BRPI0715293A2 - gasifier and incinerator, method of gasification and continuous incineration of residual biomass - Google Patents

Abstract

GASIFIER AND INCINERATOR, METHOD OF GASIFICATION AND CONTINUOUS INCINERATION OF RESIDUAL BIOMASS. It is a biomass sludge gasification device which has a particle size of less than 1 cm and a 20% to 100% solids content that has a main chamber, a gas transfer hood, a mixture that accepts gases from the main chamber and a post-incinerator chamber in fluid communication with the mixing chamber. A secondary burner produces an initial heating flame within a vertical portion of the post-incinerator chamber. A heat transfer chamber is in fluid communication with the post-initiator chamber. Heated gases from the post-incinerator chamber cause the heat transfer chamber to heat up. The main chamber has a conductive floor overlaid with the heat transfer chamber so that the conductive and convective heating of the main chamber occurs. At least one main helical thread is located transversely in the main chamber between a mud feed funnel and an ash funnel. The heat transfer chamber is located on the main auger near the end in the ash hopper.

Description

GASIFIER AND INCINERATOR

GASIFICATION z continuous incineration of residual biomass Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to incinerators and the like for the processing of residual toiomass and particularly biomass sludge and sludge-like matter such as animal excrement or other sewage sludge, and the like. Background of the Invention It is necessary that several biomass sludges,

particularly those such as animal excrement from farms where perhaps many thousands of animals are raised for slaughter purposes, are properly processed so that they are reduced to an inert, sterile material,

It may happen that these forms of biomass and other related volatile solids have infectious or even deadly bacteria or viruses present in them which must be destroyed. Animal droppings may have a significant amount of water, but they also comprise large percentages of hydrogen, carbon and also a number of trace elements such as nitrogen, sulfur, iron, chlorine, magnesium, manganese, sodium and potassium, among others. It is desirable to heat all of these materials so that organic matter is converted to gases, preferably to innocuous gases such as elemental hydrogen and oxygen, which oxidize as water vapor and residual carbon dioxide, as well as waste compounds and elements. Waste, which is typically solid at room temperature, should end up as mineral materials.

K in order to reduce such res. biomass and related volatile solids in relatively inert gases and mineral salts, alloys or other compounds, these materials need to be sufficiently heated to

break chemical bonds between molecular structures. Intense heating is required to disrupt various chemical bonds, such as hydrogen-c-3 carbon bonds. Essentially all hydrogen-carbon bonds must be disrupted, since bonds are typically found in organic material whose organic material must be destroyed. Such extreme heating of such materials in this manner is known as pyrolysis, which is defined as chemical decomposition by the action of heat. Typically, such pyrolysis is carried out at temperatures of the order of 850 ° C to 1,000 ° C. The ash material that is ideally produced, whose ash :: material is mainly composed of mineral salts, will turn to an orange-red color at 1,000 ° C and finally one will turn to white ash when it cools. The main constituents of organic materials, ie hydrogen and carbon, are gasified to form mainly carbon dioxide and water.

Oue is not desirable as a final product and is even unacceptable, it is black colored ash. Such black-colored ash indicates that the ash has not been completely reduced and that there is still a carbon and hydrocarbon material, among other materials, in the ash. Ash may therefore contain organic material therein which organic material may still be in the form of bacteria or viruses or may have chemical compounds including toxic materials such as dioxins, furans and other organociorides.

Basically heat causes the waste material to be processed, whose processing mainly includes the pyrolytic disruption of the various bonds.

chemicals, such as hydrogen-carbon bonds, to allow gasification of all possible materials.

Briefly, incineration of a biornassa comprises two stages, the gasification stage and the carbon stage. In the first, the gasification stage, the gases are directed out of the biorass while it is being heated - which is to say, while it absorbs heat - and such gases comprise water, hydrocarbon gases such as methane and the like, and other volatile organic compounds (VOC). As the gasification stage comes to an end, the remaining sludge will typically have turned into a dry powder-like substance that particularly comprises carbon and other minerals. During the carbon incineration stage, carbon is oxidized, typically forming an additional airflow and carbon dioxide will be directed out of the remaining ash.

In addition, it should be noted that the two-stage incineration of biorass sludge in accordance with the present invention will occur only in a hot furnace system as discussed below; and that the first stage, gasification, will typically occur without the need for additional oxygen and at a slightly lower temperature than in the second stage of carbon. In addition, typically additional oxygen, usually as air, is applied to the incinerator side where the carbon stage incineration occurs.

A study of a large-scale beef cattle operation in Texas, where several thousand animals are kept indoors one by one and not grazing in the grass and growing cattle feed on troughs, shows that dung excrement cattle can be produced in quantities such as 200 tons per day. Obviously bury or

crowding this amount of mud-like biological mass is only a short-term solution. Even so, there is infiltration or other contamination of the surrounding area and the local environment.

Regrettably, a well-known example of infiltration of a "breeding farm" where infiltration entered a municipal water reservoir occurred in the city of Walkerton, Ontario, Canada, in May 2000. Seven people died, mainly from the presence of E. coli; and over 2,300 people became ill. All of this occurred as a result of infiltration of one or more farms where beef cattle were raised for slaughter and where contaminated rainwater entered the aquifer or other groundwater source from which the municipal water supply was pumped. . The municipal water system was improperly monitored and supervised; but there is doubt whether the tragedy would have occurred if there were appropriate controls to prevent such

infiltration.

The author of the present invention has unexpectedly discovered that a biomass sludge such as livestock or other animal droppings or human waste can be effectively burned or incinerated by pyrolysis as discussed above in a continuous process as described below and such that very little additional energy input is required once the pyrolysis process has been established. Biomass sludge is effectively the only fuel that works to ensure its own destruction by pyrolysis or gasification.

