Abstract: Systems and methods for processing a waste stream for feeding into a thermal unit performing an airless or oxygen starved incineration process like pyrolysis. Embodiments comprise an inlet hopper for receiving a waste stream, an inlet hopper lid, a slide gate that when closed forms the base of the inlet hopper and when open allows the waste stream to pass into an intermediate hopper, a ram body that when closed forms the base of the intermediate hopper and when open allows the waste stream to pass into a ram cylinder, a crusher plate on the front face of the ram body, a ram for driving the ram body and its crusher plate forward into the waste within the cylinder, a compactor cone comprising teeth for splitting, and an outlet through which the crushed and split waste stream exits the system into a thermal unit.

Abstract: A device for a directed gas routing of primary air into a coke chamber oven is disclosed. The primary air is conducted through the coke chamber top into the gas space of a coke oven battery and is laterally deflected as it enters into the gas space of the coke chamber. Also disclosed is a method for lateral deflection of primary air as it enters into the coke oven chamber, thus improving the distribution of the primary air in the coke oven chamber.

Abstract: A new approach to the production of coke. In this process multiple optimized value streams are produced from a coke facility located at mine mouth or locally at an existing plant. As part of the process, lower cost Indiana/Illinois Basin-type coals are blended with conventional metallurgical coals. The blending process is optimized to meet coke quality requirements and simultaneously to obtain a pyrolysis gas composition suitable for production of ancillary products including liquid transportation fuels, fertilizer, hydrogen, and electricity. By using lower cost Indiana/Illinois Basin coal it is possible to reduce net coal costs. This process provides a new direction and approach for the production of coke in the future that optimizes value over multiple product streams while reducing both business and technological risk.

Abstract: A controlled kiln and manufacturing system for biochar production, including control systems and subsystems. An example controlled kiln (100) includes a drum (200), a lid (120) and a floor (250) together forming a combustion chamber configured to contain feedstock for conversion into biochar. A catalytic converter (700) may be operatively coupled with an outlet of the kiln (100). A conversion process completion detection subsystem may be operative to issue notifications. An example biochar manufacturing system includes at least one of the controlled kilns (100), a feedstock filling station (1010, 1020, 1030) for providing feedstock to kiln 100, a firing line (1040) for receiving the kiln containing feedstock, a tipping station (1050) for receiving biochar from the kiln, a biochar sizing station, and an automated handler (800) configured to move the kiln between the feedstock filling station (1010, 1020, 1030), the firing line (1040) and the tipping station (1050).

Abstract: The present technology is generally directed to horizontal heat recovery coke ovens having monolith crowns. In some embodiments, an HHR coke oven includes a monolith crown that spans the width of the oven between opposing oven sidewalls. The monolith expands upon heating and contracts upon cooling as a single structure. In further embodiments, the crown comprises a thermally volume-stable material. In various embodiments, the monolith and thermally-volume-stable features can be used in combination or alone. These designs can allow the oven to be turned down below traditionally feasible temperatures while maintaining the structural integrity of the crown.

Abstract: Various biomass reactors systems and methods of pyrolyzing biomass are disclosed. One type of biomass reactor system comprises a plurality of biomass processing stations configured in series, each station comprising an auger reactor including an auger inlet for receiving biomass and a transfer screw for conveying the biomass through the auger reactor.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus for thermolysis of waste plastics, particularly polyolefins. The apparatus includes a feeding system, an extruder, a main thermolysis reactor, a dual propeller/mixer housed within the reactor, and a discharging system. The height of the thermolysis reactor is at least 1.5 times bigger than the diameter. The apparatus is arranged such that the extruder follows the plastic feeding system, the thermolysis reactor follows the extruder, and the discharge system follows the thermolysis reactor. The invention also provides a method for using the apparatus for thermolysis of waste plastics. In this method, reaction feedstock, reaction residuals, and reaction products are removed continuously.

Abstract: A method and a device for controlling a process for burning lime containing mixture (CaCO3) and converting it to calcinated lime (CaO) in a rotary kiln, the rotary kiln having an elongated cavity surrounded by a wall and a burner arranged to heat the cavity. The method includes collecting measurement data of the temperature in the wall at a plurality of measuring points along the longitudinal axis of the cavity, predicting the actual temperature gradient along the longitudinal axis of the cavity based at least on the measurement data of the temperature in the wall, and by means of a thermal model describing the temperature along the cavity of the kiln, determining a desired temperature gradient along the cavity based on the predicted temperature gradient along the cavity and a predetermined control strategy controlling the temperature in the kiln.

