A cyclone separator for separating particles from a gas flow includes a gas inlet and a separating element. The separating element includes an upper cylindrical section connected to a gas outlet and a lower conical section connected to a particle outlet. The first end of the gas inlet is on a straight section, and the second end of the gas inlet in on a helical section. The second end is connected to the upper cylindrical section. The cross-sectional area of the gas inlet continually decreases, and the vertical or longitudinal dimension of the gas inlet continually increases from the first end towards the second end. The vertical dimension at the second end equals the diameter of the upper cylindrical section. A guide plate inside the straight section distributes the particles over the increasing vertical dimension of the gas inlet and prevents the particles from concentrating centrally in the gas flow.

A cyclone separator for separating particles from a gas flow includes a gas inlet and a separating element. The separating element includes an upper cylindrical section connected to a gas outlet and a lower conical section connected to a particle outlet. The first end of the gas inlet is on a straight section, and the second end of the gas inlet in on a helical section. The second end is connected to the upper cylindrical section. The cross-sectional area of the gas inlet continually decreases, and the vertical or longitudinal dimension of the gas inlet continually increases from the first end towards the second end. The vertical dimension at the second end equals the diameter of the upper cylindrical section. A guide plate inside the straight section distributes the particles over the increasing vertical dimension of the gas inlet and prevents the particles from concentrating centrally in the gas flow.

A rotary grate with slit-shaped openings is used in fixed-bed gasifier that produces a product gas from biomass particles. The rotary grate supports the biomass particles. Each slit-shaped opening has a cross-section that conically widens in the direction from the upper to lower side of the grate. The slit-shaped openings act as planes to break up ash supported by the grate as a drive shaft rotates the grate. As the grate rotates, a dome-shaped covering in the middle of the grate causes ash to be spun laterally away from the middle and into the region of the grate where the slit-shaped openings are located. The slit-shaped openings extend concentrically around the middle of the grate. The combined open area of the slit-shaped openings on the upper side of the grate makes up between 20% to 40% of the grating surface area outside the dome-shaped covering on the upper side.

The present invent provides improved rapid thermal conversion processes for efficiently converting wood, other biomass materials, and other carbonaceous feedstock (including hydrocarbons) into high yields of valuable liquid product, e.g., bio-oil, on a large scale production. In an embodiment, biomass material, e.g., wood, is feed to a conversion system where the biomass material is mixed with an upward stream of hot heat carriers, e.g., sand, that thermally convert the biomass into a hot vapor stream. The hot vapor stream is rapidly quenched with quench media in one or more condensing chambers located downstream of the conversion system. The rapid quenching condenses the vapor stream into liquid product, which is collected from the condensing chambers as a valuable liquid product. In one embodiment, the liquid product itself is used as the quench media.

The present invent provides improved rapid thermal conversion processes for efficiently converting wood, other biomass materials, and other carbonaceous feedstock (including hydrocarbons) into high yields of valuable liquid product, e.g., bio-oil, on a large scale production. In an embodiment, biomass material, e.g., wood, is feed to a conversion system where the biomass material is mixed with an upward stream of hot heat carriers, e.g., sand, that thermally convert the biomass into a hot vapor stream. The hot vapor stream is rapidly quenched with quench media in one or more condensing chambers located downstream of the conversion system. The rapid quenching condenses the vapor stream into liquid product, which is collected from the condensing chambers as a valuable liquid product. In one embodiment, the liquid product itself is used as the quench media.

A coke oven includes an oven chamber, an uptake duct in fluid communication with the oven chamber, the uptake duct being configured to receive exhaust gases from the oven chamber, an uptake damper in fluid communication with the uptake duct, the uptake damper being positioned at any one of multiple positions, the uptake damper configured to control an oven draft, an actuator configured to alter the position of the uptake damper between the positions in response to a position instruction, a sensor configured to detect an operating condition of the coke oven, wherein the sensor includes one of a draft sensor, a temperature sensor configured to detect an uptake duct temperature or a sole flue temperature, and an oxygen sensor, and a controller being configured to provide the position instruction to the actuator in response to the operating condition detected by the sensor.

Processes are provided including quenching a hot vapor stream to improve rapid thermal conversion processes for efficiently converting wood, other biomass materials, and other carbonaceous feedstock (including hydrocarbons) into high yields of valuable liquid product, e.g., bio-oil, on a large scale production.

Processes are provided including quenching a hot vapor stream to improve rapid thermal conversion processes for efficiently converting wood, other biomass materials, and other carbonaceous feedstock (including hydrocarbons) into high yields of valuable liquid product, e.g., bio-oil, on a large scale production.