Engine fuels from coal and biomass volatile matter

Abstract

Apparatus and a process are described for compressing superheated steam into porous coal chunks in a chamber, and, after a time interval, expanding this steam out of the chamber, and repeating this steam cycle of compression followed by expansion. Thusly heated by the steam, volatile matter separates from the solid coke portion of the coal and separate volatile matter and coke products can be produced from coal or biomass fuels. These volatile matter liquids and tars can be used as fuel components in slurry fuels, for internal combustion engines used in our surface transportation industries. These solid coke products can be used as boiler fuel in steam electric plants. In this way our large domestic reserves of coal can be used as a fuel source, not only for electric power generation, but also for our surface transportation needs.

1 . Apparatus for separating carbonaceous fuels, such as coal and biomass, into two or more separated fuel products, a devolatilized coke product, and one or more volatile matter products, said apparatus comprising:
 a source of carbonaceous fuel chunks containing volatile matter;   a steam boiler source of superheated steam at a steam boiler pressure;   a receiver of devolatilized coke chunks;   a receiver of steam and volatile matter at a receiver pressure less than said steam supply pressure;   a sealable, and preferably insulated, pressure vessel devolatilization reactor chamber comprising a refuel end and a coke removal end, and further comprising:
 refuel transfer means for intermittently, and sealably, transferring a single refuel batch of carbonaceous fuel chunks, from said source of carbonaceous fuel chunks, into said refuel end of said devolatilization reactor chamber; 
 coke removal transfer means for intermittently and sealably transferring, a single batch of devolatilized coke chunks, from said coke removal end of said devolatilization chamber, into said receiver of devolatilized coke chunks; 
 a steam inlet pipe with steam inlet valve for transferring superheated steam, from said source of superheated steam, into said coke removal end of said devolatilization reactor chamber, at steam boiler pressure; 
 a steam outlet pipe with steam outlet valve for transferring steam and volatile matter, from said refuel end of said devolatilization reactor chamber, into said receiver of steam and volatile matter, at receiver pressure; 
   carbonaceous fuel control and actuator means for operating said refuel transfer means, and said coke removal transfer means, intermittently at refuel time intervals, so that said devolatilization reactor chamber is maintained essentially filled with a number of batches of carbonaceous fuel chunks; and further so that, at the end of each refuel time interval, a single batch of devolatilized coke fuel chunks is transferred from the coke removal end of said devolatilization reactor chamber into said receiver of devolatilized coke chunks, by said coke removal transfer means, and so that a single batch of carbonaceous fuel chunks is next transferred, from said source of carbonaceous fuel chunks, into the refuel end of said devolatilization reactor chamber, by said refuel transfer means, to start the next following refuel time interval;   whereby each carbonaceous fuel batch moves, in steps, from the refuel end of said devolatilization reactor chamber, toward the coke removal end of said devolatilization reactor chamber, each step taking place at the end of each refuel time interval, and each carbonaceous fuel batch reaching the coke removal end of said devolatilization reactor chamber after a number of refuel time intervals, following entry, essentially equal to the number of carbonaceous fuel batches inside said devolatilization reactor chamber, and each carbonaceous fuel batch is removed from said devolatilization reactor chamber, at the end of the next refuel time interval after reaching said coke removal end, and is transferred into said receiver of devolatilized coke chunks;   steam control and actuator means for opening and closing said steam inlet valve, and said steam outlet valve, intermittently at steam cycle time intervals, so that an integral number of steam cycles, of steam compression into said devolatilization reactor chamber, followed, after a compression time interval, by steam release from said devolatilization reactor chamber, takes place during each refuel time interval, each said steam cycle comprising the following sequence of steps:
 the steam outlet valve is closed; 
 the steam inlet valve is opened to admit superheated steam, from said steam boiler source, into said devolatilization reactor chamber at steam boiler pressure; 
 after a compression cycle time interval the steam inlet valve is closed; 
 the steam outlet valve is opened to discharge steam and volatile matter out of the devolatilization reactor chamber into said receiver of steam and volatile matter at receiver pressure; 
   whereby, by thus operating the devolatilization reactor chamber over a range of steam pressure, during each steam cycle, the steam is compressed into the interchunk spaces and pore spaces of the carbonaceous fuel chunks, during each steam compression, and heat is transferred rapidly into said carbonaceous fuel chunks, by direct contact, over pore and inter chunk area, between steam and carbonaceous fuel chunks, to increase the temperature thereof; as carbonaceous fuel temperature is thusly increased the volatile matter portions become vaporized and liquefied and thermally cracked, and are forced out of the carbonaceous fuel chunks by such vaporization, and are mixed into the steam, thus creating additional pore spaces in the carbonaceous fuel chunks;   and further whereby the volatile matter, forced out of the carbonaceous fuel chunks and mixed into the steam, is discharged into said receiver of steam and volatile matter during the steam release portion of each steam cycle, and is thus separated from the devolatilized coke portions;   and further whereby additional volatile matter is thusly separated from carbonaceous fuel chunks during each of the several steam cycles, taking place during each refuel time interval, of all the number of refuel time intervals experienced by each refuel batch of carbonaceous fuel, while inside said devolatilization reactor chamber;   and finally whereby the devolatilized coke product in each carbonaceous fuel batch, thus largely separated from its volatile matter product, is delivered into said receiver of devolatilized coke chunks by said coke removal transfer means.   
     
