Abstract: In a reformed gas generator, where evaporated or atomized liquid higher hydrocarbons are reacted with an oxygen containing gas at elevated temperature to form a gas mixture containing methane, carbon monoxide and/or hydrogen, and wherein the reactants to be converted may be heated, if desired, to an elevated input temperature before they are conducted into the reformed gas generator, with throughput of reactants variable; and the air number of the oxygen containing gas between 0.05 and 0.2, a gas containing the oxygen only in free form is used, no external heat is supplied to the reformed-gas generator, and, with changing throughput, the air number and/or the input temperature is controlled so that the degree of conversion of the hydrocarbons is between 60 and 95% to give a method particularly well suited to operate an internal combustion engine with the generated reformed gas.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for gasification of carbonaceous matter by plasma arc pyrolysis are disclosed. In one embodiment, a refractory-lined furnace is provided with a depression along its base for holding a pool of molten metal which acts as the external electrode for a bank of long arc column plasma torches which provide a heat mass for the process. The plasma arc pressure imparts momentum to the surface of the melt and causes it to flow in cusping eddy currents during the process. Crushed coal is deposited through the roof of the furnace by a rotary feeder in continuous plural streams. The coal is devolatilized in a matter of milli seconds and the volatiles are cracked as the coal falls by gravity through the interior of the furnace. The remaining carbon-rich char collects at plural sites on the surface of the melt and the mounds of char are rotated by the eddy currents. Steam is continuously injected into the furnace to produce hydrocarbon gases through reaction with the carbon-rich char.

Abstract: In the hydrotreating and steam reforming of an oxygen and sulfur bearing hydrocarbon fuel the oxygen is first removed in an oxidizer containing a bed of platinum catalyst, the inlet temperature being well below 1000.degree. F. and preferably on the order of 300.degree. F. The sulfur in the fuel does not harm the oxidizer catalyst and may be removed downstream by known hydrodesulfurization techniques prior to reforming.

Abstract: The filtration rate of asbestos-cement slurries formed from chrysotile asbestos fibres is improved by controlled heat treatment of the fibres at a temperature of about 400.degree. to about 600.degree. C. without loss of water of crystallization and fibre strength. The improved filtration rate allows an increased rate of production of asbestos-cement products.

Abstract: In the gasification of granular solid fossil fuel in a reactor wherein the fuel forms a fixed bed moving from top to bottom of the reactor under gravity, oxygen-containing gases and water vapor are fed into the fuel bed through nozzles in the lower portion of the reactor, molten slag at a temperature of about 1350.degree. to 1500.degree. C. is discharged through a conduit which is inclined to the horizontal, and product gas is withdrawn from the reactor above the fuel bed, the improvement which comprises feeding oxygen gas into the reactor adjacent to the inlet of the slag discharge conduit and directed from above onto the molten slag, thereby forming a leakage gas at a temperature of at least about 1500.degree. C. which leakage gas is withdrawn through the slag discharge conduit co-current with the slag. The leakage gas is separated from the slag in a lock chamber and mixed with the product gas.

Abstract: As hot crude coke oven gas is conveyed from coke ovens to a position of utilization, condensation of higher hydrocarbons from the coke oven gas is prevented by increasing the temperature of the coke oven gas to a temperature such that higher hydrocarbons are prevented from condensing therefrom. This increase in temperature may be achieved by injecting oxygen-containing gas into the hot crude coke oven gas, to thereby produce a partial combustion of the coke oven gas. Alternatively, when the coke oven gas is being conveyed to a thermal cracking reactor wherein the coke oven gas is thermally cracked to form a cracked gas, the temperature of the coke oven gas may be increased by passing the coke oven gas through a heat exchanger in indirect heat exchange relation with the cracked gas.

