,000 Btu/hr ft.sup.3. A choke opening is provided centrally located at the combustion chamber outlet end for promoting prolonged combustion of solid fuel paarticles upstream of a quench zone. A secondary combustion chamber is provided downstream of the choke opening. Also, a quench gas stream is introduced into the choke zone preferably in a tangential flow direction opposite to the helical flow in the burner primary combustion chamber, so as to effectively mix the quench gas with the hot effluent gas and reduce its temperature, usually to about 1400.degree.-2000.degree. F. as determined by downstream metallurgy considerations. The resulting pressurized effluent gas can be further processed to remove any existing fine solids, and the clean pressurized gas can then be expanded in a gas turbine to produce useful power.

Pressurized cyclonic combustion method and burner for particulate solid

A pressurized cyclonic combustion method and a cylindrical burner apparatus for pressurized combustion of particulate solid fuels to produce a pressurized clean effluent gas. In the burner, the particulate solids such as wood chips are fed tangentially into a primary combustion chamber at its inlet end and flow at high tangential velocity in a helical path through the burner. Oxygen-containing combustion gas such as air is supplied tangentially at high velocity through multiple ports spaced along the burner length to maintain and/or increase the high tangential velocity and produce high centrifugal forces on the particulate solids and provide for prolonged combustion and produce high burner volumetric heat release rates exceeding about 400,000 Btu/hr ft.sup.3. A choke opening is provided centrally located at the combustion chamber outlet end for promoting prolonged combustion of solid fuel particles upstream of a quench zone. A secondary combustion chamber is provided downstream of the choke opening. Also, a quench gas stream is introduced into the choke zone preferably in a tangential flow direction opposite to the helical flow in the burner primary combustion chamber, so as to effectively mix the quench gas with the hot effluent gas and reduce its temperature, usually to about 1400.degree.-2000.degree. F. as determined by downstream metallurgy considerations. The resulting pressurized effluent gas can be further processed to remove any existing fine solids, and the clean pressurized gas can then be expanded in a gas turbine to produce useful power.

A process and pressurized, gasification reactor apparatus for converting combustible carbon containing materials such as coal char and other carbonaceous solids or carbonaceous solids/heavy oil combinations to an intermediate heating value fuel gas. The gasification reactor includes an insulated fluidized bed reactor chamber, an upper reactor housing for a freely suspended bayonet bundle type heat exchanger for (a) superheating incoming saturated steam and (b) cooling outgoing high temperature product gas, and a lower reactor housing structure which includes a free-floating, conically-shaped perforated plenum chamber. The superheated steam and oxygen are premixed with the plenum chamber before being pressure directed into the fluidized bed reactor chamber for mixture and combustion with the incoming combustible carbon containing materials such as coal char. After reaction of the superheated steam, oxygen and coal char in the fluidized bed reactor at temperatures ranging from 900.degree. F. to 1750.degree. F., the product fuel gases and associated particulate matter are cooled by steam flowing through the bayonet heat exchanger, the steam being superheated by this exchange. After discharge from the heat exchanger, the fuel gas product containing particulate matter is pressure directed into a conventional cyclone separator for (a) separation of the desired product gases and (b) return of the particulate matter for further recycling in the reactor chamber. Undesirable ash clinkers are gravitationally and pressure directed out of the reactor chamber through a central ash withdrawal pipe.

Fluidized bed reactor apparatus and related gasification system

A fuel composition comprising carbon black and a combustible liquid such as lower alkyl alcohols having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or liquid hydrocarbons is provided. The composition is formed by adding a sufficient amount of carbon black to the combustible liquid without thereby causing an increase in the volume of the mixture by more than about five percent (5%).

Combustible fuel composition

Drying coal having undesirably high moisture content is accomplished by heating the particulate coal in an oil slurry contained in a pressurized drying zone to sufficient temperature to evaporate the moisture. A major portion of the heat required in the drying zone is provided by compressing the hot steam evolved from the coal drying step and condensing it in a heat exchanger passage in the drying zone. The resulting dried coal-oil slurry liquid is then passed on to further processing such as coal hydrogenation or liquefaction steps.

Drying coal in hot oil slurry using recycled steam

An effective and economical supply of energy from residual oil for power generation can be obtained by a sequential process of partial combustion of a crude or residual oil such as Bunker C and other high sulfur stocks, in the presence of air and steam in a fluidized bed of inert particles followed by a fluidized bed heat exchange for the production of steam and control of solids build-up, the solids-free gas being desulfurized by commerical processes and thence being available for combustion for gas turbine operation to produce transportable electrical power or other types of mechanical power such as a compressor driver. Emission levels of contaminants are within forseeable requirements and turbine maintenance problems are reduced. Coal solids can be used as a supplement to the residual oil. Alternatively, the low BTU gas can be effectively added to pipeline gas as a supplementary source of energy when dilution of high-Btu gas is permitted or used directly as a low-Btu desulfurized industrial fuel.

Growing community of inventors

Mountainside, NJ, United States of America

Franklin D Hoffert