AU2014223054A1

AU2014223054A1 - Device and method for thermal utilisation of residual material

Info

Publication number: AU2014223054A1
Application number: AU2014223054A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Franz Binzer
Original assignee: Trv Patentverwertung Ug Haftungsbeschrankt
Current assignee: Trv Patentverwertung Ug (haftungsbeschrankt)
Priority date: 2013-02-26
Filing date: 2014-02-13
Publication date: 2015-10-15
Also published as: DE102013103689A1; EP2961817A1; WO2014131398A1; BR112015020554A2

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and a method for thermal utilisation of residual material, wherein the device comprises: a reactor chamber for accommodating starting materials; a heating device for heating the reactor chamber, wherein the starting materials accommodated in the reactor chamber are decomposed during the heating and gaseous products are thereby produced; a gas discharge line for discharging the gaseous products from the reactor chamber; a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature present at a position of the gas discharge line as a gas discharge temperature; a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature present in the reactor chamber as a reactor temperature; and a control device, which is designed in such a way that the control device performs a comparison of the gas discharge temperature with the reactor temperature and outputs a signal depending on the result of the comparison.

Description

1 Device and method for thermal utilization of residual material The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for the thermal recycling of start ing material, e. g. residual or waste material (such as car tires, vegetable waste and 5 industrial waste), for the purpose of material recycling. Residual or waste material can be recycled by thermal decomposition in a rotary fur nace. As an example, DE 28 25 429 Al describes a process for recycling of waste, e. g. industrial waste or household waste, by means of pyrolysis in a rotary furnace. 10 The duration time of the waste in the rotary furnace is determined by the rotational speed and the angle of inclination of the rotary furnace and can only be varied within predefined limits, so the waste cannot be left in the rotary furnace for any duration. The rotary furnace must therefore be adapted to each of residual materials regarding heating characteristic, rotational speed and angle of inclination and is therefore not 15 suitable for complete recycling or decomposition of different residual materials. The invention provides a method and apparatus for the thermal recycling of residual material for the purpose of recycling which allows in a simple way the complete de composition and recycling of the residual material and the formation of recycling 20 products with a high degree of purity. According to the invention an apparatus for the thermal treatment and recycling of starting material is provided using starting material like residual or waste material (such as car tires, vegetable waste or industrial waste such as lead-acid batteries). 25 The apparatus (hereinafter referred to as "recycling apparatus") includes a reactor chamber for loading the starting material to be recycled. The recycling apparatus fur ther comprises a heater device for heating the reactor chamber. The starting material loaded in reactor chamber is decomposed into gaseous products during heating wherein the reactor chamber is preferably stationary or unmoved during of heating. 30 The heating device is preferably configured and designed such that the reactor chamber can heated up to a temperature of 900 OC.

2 During heating the starting material is at least partially gasified (i. e. transferred into gaseous products by supplying heat), wherein the nature of the processes taking place may depend e. g. on the particular temperature regime and / or the atmosphere which is present in the reactor chamber. The starting material can be decomposed 5 during the heating by thermolysis and / or pyrolysis and converted into gaseous products. It may be for example that the starting material is decomposed under ex clusion of air or exclusion of additional oxygen by pyrolysis to produce pyrolytic gas es as gaseous products. 10 The recycling apparatus includes a gas exhaust pipe for removing the gaseous prod ucts from the reactor chamber. The reactor chamber comprising a gas exhaust, for instance at the ceiling section, wherein the reactor chamber opens out to the gas ex haust pipe. The gas exhaust pipe can for instance be connected with a condenser, which is provided for liquefying the resulting gaseous products by means of conden 15 sation. The recycling apparatus comprises a temperature sensor (hereinafter referred to as "gas exhaust temperature sensor"), which is arranged and configured in such a way that the gas exhaust temperature is detectable at the gas exhaust pipe (and for in 20 stance inside the gas exhaust pipe) at a position outside the reactor chamber. The gas exhaust temperature sensor can be placed at a position inside the gas exhaust pipe or in contact with gas exhaust pipe. Moreover, the recycling apparatus has a temperature sensor (hereinafter also re 25 ferred to as "reactor temperature sensor"), which is arranged and designed in such a way that the reactor temperature is detectable at a position inside the reactor cham ber. The reactor temperature sensor can be placed at a position inside the reactor chamber or in contact with the reactor chamber. 30 The recycling apparatus further comprises a control device, wherein the control de vice is electrically connected with the gas exhaust temperature sensor and the reac tor temperature sensor. The control device is set up in such a way that the control device generates an output signal depending on the comparison of the gas exhaust temperature and the reactor temperature.