Abstract: A pyrolysis process is provided. The process includes the steps of: depositing a quantity of waste into a porous container, the porous container adapted to allow a convective stream of substantially anaerobic gas to flow therethrough; inserting the porous container into a pyrolysis thermal processor; sealing the thermal processor; circulating the convective stream of gas through the pyrolysis thermal processor; heating the waste according to a first time-temperature profile to pyrolyze the waste and form a carbonaceous char; and cooling the carbonaceous char by circulating the convective stream of gas through a cooler. An oil product and a gaseous hydrocarbon product are produced during the pyrolysis. The carbonaceous char is further processed to form a carbon black product and a recyclable metal product.

Abstract: A method for extracting flue gases from a coke oven chamber, wherein the flue gases that develop briefly during the process of discharging and charging the coke cake from and to the coke oven chamber are extracted by a vacuum generated in the headspace above the coke cake. The vacuum in the headspace above the coke oven chamber is generated via channels through the lateral walls of the coke oven chamber or in the coke cake. The vacuum is generated in the secondary heating chamber and, by way of example, can be extracted again from a vacuum supply tank which, for the time that the coke oven chamber doors are open, is connected to the secondary heating chamber by opening shut-off devices in the connecting line. The method avoids the undesirable emission of flue gases into the atmosphere. A device whereby the method can be carried out is also disclosed.

Abstract: A retort heating apparatus for processing a feed material includes a heating chamber bounded at least in part by a side wall. A plurality of baffles are at least partially disposed within the heating chamber. Each baffle includes an elongated body having a top surface, at least a portion of the top surface being arched. The plurality of baffles are vertically and horizontally spaced apart so that substantially all of the feed material that vertically passes through the heating chamber is horizontally displaced as the feed material passes by the baffles. Systems are also provided for heating the feed material within the heating chamber.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for producing charcoal in a kiln from hardwood. The kiln is constructed over an array of hardwood logs supported on a suitable platform. Fill material is used to form a surrounding jacket surrounding the hardwood, a sawdust layer is applied over the surrounding jacket, and an airtight layer of clay earth and sand is applied over the sawdust layer. An ignition access port is provided through the several layers to allow ignition and combustion of the hardwood, after which the access port is closed to prevent air from entering the interior of the kiln during burning of the hardwood. After a predetermined burning time, the kiln and its contents are allowed to cool, and the filler, clay earth, sand and any remaining debris are removed from the hardwood. The hardwood is then cooled a second time, and then cooled a third time by stifling the hardwood, such as in a cooling box capped with earth.

Abstract: A coke oven door for closing the open end of an elongated coking chamber of a nonrecovery coke oven, including process air vents extending through the door at a level above a coal charge to be coked, has a structural frame on its outer surface including an elongated manifold extending across the door adjacent its bottom with a plurality of inlet openings in the manifold, and a tubular duct system connecting the manifold to the process air inlets whereby reduced pressure in the oven will draw air through the process air inlets and the duct system to thereby draw emissions from the area at the base of the door into the oven for incineration.

Abstract: A preferred embodiment of the apparatus 10 for recycling used automobile rubber tires is described in which small pieces of rubber tires are progressively fed into a vertical reactor 14 of the counter-flow type in which the material progressively descends downward through the reactor 14 with process gases passing upward through the downwardly descending material to decompose and volatilize the rubber material. Oxygen-bearing gas is injected into the reactor to burn a portion of the rubber carbon to generate hot combustion gases that ascend upwardly to pyrolitically decompose the rubber pieces, and to volatilize such material. The amount of oxygen is controlled in an oxygen-deficient manner to maintain the temperature in the combustion zone at a temperature of less than 500.degree. F. The gases and volatilized rubber materials and oils are removed from the reactor at a temperature of approximately 350.degree. F.

Abstract: An improved coke oven wall constructed for refractory brick and having generally vertically extending gas flues formed therein employs different shaped brick to form the portion of the wall defining the flues in alternate courses of brick with the refractory brick in each course being shaped and arranged so that no mortar joint between two adjacent brick in any course is contained in a single vertical plane from a flue to the adjacent oven.

