KR800001498B1 - Apparatus for obtaining hydro-carbons from solid wastes materials and like carbonaceous materials - Google Patents

Abstract

The apparatus for converting the organic waste material like coal and carboneous containing material to the fuel and available products, is composed of a heating chamber(36), a long tube(38), a tube heating apparatus up to 900↿F, an organic waste material moving apparatus from inlet(140) of tube to outlet(142), an air preventing apparatus and an equipment (90) forming the vacuum state and removing the steam and gas.

Description

Apparatus for obtaining hydrocarbon product from organic feedstock

1 is an elevation view of one form of apparatus for practicing the principles of the present invention, which is partially shown in cross section and has the nature of a process diagram.

2 is an enlarged elevation view of another form of the heating vessel of the present invention, in which several larger tubs are included to increase the capacity of the device.

3 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG.

The present invention relates to the conversion of coal and other carbonaceous materials and organic wastes into refined fuels and other useful products. More specifically, the present invention relates to feedstocks containing coal and other hydrocarbons and water (e.g. municipal waste, tar sands, wood products), used rubber tires, industrial wastes containing relatively large amounts of plastics, and residential waste, etc. And a novel apparatus for obtaining liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons and solid carbonaceous materials from the process.

According to the present invention, a mass of the above-mentioned feed material is passed through an evaporation of air or oxygen at a substantially constant rate in an elongated tubing maintained at a working temperature of about 900-1500 ° F., more preferably about 1000 ° F. Useful oils, gases and carbonaceous charcoal are obtained.

As the feed passes through the tubing, it is agitated by a screw conveyor, for example, and the gas and vapor are removed by a vacuum of about 2-7 inches Hg, more preferably about 5 inches Hg near the outlet of the tubing. . To increase the production rate, several tubs can be placed side by side in the same heating vessel, or the diameter of the tubs can be made larger to keep the mass of feed material to be treated at a substantially constant temperature.

According to the present invention, when the used rubber tires and plastic wastes are treated, the temperature near the inlet and the entire length of the tub is high and the feed material is always stirred to continuously expose the heating surface of the tub. Gas and steam will literally "explode" from the feed. A relatively high vacuum is built up through the entire length of the tub, so that the resulting vapors and gases are quickly recovered before repolymerization or condensation with the feed.

When treating solid carbonaceous materials (e.g. municipal waste, tar sand, wood products) containing coal and other hydrocarbons and water, gases and vapors are generated violently from coal and the like due to rapid heating, and also due to vacuum Gas is drawn off through the stir bed of feed. As a result, the product comes out near the outlet of the tubing, unlike in a conventional apparatus. In a conventional apparatus, gas and vapor seeps out through a bed of feed material and is therefore recovered at regular intervals along the length of the tub. In addition, small amounts of transition metals (e.g. iron, copper, and nickel) and metals in tubs in coal and other carbonaceous substances act as catalysts, so that the water vapor produced from water of carbonaceous substances is reduced to reduce metal oxides and It becomes hydrogen, which combines with free carbon to form methane and its homologues.

1 shows one type of apparatus 10 for carrying out the principles of the present invention, which has a reservoir 12 in which the starting feed material M is discharged into the funnel 14. .

Below the funnel 14 is an airtight injection chamber 16, the inlet 18 accepting the feed and the outlet 20 releasing the feed. At each entrance and exit there is a sliding door, which opens and closes in response to signals transmitted from the controller 22 through the control lines 24 and 26, respectively. The specific apparatus for controlling the movement of the door may be any of electric, hydraulic or pneumatic.

A first expulsion tube 28 extends between the injection chamber 16 and the controller 22, which exerts deportation gas, such as nitrogen, through a pipe 32 with a valve 34. It is in selective communication with the container 30 contained therein.

In the reactor, an elongated tub 38 is extended in the thermoelectrically heated heating vessel 36, and the heating vessel 36 has an inlet 40 and an outlet 42. The device used a stainless steel tubing with a diameter of 6 inches.

A gas burner 44 is installed under the tub 38 as a heat source of the heating vessel 36, and a chimney 46 is installed at the top of the vessel 36 to discharge combustion products.

