Converter for organic materials

{
  "publication_number": "US2016244674A1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Converter for organic materials",
  "abstract": "A continuous converter for pyrolysing or otherwise processing biomass or other solid organic feed materials includes a reaction chamber (5) for producing a solid carbon-containing product and a gas product and optionally a liquid water product via pyrolysis or other reaction mechanisms from a solid organic feed material. The chamber has an inlet (41) for supplying a solid organic feed material to the chamber and separate outlets (15, 35) for the solid carbon-containing product and the gas product produced in the reaction chamber. The inlet and the solid carbon-containing product outlet are configured so that the solid materials in the inlet and in the outlet form respective gas seals in the inlet and the outlet.",
  "claims": [
    "1. An apparatus for pyrolysing or otherwise processing a solid organic feed material includes: (a) a reaction chamber having an upstream end, a downstream end, an inlet for the organic feed material, and separate outlets for a gas product and a dried and pyrolysed solid carbon-containing product produced from the organic feed material in the chamber; and (b) an assembly for moving the organic material through the reaction chamber from the upstream end towards the downstream end of the chamber counter-current to a flow of gas produced in the chamber. 2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 includes an outlet for a liquid water product. 3. The apparatus defined in claim 1 includes a device for supplying the solid feed material to the reaction chamber that is configured so that the solid material in the inlet forms a gas seal. 4. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein the device is configured for compressing material within the device to form the gas seal. 5. The apparatus defined in claim 4 wherein the device includes two screws on the same axis, with the screws being adapted to counter-rotate with respect to each other, and an axial gap between the screws in which feed material is compressed in use of the device. 6. The apparatus defined in claim 5 wherein each screw is independently driven by a motor with variable speed capability so that in use the downstream screw runs at a slower rotation rate than the upstream screw. 7. The apparatus defined in claim 3 includes a feed assembly for controlling the rate of supplying the feed material to the reaction chamber that includes a transfer chute between an outlet of the feed material supply device and the inlet of the reaction chamber and a sweeper blade that is rotatable about a central vertical axis of the chute to control the distribution of feed material to the reaction chamber inlet. 8. The apparatus defined in claim 1 includes a device for discharging the solid carbon-containing product from the reaction chamber that is configured so that the solid product in the outlet forms a gas seal. 9. The apparatus defined in claim 8 wherein the device is configured for compressing material within the device to form the gas seal. 10. The apparatus defined in claim 9 wherein the device includes two screws on the same axis, with the screws being adapted to counter-rotate with respect to each other, and an axial gap between the screws in which solid carbon-containing product is compressed in use of the device. 11. The apparatus defined in claim 10 wherein each screw is independently driven by a motor with variable speed capability so that in use the downstream screw runs at a slower rotation rate than the upstream screw. 12. (canceled) 13. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the required temperature profile includes the following temperature zones extending successively along the length of the reaction chamber from the upstream end of the chamber: a first temperature zone for water condensation (Zone 1), a second temperature zone for water vaporisation (Zone 2), a third temperature zone for oil and tar condensation (Zone 3), and a fourth temperature zone for oil and tar vaporisation and forming the dried and pyrolysed product (Zone 4). 14. A method for pyrolysing or otherwise processing a solid organic feed material in the apparatus defined in any one of the preceding claims includes the steps of: (a) supplying the solid organic feed material to the inlet of the reaction chamber of the apparatus; (b) moving the solid organic material through the reaction chamber from the inlet to the downstream end of the chamber and exposing the organic material to a temperature profile within the chamber that dries and pyrolyses or otherwise processes the organic material and releases water vapour and a volatile products gas phase from the organic material as the organic material moves through the chamber; (c) moving the water vapour phase and the volatile products gas phase produced by heating the solid organic material in step (b) through the reaction chamber in a direction counter to that of the solid organic material so that at least a part of the water vapour phase and the condensable components of the volatile products gas phase condense in cooler upstream sections of the chamber and form liquid water and liquid oil, at least the liquid oil being carried forward in the reaction chamber by the feed material to the higher temperature regions of the chamber and being progressively volatilised and cracked to a non-condensable gas; and (d) discharging (i) a gas product that includes non-condensable gas and (ii) a dried and pyrolysed solid product from the separate outlets of the chamber. 15. The method defined in claim 14 wherein step (a) comprises supplying the solid organic material so that the material forms a gas seal at the inlet. 16. The method defined in claim 15 wherein step (a) comprises compressing the solid organic material to form the gas seal at the inlet. 17. The method defined in claim 14 wherein step (d) comprises discharging the solid product so that the solid product forms a gas seal at the outlet. 18. The method defined in claim 17 wherein step (d) comprises compressing the solid material to form the gas seal at the outlet. 19. The method defined in claim 14 wherein the gas product also includes water vapour. 20. The method defined in claim 14 wherein step (d) also includes discharging a liquid water product from an outlet of the chamber. 21. The method defined in claim 14 includes generating the temperature profile in the reaction chamber by supplying an oxygen-containing gas as an oxidant to the reaction chamber and at least partially combusting combustible gases in the chamber 22 - 26. (canceled)"
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to an apparatus in the form of a converter for continuously converting biomass or other solid organic feed materials to produce valuable products such as but not confined to any one or more of a liquid water product, a liquid oil product, a gas product, and a solid carbon-containing product such as a char product. The present invention also relates to a method for continuously converting biomass or other solid organic feed materials via pyrolysis or other mechanism to valuable products such as but not confined to any one or more of a liquid water product, a liquid all product, a gas product, and a solid carbon-containing product such as a char product.\n\nThe term “organic feed materials” includes biomass, peat, coal, oil shales/sands, plastic waste materials, and also includes blends of these feed materials. The term “biomass” is understood herein to mean living or recently living organic matter. Specific biomass products Include, way of example, forestry products (including mill residues such as wood shavings), agricultural products, biomass produced in aquatic environments such as algae, agricultural residues such as straw, olive pits and nut shells, animal wastes, municipal and industrial residues. The term “coal” is understood herein to include, by way of example peat, brown coal, black coal, and a range of products referred to as “coal wastes”. The term “oil shales” is understood herein to include by way of example any geological sedimentary materials containing a usable proportion of organic molecules.",
  "cpc": [
    "C10B 53/02",
    "B01J 2208/00769",
    "B65G 33/00",
    "B65G 33/24",
    "B65G 33/26",
    "B65G 33/30",
    "B65G 33/34",
    "C10B 25/24",
    "C10B 37/04",
    "C10B 47/34",
    "C10B 47/44",
    "C10B 49/02",
    "C10B 49/04",
    "C10B 7/10",
    "C10J 2300/0916",
    "C10J 2300/093",
    "C10J 2300/0946",
    "C10J 2300/0959",
    "C10J 2300/1846",
    "C10J 3/06",
    "Y02E 50/10",
    "Y02P 20/145"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "C10B 25/24",
    "C10B 37/04",
    "C10B 49/04",
    "C10B 53/02",
    "C10B 7/10",
    "C10J 3/06"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "THE CRUCIBLE GROUP PTY LTD"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "STREZOV LAZER",
    "OSBORN STEVE",
    "HERBERSTON JOSEPH GEORGE"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2014-10-29",
  "publication_date": "2016-08-25",
  "priority_date": "2013-10-29",
  "application_number": "US-201415032310-A",
  "family_id": "53002998"
}