Fluidized coal pyrolysis apparatus

Abstract

Method and apparatus for pyrolyzing agglomerative coals which comprises introducing a fluidized bed of hot char particles into a pyrolysis chamber or reactor, and injecting upwardly into the chamber a high velocity jet of agglomerative coal particles in a carrier gas, the fluidized hot char particles surrounding the high velocity coal jet and heating the coal particles to yield gaseous products and char. The hot char particles in the fluidized state and disposed around the coal jet are entrained in the upwardly expanding coal jet and mixed with the coal particles, so that by the time the coal particles contact the pyrolysis chamber wall, such coal particles being heated by the char have passed through the tacky state and are no longer tacky and do not adhere to the chamber wall. The gaseous product and char formed during pyrolysis are rapidly removed from the pyrolysis chamber, and such char can be separated, e.g. in a cyclone, reheated and introduced into the fluidized bed of char particles as a fresh source of heat. The hot char particles from the fluidized bed which are entrained in the coal jet are removed from the pyrolysis chamber with the gaseous product, without any appreciable recirculation or mixing of such entrained char particles back into the fluidized char within the pyrolysis chamber.