MXPA06012084A - Method and apparatus for gasifying waste automotive tires to produce high quality solid carbon and non-condensable synthesis gas. - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for selectively producing condensable hydrocarbon gases and non-condensable synthesis gases from waste tire chips in a single rotating reactor having a drying and volatizing hearth reaction area contiguous with a reformation hearth reaction area, including the steps of feeding waste tire chips into the drying and volatizing area, heating the tire chips in the drying and volatizing area to a temperature of about 500 C to about 6000, drying and volatizing the tire chips to form a hot process gas and hot residual solid carbonaceous matter; raising the temperature of the hot process gas and the hot residual solid carbonaceous matter to a temperature in the range of from about 600 C to about I000C; and thermally reforming the hot process gas to form a synthesis gas composition; and hot residual solid carbonaceous matter. The apparatus for producing high quality carbon and synthesis gas from waste automotive tires is also disclosed.

Description

"METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GASIFICATING AUTOMOBILE RIMS OF DISPOSAL IN ORDER TO PRODUCE SOLID CARBON HIGH QUALITY AND GAS OF NON-CONDENSABLE SYNTHESIS " FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a method and apparatus for processing waste automobile tires in a gasification reactor for the primary purpose of producing high quality carbon products. (residual solid), and with the secondary purpose of producing a non-condensable high quality synthesis gas.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In 2002, the worldwide production of DRI (Direct Reduced Iron) established a new global brand of 45 million tons. 90.2% was processed by natural gas. 9.8% was coal-based. El Hierro Reducido Directo (DRI) is a high-quality metallic product produced from iron that is used to power electric arc furnaces, blast furnaces and other iron and steel fabrication applications. The DRI is produced as conglomerates, tablets and briquettes. The following processes use carbon as a reducer: SL / RN JINDAL DRC GHAEM CODIR Rotary crucible oven SIIL OSIL TISCO KINGLOR-METOR DEEPAK SCAN SURYAA Organic matter, which includes tires, solid waste, or biomass, can be thermally processed according to this invention to provide solid carbon for the reduction of iron ore in the aforementioned processes. Existing industrial processes that use the potential energy contained in waste car tires do so basically by incineration or pyrolysis methods. For example, in addition to environmental considerations, the content of volatile metals and sulfur in automobile tires is a limiting factor in the amount of waste tires that can be used as combustion energy (incineration) in cement kilns and steam heaters . Due to the inherent nature of indirectly heated pyrolysis processes and the limiting degree of internal heating and the oxidizing agents provided, only about 10% to 15% of the weight is converted to synthesis gas, while 40% to 50% of the weight it becomes an oil-like viscous distillate and 40% to 50% of the weight remains as a carbon calcination. The contamination of synthetic crude from the carbon calcination product diminishes its value and potential commercial applications. In addition, the inherent nature of indirectly heated retort distillates (pyrolysis processes) greatly limits the ability to scale such processes in order to achieve an economy of acceptable scale of production levels. In view of the above limitations of both the incineration and pyrolysis processes for recycling scrap automobile tires in an environmentally safe and efficient manner, the present invention offers economies of scale advantages, high quality synthesis gas and clean carbon calcination. without producing the problematic derivatives of the oil-like viscous distillate. The process of this invention is capable of thermal cracking and dissociating the complex hydrocarbon vapor / gas (evolved from the pieces of rim during the heating phase) to such a degree that no more than about half a percentage point (by volume) of gases with A molecular structure that has more than two carbon atoms remains in the flow of product synthesis gas.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a method and apparatus for processing scrap car tires in a gasification reactor for the primary purpose of producing high quality carbon products (residual solids), and for the secondary purpose of producing a High quality non-condensable synthesis gas. Solid carbon is of sufficient quality to replace carbon derived from natural carbon in carbon-based metal reduction processes that include the production of reduced iron directly in processes such as rotary crucible and rotary kiln reactors. Solid carbon is recovered in a wide range of particle sizes and in addition to direct metal reduction applications it is also used in higher value applications that include filtration, like carbon black. The non-condensable synthesis gas products are of sufficient quality to be conducted in pipes for associated industrial users. Synthetic gas has a wide range of industrial uses including: fuel gas, which is screened for the recovery of higher value hydrogen, carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide, and as a source of raw material in the production of chemicals. No distillate is produced. This invention is an improvement of the inventions described in U.S. Patent No. 6,005, 149 filed December 21, 1999, and U.S. Patent No. 5,425,792 filed June 20, 1995, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. for reference.