The nature of the biomass sludge that can be incinerated in accordance with the present invention should be such that it has a relatively fine consistency;

It is preferably with a particle size that is smaller than 1 cm and more typically in the range of 1 to mm. In addition, the cirna may comprise up to 100% of the finely divided solids content, but typically a biomass sludge such as animal droppings has a solids range of 20% to approximately 80%, and the remainder is liquid. . As will be discussed later, the biomass slurry must be such that it can be moved by a helical thread.

It will also be emphasized later that the

The present invention comprises a "hot furnace system", which means that the biomass sludge charge to be incinerated will reside in a very hot furnace that is heated from the bottom in the manner discussed below.

In addition, as will be discussed later, the present invention provides a continuous operation for the incineration of biomass sludge, rather than by batch processes that require incinerator cooling and heating cycles. Obviously, if the incineration of a sludge Biomass can be realized using a continuous process, thereby preventing the incinerator from cooling and heating, so a lot of energy savings can be achieved.

Brief Description of the Drawings Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example, in association with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of a first prior art incinerator;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of a second prior art incinerator; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of a prior art burner third;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the third prior art incinerator;

Figure 5 is a simplified front view of a biomass gasifier and incinerator in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 6 is a simplified plan view of the biomass gasifier and incinerator in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 7 is a simplified front view of an alternative biomass gasifier and incinerator according to the present invention;

Figure 8 is a simplified front view of an additional alternative biomass gasifier and incinerator in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 9 is a side elevational view in section similar to Figure 3, but showing structural details of a biomass gasifier and incinerator in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 10 is a plan view similar to Figure 4, but showing structural details of the biomass gasifier and incinerator in accordance with the present invention.

Description of the Prior Art Almost all biomass incineration takes place in an incinerator comprising at least two chambers - a main chamber in which the biomass charge is placed for incineration, and a secondary or heat transfer chamber that is in relation to heat transfer with the main chamber, or a post-incinerator chamber that passes into the outlet conduit to the incinerator. In order to obtain the volatilization of all biomass material in the main chamber, it is necessary to break the bonds - especially the hydrogen-carbon bonds - between the various molecules. This breakage of the bonds is essentially a chemical reaction. , usually an endothermic chemical reaction, and requires an amount of external thermal energy to be introduced into the material for the various reactions to occur. Oxidation reactions are exothermic, and these reactions confer the release of thermal energy from the reacted materials. This thermal energy released into the post-incinerator chamber tends to cause an increase in the temperature of the main chamber, which increase in temperature thus tends to force these materials to their volatilization temperatures. If the external thermal energy introduced into the biomass material is too high or too abruptly applied, especially in a concentrated area, then two things tend to happen. First, all reactions that occur render them somewhat uncontrollable, thereby causing ash dust production in the volatilization biomass gases; Secondly, sudden and concentrated reactions produce a great deal of thermal energy, which in turn can cause abrupt volatilization of the surrounding material, whose volatility may be somewhat violent. In addition, if a substantial amount of material is volatilized, in the manner discussed immediately above, for a relatively short period of time, then the ambient temperature of the main chamber will tend to rise substantially, thereby causing the remaining biomass to be volatilized. faster, but not at a controlled rate. In other words, the reaction is, at least to some degree, uncontrolled. In order to have a continuous volatilization reaction that is generally controllable and free of abrupt changes in heat generation rates and rates.

therefore relatively free of abrupt physical disturbances, it is necessary to apply external thermal energy in order to obtain a continued slow elevation of the biomass material to its point of volatilization.

All known prior art incinerators and crematory ovens are designed to use relatively potent techniques in terms of applying heat to a biomass material in order to volatilize the biomass material. Essentially, all known prior art incinerators utilize the "brute force" to cause the required volatilization, based on the assumption that more thermal energy input will cause more chemical reaction and volatilization.

Traditional incinerators and crematory ovens, the example of which is shown in prior art figure 1 and as indicated by general reference numeral 1, employ two or more burners, with a first burner 2 being in the main chamber 3 of incinerator 1 - wherein the main chamber is where the biomass or other material for the fire is placed - 2 b and a second burner 5 is located in the exhaust 6. The first burner 2 in the main chamber 3 is directed in the biomass 4 and lends itself initially to ignite biomass 4. It has been found, however, that outbound gases contain a large amount of materials, such as ash dust, which have hydrogen-carbon bonds and other non-incinerated materials. Therefore, the second burner 5 is included to act as a post-incinerator to additionally burn the materials that are found in the gases. However, relatively large pieces of material, such as ash dust, may contain several million or billions of nuclei; and consequently, such gas-laden parts of quar.co material may not be fully incinerated in the time it takes to pass through the post-incinerator chamber 7.

The first burner 2 in the main chamber 3 is intended directly for biomass 4 or other material to be incinerated to cause direct burning of biomass 4. The flame tends to cause residual biomass to ignite and also to physically agitate the biomass. 4. As a result, an undesirably high amount of ash dust is included within the burning biomass gases. 4. The gases and ash dust contain unburned materials.5 which may be organic materials and which may also include products. unwanted hazardous chemicals such as dioxins, furans and organochlorides.

Moreover, such prior art conventional incinerator 1 does not provide sufficient thermal intensity on a total basis to properly incinerate all waste material. Only localized heat is provided by the first burner 2 within the main chamber 3, the first burner 2 of which incinerates the exterior of the biomass 4 and also by the floor 8 of the main chamber 1, which eventually heats up sufficiently to cause the burner to burn. biomass 4 was immediately in contact with it. Often, there is not enough thermal intensity to cause complete gasification of even the actually burning materials and sufficient thermal intensity to certainly cause complete gasification of the waste material in the center of the biomass. Of course, it has been found that the waste material in the center of biomass charge 4 is not very

burned out. The ash that is produced is still black, which indicates that the ash is mainly carbon. It has typically been found that there is also an undesirable material such as dioxins, furans and organochlorides and other organic matter. This black ash typically has approximately 10% to 15% by volume of original waste material (and approximately 15% to 25% by weight).