3 For example, the control device may be designed in such a manner that the tempera ture curve (i. e. the time profile) of the gas exhaust temperature is compared with the temperature profile of the reactor temperature (e. g. by calculation of the differences) 5 and in dependence on the result of this comparison, generates the output signal. Al ternatively or additionally, the control device can be designed such that it compares the current value of the gas exhaust temperature with the current value of the reactor temperature (e. g. by calculation of the differences) and in dependence on the result of this comparison, generates the output signal. 10 The signal may be an electronic alarm signal (e. g. in the form of a data signal), an optical alarm signal (e. g. in the form of a warning lamp) or an acoustic alarm signal (e. g. in the form of a warning tone). The output signal may also be a control com mand signal. For example, it is possible that the control device is connected to the 15 heating device and in dependence on the result of the comparison performed the output signal generated is used as control command signal for controlling the heating power of the heating device. During the thermal treatment the starting material loaded in the reactor chamber 20 passes through different stages of decomposition. In at least one embodiment of the invention the temperature inside the reactor chamber is increased stepwise during a predetermined period by controlling the heating device, wherein each temperature level relates to different decomposition stage and releases different gaseous prod ucts. If the decomposition stage is completed at a certain temperature level, gaseous 25 products are no longer released and the volumetric flow of the gaseous products in the gas exhaust pipe originating from the reactor chamber decreases. Since this gas flow is accompanied by a heat flow extending from the reactor chamber into the gas exhaust pipe, the completion of the decomposition stage leads to the decrease of the gas exhaust temperature. This relationship can be used to detect the full completion 30 of the decomposition stage at a predetermined temperature level, and for instance the control device could generate on that basis the output signal which increases the temperature in the reactor chamber or terminates the thermal treatment (i. e. turns off the heating device).