     
         2 . Apparatus for separating carbonaceous fuels, such as coal and biomass; into two or more separated fuel products, a devolatilized coke product, and one or more volatile matter products, as described in  claim 1 :
 wherein said receiver of steam and volatile matter comprises, a steam centrifuge separator means, a steam condenser separator means, and a condensate separator means;   and further comprising, a receiver of tar volatile matter, a receiver of non condensable gas volatile matter, a receiver of condensable volatile matter, a receiver of steam condensate, and a source of condenser cooling water;   said steam centrifuge separator means being connected to receive steam and volatile matter, from said refuel end of said devolatilization reactor chamber, during each release step of each steam cycle, and to discharge steam and volatile matter into said steam condenser separator means;   said steam centrifuge separator means being operative to apply centrifugal force to separate high density tar volatile matter from steam and low density volatile matter and to discharge high density tar volatile matter into said receiver of tar volatile matter and to discharge steam and low density volatile matter into said steam condenser separator means;   said steam condenser separator means being a surface condenser, and being operative, to receive steam and low density volatile matter from said steam centrifuge means on one side of said surface, and to receive cooling water from said source of condenser cooling water on the opposite side of said surface, and to discharge steam condensate and condensable liquid volatile matter into said condensate separator means, and to discharge non condensable volatile matter gas into said receiver of non condensable gas volatile matter;   whereby heat is transferred out of said steam and volatile matter, through said surface, and into said cooling water, and steam and condensable volatile matter are condensed to liquid volatile matter and steam condensate;   wherein said condensate separator means is operative to separate condensable liquid volatile matter from steam condensate, and to discharge said condensable liquid volatile matter into said receiver of condensable volatile matter, and to discharge said steam condensate into said receiver of steam condensate;   wherein said condensate separator means is a separator means selected from the group of separator means consisting of, centrifuge separator means, and flotation separator means;   whereby said steam and volatile matter, separated from devolatilized coke in said devolatilization reactor chamber, is further separated into three volatile matter fuel products, a tar volatile matter fuel, a gas volatile matter fuel, and a liquid volatile matter fuel.   
     