Figure 2 shows an improved incinerator and crematory oven which overcomes some of the problems encountered with conventional prior art incinerators and crematory ovens. This incinerator is essential, and one that is disclosed in US Pat. . 4,603,644 to the author of the present invention, issued August 5, 198 6. The incinerator and crematorium disclosed in that patent and indicated by general reference numeral 10 have an exhaust fan 21 in the rear wall 12 of the main chamber 13, exhaust fan 11 which leading to a vertically disposed flame chamber 14. The flame chamber 14 first comprises a mixing chamber 15 and wherein the single burner element layer 16 blends with the gases of the main chamber 13 and a post-incinerator chamber 17 where the gases in the mixing chamber 15 are reacted - to break hydrogen-carbon bonds - 3 gasify the materials in the gases. This process is known as "rupture". The post-incinerator chamber has a 90 ° corner where most of the "rupture" occurs. A relatively short horizontally disposed portion of the post-incinerator chamber 17 leads to a generally horizontally disposed heat transfer chamber 18. Heat from the "rupture" of the hydrogen-carbon bonds in the post-incinerator chamber 17 causes a heat transfer chamber temperature rise to approximately 10000 ° C. Heat within the heat transfer chamber increases through the ceiling 19 of the heat transfer chamber, which is also the floor of the main chamber, to heat the main chamber and biomass 9 within the main chamber 13. Thus, biomass 9 receives the conductive and convective heat Cc heat transfer chamber 18, which is conductive and convective heat which assists in heating the biomass 9 in the main chamber 13. The burner element 16 is located in the upper portion of the mixing chamber 15, immediately next to it. As a result, the flame of the burner element 16 provides direct radiant heat to the main chamber 13 through the hood 11. This direct radiant heat reaches the biomass 9 which is incinerated and partially assists in heating the biomass 9 (known as "direct radiant thermal volatilization"). Such direct radiation heat incineration tends to cause biome burning This causes premature ignition leading to incomplete combustion in the early stages of the process. An ignition burner 19 is also included to aid in combustion of residual mass. Activation of this burner may cause instability in the main chamber and cause the emission of gray dust dust. Part of the ash dust becomes carbonated within the post-incinerator chamber 17; however, it is quite possible for some of the ash dust to pass through the post-incinerator chamber 17 without being completely gasified. Such incomplete gasification is generally unacceptable as this material may include hydrocarbons, dioxins, furans and other unwanted organic matter such as bacteria, viruses and other

microorganisms.

All prior art acid burners and cremation furnaces use one or more and,

possibly still several control systems in order to try to stabilize the temperature inside the main chamber. It has been found that the use of such multiple control systems tends to produce a total system in which the temperature in the main chamber may vary and therefore cannot be considered stable. Such lack of stability is caused by the plurality of control systems that work essentially against each other. It has been found that incinerators and ovens

The prior art crematoriums as discussed above, due to the inherent nature of the incineration process that occurs, produce an unacceptable end product. The gases that are produced have relatively high levels of hydrocarbon: dioxins, furans, among other materials and substances and may also contain ash dust, and the resulting ash left in the incinerator may have unwanted organic matter such as bacteria, viruses. and other microorganisms. Therefore, it can be observed that the inciteration of residual biomass and related volatile solids is generally unacceptable because it does not make potentially infectious waste totally safe.

A further prior art approach is that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, which show a carbonator indicated by general reference numeral 20. This carbonator 20 is that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,289 to the author of the present invention, issued March 18, 1997, and no. No. 6,116,168, issued September 12, 2000. The gasifier 20 comprises a main chamber 30 formed to receive: a tail of waste material 22 to be gasified. The main chamber 30 includes a main door 32 to allow selective access to the main chamber. Uri low volume air inlet 34 can be

included in the door element 32 to allow internal flow of small amounts of air or oxygen to the main chamber 30. The floor 36 of the main chamber 30 is made of a suitable refractory material to be strong enough to withstand the weight of all material placed in it, which can be several thousand pounds. Floor 36 also conducts heat to allow heat to enter main chamber 30 from the bottom.

A gas transfer hood 38 is positioned at the rear of the main chamber 30 and is arranged near the top of the main chamber. The gas transfer hood 38 is in fluid communication with the main chamber 30 to allow gases to escape from the main chamber 30 when the waste material charge 22 is being gassed therein. Gases from the gas transfer hood 38 comprise gases as well as molecules having hydrogen, carbon and oxygen atoms in them, and many of the constituents have hydrogen and carbon bonded together, consequently with hydrogen-carbon bonds.

A vertically disposed mixing chamber 40 is in fluid communication with the gas transfer hood 33 and thereby accepts the gases from the main chamber 30. The post-incinerator chamber 42 is in fluid communication with the mixing chamber 40. Preferred embodiment, the post-incinerator chamber has a first vertically disposed portion connected to a 90S corner as indicated by the two-headed arrow "A" to a second horizontally disposed portion 46. The width of "one corner to the other" to 90 ° is larger than the width of the post-incinerator chamber 42 to maximize the effect of the post-incinerator chamber 42 as

will be discussed in more detail subsequently. The post-incinerator is thus formed and has its dimensions calculated to allow the heating flame to fully oxidize substantially all of the main chamber gas constituents.

The burner element, in the form of a heat input auxiliary burner 48, is located at the top of the mixing chamber and is oriented to project down a heating flame through the mi chamber. 40 and the first vertically disposed portion of the post-incinerator chamber 42. The heat flame of the heat inlet burner 48 causes further oxidation of the gas constituents to completely decompose the main portion of these components into carbon dioxide and water vapor. ■ - water vapor that is a gas and at temperatures above approximately 100 ° C.

The mixing chamber allows mixing of the gas constituents of the main chamber 30 with air = Lent in the mixing chamber and also with the oxygen inlet oxygen 49 which is juxtaposed with the auxiliary heat-burner 48.