A screw conveyor 48 driven by an electric motor 50 extends through the tubing 38 from near the inlet 40 to near the outlet 42, allowing the feed to pass through at a constant rate, thus providing a feed material. All these agglomerates or particles are continuously exposed to the heating surface of the tube 38.

The product outlet pipe 52 is connected to the connecting pipe 54 and also inside and near the outlet of the tube 38, the outlet pipe 52 is inside the heating vessel 36 and exposed to heat therein. do. In other words, the product outlet pipe 52 should be maintained at a relatively high temperature so that the hydrocarbon product removed as gas or vapor from the tube 38 is in the state described below.

Near the outlet 52 of the tub 38 there is an airtight outlet chamber 56 which is similar in structure to the injection chamber 16 described above. That is, the outlet chamber 56 has an inlet 58 and an outlet 60, and each of the inlet and outlet has a sliding door, and these doors are automatically controlled through the control lines 62 and 64, respectively. In response to it, it opens and closes in response.

A second expulsion pipe 66 extends between the outlet chamber 52 and the automatic controller 22 and is selectively in contact with the vessel 30 containing the deportation gas.

The charcoal collection container 68 is below the outflow chamber 56.

The product recovery apparatus includes a heat exchanger 70, which has a coolant inlet 72 and a coolant outlet 74 to flow the coolant. The heat exchanger 70 also has a product inlet pipe 76 connected to the connecting pipe 54 and a product outlet pipe 78 connected to the inlet of the condenser 80. The outlet of the condenser 80 is connected to the inlet of the liquid storage tank 84 through a pipe 82, a drain pipe 86 at the bottom of the tank 84, and a valve 88 at the pipe 86. To selectively drain the liquid product.

The inlet of the vacuum apparatus 90 is connected to the upper portion of the liquid storage tank 84 through the pipe 92, and the outlet of the vacuum apparatus 90 is connected to the gas tank 96 through the pipe 94 and the valve 95. Is connected to the entrance. A discharge pipe 98 is provided near the upper end of the tank 96, and a discharge valve 100 is provided in the discharge pipe 98.

A fuel pipe 102 with a valve 104 is connected to the bottom of the gas tank 96, and the pipe 102 is a gas burner 44 under the tub 38 at the bottom of the heating vessel 36. )

To work, the feed M is discharged from reservoir 12 into funnel 14.

Adjusting the automatic controller 22 causes the outlet 20 of the injection chamber 16 to close and the inlet 18 to open, allowing the feed of the measured amount to enter the injection chamber 16. Next, the inlet 18 is closed and all air is removed from the injection chamber 16 by introducing an expulsion gas such as nitrogen through the expulsion pipe 28.

When the outlet 20 of the room 16 is opened with the inlet 18 closed, the feed material M passes through the inlet 40 of the tube 38 and the tube 38 by the screw conveyor 48. Is carried along.

The opening and closing of the inlet 18 and outlet 20 and the filling of the injection chamber 16 with a gas such as nitrogen takes place at relatively short time intervals, so that the feed material continues substantially to the inlet of the tub 38. Will flow.

The charcoal that remains after the vapor and gas has been removed from the feedstock enters the outlet chamber 56 through the outlet 42 of the tub 38. Outflow chamber 56 acts similarly to injection chamber 16. That is, the outlet 60 is closed and the inlet 58 is opened so that the charcoal enters the outflow chamber 56, and then the inlet 58 is closed and the outlet 60 is opened so that the charcoal is discharged into the container 68. To be. Next, the outlet 60 is closed so that both the inlet and the outlet are in a closed state, and all the air is expelled from the outlet chamber 56 by introducing the deportation gas into the outlet chamber 56 through the pipe 66. The inlet 58 is then opened to allow the charcoal to enter the outflow chamber 56 again, repeating the above procedure so that the charcoal is discharged into the container 68. As described above, opening and closing the inlet 58 and outlet 60 and expelling air in the outlet chamber 56 are made at relatively short time intervals, so that the charcoal exits the outlet 42 of the tub 38. From the container 68 it continues to flow into the vessel 68.

Before describing the operation of the product recovery device, it will be good to briefly describe what is thought to occur in the tubing 38.