4 By comparison of the gas exhaust temperature with the reactor temperature it is pos sible to detect the point in time at which a certain decomposition stage is completed and for instance the temperature inside the reactor chamber can be increased to the next temperature level and the next decomposition stage can be performed. By per 5 forming the next decomposition stage after full completion of each previous decom position step the complete decomposition of the starting material is enabled and ad ditionally recycling products with a high degree of purity are producible because of the separation of the different decomposition stages. 10 The recycling apparatus may comprise a condenser for liquefying the gaseous prod ucts by means of condensation, wherein the gas exhaust pipe extends from the reac tor chamber to a gas supply of the condenser. In at least one embodiment of the in vention the gas exhaust temperature sensor is placed at the gas supply to detect the current gas exhaust temperature (i. e. positioned in or on the gas supply). A signifi 15 cant influence of the local temperature of the gas flow occurs only between the reac tor chamber and the condenser since the liquefied gas essentially comprising the temperature of the condenser after passing the same. Within this section with in creasing gas flow distance to the reactor chamber the influence of heat input to local temperature increases and the influence of cross thermal coupling to the reactor 20 chamber decreases. Therefor the detection of the gas exhaust temperature at the gas supply is particularly reliable for the evaluation if a specific decomposition stage has already been completed or not. In at least one embodiment of the invention the control device is designed such that 25 the time rate of change of the gas exhaust temperature is recorded as (signed) gas exhaust temperature change rate and the time rate of change of reactor temperature is recorded as (signed) reactor temperature change rate. The output signal is gener ated if the difference between the reactor temperature change rate and the gas ex haust temperature change rate is above a predetermined threshold value. 30 5 As explained above, the completion of a decomposition stage at a predetermined temperature level is accompanied by the decrease of the gas exhaust temperature associated with the next successive decomposition stage, wherein the next decom position stage only occurs after increasing the temperature in the reactor chamber. 5 Therefore the full completion of a decomposition stage can be evaluated by detection of a decreasing gas exhaust temperature while at the same period the reactor tem perature is constant or increasing. In such a case, the reactor temperature change rate is greater than or equal to zero (i. e. positive or equal to zero), while the gas ex haust temperature change rate is less than zero (that is negative). In particular, the 10 control device may be configured such that by it an output signal is generated if at the same time an increasing or constant reactor temperature change rate and a de creasing gas exhaust temperature occurs. In this embodiment of the invention the change rates can be basis of the comparison enabling for instance a reliable evalua tion of the status of the decomposition at a certain decomposition stage independent 15 of the absolute current temperatures and independent of the used starting material. In another embodiment of the invention the control device is designed such that by it each reactor temperature value is allocated to a predetermined gas exhaust setpoint temperature value, and the output signal is generated if the difference between the 20 gas exhaust setpoint temperature value, which is allocated to the current reactor temperature value, and the current gas exhaust temperature is above a predeter mined threshold value. In other words, each reactor temperature is allocated to a setpoint temperature difference value by the control device and the output signal is generated if the difference between current reactor temperature and gas exhaust 25 temperature is above the setpoint temperature difference. In this embodiment of the invention an indirect comparison is performed by the control device between reactor temperature and gas exhaust temperature. In case the comparison is performed on basis of predetermined setpoint values and the current temperatures, the recycling process can, for instance, be optimized regarding the used starting material and / or 30 the process control can be enforced according to the desired requirements. As explained above, the completion of a decomposition stage at a predetermined temperature level is accompanied by the decrease of the gas exhaust temperature. As long as the the decomposition at the stage is not completed, the gas exhaust 6 temperature is higher than after completion of the decomposition stage. Accordingly, the gas exhaust setpoint temperature value can correspond to a gas exhaust tem perature present during decomposition or before completion of the decomposition at a certain temperature level. Thus, the completion of the decomposition stage can be 5 identified if the difference between the current gas exhaust setpoint temperature val ue and the gas exhaust temperature value is above the predetermined threshold val ue. In a further embodiment of the invention the reactor chamber comprises a perforated 10 intermediate bottom positioned at a distance from the bottom of the reactor chamber within the same. In this embodiment of the invention the reactor chamber also com prises one or more gas bypass passages, each of said gas bypass passages ex tends from a position between the bottom and the intermediate bottom in the direc tion to the ceiling of the reactor chamber. 