Other

Outotec Oyj

James M Scranton

Michael L Murphy

Ronald A Siverson

LeRoy B Pope

Greg Dahlstrom

Douglas W Scrafford

Peter Mohr

Ben H Cosby

Michael K Kologi

Michael E Tracey

James R Thomas

Mark R Castle

A fluidized bed is described and which includes a multiplicity of fluidizing manifolds positioned in spaced relation one relative to the others; an enclosure positioned in gravity receiving relation relative to the multiplicity of fluidizing manifolds and which has an intake and a discharge end, and wherein particulate matter received in the fluidized bed moves under the influence of gravity from the intake end to the discharge end, and a moveable gate is mounted on the second discharge end of the enclosure and which is operable to selectively occlude a discharge aperture and which further facilitates the selective removal of particulate matter and waste material entrained with same, and which moves under the influence of gravity to the discharge end thereof.

Fluidized bed

Embodiments of the invention include a sleeved heat engine that can be used in a fluidized bed combustion system and a fluidized bed combustion system with heat engines. In one embodiment, a heat engine includes an enclosed cylinder, a fixed charge of gas in the cylinder, a piston in the cylinder, and a sleeve spaced apart from and surrounding part of the cylinder. The sleeve defines a passage along part of the cylinder to carry, for example, combustion air introduced into a fluidized bed combustion chamber. In another embodiment, a system includes a combustion chamber, a bed of sand in the combustion chamber, multiple air passages penetrating the combustion chamber such that air entering the combustion chamber through the passages passes through the sand, and multiple heat engines disposed along the combustion chamber such that at least a part of each heat engine is exposed to sand in the bed of sand.

Fluidized bed combustion with heat engine

An apparatus (,) for recovering hydrocarbons or other volatile material from granular solids includes an infeed conveyor (,) that moves the mud, containing a mixture of particulate solids and hydrocarbons, into the fluid bed (,). The fluid bed fluidizes the mud; i.e. transforms the mud from a first condition wherein it is a mass having a consistency with elements of similarity with oatmeal, to a second condition wherein it is a mass of swirling particles. Some of the particles leave the fluid bed through a slide gate at the bottom. Other particles, gas and the hydrocarbons leave the fluid bed through an opening at the top, and are transferred to one or more cyclones (,). In the cyclones, the rapid circular motion of the gas, hydrocarbons and particles results in the particles hitting the inside surface of the cyclone, sliding downwardly, and leaving the cyclone through a slide gate. The mixture of gas and hydrocarbons leave the cyclone and moves through a spray apparatus (,), which removes the hydrocarbons from the mixture, and into an oil-condensing tank (,). A fan assembly (,) draws gas from an upper portion of the oil-condensing tank and delivers it to a preheater (,) where the temperature of the gas is elevated. The heated gas is then recirculated by release through a plurality of nozzles within the fluid bed. A thermal fluid heat source (,) provides heat energy to in-bed tubes within the fluid bed and to the gas preheater.

Apparatus for recovering hydrocarbons from granular solids

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Athol, ID, United States of America

James M Scranton