As will be described in more detail later, when treating coal (and other solid carbonaceous materials including hydrocarbons and water), the temperature of the heating vessel 36 should be at least 1000 ° F and can be raised to 1500 ° F. The vacuum in the tub 38 should also be about 2-5 inches Hg. The time for which the feed material dwells in the tub 38, i.e. the time at which the reaction and / or extraction takes place, should be at least about 15 minutes and there is no upper limit to the residence time, except for economic concerns.

The diameter of the tube 38 and the rate at which the feed material passes through the tube 38 by the conveyor 48 are such that the feed material to be treated reaches an average temperature within just a few feet from near the inlet 40. Should be. In other words, the feed material is only a few feet of movement into the heating vessel 36 and the temperature increases rapidly to at least about 1000 ° F. Due to this rapid heating and vacuum in the tubing 38, vapor and gases are substantially “exploded” from the feed particles, and these gases and vapors also escape through the agglomerate of stirred feed prior to repolymerization because of the vacuum. . In other words, it is thought that the hydrocarbon evaporates rapidly inside the feed particles, causing the combustibles to move to the surface of the particles before the particles are destroyed, thereby releasing the volatile compounds.

In contrast, when the feed material, such as coal, is subjected to a gentle heat treatment as in the conventional method, the volatile products repolymerize to become larger and more thermally stable solid molecules, which are entrained and included in the feed particles. .

Due to the rapid heating and vacuum in the tub 38 as described above, water in coal or other solid carbonaceous materials (e.g. municipal waste, tar sands, wood products) is water vapor, which is the feed material itself. Or in the presence of a transition metal such as iron in the tub 38, it is believed to change to hydrogen and metal oxide. Hydrogen is then sucked through the stirring bed of the feed by vacuum to combine with free carbon to form methane and its homologues. Of course the feed oil passes in the form of steam.

When treating waste rubber tires, industrial plastic waste, or residential waste, the temperature of the heating vessel 36 should be at least 950 ° F and can be increased to 1500 ° F, depending on the proportion of gas desired. The vacuum in the tub 38 should also be about 4-7 inches Hg. The diameter of the tube 38 and the speed through the tube 38 by the feed material conveyor 48 are such that the feed material to be treated reaches an average temperature within just a few feet from near the inlet 40. Should be.

As noted above, if the feed material moves only a few feet into the heating vessel 36, the temperature will increase rapidly to at least about 950 ° F. Due to this rapid heating and vacuum in the tubing 38, steam and gases literally “explode” from agglomerates or particles of feedstock, and because of the vacuum, these gases and vapors may not be repolymerized or condensed with the remaining solids Is released from the mass of agitation material.

Return to the description of the operation of the product recovery unit. Gas and vapor produced and / or liberated in the tubing 38 goes to the heat exchanger 70 through the product outlet pipe 52 and pipes 54 and 76 where the steam is condensed and the gas is cooled do.

Gas and liquid from the condenser 80 enters the upper end of the tank 84 through the pipe 82, water and oil remain in the tank 84 and the gas is again pipe 92, vacuum device 90, And the gas tank 96 through the pipe 94 or the like.

The fuel gas thus produced is used to heat the vessel 36 through the pipe 102 to the burner 43 or is discharged through the outlet pipe 98 and the valve 100 for other purposes.

To start the apparatus for the first time, the valve 95 is closed and the commercial fuel gas is introduced into the gas tank 96 through the pipe 98 and the valve 100. However, after the device has started work and a sufficient amount of fuel gas has been produced, opening the valve 95 allows the device to work independently as far as the fuel gas is concerned.

To stop the operation of the device, it is necessary to close the valves 95, 100 and 104, which are then contained in the restartable fuel gas or the tank 96. Of course, if a sufficient amount of fuel gas is not produced in the apparatus to maintain the heating vessel 36 at a suitable temperature, additional commercial fuel gas is introduced into the gas tank 96 through the pipe 98 and the valve 100. can do.

The charcoal produced in accordance with the principles of the present invention is in the form of small lumps or powders, with no condensable hydrocarbons and only high reactive carbon.

If desired, this highly reactive carbon charcoal can be used to produce methane gas by other known methods. The charcoal produced is also highly suitable for use as a starting material for producing activated carbon using conventional carbon activation methods because of its high density, porosity and high reactivity.