15 At the beginning of the temperature increase during heating up of a starting material with a moisture content (e. g. during recycling of plant waste material), while gradual ly increasing the temperature inside the reactor chamber, a liquid occurs wherein the temperature in the reactor chamber is not high enough to enable the occurring liquid 20 to evaporate. In case the reactor chamber comprises the perforated intermediate bot tom this liquid may initially seep through the perforation and collect at the bottom of the reactor chamber. If the temperature in the reactor chamber for evaporation of the liquid is sufficient (e. g. the boiling temperature of the liquid is reached), the the gas or vapor resulting from the vaporization of the liquid can pass through the gas bypass 25 passages in the direction to the ceiling of the reactor chamber and therefore in direc tion to the gas exhaust. While the gas or vapor is not forced to pass through the per forated intermediate bottom an efficient vaporization of the liquid is possible. Such a gas bypass passage can be arranged e. g. with its first end or its inlet in the 30 intermediate section of the reactor chamber, which is formed between the intermedi ate bottom and the bottom of the reactor chamber, and by its second end or its outlet in a ceiling section of the reactor chamber, located in the region of the ceiling of the reactor chamber (the gas exhaust of the reactor chamber is also located in this ceil ing section). By means of the gas bypass passages the material to be recycled 7 placed at the intermediate bottom can be bypassed by the gas released by the va porization of the liquid at the bottom of the reactor chamber and flow to the gas ex haust. The heating device can be used in the form of a heating chamber to enclose the reactor chamber, wherein the gas exhaust temperature sensor is preferably ar 5 ranged and designed in such a way that the gas exhaust temperature is detectable at the gas exhaust pipe positioned outside the heating chamber. The walls of the reac tor chamber and the heating chamber can, for instance, be made of steel or another heat-resistant metal. 10 The heating chamber may comprise at each of its side walls a heating element, and said heating elements can be separately controlled (e. g. by means of the control device). For example, it may be that the heating device is divided in the direction from the bottom to the ceiling of the reactor chamber into several heating segments (wherein each of the heating segments may include one or multiple heating ele 15 ments). Each of the heating segments defines a heating zone. It can be that the con trol device is electrically connected with each of the heating segments and is de signed such that by it the individual heating segments may be controlled such that in each of the heating zones the same temperature is present. In this regard, in each of the heating zones, a temperature sensor (hereinafter also referred to as "heating 20 zone temperature sensor") may be arranged, for instance within the reactor chamber, or within the heating chamber (and outside the reactor chamber), wherein the control device may be connected to the temperature detection with each of the heating zone temperature sensors. 25 During the heating inhomogeneous temperature distribution may be present within the reactor chamber in the direction from the bottom to the ceiling (e. g. as a function of the degree of loading of the reactor chamber). At the bottom of the reactor cham ber liquid is present, while the intermediate bottom is covered with the residual mate rial to be recycled and at the ceiling section gaseous products accumulate. Because 30 that sections exhibit different thermal properties, a uniform heating leads to spatially varying temperatures within the reactor chamber (in the direction from the bottom to the ceiling of the reactor chamber). In addition, the gas flow from the reactor chamber is accompanied by a respective heat flow, which also extends in the direction from the bottom to the ceiling of the reactor chamber and thus may cause temperature 8 variations along this direction. Such spatial variations in temperature can be com pensated at least partially by means of separate control of the individual heating segments and the reactor conditions can be made uniform spatially within the reactor chamber, whereby in particular the formation of recycling products with a high degree 5 of purity is additionally supported. The heating device or the heating elements of the heating device can consist of elec trically operated heating elements. It can, for example, be enabled by means of ap propriate control of the heating device by the control device, that the temperature 10 inside the reactor chamber is gradually increased (e. g. within 50 0C increment steps) from ambient temperature up to a predetermined maximum temperature (e. g. 550 0C). As described above the completion of a decomposition stage can be detect ed at each temperature level by comparison of the reactor temperature and the gas exhaust temperature and the next temperature level can be initiated by the control 15 command signal of the control device the heating device for increasing the reactor temperature. If the completion of the whole decomposition process at a predeter mined maximum temperature is detected, a turn-off signal for turning off the heating device can be the output signal from the control device. At a maximum temperature of approx. 