Abstract: A sole flue nonrecovery coking oven battery includes a plurality of elongated coking ovens constructed in side-by-side relation with common sidewalls downcomers connecting the ovens through the sidewalls to the sole flues, uptakes connecting the sole flues through the sidewalls to an elongated tunnel extending transversely of the battery and a single stack connected to the elongated tunnel applying a draft to all ovens in the battery through the downcomers, sole flues and uptakes, and an improved draft control system includes an adjustable draft regulating valve for controlling the flow of gas from the uptakes beneath each oven to the common tunnel. An adjustable damper type stack draft valve is also provided for opening and closing the stack to vary the draft applied to the stack to the battery.

Abstract: An improved gasification system, in which synthesis gas is produced through the operation of a fuel gas production bed comprising an upper layer (66) of organic input material, typically in the form of pellets or briquettes of substantially uniform size and configuration, two intermediate layers, one intermediate layer (70) for carbonizing the input material and the other intermediate layer (72) for partially oxidizing and substantially completely pyrolizing the input material and a lower layer (68) of tar-free charcoal. The gasification system includes a closed reaction chamber (10) which includes upper and lower portions (14/18). The cross-sectional area of the lower portion (18) is larger than the cross-sectional area of the upper portion (14), the lower portion further including an upper part which overlaps the lower part of the upper portion (14).

Abstract: A retorting apparatus including a vertical kiln and a plurality of tubes for delivering rock to the top of the kiln and removal of processed rock from the bottom of the kiln so that the rock descends through the kiln as a moving bed. Distributors are provided for delivering gas to the kiln to effect heating of the rock and to disturb the rock particles during their descent. The distributors are constructed and disposed to deliver gas uniformly to the kiln and to withstand and overcome adverse conditions resulting from heat and from the descending rock. The rock delivery tubes are geometrically sized, spaced and positioned so as to deliver the shale uniformly into the kiln and form symmetrically disposed generally vertical paths, or "rock chimneys", through the descending shale which offer least resistance to upward flow of gas. When retorting oil shale, a delineated collection chamber near the top of the kiln collects gas and entrained oil mist rising through the kiln.

Abstract: A charcoal manufacturing device includes at least two bottomless furnaces of which, in operation, at least one is in a carbonization phase and at least one other is charged with wet wood to be dried. An incinerator is provided for burning the gas produced during the carbonization phase, connected to the at least one furnace. A first hot gas diluter is connected to this incinerator and an extractor is connected to the first diluter. An optional washing device is connected to the extractor. Hot gas produced by the at least one furnace during the carbonization phase is drawn off upstream of the extractor and conveyed to the at least one other furnace by a system that includes a second hot gas diluter. This second diluter renders the temperature of the hot gas compatible with the wet wood to be dried.

Abstract: The wood gases of a facility for the carbonization of wood to produce a lump charcoal are passed to an afterburner. The afterburner utilizes auxiliary burner units set at an angle to the combustion chamber centerline to provide heat for increasing the temperature of the refractory liner to the combustion level. Combustion air is introduced into the chamber resulting in a rapid mixing of the air with the gas. As a result of the introduction of the combustion air, a cyclonic movement of the flame occurs resulting in continuous contact between the gas and the hot refractory during its passage through the combustion chamber. The burned wood gases are maintained at a predetermined temperature by mixture with ambient air and supplied directly for an end use comprising lumber drying kilns. The burned wood gases are thus capable of economically drying southern pine lumber to 20% moisture content in one-fifth the time required by natural air drying.

Abstract: A conical reaction region in a pyrolysis device has an adjustable height, adjustable speed agitator in the vicinity of the grate and a second agitator stirring the incoming material. A feed auger stops short of the reaction chamber to produce a sealing region in which the incoming feed material effectively produces a gas tight seal preventing the exit of reaction products. A gas outlet flow rate sensor controls the air inflow rate and/or lower agitator speed. Temperature and other sensors may be used to further optimize the process.