     
         3 . Apparatus for separating carbonaceous fuels, such as coal and biomass, into two or more separated fuel products, a devolatilized coke product, and one or more volatile matter products, as described in  claim 2 :
 wherein said receiver of devolatilized coke chunks is a coke quench chamber;   wherein said steam boiler source of superheated steam is additionally a source of essentially saturated steam;   and further comprising: a source of quench water at a pressure greater than said steam boiler pressure; a receiver of quenched coke chunks;   said coke quench chamber comprising a sealable pressure vessel coke quench chamber, with a hot coke receiver end sealably receiving coke from said devolatilization reactor chamber via said coke removal transfer means, and with a quenched coke removal end fitted with a quenched coke removal means for sealably transferring quenched coke from said quenched coke removal end into said receiver of quenched coke chunks;   said coke quench chamber further comprising a wet steam mixer chamber comprising: a saturated steam inlet pipe and saturated steam inlet valve for transferring saturated steam from said source of saturated steam into said mixer chamber; a quench water inlet pipe and quench water valve for transferring quench water from said source of quench water into said mixer chamber via a quench water spray nozzle aligned with said saturated steam inlet pipe so that saturated steam and quench water are mixed together to create wet steam; a wet steam inlet pipe connecting said wet steam mixer chamber to the hot coke receiver end of said coke quench chamber;   said coke quench chamber further comprising a reheated steam discharge pipe and reheated steam discharge valve for discharging reheated steam from the quenched coke removal end of said coke quench chamber into that one side of said steam surface condenser receiving steam and low density volatile matter from said steam centrifuge means;   wherein said carbonaceous fuel control and actuator means is further operative upon said quenched coke removal means so that, at the end of each refuel time interval, a single batch of quenched coke chunks is transferred, from said quenched coke removal end of said coke quench chamber, into said receiver of quenched coke chunks by said quenched coke removal means, before a single batch of devolatilized coke fuel chunks is transferred, from the coke removal end of said devolatilization reactor chamber, into said coke quench chamber receiver of devolatilized coke chunks, by said coke removal transfer means;   whereby each devolatilized coke batch moves, in steps, from the hot coke receiver end of said coke quench chamber, toward said quenched coke removal end of said coke quench chamber, each step taking place at the end of each refuel time interval, and each devolatilized coke batch reaches the quenched coke removal end of said coke quench chamber after a number of refuel time intervals, following entry, essentially equal to the number of devolatilized coke fuel batches inside said coke quench chamber, and each devolatilized coke batch is removed from said coke quench chamber, at the end of the next refuel time interval after reaching said quenched coke removal end and is transferred into said receiver of quenched coke chunks;   a separate wet steam control and actuator means for opening and closing said saturated steam valve, said quench water valve, and said reheated steam discharge valve, intermittently at wet steam cycle time intervals, so that an integral number of wet steam cycles, of steam compression into said coke quench chamber, followed after a quench time interval by reheated steam release from said coke quench chamber, takes place during each refuel time interval, each said wet steam cycle comprising the following sequence of steps:
 the reheated steam valve is closed; 
 the saturated steam valve and quench water valve are concurrently opened to admit saturated steam and quench water together into said wet steam mixer chamber to create wet steam which is compressed into said coke quench chamber at steam boiler pressure; 
 after a wet steam cycle time interval said saturated steam valve and said quench water valve are concurrently closed; 
 the reheated steam valve is opened to discharge reheated steam into that one side of said steam surface condenser receiving steam and low density volatile matter from said steam centrifuge means; 
   whereby by thus operating the coke quench chamber over a range of wet steam pressure, during each of several wet steam cycles, wet steam is repeatedly compressed into the interchunk spaces and pore spaces of the hot devolatilized coke chunks during each wet steam compression, and heat is transferred rapidly into said wet steam from said hot devolatilized coke chunks to decrease the temperature and quench the coke chunks;   and further whereby the thusly quenched coke batches are delivered into said receiver of quenched coke by said quenched coke removal means;   and further whereby thusly reheated steam is discharged from the quenched coke removal end of said coke quench chamber into that one side of said steam surface condenser receiving steam and low density volatile matter from said steam centrifugal means, at the end of each wet steam cycle.   
     
     
         4 . Apparatus for separating carbonaceous fuels, such as coal and biomass into two or more separated fuel products, a devolatilized coke product, and one or more volatile matter products, as described in  claim 3 :
 wherein said source of carbonaceous fuel chunks containing volatile matter comprises a coal preheat chamber, with a primary fuel receiver end, and a preheated coal discharge end;   a primary source of primary carbonaceous fuel chunks containing volatile matter;   a primary fuel transfer means for intermittently and sealably transferring a single batch of carbonaceous fuel chunks, from said primary source of carbonaceous fuel chunks, into said primary fuel transfer end of said coal preheat chamber;   wherein said refuel means intermittently and sealably transfers a single batch of preheated carbonaceous fuel chunks, from the preheated coal transfer end of said coal preheat chamber, into said refuel end of said devolatilization reactor chamber;   said coal preheat chamber further comprising: a reheated steam inlet pipe, at said preheated coal transfer end of said coal preheat chamber, and connected to said reheated steam discharge pipe of said coke quench chamber; a cooled steam discharge pipe at said primary fuel transfer end of said coal preheat chamber, and connected to that one side of said steam surface condenser receiving steam and low density volatile matter from said steam centrifuge means;   whereby said coal preheat chamber is steam flow interposed, between said coke quench chamber, and that one side of said steam surface condenser receiving steam and low density volatile matter from said steam centrifuge means, so that the reheated steam discharged from said coke quench chamber, flows next through said coal preheat chamber, before being discharged that one side of said steam surface condenser receiving steam and low density volatile matter from said steam centrifuge means;   and further whereby the temperature of said carbonaceous fuel chunks is increased by the thruflow of reheated steam through said coal preheat chamber;   wherein said carbonaceous fuel control and actuator means is further operative upon said primary fuel transfer means so that, at the end of each refuel time interval, a batch of primary carbonaceous fuel chunks is sealably transferred from said source of primary carbonaceous fuel chunks, into said primary fuel transfer end of said coal preheat chamber, by said primary fuel transfer means, after said refuel means has transferred a single batch of preheated carbonaceous fuel chunks, from the preheated coal transfer end of said coal preheat chamber, into said refuel end of said devolatilization reactor chamber.   
     