550 0C only carbon remains after sufficient amount of time at temperature. 20 So it is possible to produce highly pure carbon by the described operation. In at least one embodiment of the invention the bottom of the reactor chamber com prises a protuberance in the direction to the ceiling of the reactor chamber and the heating device comprises a heating element positioned or positionable inside the pro 25 tuberance (hereinafter also referred to as "central heating element"). The protuber ance may be, for instance, extending from the bottom toward the ceiling of the reac tor chamber to half the height of the reactor chamber and, for instance, be arranged centrally in a way that by it the reactor chamber is divided into equal sections or par tial chambers. 30 By means of the central heating element, positioned at least during operation of the recycling apparatus inside the protuberance, the reactor chamber can be heated ad ditionally at the central position and not only from the side walls. The central heating 9 element can be connected with one of the heating segments or can be controlled separately (e. g. by means of the control device) The recycling apparatus can be designed in particular transportable, e. g. can be 5 provided with regard to its dimensions for the transport on a freight vehicle. The invention provides as well a method for the thermal recycling of starting material (hereinafter referred to as "recycling method"). The recycling method corresponds to the operation described above with respect to the recycling apparatus, in particular 10 the detection explained above with reference to the control device of the decomposi tion progress. Therefore the following description of the embodiment of invention kept short and and refers to the explanation above regarding the recycling apparatus and the control device. 15 According to the recycling method the heating of the starting material in a reactor chamber is performed, wherein the starting material is decomposed to form gaseous products. The gaseous products are removed through a gas exhaust pipe extending from the reactor chamber. The temperature at a position within the reactor chamber is detected as reactor temperature and the temperature at a position at the gas ex 20 haust pipe outside the reactor chamber is detected as gas exhaust temperature. Now, the gas exhaust temperature is compared with the reactor temperature and in dependence on the result of this comparison - as explained above - an output signal is generated. 25 In at least one embodiment of the recycling method, the change rate of the gas ex haust temperature is recorded as a gas exhaust temperature change rate and the rate of change of the reactor temperature as the reactor temperature change rate, wherein a output signal is generated if the difference between the reactor tempera ture change rate and the gas exhaust temperature change rate is above a predeter 30 mined rate threshold value. Alternatively or additionally it can be that each reactor temperature value is allocated to a predetermined gas exhaust setpoint temperature value, an output signal is gen erated if the difference between the gas exhaust setpoint temperature value, that is 10 allocated to the current reactor temperature value, and the current gas exhaust tem perature is above a predetermined temperature difference threshold. Further embodiments of the recycling method arising in accordance with the above 5 mentioned embodiments of the recycling apparatus which are referenced herein. The invention will be illustrated by way of example with reference to the figures, wherein the same or similar features are provided with the same reference signs. They show schematically: 10 Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view of a recycling apparatus according to one embodi ment of the invention, and Fig. 2 shows a temperature profile diagram to illustrate a recycling method accord ing to one embodiment of the invention. 15 Figure 1 illustrates a recycling apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the in vention in performing a recycling method according to one embodiment of the inven tion. The recycling apparatus 1 comprises a reactor chamber 3 loaded with the start ing material 5 like waste or residual material. Moreover, the recycling apparatus 1 20 comprises a heating chamber 7, wherein the reactor chamber 3 is enclosed during operation of the recycling apparatus 1 in the heating chamber 7 and is heated by the same. The recycling apparatus 1 has a gas exhaust pipe 9 for removing gaseous prod 25 ucts 11 (illustrated by the arrow pointing in the flow direction of the gaseous prod ucts 11 in Figure 1) from the reactor chamber 3. The gas exhaust pipe 9 connects the reactor chamber 3 with a condenser 13 of the recycling apparatus 1. The con denser 13 is designed to liquefy the gaseous products 11 flowing from reactor cham ber 3 into the condenser 13 for example by means of a cooling water circuit 15 illus 30 trated in figure 1. The gaseous products 11 flow at a gas exhaust 17 from the reactor chamber 3 into the gas exhaust pipe 9 and at a gas supply 9 from the gas exhaust pipe 9 into the condenser 13. The liquefied gaseous products escape at a drain 21 from the condenser 13.