Example 1

One type of coal obtained in Japan was used to implement the process of the present invention. The analysis of this coal is as follows.

About 1 tonne of the coal was treated under vacuum of 4 inches Hg at a temperature of 1000 ° F. in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The yield was 1.33 barrels of oil, 1.65 tons of charcoal, and 2900 cubic feet of gas.

Example 2

One type of bituminous coal from the United States was used, and the analysis was as follows.

About 1 tonne of the bituminous coal was treated under a vacuum of about 5 inches Hg at a heating vessel temperature of 1100 ° F. The yield was about 1.5 bales of oil, 0.60 tons of charcoal, and about 2500 cubic feet of gas.

Example 3

Effect on temperature difference

The US bituminous coal described above was used to effect the temperature difference of the heating vessel under vacuum of about 4 inches Hg. The result is as follows.

If the temperature exceeds 1200 ° F, the recovery of the desired hydrocarbons does not increase much, so the upper limit of the temperature is about 1200 ° F. Between 1500-1600 ° F, the oil begins to classify and also produces some tar, causing some problems.

Effect on the difference in vacuum

It has been described above that the tubing vacuum should be maintained at about 2-5 inches Hg so that the glass and / or generated gas and vapor are sucked through the stirred coal mass and the desired results are obtained. The flow rate through which the gas and steam pass through the coal mass should be fast enough to prevent repolymerization, but not too fast to prevent hydrogen and carbon from reacting to form methane and its homologues.

Example 4

Effect of Air in Tubs

The effect of the presence of air and / or oxygen in the tube on the amount of methane and its homologues produced from coal at a temperature of 1000 ° F. and a vacuum of 5 inches Hg is shown in the following table. Unit is capacity%.

Example 5

The treatment with tasar sand, a solid carbonaceous material, has also been successful.

100 pounds of tashir sand were treated by passing it through the apparatus under a temperature of 1000 ° F. and a vacuum of 4 inches Hg. Based on the treatment of 1 ton (2000 pounds) of tar sand feed, the following yields were obtained.

Example 6

100 pounds of tar sand were treated under a temperature of 1000 ° F. and a vacuum of 3 inches Hg. The following yields were obtained based on the treatment of 1 tonne (2000 pounds) of the feed.

Example 7

Although the solid material of municipal waste varies from city to city and within districts, the typical chemical composition of such waste is roughly as follows.

Such municipal waste solids usually include waste, vegetable waste, plastics, wood products, paper and cardboard.

The apparatus of the type described above was treated under a tubing temperature of about 1100 ° F. and a vacuum of about 4-7 inches of Hg, yielding the following yields per ton (2000 pounds) of municipal waste.

Charcoal or solid residue was a black powdery substance, similar in appearance to amorphous carbon, consisting primarily of solid carbon and ash.

The produced gas had the following composition.

[Examples 8 and 9]

Effect of temperature on the product gas

By varying the temperature of the reactor tubing from 1100 ° F (Example 7) to 800 ° F (Example 8) or 1500 ° F (Example 9), the amount of various gases produced from municipal waste solids is significantly increased. I could change it. The result is shown below. Unit is volume%.

The waste plastic material obtained in the manufacturing process can be treated according to the principles of the present invention to obtain oil, carbonaceous charcoal and good fuel gas.

EXAMPLES 10 AND 11

Two different mixtures of polypropylene and polystyrene were treated under vacuum at 1000 ° F. and about 4-7 inches Hg to obtain a gas of the following composition. Unit is volume%.

The amount of gas produced in each of the above examples was about 1500 cubic feet per ton of starting material, the oil was about 83% by weight of the starting material and the charcoal was about 7% by weight.

Example 12

Rubber tires for automobiles, which are also starting materials, are sufficiently supplied in many industrial countries and pose serious processing problems.

These scrap rubber tires were made into small pieces about 1 inch long and about 1/4 inch thick, and then treated using a device as described above under a temperature of about 1100 ° F. and a vacuum of about 4 inches Hg. The recovered product per tonne of starting material was:

To produce more gas and less oil and charcoal, the operating temperature must be raised above 1100 ° F. The resulting charcoal was a powdered carbon black type material with a calorific value of about 19500 Btu / lb.

