Pyrolysis method and plant for processing organic material by pyrolysis

Abstract

Plant for pyrolytic processing material includes a reactor, a feeding bin for solid material, a feeding auger mechanism, a feeding tank for liquid material, a feeding pump, a smoke suction, a chimney, an intermediate auger mechanism, a collecting bin for ash residue, a discharging auger mechanism, filter for a gas/vapour mixture, a heat exchanger, a cooler, a circulation pump for coolant, a knockout drum, a gas drier tower, a hydraulic trap, an accumulating tank, a residual water separator, a water tank, a fuel tank, a nitrogen source, and an air blower for the combustion chamber, tubes and pipes, fittings, valves, expansion and balance tanks, and an automated control system. The reactor is configured for thermal destruction of organic material and includes a cylinder-shaped pyrolysis chamber with a main auger mechanism that feeds the material into the pyrolysis chamber, moves the material along the pyrolysis chamber, and unloads ash residue.

1 . A reactor for thermal destruction of an organic material comprising:
 an elongated pyrolysis chamber disposed substantially horizontally;   a main auger mechanism disposed in a lower portion of the pyrolysis chamber and inclined in relation to a longitudinal axis of the pyrolysis chamber, the main auger mechanism comprising at least two augers;   a combustion chamber substantially encompassing the pyrolysis chamber;   at least one flue for a gas/vapour mixture in communication with an outlet for discharging the gas/vapour mixture from the pyrolysis chamber;   at least one burner disposed in the combustion chamber; and   at least one blower for supplying air into the combustion chamber.   
     
     
         2 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein the pyrolysis chamber is made of a corrosion-resistant steel. 
     
     
         3 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein the pyrolysis chamber is substantially cylinder-shaped. 
     
     
         4 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein the lower portion of the pyrolysis chamber comprises a chute, and a cross-section of the chute corresponds to a shape of the group of augers. 
     
     
         5 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein a thermal gradient is provided within the pyrolysis chamber, while temperature increases in a direction of material movement. 
     
     
         6 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein a thermal gradient is provided within the pyrolysis chamber, while temperature increases in a direction of material movement from approximately 200° C. to approximately 500° C. 
     
     
         7 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein a differential pressure is provided in the pyrolysis chamber in a range of approximately minus 10 mbar to approximately 50 mbar. 
     
     
         8 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein connection joints of the pyrolysis chamber are sealed in order to prevent ingress of atmospheric oxygen. 
     
     
         9 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein the pyrolysis chamber is supplied with nitrogen in order to prevent ingress of atmospheric oxygen. 
     
     
         10 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein an angle between the main auger mechanism and the longitudinal axis of the pyrolysis chamber is in a range of 5° to 15° and the main auger mechanism is ramped up in a direction of material movement. 
     
     
         11 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein augers of the main auger mechanism are made of a corrosion-resistant steel. 
     
     
         12 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein augers of the main auger mechanism are parallel to each other and overlapped by 10% to 30% of an auger diameter. 
     
     
         13 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein adjacent augers of the main auger mechanism rotate in opposite directions. 
     
     
         14 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein augers of the main auger mechanism are arranged in a horizontal row. 
     
     
         15 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein augers of the main auger mechanism are arranged in a number of horizontal rows. 
     
     
         16 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein a lower portion of the combustion chamber is substantially rectangular-shaped, while an upper portion of the combustion chamber is substantially cylinder-shaped. 
     
     
         17 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein an outlet for discharging fumes from the combustion chamber is near a material loading side of the reactor. 
     
     
         18 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein an outlet for discharging fumes from the combustion chamber is near an ash residue unloading side of the reactor. 
     
     
         19 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein each of the burners is configured to burn a liquid and/or gaseous fuel. 
     
     
         20 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein each of the burners is disposed in the combustion chamber so as to provide a thermal gradient within the pyrolysis chamber, while temperature increases in a direction of material movement. 
     
     
         21 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein each of the burners is disposed in the combustion chamber so as to provide a thermal gradient within the pyrolysis chamber, while temperature increases in a direction of material movement from approximately 200° C. to approximately 500° C. 
     
     
         22 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein an outlet for discharging the gas/vapour mixture is disposed near an initial portion of a material moving track in the pyrolysis chamber. 
     
     
         23 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein each of the flues is made of a corrosion-resistant steel. 
     
     
         24 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein each of the flues is disposed within the combustion chamber outside and along the pyrolysis chamber. 
     
     
         25 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein each of the flues is disposed within an upper portion of the combustion chamber outside and along the pyrolysis chamber. 
     
     
         26 . The reactor of  claim 1 , wherein each of the flues is disposed within the combustion chamber on an exhaust products moving route, where temperature of exhaust products is in a range of approximately 150° C. to approximately 450° C. 
     