Auxiliary heat inlet burner 48 has a fuel inlet and an air inlet to allow fuel gas and oxygen to be fed to inlet burner 48 respectively. A control device is operatively connected to the inlet burner. 48 through the middle of the wires 57 and is used to control the fuel source to the inlet burner 48. It is typically necessary initially to adjust the fuel flow to the heat inlet auxiliary burner 48 so as to produce a substantial heating flame that will extends to the post-incinerator chamber 42. As the post-incinerator chamber 42 generally increases in temperature, the fuel flow to the auxiliary heat input burner 48 is typically decreased as less input is required for keep the post-incinerator chamber 4 6 at a generally constant temperature as the gasification process

is in progress.

A partition wall 50 is disposed between the mixing chamber 40 and the main chamber 30 and also between the first vertically disposed portion 4 of the post-incinerator chamber 42 and the main chamber 30. The partition wall 0 is positioned and sized to prevent the heating flame produced by the heat input auxiliary burner 48 enters the main chamber 30 and also to prevent the radiation from the heating flame entering directly into the main chamber 30. Thus, the heating flame does not directly heat the waste material 22. in the main chamber and therefore does not overheat a localized area of the material. Particularly, the partition wall 50 precludes physical agitation of the material 22 by the heating flame of the heat input auxiliary burner 48, thereby preventing the generation of ash dust from the waste material 22 while the material 22 is being heated and gasified.

The dividing wall 50 is height variable by subtracting or adding bricks 51 thereof to allow for a "fine adjustment" of the cross-sectional area of the gas transfer hood 38. Typically, the gas transfer hood 38 is kept as large as reasonably possible to allow rapid escape of gases from the main chamber 30. In the post-incinerator chamber 42, hydrogen-carbon bonds in the various materials, among other bonds, rupture and oxidize to produce a liquid exothermic reaction. Disruption of the hydrogen-carbon bonds, which is known in the industry as "rupture", occurs primarily at the 90Â ° corner between the first vertically disposed portion 44 and the second horizontally disposed portion 46 of the post-incinerator chamber 42. This corner is termed as "break zone".

As gases exit the second horizontally disposed portion 46 of the post-incinerator chamber, they enter the heat transfer chamber 52. The heat from these exothermic reactions causes heat transfer chamber 52 to heat to a very high temperature, finally about 1.OOO0C. This temperature is, of course, adjustable by means of the control device 56 of the heat input auxiliary burner 48. As the heat from the "rupture" of the hydrogen-carbon bonds increases, in addition to the residual heat of the input heat auxiliary burner 48, increases the temperature within the heat transfer chamber 52, ie control device 56 may be used to decrease the heating flame which is projected from the heat input auxiliary burner 48. This control device 5 6 may be connected. with a thermocouple 58 which senses the temperature within the heat transfer chamber 52. Thermocouple 58 is electrically connected via wires 59 to the control device 56 to provide the signaling signals to the control device, thereby allowing automatic adjustment. of the heating flame io auxiliary heat input burner 48. Heat transfer chamber 52 is bifurcated to increase length heat transfer chamber 52, thereby increasing the amount of time that hot gases within the heat transfer chamber are exposed to the floor 36 of the main chamber 30 above and thereby allowing more heat to be transferred from the heat chamber. heat transfer 52 to the main chamber 30.

The main chamber 30 is superimposed on the transfer chamber 52, with the heat conductive floor 36 disposed in separate relationship therewith, such that the heat transfer chamber 52 passes through the heat conductive floor 36 to allow the conductive and convective heating of the main chamber 30, thereby increasing the temperature of the main chamber 30.

The heat transfer chamber 52 is in fluid communication with a vertically disposed exhaust fan 54 located at the rear of the main chamber 30. The exhaust fan 54 allows safe ventilation of oxidized gases in the vicinity of the environment.

The temperature within the main chamber can be controlled in two ways: first, the auxiliary heat input burner 48 is modulated via the control device 56 which receives feedback from a thermocouple 58 within the heat transfer chamber 52. The fuel inlet, and therefore the flame size of the heat inlet auxiliary burner 48, is selected according to the temperature experienced by the thermocouple 58. Secondly, a small amount of air is allowed to pass into the main chamber 30. via the low volume air inlet 34 in main port 32 of main chamber 3C. Entering a small amount of air into the main chamber 30 may increase the temperature.

inside the main chamber 30.

When the heat input auxiliary burner 48 is started, the heat from the heat input auxiliary burner

Heat 43 heats the heat transfer chamber 52, thereby causing a slow and steady increase in the tempering temperature of the main chamber 30. As the temperature in the main chamber 30 rises, volatilization of the low enthalpy portions of the material Residual waste 22 begins to occur since the low enthalpy material 22 has by definition a lower binding energy. Exothermic reactions of low enthalpy material 22 occurring in the main chamber 30 and in the "break zone" of the post-incinerator chamber 42 are combined with the heat of the heat input auxiliary burner 48 to continue heating the transfer chamber. 52, to cause a constant and continuous rise in temperature within main chamber 30. As the temperature inside main chamber 30 increases, the higher enthalpy portions of waste material 22 are volatilized, thereby producing even more energy. from the resulting exothermic reactions. This increased thermal energy continues to combine with the thermal energy of the heat input auxiliary burner 48 to continue to add heat to the ca 1 or 52 transfer chamber and thereby to increase the temperature of the heat exchanger. main chamber 30. Thus, there is a constant and continuous increase in the amount of thermal energy released through the exothermic reaction of the waste material 22 over time. However, thermocouple 58 in the main chamber allows temperature monitoring of the heat transfer chamber 52 and allows the auxiliary heat input burner 48 to be modulated so that the heat within the heat transfer chamber 52 does not increase excessively. . Essentially, the increase in temperature within the main chamber 30 is based on the slow rise in thermal energy from the continued exothermic reactions of the material 22.