11 The recycling apparatus 1 comprises a temperature sensor or gas exhaust tempera ture sensor 23 for detecting the current gas exhaust temperature TG at a position within the gas exhaust pipe 9 and outside both the reactor chamber 3 and the heat ing chamber 7. According to figure 1, the gas exhaust temperature sensor 23 is 5 placed at the gas supply 19 within the gas exhaust pipe 9. In addition, the recycling apparatus 1 comprises a temperature sensor or reactor temperature sensor 25 for detecting current reactor temperature TR at a position within the reactor chamber 3. According to figure 1 the reactor temperature sensor 25 10 is positioned at the gas exhaust 17 within the reactor chamber 3. The recycling apparatus 1 comprises a control device 27 which is connected to the exhaust gas temperature sensor 23 and the reactor temperature sensor 25. 15 The heating chamber 7 acts as a heater with multiple heating elements, wherein the heating device comprises several (here: three) heating segments 33, 35, 37 in the direction from the bottom 29 to the ceiling 31 of the reactor chamber 3. The ceiling heating segment 33 and the central heating segment 35 consist of circumferentially arranged heating elements on the side walls of the heating chamber 7. The lowest 20 heating segment or bottom heating segment 37 comprises circumferentially at the heating chamber 7 arranged side heating elements 39 and one bottom heating ele ment 41 at the bottom of the heating chamber 7. From the ceiling heating seg ment 33, the central heating segment 35 and the bottom-heating segment 37 a heat ing zone is defined in each case (wherein in the embodiment of figure 1 each of them 25 extends as an example over a third of the height of the reactor chamber 3). Moreover, the heating device of the heating chamber 7 comprises a central heating element 43. The central heating element 43 is placed inside a protuberance 45 which is formed at the bottom 29 of the reactor chamber 3. The bottom 29 of the reactor 30 chamber 3 comprises the protuberance 45 in direction toward the ceiling 31 of the reactor chamber 3. Inside of the protuberance 45 the central heating element 43 could be placed during operation of the recycling apparatus 1. The central heating element 43 is arranged in the heating chamber 7 and is removable, for instance, it can be removed if the reactor chamber 3 is moved into or out of the heating cham- 12 ber 7. The recycling apparatus 1 also includes a plurality of (in figure 1: six) tempera ture sensors or heating zone temperature sensors 47 for detecting the temperature in a specific heating zone. The control device 27 is connected to the heating device or with their heating segments 33, 35, 37, with the central heating element 43 and the 5 heating zone temperature sensors 47 (wherein not all electrical connections are shown in figure 1 due to clarity) and is arranged or designed such that the tempera ture inside the reactor chamber 3 can be adjusted by controlling the heating seg ments 33, 35, 37, 43. In particular, the control device 27 is designed such that by it the ceiling heating segment 33, the medium heating segment 35 and the bottom 10 heating segment 37 are controlled such that in the three heating zones defined by these heating segments the same temperature is present. The recycling apparatus 1 is (by means of appropriate design of the heating device and the control device 27) configured such that after loading of the reactor chamber 3 15 with residual material 5 the temperature within the reactor chamber 3 is increased stepwise in steps of 50 0C or 50 K from room temperature up to a maximum tempera ture of 550 0C. The residual material 5 can be biological waste, like wood chips or slaughterhouse waste, or industrial waste such as lead-acid batteries. 20 During recycling of the residual material 5 different decomposition processes take place at different temperature levels (i. e. at different temperatures within the reactor chamber 3), wherein the nature of the decomposition processes depend on material to be recycled. 25 During recycling of plant waste material initially water is deprived at lower tempera tures and oil at higher temperatures. After a sufficiently long heat treatment at tem peratures at 550 0C only carbon remains (with some impurities) in the reaction chamber 3. 30 If the decomposition processes taking place at a specific temperature level are com pleted, no gaseous products are released within the reactor chamber 3 at this tem perature level. So the the gas exhaust temperature TG decreases while the reactor temperature TR is constant. In this regard, figure 2 illustrates as an example the temperature variation of the gas exhaust temperature TG and the reactor tempera- 13 ture TR during time t at the completion of a decomposition stage at a certain constant reactor temperature TR. As long as the decomposition process is still ongoing (illus trated in figure 1 by the period up time ti), both the reactor temperature TR and the gas exhaust temperature TG are substantially constant, wherein the gas exhaust 5 temperature TG (due to the distance of gas exhaust temperature sensor 23 from the reactor chamber 3) is lower than the reactor temperature TR. During the completion of the decomposition process (illustrated in Figure 1 by the time interval between ti and t2) the amount per time of gaseous products resulting from the decomposition process decreases, whereby the heat flow toward the gas exhaust temperature sen 10 sor 23 decreases and the gas exhaust temperature TG drops. After completion of the decomposition process (illustrated in figure 1 by the period after time t2), the gas ex haust temperature TG remains again constant. During the entire process the reactor temperature TR remains constant. 15 The control device 27 is configured such that the gas exhaust temperature TG is compared with the reactor temperature TR and in dependence on the result of this comparison an output signal is generated in the form of a control command signal to the heating device. In the embodiment of figure 1, the control device 27 is designed such that the change rate of the gas exhaust temperature TG as a gas exhaust tem 20 perature change rate and the rate of change of the reactor temperature TR as the reactor temperature change rate are recorded from the control device 27 and the output signal is generated if the difference between the reactor temperature change rate and the gas exhaust temperature change rate is above a predetermined rate threshold value. In the the embodiment of figure 1 the rate threshold value is zero 25 (however, the rate threshold value can be greater than zero or positive). Using the example of figure 2, the reactor temperature change rate and the gas ex haust temperature change rate equals zero and therefore also the difference be tween these two rates of change during the periods before time ti and after time t2. 30 During the period between ti and t2, that is the period of the completion of the de composition process at the predetermined temperature level, the reactor temperature change rate remains at zero, whereas the gas exhaust temperature change rate is negative. Thus, the difference between the reactor temperature change rate and the 14 gas exhaust temperature change rate is greater than zero, and exceeds therefore the predetermined rate threshold value. This exceeding of the rate threshold value is evaluated by the control device 27 as completion of the decomposition stage and the control device 27 generates an output signal as a control command signal to heating 5 device to increase reactor temperature TR to the next temperature level as long as the predetermined maximum temperature is not reached. In case the predetermined maximum temperature is exceeded the control device 27 generates an output signal that turns off the heating device. 10 In the embodiment of figure 1, the control device 27 is designed such that by it an output signal is generated as control command signal if the difference between the reactor temperature change rate and the gas exhaust temperature change rate ex ceeds the rate threshold value. However, the control device 27 can be designed in a way that the output signal is generated as control command signal if the gas exhaust 15 temperature TG is decreasing while the reactor temperature TR is constant or in creasing. As another example, the control device 27 can also be designed such that by it each reactor temperature value TR is allocated to predetermined gas exhaust setpoint 20 temperature value TGS. In that case the output signal is generated as control com mand signal if the difference of the gas exhaust setpoint temperature value TGS, which is allocated to the current reactor temperature value TR, and the current ex haust gas temperature TG is above a predetermined threshold value. 25 The reactor chamber 3 comprises a perforated intermediate bottom 49, which is ar ranged in a distance from the bottom 29 of the reactor chamber 3 within the same, wherein the intermediate bottom 49 extends in accordance with figure 1 above the bottom 29. In addition, the reactor chamber 3 comprises plurality of gas bypass pas sages 51, with each of the gas bypass passages 51 extends from a position between 30 the bottom 29 and the intermediate bottom 49 in the direction to the ceiling 31 of the reactor chamber 3 (and therefore also in the direction of the gas exhaust 17 at the ceiling 31). It may be that any of the gas bypass passages 51 is arranged and con figured such that its inlet is arranged between the bottom 29 and the intermediate 15 bottom 49, and its outlet is arranged above the maximum loading height of the reac tor chamber 3.