     
         27 . A plant for pyrolytic processing a material containing organic substances comprising:
 a reactor including
 (i) an elongated pyrolysis chamber; 
 (ii) a main auger mechanism disposed in the pyrolysis chamber and inclined in relation to a longitudinal axis of the pyrolysis chamber, the auger mechanism comprising at least two augers; 
 (iii) a combustion chamber substantially encompassing the pyrolysis chamber; 
 (iv) at least one flue for a gas/vapour mixture; 
 (v) a burner in the combustion chamber; 
 (vi) a blower for supplying air into the combustion chamber; 
   loading means connected to the main auger mechanism;   unloading means connected to a main auger mechanism;   fume exhaust means connected to a combustion chamber;   a pressurized nitrogen source connected to a pyrolysis chamber;   a gas/vapour mixture filter connected to at least one gas/vapour mixture flue;   gas/vapour mixture cooling means connected to the gas/vapour mixture filter;   a gas/liquid separator connected to the gas/vapour mixture cooling means;   a gas drier tower connected to the gas/liquid separator;   a hydraulic trap connected to the gas drier tower;   a residual water separator connected to the gas drier tower; and   a fuel tank for a liquid pyrolysis fuel, connected to the residual water separator.   
     
     
         28 . The plant of  claim 27 , wherein the fuel tank is connected to the reactor. 
     
     
         29 . The plant of  claim 27 , wherein the hydraulic trap is connected to the reactor. 
     
     
         30 . The plant of  claim 27 , wherein the hydraulic trap is a scrubber. 
     
     
         31 . The plant of  claim 27 , further comprising an intermediate accumulating tank for the liquid pyrolysis fuel, connected between the gas/liquid separator, the gas drier tower, and the residual water separator. 
     
     
         32 . The plant of  claim 27 , further comprising a catalytic reactor, connected between the reactor and the gas/vapour mixture filter. 
     
     
         33 . The plant of  claim 27 , further comprising a stand-alone power generating unit connected to the fuel tank and/or to the hydraulic trap. 
     
     
         34 . The plant of  claim 27 , wherein the loading means comprise a level gage having a predetermined cut-off setting so as to assure continuous feeding the material into the reactor. 
     
     
         35 . The plant of  claim 27 , wherein the material is liquid and the loading means comprise a heater for reducing viscosity of the material. 
     
     
         36 . The plant of  claim 27 , wherein the unloading means comprise a cooled auger. 
     
     
         37 . The plant of  claim 27 , wherein the unloading means comprise a liquid-cooled or gas-cooled auger. 
     
     
         38 . The plant of  claim 27 , wherein the unloading means comprise a replaceable ferrule disposed between an auger and an inner case of a discharging auger mechanism. 
     
     
         39 . The plant of  claim 27 , wherein the nitrogen source is connected to the unloading means. 
     
     
         40 . The plant of  claim 27 , wherein nitrogen supplied from the nitrogen source to the unloading means is heated. 
     
     
         41 . (canceled) 
     
     
         42 . A method of pyrolytic processing a material containing organic substances, the method comprising the steps of:
 loading the material into a reactor by using a loading means;   providing movement of the material inside a pyrolysis chamber of the reactor by a main auger mechanism;   providing a thermal gradient within the pyrolysis chamber, while temperature increases in a direction of material movement;   providing circulation of pyrolysis products inside the pyrolysis chamber;   discharging a gas/vapour mixture from the pyrolysis chamber;   processing the gas/vapour mixture by a gas/vapour mixture filter, gas/vapour mixture cooling means, a gas/liquid separator, a gas drier tower, and a residual water separator so as to obtain a liquid or gaseous pyrolysis fuel;   supplying a combustion chamber of the reactor with at least part of the obtained liquid and/or gaseous pyrolysis fuel; and   unloading an ash residue from the reactor by unloading means.   
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the gaseous pyrolysis fuel is additionally processed by a scrubber. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the reactor is continuously fed with the material. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the material is liquid and is heated so as to reduce its viscosity. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the movement of the material assures transferring heavy hydrocarbons by convection and a pressure gradient from a portion of the pyrolysis chamber, where temperature is higher to a portion of the pyrolysis chamber, where temperature is lower; condensing the heavy hydrocabons in a portion of the pyrolysis chamber, where temperature is lower; and then returning the heavy hydrocabons to a portion of the pyrolysis chamber, where temperature is higher, using the main auger mechanism. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the thermal gradient within the pyrolysis chamber is provided in a direction of material movement from approximately 200° C. to approximately 500° C. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein a differential pressure in the pyrolysis chamber is provided in a range of approximately minus 10 mbar to approximately 50 mbar. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the reactor comprises a cooled auger of a discharging auger mechanism. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the unloading means are supplied with nitrogen. 
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the unloading means are supplied with heated nitrogen. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the liquid and/or gaseous pyrolysis fuel is used for producing electric power by a stand-alone power generating unit. 
     
     
         53 . Use of the reactor of  claim 1 , further comprising regeneration of non-organic filter materials, sorbent agents or catalyst materials. 
     
     
         54 . Use of the reactor of  claim 1 , further comprising processing a substantially non-organic material.