Brief Description of the Invention

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a sewer and incinerator is provided for use in the gasification of biomass residue in the form of a slurry having a particle size of no more than 1 cm and having the content of 20% to 100% solids in which the remainder is liquid.

The gasifier and incinerator of the present invention comprises a main chamber adapted to receive the biomass sludge therein for gasification and incineration thereof.

A gas transfer hood is arranged near the top of the main chamber and is in fluid communication with the main chamber to allow gases to escape from the main chamber.

One, the mixing chamber is in fluid communication with the gas transfer hood to accept the gases from the main chamber.

There is a post-incinerator chamber that is in fluid communication with the mixing chamber.

A secondary burner element is located in a gasifier to produce an initial heating flame from a first vertically disposed portion of the post-incinerator chamber, and the secondary burner element has a fuel inlet and an air inlet to enable supply. fuel and oxygen gas, respectively, to the burner element, and a control device for controlling the fuel and oxygen supply to the burner element.

A partition wall is arranged between the mixing chamber and the main chamber, and the partition wall defines the lower limit of the transfer hood.

There is a heat transfer chamber in fluid communication with the post-incinerator chamber, where heated gases flowing from the post-incinerator chamber cause the heat transfer chamber to heat up.

The main chamber has a heat conductive floor and overlaps the heat transfer chamber, the heat conductive floor is arranged in separate relationship therewith to allow conductive and convective heating of the main chamber.

The exhaust fan is in fluid communication with the heat transfer chamber to vent gases around the environment. In addition, there is at least one helical thread

located transversely in the main chamber and communicating at a first end with a mud feed funnel and at a second end with a ie funnel. Pusher devices are provided to rotate

at least one main helical thread for directing the biomass sludge through the main chamber of the sludge feed hopper to the ash hopper through the conductive floor of the. It should be noted that the transfer chamber

of calender is under at least one main helical thread perch of the second end thereof.

Typically, the residence time of the biomass sludge as it passes through the main hopper chamber Ge feed sludge to the ash hopper is in the range of 20 minutes to 3 hours.

An additional air or oxygen source is provided to the main chamber on the side of it overlying the heat transfer chamber,

The gasifier and incinerator of the present invention

they may further comprise a first liquid extraction chamber which is below the main chamber and is in heat transfer relationship therewith.

In this case, a secondary helical thread is located transversely in the first liquid extraction chamber and has a pusher device for directing the biomass sludge between a sludge feed funnel and an intermediate sludge feed funnel that communicates with the first slurry. end of at least one main helical thread.

Thus, when the biomass sludge to be gasified and incinerated has a high liquid content, at least part of the liquid is directed outwardly into the first heat extraction chamber being transferred to it from the main chamber,

In addition, a gasifier and incinerator according to the present invention may further comprise a partition wall situated in

longitudinally in the main chamber and having a height lower than that of the main chamber. There is an opening in the partition wall through which the helical thread passes to direct the biomass sludge from the sludge feed funnel to the ash hopper.

Typically, the mixing chamber is usually

willing to see: loyally.

Furthermore, it is usual for the burner element to be disposed in the upper part of said mixing chamber.

It should be noted that the partition wall may

be variable in height,

The structure of the gasifier and incinerator according to the present invention is such that typically the post-incinerator chamber has a first portion.

vertically arranged and a second horizontally arranged portion.

In addition, the first vertically disposed portion of the post-incinerator chamber is fluidly connected to the second horizontally disposed portion of the post-incinerator chamber by a 90D corner.

It should be noted that the 90 ° bend has a "bend to bend" distance that is greater than the width of the post-incinerator chamber, thereby effectively increasing the cross-sectional area of the post-incinerator chamber. .

The present invention also provides a method of continuously gasifying and incinerating the residual biomass in the form of a slurry having a particle size of no more than 1 cm and having a content of 20% to 100% solids with the remainder being is the method in which the method comprises the following steps.

Primarily7 an amount of biomass slurry is placed in a slurry feed funnel and part of the biomass slurry is introduced into a main chamber of a gasifier and incinerator by directing the biomass slurry through the main chamber with a helical thread.

A burner element situated within said

The gasifier is initiated to produce an Initial heating flame directed through a mixing chamber and arranged vertically only within a post-incinerator chamber. A heat transfer chamber is heated.

Initially by the initial heating flame, wherein the radiation of the flame is unable to enter directly into the main. h Biomass sludge is heated in the main chamber by conductive and convective heating of the heat transfer chamber only, to preclude the physical disturbance of said biomass sludge except for the Ldal hemp thread.

The gases are channeled from the biomass sludge into the mixing chamber. Only heat from the oxidation of gases is used to further heat the heat transfer chamber. The gases are then extracted from the

heat transfer,

More biomass sludge is fed continuously to a first end of the screw thread and ash is continuously removed from an ash funnel located at a second end of the screw thread.

Typically, the initial heating flame is directed through a mixing chamber generally arranged vertically:

In addition, the burner element is located within the gasifier and incinerator to be disposed at the top of the mixing chamber.

Finally, the initial heating flame is directed to a post-incinerator chamber having a first vertically disposed portion and a second horizontally disposed portion.

Detailed Description of Preferred Accomplishments

The novel features believed to be characteristic of the present invention regarding their structure, organization, use and method of operation, together with objectives and additional advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following discussion.

Firstly, with reference to Figures 5 and 6, the simplified views of a biomass sludge gasifier and incinerator according to the present invention are shown. The biomass sludge gasifier and incinerator is generally identified by reference numeral 100 and comprises the main chamber 102, a secondary chamber or post-incinerator chamber 104 and at least one main helical thread 106. The biomass slurry is fed into the sludge gasifier. of biomass and incinerator 100 from a sludge feed funnel 108 so as to be charged through the main chamber 102 by at least one main helical thread. 106, and the resulting incinerated ash is collected in an ash funnel 110.