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The main object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing high quality carbon from waste automobile tires. A further object of this invention is to provide a method for producing high quality synthesis gas from waste automobile tires. Another object of the invention is to provide the apparatus for producing high quality carbon and synthesis gas derived from waste automobile tires.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention is a method and apparatus for thermally processing scrap automobile tires and for efficiently extracting non-condensable synthesis gases rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide for uses such as: a feed for primary chemical processes, a clean fuel gas or (by screening), a higher value hydrogen source, carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide gas. The process can be controlled to achieve higher or lower production rates, either synthesis gas or carbon calcination. The highest calcination production rates are achieved at the expense of lower synthesis gas production rates and vice versa. In particular, the apparatus of this invention is a single rotating reactor having two adjacent crucible reaction areas, i.e., a drying and volatilization area and a synthesis gas reforming area. The two areas are separated only by the induced and opposite atmospheres generated by the process burners that are lit at each reactor inlet described. The gases and fumes formed in the drying and volatilization area flow concurrently with the direction of the burner products induced by the burner of the feed part process. The fissures, the dissociation, and / or the reforming of vaporous hydrogen gases from the feed portion of the reactor begin when these gases come off under the influence of the high-temperature atmosphere of counter-current induced by the burner of the process. the download part. As a result, great turbulence is obtained in the contact zone in which the gases coming from the feed part collide with the counter-current combustion products coming from the process burner in the discharge part. The high turbulence, induced by the gases of the process burner, greatly increases the cracking, dissociation and / or reformation of complex hydrocarbon gases and reduces such gases to simpler molecular forms. The reformed gases are brought to the discharge side of the reactor in an atmosphere of high chaotic temperature and countercurrent induced by the burner of the discharge part process. The objectives and operational parameters established for the control of the process determine the intensity of the input energy coming from the burners of the feeding part and the discharge part. Both the burners of the feeding part and those of the discharge part are designed to operate specifically with a fuel gas, petroleum, fine particles of carbon or synthetic gas as a source of combustion energy, and practically pure oxygen is provided as oxidizing agent. No air is used in any burner; consequently, the level of nitrogen in the synthesis gas of the product is exceptionally low. A feature of this invention is that it will provide high quality solid carbon and synthetic gas exclusively from waste automobile tires. The use of DRI (direct reduced iron) produced in a RHF (rotary hearth furnace - rotary crucible furnace) from green tablets of pulverized iron ore or ferrous waste, and carbon produced from the Thermal Gasification Process / by Reduction (TRG - Thermal / Reduction Gasification), or other sources of carbon, which include coal, is an integral part of some steelmaking processes. Using a portion of the waste gases from the RHF / TRG, the tablets are partially dried and preheated before being loaded into the RHF. In the RHF, the green tablets are raised to a temperature and maintained for a sufficient time to carry out the reduction of iron oxide in metallic iron. After the discharge of the RHF, the hot DRI is brought directly into the melting operation in insulated containers in order to retain as much latent heat as possible. The general concept is to reduce the input of thermal energy to the lowest possible level. In addition, since the tablets are retained during the transfer, the reduction reaction will continue until equilibrium is achieved and a final metallization of more than 90% is expected. The carbon-based DRI has several advantages. It can be hot discharged from the RHF and still contain a high and controllable percentage of carbon. Also, carbon-based DRI is advantageous in steelmaking because it is possible to control the amount of carbon remaining in the DRI tablet after the reduction has occurred. The DRI process is a system based on solid carbon. In accordance with the present invention, virtually any reasonable carbon source, such as carbon derived from shattered automobile tires, municipal and industrial solid waste, or other biomass, can be used. Other suitable sources are coal, petroleum coke, coke meal, lignite or fine particles of charcoal. Each potential source should be evaluated for its overall contribution to the preserve per iron unit of the finished DRI product. When ferrous metallurgical waste is proposed as a source of iron units, the average analysis of these wastes is a known quantity in contrast to a questionable positive analysis of steel scrap. This well-known analysis allows