     
         5 . A process for dividing a batch of carbonaceous fuel chunks, such as coal or biomass fuel into a devolatilized solid coke product, and a separated volatile matter product, and comprising applying the following sequence of process steps to each batch of carbonaceous fuel:
 said batch of carbonaceous fuel is placed inside a pressure vessel chamber;   a compression and release steam cycle is applied to said batch of carbonaceous fuel chunks, by compressing superheated steam into said batch of carbonaceous fuel chunks, up to a compression pressure, followed by discharging steam and a separated volatile matter batch together out of said batch of carbonaceous fuel chunks, down to a discharge pressure less than said compression pressure;   whereby superheated steam is compressed into the interchunk spaces and pore spaces of the carbonaceous fuel chunks during each steam compression, and heat is transferred rapidly into said carbonaceous fuel chunks, by direct contact, over pore and interchunk areas, between steam and carbonaceous fuel chunks, to increase the temperature thereof; as carbonaceous fuel temperature is thusly increased the volatile matter portions become vaporized and liquefied and thermally cracked, and are forced out of the carbonaceous fuel chunks by such vaporization, and are mixed into the steam, thus creating additional pore spaces in the carbonaceous fuel chunks;   and further whereby each volatile matter batch, forced out of the carbonaceous fuel chunks and mixed into the steam, is discharged out of said pressure vessel chamber during the steam release portion of each steam cycle, and is thus separated from each carbonaceous fuel batch;   said compression and release steam cycle is repeated several times on each said batch of carbonaceous fuel chunks;   and further whereby additional volatile matter batches are thusly separated from each batch of carbonaceous fuel chunks, during each of the several repeated steam cycles;   whereby each batch of carbonaceous fuel chunks is separated into a solid devolatilized coke product and several batches of volatile matter product mixed into steam and removed from said devolatilized coke product.   
     
     
         6 . A process for dividing a batch of carbonaceous fuel chunks, such as coal or biomass fuel, into a devolatilized coke product and a separated volatile matter product, as described in  claim 5 , and further comprising applying the following additional sequence of process steps to each batch of separated volatile matter product and the steam admixed therewith:
 mixing each said batch of separated volatile matter product and steam into cooling water;   whereby steam and condensable portions of said volatile matter are condensed to liquid, and non condensable gas portions of said volatile matter product are separated as a gas fuel product from said volatile matter product and said coaling water and condensed steam;   transferring the remaining condensable portions of said volatile matter product, together with the cooling water and condensed steam, into a quiescent settling tank;   whereby, after a settling time period, those tar volatile matter portions, of higher density than cooling water and condensed steam, separate and settle to the bottom of said settling tank, and those liquid volatile matter portions, of lower density than cooling water and condensed steam, separate and float to the top of the settling tank;   whereby each batch of separated volatile matter product is thusly further separated into, a gas fuel product, a liquid fuel product of lower density than water, a tar fuel product of greater density than water, and these thusly separated from the cooling water and condensed steam.   
     
