Mixture and apparatus for blending non-aqueous slurries

Abstract

The disclosures described herein provide for a gasification feedstock which includes a mixture of a solid feedstock with a liquid feedstock. The solid feedstock includes a heating value of less than approximately 20 Megajoules/kilogram (MJ/kg), expressed on a wet basis. The non-aqueous liquid feedstock includes a heating value of greater than approximately 14 MJ/kg, expressed on a wet basis. The resulting feedstock is useful as a gasification fuel.

1 . A gasification feedstock, comprising:
 a mixture comprising a solid and a non-aqueous liquid, wherein the solid comprises a first gross heating value less than approximately 20 Megajoules/kilogram (MJ/kg) expressed on a wet basis, and the non-aqueous liquid comprising a second gross heating value greater than approximately 14 MJ/kg expressed on a wet basis.   
     
     
         2 . The gasification feedstock of  claim 1 , wherein the solid comprises a moisture content of between approximately less than 90% and approximately more than 5%. 
     
     
         3 . The gasification feedstock of  claim 1 , wherein the solid is not disposed in an aqueous slurry. 
     
     
         4 . The gasification feedstock of  claim 1 , wherein the solid comprises a biomass solid. 
     
     
         5 . The gasification feedstock of  claim 1 , wherein the solid comprises at least one of a sub-bituminous coal or lignite coal. 
     
     
         6 . The gasification feedstock of  claim 1 , wherein the non-aqueous liquid comprises oil. 
     
     
         7 . The gasification feedstock of  claim 1 , wherein the non-aqueous liquid comprises vegetable oil, pyrolysis oil, orimulsion, biodiesel, liquid fossil fuels, petroleum-derived liquids, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The gasification feedstock of  claim 1 , wherein the weight percent solids contained in the non-aqueous slurry is between approximately 1 and 60. 
     
     
         9 . The gasification feedstock of  claim 1 , wherein the mixture comprises a slurry having a viscosity of less than 2 Pascal-seconds (2,000 Centipoise). 
     
     
         10 . A system, comprising:
 a solid feed supply configured to supply a solid having a low gross heating value;   a liquid feed supply configured to supply a liquid having a high gross heating value;   a feedstock mixing tank coupled to the solid feed supply and the liquid feed supply, wherein the feedstock mixing tank is configured to mix the solid and the liquid to provide a gasification feedstock.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , comprising a run tank fluidly coupled downstream of the mixing tank and upstream of a gasifier, wherein the run tank receives the gasification feedstock from the mixing tank and provides the gasification feedstock to the gasifier. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the low gross heating value of the solid is less than approximately 20 MJ/kg, and the high gross heating value of the liquid is greater than approximately 14 MJ/kg. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the solid comprises a biomass solid or a low rank coal and the liquid comprises a non-aqueous liquid. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the solid comprises corn husks, rice husks, switchgrass, miscanthus, sugar cane bagasse, sorghum bagasse, wood, wood products, algae, manure, other agricultural products, municipal solid waste, or a combination thereof, wherein the liquid comprises vegetable oil, pyrolysis oil, orimulsion, biodiesel, liquid fossil fuels, petroleum-derived liquids, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the solid feed supply comprises a solids grinder and a solids conveyor, the liquid feed supply comprises a first pump, the system comprises a second pump configured to recirculate the gasification feedstock around the mixing tank and to transfer the gasification feedstock to the run tank, and the system comprises a third pump configured to recirculate the gasification feedstock around the run tank and to supply the gasification feedstock to a suction of a slurry charge pump, wherein the slurry charge pump is configured to transfer gasification feedstock to the gasifier. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein feedstock mixing tank comprises a rotatable impeller, a temperature sensor, a viscosity sensor, a moisture sensor and an internal coil for conducting a heat transfer fluid. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 10 , comprising a controller configured to adjust a ratio of the liquid and the solid to achieve a target gross heating value, a target viscosity, or a combination thereof, of the gasification feedstock. 
     
     
         18 . A system, comprising:
 a feedstock mixing controller configured to adjust a ratio of a liquid feedstock and a solid feedstock to obtain a gasification feedstock, wherein the solid feedstock comprises a first gross heating value of at least less than approximately 20 Megajoules/kilogram (MJ/kg) expressed on a wet basis, and the gasification feedstock has a third gross heating value of at least greater than 16 MJ/kg expressed on a wet basis.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , comprising a first pump configured to transfer the gasification feedstock from a feedstock tank to run tank, and a second pump configured to transfer the gasification feedstock from the run tank to a gasifier. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the controller comprises a moisture sensor, a viscosity sensor, a temperature sensor and a gross heating value sensor, wherein the sensors are used to adjust the ratio of the liquid feedstock and solid feedstock.