Apparatus and method for gasifying gas hydrate pellet

Abstract

A gasification apparatus is provided which enables gas hydrate pellets to be transported and gasified in the same vessel and enables a gas to be generated by pellet decomposition in a controlled amount. The apparatus is free from bridging. The apparatus includes a heat-in-saluted vessel main body and, disposed therein, a tubular structure which is open at the top and bottom. This tubular structure holds therein gas hydrate pellets obtained by compression-molding a gas hydrate produced by the hydration reaction of a raw-material gas with raw-material water. The tubular structure becomes wider in diameter from the upper opening toward the lower opening. A channel for passing a heat carrier therethrough has been disposed between the lower end of the tubular structure and the inner bottom surface of the vessel main body. The apparatus is further equipped, between the tubular structure and the inner wall surface of the vessel main body, with a nozzle which ejects the heat carrier in a circumferential direction for the vessel main body. The vessel main body has a discharge pipe for discharging the heat carrier ejected from the nozzle, the discharge pipe projecting upright from the inner bottom surface of the vessel main body.