Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation

Robert J Zoschak

Ernest L Daman

Francis D Fitzgerald

Bimal K Biswas

A pyrolyzer unit and two-staged furnaces are provided in a compact furnace assembly for combusting coal to generate power. Coal is reacted in the pyrolyzer to produce a clean hot fuel gas and char. The hot fuel gas is combusted in the first-stage furnace, which contains a high-temperature heat exchanger utilized to heat a pressurized air stream for expansion in a gas turbine and a heat exchanger for superheating steam for expansion in a steam turbine to produce power. Char is combusted in the second-stage furnace and the resulting combustion products are mixed with primary combustion gas from the first-stage furnace to product a secondary combustion gas and preheat the pressurized air stream, and also to superheat steam. The heated air stream is expanded in a gas turbine to produce shaft power to drive an air compressor and an electric power generator. The hot secondary combustion flue gases and hot air exhaust from the gas turbine are used for preheating pressurized water to generate the steam for the steam turbine cycle.

Staged furnaces for firing coal pyrolysis gas and char

An apparatus and method for mixing and distributing solid material in which the material is continuously introduced into a vessel and a pressurized gas is introduced into the lower portion of the vessel at a velocity sufficient to pass upwardly through the material in the vessel to promote mixing of the material. A plurality of outlets are disposed in an angularly spaced relation along the vessel for permitting the material to continuously discharge to a plurality of selected locations. The excess gas in the vessel is removed, cleaned and introduced back into the vessel.

Apparatus for mixing and distributing solid particulate material

A vapor generating system in which a furnace section is provided that is formed by four upright walls, the lower portion of two opposed walls being slanted inwardly to form a hopper portion. A plurality of openings are formed in each of the opposed walls immediately above its slanted portion. Two gasifiers extend adjacent said opposed wall portions, respectively, and surround the respective slanted wall portions and openings, so that the respective interiors of the gasifiers communicate with the openings. A bed of adsorbent material is supported in each gasifier for adsorbing the sulfur generated as a result of the gasification of fuel introduced into the gasifier and air is passed through the bed of adsorbent material to fluidize said material so that, upon combustion of said fuel, a substantially sulfur-free product gas is produced which passes from the gasifier, through the openings and into the furnace section.

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Rutherford, NJ, United States of America

Robert J Zoschak