Abstract: In an apparatus for treating cellulose pulp with oxygen gas by passing the pulp and oxygen gas through a reaction vessel at elevated temperature and pressure, the improvement whereby the exothermic heat of reaction is controlled and the temperature of the pulp being treated is maintained below the point where the pulp would be degraded, the improvement comprising means for withdrawing oxygen gas from the vessel after the gas has been in contact with the pulp, dividing the withdrawn gas into two portions, cooling one of the portions to remove water vapor therefrom, recombining the gas portions whereby the resulting gas has a lower temperature than the gas withdrawn from the vessel and returning the resulting gas to the vessel for further contact with pulp therein, the amount of gas withdrawn from the vessel and the degree of cooling of the cooled portion of withdrawn gas being regulated to maintain the temperature within the vessel below the point where the pulp is degraded.

Abstract: In a gas generation method in which liquid fuel is catalytically reacted with air at elevated temperatures to form a fuel gas, several plates each having a multiplicity of passage openings are arranged in tandem in spaced fashion within the reaction chamber of the gas generator and are embedded in a bed of packing material with the thermal conductivity of the plates higher than that of the packing material in order to obtain more uniform heating of the reaction chamber and better mixing and distribution of the reacting media permitting the gas generator to be loaded more heavily.

Abstract: Sodium sulfide or sodium hydrosulfide is oxidized to form sodium polysulfide and sodium hydroxide which may be further oxidized to sodium thiosulfate and sodium hydroxide. The oxidant is air, oxygen or oxygen in mixture with other gases, the reductant is aqueous sodium sulfide or sodium hydrosulfide and the reaction is carried out with both reactants in non-flooded contact with a solid catalyst material, of which a typical example is a particulate carbon treated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The reaction is typically conducted at atmospheric pressure and without the application of heat, with the oxidant and the reductant being in interfacial contact with each other, but only, insofar as possible, at sites where both are simultaneously in contact with a catalyst which is prevented from being flooded by either the oxidant or reductant.

Abstract: Conversion of raw coal to distillate liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon products by solvent liquefaction in the presence of molecular hydrogen employing recycle of mineral residue is commonly performed at a higher thermal efficiency than conversion of coal to pipeline gas in a gasification process employing partial oxidation and methanation reactions. The prior art has disclosed a combination coal liquefaction-gasification process employing recycle of mineral residue in the liquefaction zone wherein all the normally solid dissolved coal produced in the liquefaction zone is passed to a gasification zone for conversion to hydrogen, where the amount of normally solid dissolved coal prepared and passed to the gasification zone is just sufficient to enable the gasification zone to produce the exact hydrogen requirement of the process.

Abstract: Conversion of raw coal to distillate liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon products by solvent liquefaction in the presence of molecular hydrogen employing recycle of mineral residue is commonly performed at a higher thermal efficiency than conversion of coal to pipeline gas in a gasification process employing partial oxidation and methanation reactions. The prior art has disclosed a combination coal liquefaction-gasification process employing recycle of mineral residue to the liquefaction zone wherein all the normally solid dissolved coal not converted to liquid or gaseous products in the liquefaction zone is passed to a gasification zone for conversion to hydrogen, where the amount of normally solid dissolved coal passed to the gasification zone is just sufficient to enable the gasification zone to produce the process hydrogen requirement.

Abstract: Solid carbonaceous fuels are converted into gaseous fuels by a process comprising liquefying at least a portion of the solid fuel, subjecting a portion of the high boiling product to gasification with substantially pure oxygen to provide hydrogen for the liquefaction, subjecting the balance of the high boiling product to gasification with air to provide a gaseous product used as the stripping medium to remove lighter boiling materials from the liquefaction product and recovering fuel gas from the stripping zone overhead.