The produced gas had the following composition.

The gas obtained from the waste rubber tire has a low molecular weight hydrocarbon containing more than 55% by volume, and thus has a very high calorific value comparable to that of natural gas.

Example 13

Another solid carbonaceous material that contains water and has great potential for obtaining hydrocarbon products is wood products.

100 pounds of wood shavings were treated in the apparatus under a temperature of 1050 ° F. and a vacuum of 5.5 inches Hg. Yields based on 1 tonne (2000 pounds) of this feed were 340 pounds of oil, 370 pounds of charcoal, 1120 pounds of water, and 1220 cubic feet of gas. The water looked very black and contained tiny particles of carbon or charcoal. These particles appeared to enter with the steam. The calorific value of the gas was about 409 Btu.

Example 14

100 pounds of softwood and bark were treated under a temperature of 1050 ° F. and a vacuum of 5.5 inches of Hg. The yield, based on 1 tonne (2000 pounds) of starting material, was 145 pounds of oil, 240 pounds of charcoal, 1440 pounds of water, and 430 cubic feet of gas. The water was pale green and contained small particles of carbon or charcoal.

Example 15

Another solid carbonaceous material is peat.

Fifty pounds of this material were treated in the apparatus under a temperature of 1000 ° F. and a vacuum of 3 inches Hg. Yields based on one tonne (2000 pounds) of treatment were 290 pounds of oil, 560 pounds of water, 800 pounds of charcoal, and 3200 cubic feet of wet gas.

Other forms of devices

To obtain the various results described above, a stainless steel pipe of 6 inches in diameter was used as the tub 38, and the temperature difference between the outer surface and the center of the pipe was about 10 ° F.

To increase the capacity of the device, several pipes or tubs may be placed side by side in a heating vessel, or the diameter of the tubs may be increased.

2 and 3 show this improved version of the device, and instead of a single tube 38, three larger tubes 138 are installed. These tubs 138 are arranged side by side at intervals on the same gas burner 44. Each of the tubs 138 has an inlet 140 and an outlet 142 as described above, and there is a controlled injection chamber and an outlet chamber to expel air.

However, since the diameter of the tubule is larger and it is necessary to keep the temperature difference between the outer surface and the center of the tubule at about 10 ° F, each of the tubing 138 has a hollow shaft formed therethrough. Hot gas and circulation are possible. Preferably, the direction of circulation of this gas is the same as the direction of movement of the feed material.

Thus, each skew conveyor conveyor 148 has a hollow shaft 150, which has an inlet 152 and an outlet 154. Inlet 152 extends beyond tubing 138 and is rotatably housed in hollow airtight fixture 156. The interior of the fixture 156 is connected to the pipe 158, while the pipe 158 is connected to the pump 160, and the inlet 162 of the pump 160 is connected to the interior of the heating vessel 36. .

The hollow shaft outlet 154 is connected to the electric motor 50, and there are several holes 164 between the electric motor 50 and the end of the tubing 138 so that hot gas can pass therethrough.

Around the perforated end of the hollow shaft 150 is enclosed a gas-tight housing 166 for relative rotational movement, the interior of the housing 166 is in contact with the pipe 168, the pipe ( The outlet of 168 is connected with a hole 170 formed in the heating vessel 38.

As such, hot gas entering the inlet 162 of the pump 160 flows into the interior of the hollow shaft 150 through the pipe 158 and the fixture 156 and thus moves through the tub 138. Heat is transferred to the center of the feed mass. The gas exits from the hollow shaft through the hole 164 and then returns to the interior of the heating vessel 36 through the pipe 168.

The same result may be obtained by heating the hollow shaft 150 with another device, for example, an electric resistance coil may be installed in the hollow center of the shaft.

Claims (1)

A heat-insulated heating chamber and at least one elongated tubing in the heating chamber with inlets and outlets and a device for heating the tubing to a working temperature of at least 900 ° F. A device for continuously moving at a constant speed, a device for preventing air from being introduced into the tube while the feed material passes through the tube, and a device for generating a vacuum in the tube and removing steam and gas therefrom; Apparatus for obtaining a hydrocarbon product from an organic feed consisting of.

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