Abstract: A method of, and apparatus for, coking or carbonizing fluent or flowable carbon-containing material, such as wood, peat, residues, wastes or the like, by means of gases in an inclined treatment chamber through which the material moves from the top towards the bottom under the influence of gravity while utilizing the flow action of the material while exceeding the natural angle of repose of the material. Gas is conducted from the bottom towards the top in countercurrent flow to the material through the treatment chamber. The gases, constituting a mixture of an infed dosed supply of air and distillation gas escaping out of the material in gaseous state into the hot gas mixture, are exclusively conducted upwardly in the treatment chamber over the material in direct contact therewith owing to the natural rise or lift and the heat needed for coking or carbonizing the material is exclusively produced in the treatment chamber by combustion of the distillation gas with the infed air.

Abstract: An increased coking rate of a coal charge in a non-recovery coke oven is achieved without polluting emissions by decreasing the supply of primary air fed into the coke oven chamber throughout the coking period while controlling the amount of heated secondary air for combustion of the effluent in downcomers to maintain the temperature therein between 1200.degree. F and 2400.degree. F and to maintain a temperature in the range of 1800.degree. F to 2700.degree. F in heating flues by further combustion of the effluent discharged thereto from the downcomers. Coking proceeds from the top, bottom and sides of the coal charge. The effluent from the sole heating flue is incinerated within a checker-filled ignition chamber maintained at a temperature of at least 1600.degree. F. The incinerated gases are drawn into a stack at a negative draft pressure of between 0.15 and 0.17 inch water gage.

Abstract: Coke from a non-recovery type coke oven is pushed onto a downwardly-inclined floor within a smoke hood joined along one edge of the coke oven. The coke is quenched by water discharge nozzles inside the hood. The coke is discharged through a gate at the bottom edge of the floor onto a conveyor after quenching is completed. The smoke and effluent within the hood pass into the top of two interconnected ignition chambers filled with checkerbrick to incinerate the effluent after which it is drawn from the top of the last ignition chamber into a conduit for discharge by a stack. The ignition chambers include walls isolating the flow spaces for the smoke and quenching fumes from the other flow spaces within checker-filled portions that conduct countercurrently partially-burned distillation products delivered by sole heating flues and downcomers from the space above a coal charge in the coke oven chamber.

Abstract: A burner for oil or gas is controlled by a thermocouple to maintain a predetermined minimum operating temperature within ignition chambers employed to incinerate partially-burned distillation products conducted from the space above a coal charge in a coke oven. Passageways in the side walls of the coke oven conduct the partially-burned distillation products from the space above the coal charge into sole heating flues located below the oven floor from where such distillation products are conducted into the ignition chambers. A stack is connected to the ignition chambers by a conduit which includes a recuperator used to reduce the temperature of the burned gases and provides a heated secondary air supply. This air supply is fed by separate pipes including control valves into one of the ignition chambers and into the passageways in the side walls of the coke oven. The stack includes a gas washer and a fan used to control the draw on the ignition chambers as well as the coke oven.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention an apparatus and process are disclosed wherein coal or peat or lignite is first transmitted to a devolatilizer from which tar and fuel gas are removed for transmission to a separator and recovery system, from which by-products are obtained and sulphur-free fuel gas is transmitted to the steam boiler. Char is recirculated between the devolatilizer and a heat generator. In one form of the invention a fraction of the char discharge from the devolatilizer is transmitted to a gasifier for gasification and complete sulphur extraction, and another fraction in readily combustible form is transmitted to the steam boiler for use. In another form of the invention the complete output of the devolatilizer is transmitted to the gasifier wherein a fraction is gasified and another fraction is transmitted to the steam boiler. The proportion of the fractions may be controlled to thereby control the overall sulphur emission of the system.

Abstract: A furnace and process for carrying out the carbonizing and/or activating of charcoal and similar operations includes vent means, which may be in the general shape of one or more elongated chambers of tunnels, that acts in combination with air admission means to determine the location, size, shape, and temperature of one or more hot zones within a pile of particulate combustible material. The vent means acts to (1) expedite the venting of gases generated in the mass of particulate material being treated, (2) collect a portion of the released gases in one or more chambers or zones, and (3) provide a space to burn any combustible gases at substantially controlled temperatures and in heat transfer relationship with the particulate mass.

Abstract: A process for destructive distillation of solid wastes and an apparatus for achieving the process whereby organic solid waste material which has been shredded, is exposed to a pyrolytic process to remove water and organic materials by a pyrolytic process wherein the off gases, after having been fractionally distilled to extract useable combustion products, are recycled through the process to enhance the destructive distillation of the solid waste material.