Abstract: Conversion of raw coal to distillate liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon products by solvent liquefaction in the presence of molecular hydrogen employing recycle of mineral residue is commonly performed at a higher thermal efficiency than conversion of coal to pipeline gas in a gasification process employing partial oxidation and methanation reactions. The prior art has disclosed a combination coal liquefaction-gasification process employing recycle of mineral residue to the liquefaction zone wherein all the normally solid dissolved coal produced in the liquefaction zone is passed to a gasification zone for conversion to hydrogen, where the amount of normally solid dissolved coal passed to the gasification zone is just sufficient to enable the gasification zone to produce the process hydrogen requirement.

Abstract: In a coal gasification operation or similar conversion process carried out in the presence of an alkali metal-containing catalyst wherein solid particles containing alkali metal residues are produced, alkali metal constituents are recovered from the particles by treating them with a calcium or magnesium-containing compound in the presence of water. The treating process is carried out under conditions such that the calcium or magnesium-containing compound reacts with water insoluble constituents of the alkali metal residues such as alkali metal aluminosilicates to produce an aqueous solution containing water soluble alkali metal constituents. The aqueous solution is recycled to the gasification process where the alkali metal constituents serve as at least a portion of the alkali metal constituents which comprise the alkali metal-containing catalyst.

Abstract: Carbon monoxide and hydrogen are produced by spraying a mixture of molten sodium and/or potassium from one nozzle into a chamber maintained at a temperature of 650.degree. C. to 850.degree. C. along with one or more separated sprays containing a slurry of carbon, water and carbon dioxide so that the various sprays contact each other in said hot chamber so constructed so that the reactants are forced into a suitably constructed reactor containing iron and/or its oxide in a semifluid bed powdered condition. Preferably, the reactor contains mixtures of the metals and/or oxides taken from the class of iron, cobalt, nickel and manganese. In a cyclic reaction, the metallic sodium is reconstituted along with continued production of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, the iron type component remaining in the reactor which as a consequence of the reagents and conditions is cyclically oxidized to oxides of iron type elements and reduced to finely divided iron and/or mixtures of iron, cobalt, nickel and manganese.

Abstract: An alkali metal-containing spent liquor is treated to recover the alkali metal content for reuse without the need for recycling furnace ash and forming solid pellets therefrom. A mixture of aluminum hydrate and alkali metal-containing waste liquor is directed through a heated furnace and dried to form granules of the aluminum hydrate and waste liquor solids, and the organic content of the granules are combusted and reacted to form granular alkali metal aluminate furnace ash. The granular furnace ash is removed from the furnace and treated to recover the alkali metal and to produce aluminum hydrate for reuse in the process.

Abstract: A method is described for the discharge of solids from a coal gasifier grate at different radial locations.

Abstract: A method of operating a fluidized bed system in a single vessel, typically as a combustor system for power or steam generation burning high-sulfur coal or as a gasifier for high-sulfur coal, which comprises forming an entrained fluidized bed in a first space region containing a first solid bed particle component, such as sand or hematite ore containing over 90% Fe.sub.2 O.sub.

Abstract: Sodium polysulphide is formed by reacting sodium sulphide and sodium sulphur-oxygen salts in the presence of carbon and oxygen. The invention is particularly applicable to reacting recovery furnace smelt from a polysulphide pulping process to form a mixture of sodium polysulphide and sodium carbonate which is substantially free from sodium sulphur-oxygen salts, so that dead-load sulphidity is substantially eliminated from the pulping liquor.

Abstract: An improved system for producing methane-containing product gas by the hydrogasification process. With the system, solid municipal waste is comminuted and dried following which it is introduced to the lock hopper receivers for transference to an elongate hydrogasification reactor. Synthesis gas is introduced to a lower region of the reactor and the comminuted waste, including inorganic materials, is dried and converted to methane-containing product gas and char. The char is removed from the system by a variety of separation systems including cyclone separators or aspirators and the inorganic fractured waste materials pass through the reactor but are undamaged and in a sterile condition ideally suited for recovery. A gasification reactor is incorporated with the system which receives char from the process as well as oxygen to produce the synthesis gas utilized in the hydrogasification reactor.