16 List of reference signs 1 recycling apparatus 3 reactor chamber 5 5 starting material / residual material 7 heating chamber 9 gas exhaust pipe 11 gaseous products 13 condenser 10 15 cooling water circuit 17 gas exhaust 19 gas supply 21 drain 23 gas exhaust temperature sensor 15 25 reactor temperature sensor 27 control device 29 bottom of the reactor chamber 31 ceiling of the reactor chamber 33 ceiling heating segment 20 35 central heating segment 37 bottom heating segment 39 sideward heating element 41 bottom heating element 43 central heating element 25 45 protuberance 47 heating zone temperature sensor 49 perforated intermediate bottom 51 gas bypass passage TG gas exhaust temperature 30 TR reactor temperature TGS gas exhaust setpoint temperature

Claims

1. Apparatus (1) for the thermal recycling of starting material (5), comprising - a reactor chamber (3) for loading the starting material (5), 5 - a heating device (7) for heating the reactor chamber (3), wherein the starting material (5) in the reactor chamber (3) is decomposed during the heating to form gaseous products (11), - a gas exhaust pipe (9) for removing the gaseous products (11) from the reactor chamber (3), 10 - a gas exhaust temperature sensor (23) for detecting a gas exhaust tempera ture (TG) present at a position at the gas exhaust pipe (9) outside the reactor chamber (3), - a reactor temperature sensor (25) for detecting a reactor temperature (TR) pre sent at a position within the reactor chamber (3), 15 - a control device (27) which is connected to the gas exhaust temperature sen sor (23) and the reactor temperature sensor (25) and is designed such, that the control device performs a comparison of the gas exhaust temperature (TG) and the reactor temperature (TR) and generates an output signal depending on the result of that comparison. 20