     
         7 . Apparatus for separating carbonaceous fuels, such as coal and biomass, into two or more separated fuel products, a devolatilized coke product and one or more volatile matter products, as described in  claim 1 :
 wherein said receiver of steam and volatile matter comprises, a barometric condenser, a condensate receiver tank, and a receiver of non condensable gases;   said barometric condenser comprising, an enclosed steam and cooling water mixing chamber, at steam and cooling water mixer chamber pressure, a source of cooling water at cooling water supply pressure greater than said steam, and cooling water mixer pressure;   said enclosed steam and cooling water mixing chamber comprising: a steam inlet connection to said steam outlet pipe of said devolatilization reactor chamber; several cooling water spray nozzles, connected to said source of cooling water, and aligned relative to said steam inlet connection so that steam and volatile matter entering said mixing chamber from said devolatilization reactor chamber will be mixed with cooling water entering said mixing chamber, and so that steam and condensable volatile matter will be condensed and mixed into said cooling water; gas transfer means for transferring non condensable gases from the top of said mixing chamber into said receiver of non condensable gases; a barometric condenser discharge pipe for transferring cooling water, steam condensate, and condensable volatile matter and tars, from the bottom of said mixing chamber into said condensate receiver tank;   said condensate receiver tank comprising an enclosure of sufficient volume to permit gravity separation of insoluble volatile matter material from cooling water and steam condensate within said enclosure, and said enclosure top is vented to atmosphere;   whereby water insoluble volatile matter material of lower density than the water in the condensate receiver tank will float to the top surface in the condensate receiver tank, and water insoluble tar volatile matter of greater density than the water in the condensate receiver tank will sink to the bottom of the condensate receiver tank, and the cooling water and steam condensate will float in the middle of the condensate receiver tank between the two separated layers of water insoluble volatile matter material;   a cooling water and steam condensate receiver;   a receiver of water insoluble liquid volatile matter whose density is less than water in said condensate receiver tank;   a receiver of water insoluble tar volatile matter whose density is greater than water in said condensate receiver tank;   means for removing water insoluble volatile matter, whose density is less than water density, from the top of the condensate receiver tank, whenever the top liquid surface exceeds a preset liquid volatile matter level, and for transferring said water insoluble volatile matter into said receiver of water insoluble liquid volatile matter whose density is less than that of the water;   means for removing water insoluble volatile matter, whose density is greater than water density, from the bottom of the condensate receiver tank, whenever the level of water insoluble volatile matter whose density exceeds that of the water exceeds a preset tar volatile matter level, and for transferring said water insoluble tar volatile matter into said receiver of water insoluble tar volatile matter whose density is greater than that of the water;   means for removing cooling water and steam condensate from the middle of the condensate receiver tank, whenever the level of cooling water and condensate exceeds a preset cooling water level, and for transferring said cooling water and steam condensate into said receiver of cooling water and steam condensate;   wherein said preset liquid volatile matter level is above said preset cooling water level, and said preset cooling water level is above said preset tar volatile matter level;   whereby the volatile matter removed from the original carbonaceous fuel, while inside the devolatilization reactor chamber, is further separated, by said barometric condenser and condensate receiving tank, into three separated fuel products; a non condensable gas fuel product, a liquid volatile matter fuel product of density less than water, and a tar volatile matter fuel product of density greater than water.   
     