steelmakers to use such materials to consistently produce a cleaner steel, from a polluting point of view, than a steelmaker based on conventional scrap. After starting the operation in a facility that uses iron ore and carbon as raw materials, operators can substitute locally available waste to the widest possible extent. The calcination of carbon produced, derived from the thermal processing of organic matter, is used as a reducer to reduce iron oxides in metallic metal. This invention excludes the injection of pulverized coal into blast furnaces, or melting the containers requiring a fixed carbon injection as a reducer, or a substitute for coal or coke for direct reduced iron processes that require combining the carbon into a tablet. Also, the calcination of carbon produced from pieces of rim by this invention can be replaced by the carbon used in the carbon-based iron sponge processes and the synthesis gas can be replaced by natural gas which is used for direct reduction. The calcining product can also be used as a fuel to reach the required temperatures in the steam heaters that energize the steam-driven turbines for the generation of electricity. Also, organic carbon can produce synthetic gas to replace coal as fuel. The present invention produces high quality (secondary) carbon calcination product derived from the gasification of the tire pieces, such as the secondary carbon which has a quality sufficient to replace the carbon derived from the primary carbon, and such secondary carbon is used in the formation of "green pellet" tablets composed of fixed fixed carbon blends associated with the iron oxide mineral, or other metal oxides, for purposes of providing the necessary reducing agent to produce high quality metal tablets by direct reduction processes based on solid carbon including any of the following: Rotary Crucible Furnaces, or Rotary Furnaces, or Electrofusion Furnaces, u Other thermal processes, which include all those processes that currently use pulverized natural coal or processed coke lumps as fuel for burners or process nozzles, or other types of processes that require additions of solid carbon either for direct reduction purposes or to provide process energy. The invented process produces high quality synthesis gas derived from automobile tires, such synthesis gas being essentially free of condensable hydrocarbons, acids, alkalis, halogens, heavy metals, or particulate material, and having such synthesis gas a value of Normal heating between 350 and 425 Btu / scf.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 'Derived from the foregoing, it is readily apparent that we have invented an improved method and apparatus for producing high quality carbon and synthesis gas from scrap car tires. It is understood that the foregoing description and the specific embodiments are merely illustrative of the best mode of the invention and the principles thereof, and that various modifications and additions to the apparatus can be made by those skilled in the art, without isolation from spirit and scope. of this invention, which therefore comprises only the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (3)

1 . A method for selectively producing condensable hydrocarbon gases and non-condensible synthesis gases derived from pieces of tires in a single reactor, comprising the steps for: providing an individual rotating reactor having a drying crucible reaction area and volatilization contiguous to a reforming crucible reaction area; feed scrap tire pieces to the drying and volatilization area; heating the tire pieces in the drying and volatilization area at a temperature of about 500 ° C to about 600 ° C; maintaining the material of tire pieces on a rotating bed in the drying and volatilization area until the material substantially dries and volatilizes to form a hot working gas and a hot residual solid carbonaceous material; bring the hot working gas to the reforming area; forming a bed of residual solid carbonaceous matter in the reforming area; raising the temperature of the hot working gas and the hot residual solid carbonaceous material in the reforming area high enough to reform the hot working gas; thermally reforming the hot working gas to form a synthesis gas composition; and discharging hot gases and hot residual solid carbonaceous matter from the reactor.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the temperature in the reforming area is in the range of from about 600 ° C to about 1000 ° C. Apparatus for thermally processing organic materials in order to selectively produce condensable hydrocarbon gases and non-condensable synthesis gases, comprising: a rotating reactor having a longitudinal axis, a feed inlet and a discharge inlet, a reaction area of drying crucible and volatilization adjacent to the feed inlet of the rotating reactor to heat, dry and volatilize organic materials in order to form a hot process gas and a hot waste solid matter, a reforming crucible reaction area adjacent to the reactor discharge inlet, the reforming reaction area contiguous to the reaction area of drying and volatilization; means for separating the two adjacent crucible reaction areas; a burner feeding process input; means for causing the gases formed in the drying crucible and volatilization reaction area to flow concurrently with the combustion products of the process inlet burner; and means for extracting the condensable hydrocarbon gases produced, the non-condensable synthesis gases, and the hot residual solid carbonaceous material from the reactor.