2. Apparatus of claim 1, comprising a condenser (13) for liquefying the gaseous products (11) by means of condensation, wherein the gas exhaust pipe (9) leads from the reactor chamber (3) to the condenser (13) and opens out at a gas sup ply (19) into the condenser (13), and wherein the gas exhaust temperature sen 25 sor (23) is positioned at the gas supply (19).

3. Apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device (27) is designed such that by it the rate of change of the gas exhaust temperature (TG) is recorded as a gas exhaust temperature change rate and the rate of change of reactor tempera 30 ture (TR) as the reactor temperature change rate, and the output signal is gener ated if the difference between the reactor temperature change rate and the gas exhaust temperature change rate is above a predetermined threshold value. 18

4. Apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device (27) is arranged such that each reactor temperature value (TR) is allocated to a predetermined gas exhaust setpoint temperature value (TGS), and the output signal is generated if the differ ence between the gas exhaust setpoint temperature value (TGS), which is allo 5 cated to current reactor temperature value (TR), and the current gas exhaust temperature (TG) is above a predetermined threshold value.

5. Apparatus of one of the claims 1 to 4, wherein the reactor chamber (3) comprises a perforated intermediate bottom (49), which is arranged at a distance from the 10 bottom (29) of the reactor chamber (3) within the same, and wherein the reactor chamber (3) comprises one or more gas bypass passages (51), wherein each of the gas bypass passages (51) extending from a position between the bottom (29) and the intermediate bottom (49) in the direction to the ceiling (31) of the reactor chamber (3). 15

6. Apparatus of one of the claims 1 to 5, wherein the heating device is designed in the form of a heating chamber (7) to enclose the reactor chamber (3).

7. Apparatus of one of the claims 1 to 6, wherein the heating device comprises a 20 plurality of heating segments (33, 35, 37) in the direction from the bottom (29) to the ceiling (31) of the reactor chamber (3), wherein each of the heating segments defines a heating zone.

8. Apparatus of one of the claims 1 to 7, wherein the bottom (29) of the reactor 25 chamber (3) comprises a protuberance (45) in direction towards the ceiling (31) of the reactor chamber (3) and the heating device comprises a heating ele ment (43) positionable inside the protuberance (45).

9. Method for the thermal recycling of starting material (5), comprising the steps 30 - heating the starting material in a reactor chamber (3), decomposing the starting material (5) to produce gaseous products (11), removing the gaseous prod ucts (11) out of the reactor chamber (3) via an gas exhaust pipe (9), - detecting a gas exhaust temperature (TG) present at a position at the gas ex haust pipe (9) outside the reactor chamber (3), 19 - detecting a reactor temperature (TR) present at a position within the reactor chamber (3), and - performing a comparison of the gas exhaust temperature (TG) with the reactor temperature (TR) and generating an output signal in dependence on the result of 5 that comparison.

10. Method of claim 9, wherein the rate of change of gas exhaust temperature (TG) as a gas exhaust temperature change rate and the rate of change of reactor temperature (TR) as the reactor temperature change rate are recorded and the 10 output signal is generated if the difference between the reactor temperature change rate and the gas exhaust temperature change rate is above a predeter mined threshold value.

11. Method of claim 9, wherein each reactor temperature value (TR) is allocated to a 15 predetermined gas exhaust setpoint temperature value (TGS) and the output signal is generated if the difference between the gas exhaust setpoint tempera ture value (TGS), which is allocated to the current reactor temperature val ue (TR), and the gas exhaust temperature value (TG) is above a predetermined threshold value. 20