     
         8 . Apparatus for separating carbonaceous fuels, such as coal and biomass, into two or more separated fuel products, a devolatilized coke product, and one or more volatile matter products, as described in  claim 7 :
 wherein said receiver of devolatilized coke chunks is a coke quench chamber;   wherein said steam boiler source of superheated steam is additionally a source of essentially saturated steam;   and further comprising: a source of quench water at a pressure greater than said steam boiler pressure; a receiver of quenched coke chunks;   said coke quench chamber comprising a sealable pressure vessel coke quench chamber, with a hot coke receiver end sealably receiving coke from said devolatilization reactor chamber via said coke removal transfer means, and with a quenched coke removal end fitted with a quenched coke removal means for sealably transferring quenched coke from said quenched coke removal end into said receiver of quenched coke chunks;   said coke quench chamber further comprising a wet steam mixer chamber comprising: a saturated steam inlet pipe and saturated steam inlet valve for transferring saturated steam from said source of saturated steam into said mixer chamber; a quench water inlet pipe and quench water valve for transferring quench water from said source of quench water into said mixer chamber via a quench water spray nozzle aligned with said saturated steam inlet pipe so that saturated steam and quench water are mixed together to create wet steam; a wet steam inlet pipe connecting said wet steam mixer chamber into the hot coke receiver end of said coke quench chamber;   said coke quench chamber further comprising a reheated steam discharge pipe and reheated steam discharge valve for discharging reheated steam from the quenched coke removal end of said coke quench chamber into said steam and cooling water mixing chamber of said barometric condenser;   wherein said carbonaceous fuel control and actuator means is further operative upon said quenched coke removal means so that, at the end of each refuel time interval, a single batch of quenched coke chunks is transferred, from said quenched coke removal end of said coke quench chamber, into said receiver of quenched coke chunks by said quenched coke removal means, before a single batch of devolatilized coke fuel chunks is transferred, from the coke removal end of said devolatilization reactor chamber, into said coke quench chamber receiver of devolatilized coke chunks, by said coke removal transfer means;   whereby each devolatilized coke batch moves, in steps, from the hot coke receiver end of said coke quench chamber, toward said quenched coke removal end of said coke quench chamber, each step taking place at the end of each refuel time interval, and each devolatilized coke batch reaches the quenched coke removal end of said coke quench chamber after a number of refuel time intervals, following entry, essentially equal to the number of devolatilized coke fuel batches inside said coke quench chamber and each devolatilized coke batch is removed from said coke quench chamber, at the end of the next refuel time interval after reaching said quenched coke removal end and is transferred into said receiver of quenched coke chunks;   a separate wet steam control and actuator means for opening and closing said saturated steam valve, said quench water valve, and said reheated steam discharge valve, intermittently at wet steam cycle time intervals, so that an integral number of wet steam cycles, of steam compression into said coke quench chamber, followed after a quench time interval by reheated steam release from said coke quench chamber, takes place during each refuel time interval, each said wet steam cycle comprising the following sequence of steps:
 the reheated steam valve is closed; 
 the saturated steam valve and quench water valve are concurrently opened to admit saturated steam and quench water together into said wet steam mixer chamber to create wet steam which is compressed into said coke quench chamber at steam boiler pressure; 
 after a wet steam cycle time interval said saturated steam valve and said quench water valve are concurrently closed; 
 the reheated steam valve is opened to discharge reheated steam into said steam and cooling water mixing chamber of said barometric condenser; 
   whereby by thus operating the coke quench chamber over a range of wet steam pressure, during each of several wet steam cycles, wet steam is repeatedly compressed into the interchunk spaces and pore spaces of the hot devolatilized coke chunks during each wet steam compression, and heat is transferred rapidly into said wet steam from said hot devolatilized coke chunks to decrease the temperature and quench the coke chunks;   and further whereby the thusly quenched coke batches are delivered into said receiver of quenched coke by said quenched coke removal means;   and further whereby thusly reheated steam is discharged from the quenched coke removal end of said coke quench chamber into said steam and cooling water mixing chambers of said barometric condenser at the end of each wet steam cycle.   
     
     
         9 . Apparatus for separating carbonaceous fuels, such as coal and biomass, into two or more separated fuel products, a devolatilized coke product, and one or more volatile matter products, as described in  claim 8 :
 wherein said source of carbonaceous fuel chunks containing volatile matter comprises a coal preheat chamber, with a primary fuel receiver end, and a preheated coal discharge end;   a primary source of primary carbonaceous fuel chunks containing volatile matter;   a primary fuel transfer means for intermittently and sealably transferring a single batch of carbonaceous fuel chunks, from said primary source of carbonaceous fuel chunks, into said primary fuel transfer end of said coal preheat chamber;   wherein said refuel means intermittently and sealably transfers a single batch of preheated carbonaceous fuel chunks, from the preheated coal transfer end of said coal preheat chamber, into said refuel end of said devolatilization reactor chamber;   said coal preheat chamber further comprising: a reheated steam inlet pipe, at said preheated coal transfer end of said coal preheat chamber, and connected to said reheated steam discharge pipe of said coke quench chamber; a cooled steam discharge pipe at said primary fuel transfer end of said coal preheat chamber, and connected to the steam and cooling water mixing chamber of said barometric condenser;   whereby said coal preheat chamber is steam flow interposed, between said coke quench chamber, and said steam and cooling water mixing chamber of said barometric condenser, so that the reheated steam discharged from said coke quench chamber, flows next through said coal preheat chamber, before being discharged into said steam and cooling water mixing chamber of said barometric condenser;   and further whereby the temperature of said carbonaceous fuel chunks is increased by the thruflow of reheated steam through said coal preheat chamber;   wherein said carbonaceous fuel control and actuator means is further operative upon said primary fuel transfer means so that, at the end of each refuel time interval, a batch of primary carbonaceous fuel chunks is sealably transferred from said source of primary carbonaceous fuel chunks, into, said primary fuel transfer end of said coal preheat chamber, by said primary fuel transfer means, after said refuel means has transferred a single batch of preheated carbonaceous fuel chunks, from the preheated coal transfer end of said coal preheat chamber, into said refuel end of said devolatilization reactor chamber.