The biomass sludge intended to be gasified incinerated according to the present invention as noted above may comprise animal excrement, sewage sludge and other sludge-like biomass provided that there is no particulate matter having a particle size larger than 1 cm. The biomass sludge may comprise from 20% to 100% solids, the remainder being liquid. Other biomass sludge other than excrement or sewage waste may also be gasified and incinerated and may comprise residual biomass that has a high energy content. For example, ground animal parts such as meat and bone that have a relatively high fat content will comprise a high energy content. Gasification and incineration of such high energy biomass waste can be very important in some circumstances such as the elimination of large amounts of dirt removed from farms where avian influenza is present or suspected to occur. Similarly, cattle can sometimes be slaughtered and cut where mad cow disease is present or suspected. It is important that such biomass residue be completely gasified and incinerated to preclude any possibility of viruses or other protein material containing or causing such diseases entering any food chain, whether human or animal.

In any case, the gasifier and incinerator 100 is constructed using the typical refractory materials from which such devices are normally made, being structural materials that will withstand temperatures in the range of 100 to 100 ° C; and in some cases as high as I-SOO3C. Typically, helical threads are made of stainless steel to also withstand the high temperatures to which they are exposed without loss of structural integrity. It can be observed, however, that, in operation, the helical threads may appear a hot bright red color. However, this phenomenon is desired because it ensures that heat is transferred to the biomass sludge to be gasified and incinerated.

The basic structure and operation of the gasifier and incinerator 100 is not different from that of the prior art device 20 which is discussed with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Thus, it can be seen that the return flow chamber 112 is in communication. with chimney 114; and it is understood that gases flowing in the return flow chamber Ϊ12 are generally at a lower temperature than those flowing in the secondary chamber 104, because the gases will have released heat to the heat conducting furnace 116.

An auxiliary or secondary burner 118 is provided, together with a secondary air blower 120, and the purpose of the secondary burner 118 is to provide an initial or activation flame when the continuous operation of the gasifier and incinerator in accordance with the present invention is initiated. . Fuel is supplied to the secondary burner ·

118 and a secondary air blower 120 is operated to set the heat in the vertical portion of the post incinerator 104, shown at 122. This heat will naturally cause gases to flow through the secondary chamber 104 in the chamber. However, as these gases become warmer, more heat is transferred to the biomass sludge residing in the furnace 116 and is displaced and directed by the helical threads 106. In a reasonably long period of time In short, the biomass Iairs will be sufficiently heated to start emitting gases including water and volatile organic compounds such as methane and the like. As more and more of these volatile organic compounds are released, they will pass into a gas transfer hood and mixing chamber or transfer to the post-incinerator chamber 104 through the vertical post-incinerator portion 122. Finally These gases are hot enough that they require little, if any, additional heat input from the secondary burner 118, which can then be turned off. Of course, sufficient monitoring and control device is provided to ensure that the temperature in the secondary chamber 104 is sufficiently high to transfer sufficient heat to the biomass sludge that lags the post-incinerator chamber 104 so that the phase of Carbon dioxide gasification and incineration processes as described above may occur. If additional heat is required, the secondary burner 118 will then be switched on as required.

Of course, a motorized device or other pusher device 124 is provided for directing the helical threads 106. Typically, the speed at which the helical threads rotate may be in the range of one rotation every three to four minutes, up to as much as 5 rpm,

Depending on the nature of the biomass sludge to be gasified and incinerated, the adjacent bellicoidal threads 106 may be directed in opposite directions. In addition, the size and spacing of bellicoidal threads depends on the nature of the biomass sludge to be gasified and incinerated.

To accommodate the need for occasional cleaning and certainly for access to the interior of the gasifier and incinerator 100, an access door 126 is provided.

Figure 7 shows an alternative form of aerator and incinerator according to the present invention, which differs only by the addition of a liquid extraction chamber 128 which is below the main chamber 102. Here, the sludge feed funnel 108a is located. at a first end of the helical thread 106a, and an intermediate funnel 130 is located at the first end of the main helical thread 106, the purpose of the liquid extraction chamber 128 is to allow the extraction of additional liquid from the biomass sludge to be gasified and incinerated. . Heat is transferred from the main chamber 102 through a heat transmitting furnace 132 to direct the carbonated liquid from the biomass sludge. The carbonated liquid will escape through the hood 134 to the chimney 114.

A further alternative form of gasifier and incinerator is shown in Figure 8. Here, a dividing wall 136 is provided longitudinally in the gasifier and incinerator for dividing the main chamber into two chambers 102a and 102b. Slas are in gas communication with each other through the exhaust passage 138; and it is understood that the height of the dividing wall 136 may

varying depending on the nature of the biomass sludge to be gasified to incinerated, but in any case less than the height of the main chamber 102a, 102b.

It will now be clearly understood that the present invention not only provides an apparatus by means of a biomass sludge gasifier and incinerator, it also provides a method for gasifying and incinerating the sludge biomass. In this regard, it will be understood that the method of the present invention provides for continuous gasification and incineration rather than a batch process as previously available using prior art devices.

An amount of biomass sludge is placed in a sludge feed funnel and part of the biomass sludge is introduced into the main chamber of a gasifier and incinerator and directed through the main chamber by a helical thread. As discussed above, a burner element is initiated to produce an initial heating flame that is directed through a mixing chamber and which is arranged vertically only within a post-incinerator chamber. One and. The transfer chamber is initially heated by the initial heating flame, and the radiation of the flame is unable to enter directly into the main chamber.

The biomass slurry in the main chamber is heated by conductive and convective heating of a heat transfer chamber below the main chamber and the physical disturbance of the biomass sludge except that a slowly moving helical thread is impossible.

The gases from the heated biomass slurry are channeled into the mixing chamber and the heat of oxidation of these gases further warms the heat transfer chamber.

The gases are then extracted from the heat transfer chamber for exhaust to the environment.

