A chemical-looping system utilizes oxygen-carrier particles to produce syngas from carbonaceous fuels. The system provides a circuitous flow path for the oxygen-carrier particles, which are used to partially oxidize the fuel to produce syngas. The circuitous flow path can proceed through a plurality of unit operations, including a reducer, a conversion reactor, an oxidizer, and a combustor. The conversion reactor is designed to partially oxidize carbonaceous fuel in co-current flow with the oxygen-carrier particles to produce syngas. In embodiments including an oxidizer, the oxidizer is designed to at partially re-oxidize the carrier particles, yielding hydrogen that can be mixed with partially oxidized products from the conversion reactor to adjust syngas quality. The combustor can be used to fully oxidize the carrier particles traveling in a closed loop. Reactions carried out in the combustor are highly exothermic and yield thermal energy that is absorbed by the carrier particles. The absorbed energy is used at other parts of the process, including the conversion reactor, to drive endothermic reactions. In this manner the system can be operated autothermally or nearly so. Methods of producing syngas are also disclosed.

An apparatus for a distributed manufacturing plant that allows direct, economical production of transportation fuels and/or chemicals at remote sites is described. The production plant employs two primary integrated systems consisting of a syngas generator and a catalytic process that are used to directly produce fuels and chemicals. The syngas generator utilizes oxygen anions, produced from a ceramic membrane system, to generate high quality syngas directly at pressures of about 100-600 psia. The tail gas and water containing hydroxyl-alkanes from the catalytic process are recycled into the syngas generator, in automatically controlled proportions, to regulate the hydrogen to carbon monoxide within the preferred H.sub.2/CO stoichiometric range of about 1.8-2.4. The primary products produced directly from the plant include reformulated gasoline blendstocks, #1 diesel fuels, and #2 diesel fuels.

A feed gas reforming system is provided. The system includes a reformer configured to receive feed gas and supply water and to produce and discharge mixed gas including hydrogen, a pressure swing absorber (PSA) configured to receive the mixed gas and to refine and discharge hydrogen gas, a feed gas supply unit configured to control the supply amount of feed gas, a supply water supply unit configured to control the supply amount of supply water, a hydrogen gas supply unit configured to control the amount of hydrogen gas, and a control unit configured to control the flow rate of hydrogen gas, to control the feed gas supply unit based on the pressure of the discharged hydrogen gas, and to control the supply water supply unit based on the flow rate of feed gas.

According to the present invention, organic material is converted to biogas through anaerobic digestion and the biogas is purified to yield a combustible fluid feedstock comprising methane. A fuel production facility utilizes or arranges to utilize combustible fluid feedstock to generate renewable hydrogen that is used to hydrogenate crude oil derived hydrocarbons in a process to make transportation or heating fuel. The renewable hydrogen is combined with crude oil derived hydrocarbons that have been desulfurized under conditions to hydrogenate the liquid hydrocarbon with the renewable hydrogen or alternatively, the renewable hydrogen can be added to a reactor operated so as to simultaneously desulfurize and hydrogenate the hydrocarbons. The present invention enables a party to receive a renewable fuel credit for the transportation or heating fuel.

This disclosure provides a system and method for conversion of raw syngas and tars into refined syngas, while optionally minimizing the parasitic losses of the process and maximizing the usable energy density of the product syngas. The system includes a reactor including a refining chamber for refining syngas comprising one or more inlets configured to promote at least two flow zones: a central zone where syngas and air/process additives flow in a swirling pattern for mixing and combustion in the high temperature central zone; at least one peripheral zone within the reactor which forms a boundary layer of a buffering flow along the reactor walls, (b) plasma torches that inject plasma into the central zone, and (c) air injection patterns that create a recirculation zone to promotes mixing between the high temperature products at the core reaction zone of the vessel and the buffering layer, wherein in the central zone, syngas and air/process additives mixture are ignited in close proximity to the plasma arc, coming into contact with each other, concurrently, at the entrance to the reaction chamber and method of using the system.

Exemplary reactor systems may include multiple reactors in fluid communication. Oxygen carrier particles comprising a support material and metal oxide can be provided to a first reactor along with flue gas comprising carbon dioxide (CO2). An output of the first reactor is free or substantially free of carbon dioxide (CO2). The oxygen carrier particles can then be provided to one or more reactors in the system along with a hydrocarbon stream and, in some instances, an oxidizing stream. Outlets from these one or more reactors may include hydrogen gas (H2), carbon monoxide (CO), and/or other species, depending upon the content of the hydrocarbon streams and the oxidizing streams.

Catalysts and processes designed to convert DME and/or methanol and hydrogen (H.sub.2) to desirable liquid fuels are described. These catalysts produce the fuels efficiently and with a high selectivity and yield, and reduce the formation of aromatic hydrocarbons by incorporating H.sub.2 into the products. Also described are process methods to further upgrade these fuels to higher molecular weight liquid fuel mixtures, which have physical properties comparable with current commercially used liquid fuels.

This disclosure relates to catalysts and processes designed to convert DME and/or methanol and hydrogen (H.sub.2) to desirable liquid fuels. These catalysts produce the fuels efficiently and with a high selectivity and yield, and reduce the formation of aromatic hydrocarbons by incorporating H.sub.2 into the products. This disclosure also describes process methods to further upgrade these fuels to higher molecular weight liquid fuel mixtures, which have physical properties comparable with current commercially used liquid fuels.

This disclosure relates to catalysts and processes designed to convert DME and/or methanol and hydrogen (H.sub.2) to desirable liquid fuels. These catalysts produce the fuels efficiently and with a high selectivity and yield, and reduce the formation of aromatic hydrocarbons by incorporating H.sub.2 into the products. This disclosure also describes process methods to further upgrade these fuels to higher molecular weight liquid fuel mixtures, which have physical properties comparable with current commercially used liquid fuels.

A zero-emission, closed-loop and hybrid solar-produced syngas power cycle is introduced utilizing an oxygen transport reactor (OTR). The fuel is syngas produced within the cycle. The separated oxygen inside the OTR through the ion transport membrane (ITM) is used in the syngas-oxygen combustion process in the permeate side of the OTR. The combustion products in the permeate side of the OTR are CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2O. The combustion gases are used in a turbine for power production and energy utilization then a condenser is used to separate H.sub.2O from CO.sub.2. CO.sub.2 is compressed to the feed side of the OTR. H.sub.2O is evaporated after separation from CO.sub.2 and fed to the feed side of the OTR.