Method of using reactor vessel having single convergence sidewall plates

Abstract

A biomass processing method including: feeding biomass to an upper reactor inlet; adding liquor to the biomass to create a liquid level below an upper biomass level; treating the biomass; discharging the treated biomass from a bottom reactor outlet; as the biomass flows downward from the biomass upper level to the bottom outlet, moving the biomass between a plurality of pairs of support plates, wherein (i) the pairs of support plates are arranged at different elevations, (ii) the plates of each pair are mounted to sidewalls at a slope with respect to the sidewall that converges the plate inwardly towards an opposite plate along a downward direction, and (iii) each pair of plates converges along a single direction; increasing biomass compaction as the biomass flows between each pair of plates; rapidly releasing compressive forces on the biomass as the biomass flows pass lower edges on each pair of support plates.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method to process biomass in a reactor vessel comprising:
 continuously feeding comminuted biomass to an upper inlet of the reactor vessel;   continuously adding water or other liquor to the biomass such that a liquid level in the reactor vessel is substantially below an upper level of the biomass in the reactor vessel;   treating the biomass in the reactor vessel;   continuously discharging the treated biomass from a bottom outlet of the reactor vessel;   as the biomass flows gradually and continuously downward in the reactor vessel from the upper level of the biomass to the bottom outlet, moving the biomass between a plurality of pairs of support plates, wherein (i) the pairs of support plates are arranged at different elevations in the vessel, (ii) the plates of each pair are mounted to a sidewall of the vessel at a slope with respect to the sidewall that converges the plate inwardly towards an opposite plate along a downward direction, and (iii) the convergence of each pair of plates is along a single direction of convergence;   gradually increasing compaction of the biomass as the biomass flows down between each pair of support plates;   rapidly releasing some of the compressive forces on the biomass as the biomass flows past lower edges on each pair of support plates.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the pairs of support plates are separated by a distance of between three-quarters of the diameter of the vessel and 1.50 times the diameter. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein adjacent pairs of support plates are offset at substantially 90 degrees, and horizontal component of the compaction of the biomass due to each pair of plates shifts by substantially 90 degrees as the biomass moves between one pair of the support plates to between the next pair of support plates. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the support plates are separated by a vertical distance of one diameter between an apex of one of the support plates and a trailing edge of a vertically adjacent support pate. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the gradual compaction and rapid release by each of the pairs of support plates suppresses the formation of arches in the biomass. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the liquid level is maintained at or below trailing edges of the lowermost pair of support plates and the bottom outlet. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the upper level of the biomass is higher than apexes of the pair of support plates at the uppermost elevation in the vessel. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the rate of liquid added to the vessel is sufficient to saturate the biomass. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising adding steam to an upper region of the vessel. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising stirring or agitating the biomass at the bottom of the vessel. 
     
     
         11 . A method to process biomass in a reactor vessel including pairs of support plates are arranged at different elevations within the vessel wherein the plates of each pair are mounted to a sidewall of the vessel and the plates in each pair converge towards each other along a downward direction and the convergence of each pair of plates is along a single direction of convergence, wherein the method comprises:
 continuously feeding comminuted biomass to an upper inlet of the reactor vessel;   forming a column of biomass in the reactor vessel by the continuous feeding of the comminuted biomass, wherein the column has an upper level of the biomass;   adding liquor to the biomass being fed into or already fed into the reactor vessel to establish a liquid level in the reactor vessel below the upper level of the biomass;   moving the biomass gradually and continuously downward through the reactor vessel;   as the moving biomass moves between each of the plurality of pairs of support plates, gradually increasing compaction of the biomass and rapidly releasing compaction as the biomass moves past lower edges on each pair of support plates, and   continuously discharging the treated biomass from a bottom outlet of the reactor vessel.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein one of the pairs of support plates is offset by substantially 90 degrees with respect to another one of the pairs of the support plates immediately below the one of the pairs, and a horizontal component of the compaction of the biomass due to each pair of plates shifts by substantially 90 degrees as the biomass moves between the one of the pairs and the another one of the pairs of support plates. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising treating the biomass in the reactor vessel. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the gradual compaction and rapid release by each of the pairs of support plates suppresses the formation of arches of the biomass in the reactor vessel. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the liquid level is maintained at or below trailing edges of the lowermost pair of support plates and the bottom outlet. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the upper level of the biomass is higher than apexes of the pair of support plates at the uppermost elevation in the vessel. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11  wherein a rate of the liquid added to the vessel is sufficient to saturate the biomass in the reactor vessel with the liquid. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising continuously adding steam to an upper region of the vessel. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising stirring or agitating the biomass at the bottom of the vessel. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising continuously adding liquor to the reactor vessel.