In the meantime, more biomass sludge is fed to the first and fremida of the helical thread through a slurry feed funnel for gasification and incineration and the ash is removed from the second end of the helical thread in an ash funnel.

Finally, with reference now to Figures 9 and 10f, a more specific teaching of a gasifier and incinerator and according to the present invention is shown. It can be seen that these figures are not dissimilar to Figures 3 and 4, and especially the same numerical references are employed to identify the same structural characteristics. The operation and operation of the gasifierchlor and incinerator shown in figures 9 and 10 are similar to those described above with respect to the prior art incinerator shown in figures 3 and 4.

However, a number of numerical references are also employed as used in FIGS. 5-8. Thus, the helical threads 106 are seen in the gasifier and incinerator of FIGS. 9 and 10; and it should be noted from arrows 150 that adjacent helical threads may or may not be counter-rotating. It will also be understood that the additional air or oxygen inlet 34 is positioned to be in line with that portion of the main chamber 102 which is below the post-incinerator chamber 52, 104. The biomass sludge 152 is directed through the main chamber. in the same manner as described above; and it is emphasized that the operation of the gasifier and incinerator of figures 9 and 10 is continuous rather than a discontinuous process. A secondary or auxiliary burner 118 is shown, but from the above description it is understood that its purpose is to provide an initial heating flame. Accordingly, the secondary burner 118 may or may not function, depending on the operation of the controller 56 communicating with a ground 58 and other operating controls as will be understood by those skilled in the art. On the other hand, air or oxygen is supplied to the secondary chamber or post-incinerator through the fume hood 49 and will flow continuously.

The main point to be made is that the structure and operation of the present invention feature a continuous gasification and incineration process; but it should be understood that the biomass to be gasified and incinerated is in the form of a biomass sludge. Because of the operational limitations of the helical threads 106, it has been determined that the efficient operation of a gasifier and incinerator in accordance with the present invention will be best achieved by any means of biomass so that there is no particle having a larger size. 1 cm and the solids content of the sludge is in the range of 20% to 100%.

It will also be appreciated that due to the nature of the operation and particularly since it is a continuous operation, since the gasifier and incinerator are fully functional, the secondary burner can be switched off. In other words, the fuel for continuous operation of the gasifier and incinerator is the biomass sludge itself to be gasified and incinerated. Accordingly, the additional energy input requirements for the operation of the gasifier and incinerator according to the present invention are minimal once it is in the process of being fed. Effectively, the only additional power input requirements are electrical to drive the impeller motor motors to the helical threads,

To provide power to any electronic control that is on the 1jgar, and to any other motors are the fans that may be operating. However, no additional fuel requirement is made other than that required for the initial activation flame, so there is no requirement or need to store large quantities of fuel such as diesel oil or another fuel oil, propane or natural gas. , and so on.

Fence, Long Term Benefits

Significant variations may be derived from the use and operation of a gasifier and incinerator in accordance with the present invention at sites such as beef cattle and the like. As an example, in a beef herd where 200 tons of livestock excrement are produced per day, gasification and incineration of this excrement can produce as much as 2 megawatts of energy per day in the form of electricity or steam. This energy can then be used to support many other operations that are performed in the beef herd, including heating, operation of power distribution equipment, and so forth.

As noted, the typical residence time for the biomass sludge to be gasified and incinerated in accordance with the present invention may range from 20 minutes to 3 hours. If the biomass sludge is such as crushed or similar animal parts, it is relatively dry and has a high energy content, and the downtime will be shorter than if the biomass sludge has a higher net content and a higher content. of lower energy. In addition, biomass sludge such as cattle excrement is more easily handled and has

a lower liquid content than pig excrement. This latter biomass sludge may require treatment in an incinerator gasifier incorporating a first liquid extraction chamber such as that which is

shown in figure 7,

Determining length of stay can be to some extent empirical. However, as experience is gained by the operator, particularly in the examples where the biomass sludge to be gasified and incinerated is essentially the same each time, then control of the movement speed of the heycoidal threads can be established for an operation. efficiency of the gasifier and incinerator according to the

present invention.

It is also possible to approximately determine the residence time by placing a small sample of biomass sludge 3 to be gasified and incinerated in something such as a crucible 2 to observe the length of time required to reduce this biomass sludge to ash when subjecting the biomass sludge. at the very high temperatures that will be experienced in the main chamber of the gasifier and incinerator of the present invention,

Other biomass sludge material that can be gasified and incinerated in accordance with the present invention may include human wastewater effluent. This may have certain advantages in some circumstances such as providing portable toilets for temporary gatherings of large numbers of people - for example, a papal visit, a concert by a famous music group, and so on - or it may have advantages in In situations where there may be a long-term municipal or military establishment such as those found in the high Arctic where the frozen ground layer is found and sewage disposal is a problem.

In the operation of a gasifier and incinerator of

According to the present invention, there may be a flame present in the main chamber in the region of the main chamber where the carbon stage of the incineration occurs. Thus, while the biomass sludge is reduced to ashes in the region of the main chamber 102 which is below the secondary chamber or post-incinerator 104, there may sometimes be violent flame action. In order to prevent improper disturbance of biomass sludge that becomes too dry as a powder, it is sometimes advisable to provide the additional partition wall 136 as shown in Figure 8.

In addition, in operation, a typical temperature differential between the temperature of the gases as they flow through the secondary chamber or post-incinerator 104 to chamber 112 is approximately 100 ° C. In addition, although gases leaving the gasifier and incinerator of the present invention through the chimney 114 may be very hot, they will contain very little or no hazardous gas or gasified compounds such as dioxins or other volatile organic compounds whose presence in the atmosphere may be undesirable or may be prohibited by law. A typical concentration of volatile organic compounds may be considerably lower than ppm, which is generally acceptable in most jurisdictions,

Other modifications and alterations may be used in the design and manufacture of the apparatus of the present invention without departing from the character and scope of the appended claims.

Throughout this specification and the following claims, unless the context otherwise requires, the word "understand" and its variations such as "understand" or "comprising" will be understood to imply the inclusion of an entire unit or of a given step or group of whole units or steps, but not excluding any other integer unit or step or group of units or whole number steps.

Claims (15)

1. GASIFIER AND INCINERATOR for use in gasification of biomass waste in the form of a slurry having a particle size of no more than 1 cm and having a content of 20% to 100% solids, the remainder being It is a liquid, said gasifier and incinerator (100) comprising: a main chamber (102) adapted to receive therein biomass sludge for gasification and incineration thereof; a gas transfer hood disposed near the top of said main chamber (102), said gas transfer hood being in fluid communication with said main chamber (102) to allow gas to escape from said chamber main; a mixing chamber in fluid communication with said gas transfer hood for accepting said gases from said main chamber (102); a post-incinerator chamber (104) in fluid communication with said mixing chamber; a secondary burner element (118) located in said gasifier to produce an initial heating flame within a first vertically disposed portion of said post-incinerator chamber, said burner element having a fuel inlet and an air inlet to allow supplying fuel gas and oxygen respectively to said burner element and control device for controlling the supply of fuel and oxygen to said burner element; a partition wall (136) disposed between said mixing chamber and said main chamber (102), wherein said partition wall defines the lower limit of said transfer hood; a heat transfer chamber in fluid communication with said post-incinerator chamber (104), wherein heated gases flowing from said post-incinerator chamber cause heating of said heat transfer chamber; wherein said main chamber {102} has a heat conductive floor and is superimposed on said heat transfer chamber, said heat conductive floor being arranged in separate relationship therewith to permit conductive and convective heating of the said main chamber (102); an exhaust fan in fluid communication with said heat transfer chamber for ventilation of said gases in said surroundings of the environment; at least one main helical thread (106) located transversely in said main chamber (102) and in communication at a first end with a mud feed funnel (108) and at a second end with an ash funnel (110); a pusher device (124) for rotating at least one said main helical thread (106) for directing the biomass sludge through said main chamber of said sludge feeder (108) to said ash funnel (110), through said heat conductive floor; and wherein said heat transfer chamber is below at least one said main helical thread (10 °) near the second end thereof. Gasifier and incinerator according to claim 1, characterized in that the time interval of said bioassay sludge as it passes through said main chamber of said sludge feed funnel (108) to said ash hopper ( 110) is in the range of 20 minutes to 3 hours. GASIFIER AND INCINERATOR according to either of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that an additional air or oxygen source is provided in said main chamber (102) on the side thereof overlying said chamber. heat transfer. Gasifier and incinerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it further comprises a first liquid extraction chamber overlying said main chamber and has a heat transfer relationship therewith; a secondary helical thread transversely located in said first liquid extraction chamber and having a pusher device for directing the biomass sludge between a sludge feed funnel and an intermediate sludge feed funnel which communicates with said first end of at least one said main helical thread (106); whereby, when the biomass sludge to be gasified and incinerated has a high liquid content, at least part of the liquid is directed outwardly into said first heat transfer liquid chamber being transferred therefrom from of said main chamber. Gasifier and incinerator according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it further comprises a partition wall (136) located longitudinally in said main chamber (102) and having a height lower than that of said main chamber. and having an opening therein through which said helical thread (106) passes to direct the biomass slurry from said slurry feed funnel (108) to said ash funnel (110). Gasifier and incinerator according to claim 1, characterized in that said mixing chamber is generally arranged vertically. Gasifier and incinerator according to Claim 1, characterized in that said burner element is arranged in the upper part of said mixing chamber. Gasifier and incinerator according to claim 1, characterized in that said partition wall (136) is variable in height. EFFICIENT AND INCINERATING GAS according to claim 1, characterized in that said post-incinerator chamber (118) has a first vertically disposed portion and a second horizontally disposed portion. 10. GASIFIER AND INCINERATOR according to claim 9, characterized in that said first vertically disposed portion of said post-incinerator chamber is connected in fluid communication to said second horizontally disposed portion of said post-incinerator chamber by means of a 90 ° corner. Gasifier and incinerator according to claim 10, characterized in that said 90 ° machine has a "from one machine to another" distance that is greater than the width of the post-incinerator chamber to increase thereby. effectively the cross-sectional area of the post-incinerator chamber at this point, 12.- RESIDUAL BIOMASS GASIFICATION AND INCINERATION METHOD in the form of a slurry having a particle size no larger than 1 cm and having a content of 20% to 100% solids, with the remainder being liquid in that said method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of: placing an amount of biomass sludge into a slurry feed funnel and introducing part of the biomass sludge into a main chamber of a gasifier and incinerating: by directing the said biornass mud through said main chamber with a helical thread; activating a burner element located within said gasifier to produce an initial heating flame directed through a mixing chamber and arranged vertically only within a post-incinerator chamber; heating a heat transfer chamber initially by said initial heating flame / po „, whereby the radiation from said flame is unable to enter directly into said main chamber; heating said biorassass mud in said main chamber by conductive and convective heating of said heat transfer chamber only, to prevent physical disturbance of said biorassass mud except for said helical thread; channeling the gases from said biorass sludge to said mixing chamber: utilizing the oxidation heat of said gases to further heat said heat transfer chamber; extracting said gases from said heat transfer chamber; and continuously feeding further biorass sludge to a first end of said auger and removing ash from an ash funnel situated at a second end of said auger. Method according to claim 12 for gasification and incineration of biomass sludge, characterized in that said initial heating flame is directed through a generally vertically arranged mixing chamber. 14 Method according to any one of claims 12 or 13, for gasification and incineration of biomass sludge, characterized in that said burner element is located within said gasifier to be disposed in the upper part of said mixing chamber. Method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, for gasification and incineration of biomass sludge, characterized in that said initial heating flame is directed to a post-incinerator chamber 1-5 having a first vertically disposed portion and a second horizontally disposed portion.