The present invention relates generally to processes for hydromethanating a carbonaceous feedstock in a hydromethanation reactor to a methane-enriched raw product stream, and more specifically to processing of solid char by-product removed from the hydromethanation reactor to improve the carbon utilization and thermal efficiency and economics of the overall process by co-producing electric power and steam from the by-product char in addition to the end-product pipeline quality substitute natural gas.

The present invention relates generally to processes for hydromethanating a carbonaceous feedstock in a hydromethanation reactor to a methane-enriched raw product stream, and more specifically to processing of solid char by-product removed from the hydromethanation reactor to improve the carbon utilization and thermal efficiency of the overall process and thereby lower the net costs of the end-product pipeline quality substitute natural gas.

A combined generation system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a natural gas synthesizing apparatus for receiving coal and oxygen, generating synthetic gas by a gasifier, and permitting the synthetic gas to pass through a methanation reactor so as to synthesize methane; a fuel cell apparatus for receiving fuel that contains methane from the natural gas synthesizing apparatus and generating electrical energy; and a generating apparatus for producing electrical energy using the fluid discharged from the fuel cell apparatus.

A syngas cooler is configured to cool a syngas. The syngas cooler includes a superheater heat exchanger, which further includes a first header configured to receive saturated steam, a second header configured to discharge superheated steam, and a first group of tubes directly coupled to and vertically extending between the first and second headers. Each tube of the first group of tubes includes an outer surface that interfaces with the syngas and a respective length between the first and second headers, and each tube of the first group of tubes does not contact another tube along the respective length to enable a flow of the syngas around each tube's outer surface along its respective length and between each tube.

A combined system for producing fuel and thermal energy, comprising: an electrolyser (150) for producing oxygen and hydrogen in the process of water electrolysis; a gasifier (110) for producing synthesis gas in a process of gasification of carbon-based fuel in the presence of a gasifying agent; a methane synthesis reactor (130) for producing methane in a process of synthesis of carbon oxide from the gasifier (110) and hydrogen from a water electrolyser (150); a reactor (120) with a catalytic packing for producing carbon dioxide in a process of combustion of synthesis gas from the gasifier (110) and/or methane; wherein the electrolyser (150) comprises a heat exchange system connected with a heat exchanger (160).

The invention relates to an arrangement for preparing a gas in a closable reactor by supplying the reactor with carbon-based biomass or chopped wood material, such as chips, in substantially oxygen-free conditions, by allowing the biomass or wood material to gasify at a high temperature, and by recovering the gas generated in a gasification reaction. In that the arrangement the reactor has its interior defined by a feed pipe whose inlet end is closable with a shut-off valve, especially with a ball valve, and whose outlet end adjoins a heatable gasification dome, biomass or chopped wood material is delivered from the feed pipe's inlet end into the reactor's interior, the reactor's interior is supplied with free water/water vapor in its supercritical state, which is optionally prepared catalytically by splitting water/water vapor, the biomass or wood material is conveyed into a gasification space of the reactor's interior, which is in connection with the heated gasification dome and which is adapted to have existing conditions selected in a manner such that the water present in said gasification space is present in its supercritical state, and the gas generated in the gasification reaction is recovered.

A system for cogenerating gas-steam based on gasification and methanation of biomass, the system including a gasification unit, a shift unit, a purification unit, a methanation unit, and a methane concentration unit. A waste heat boiler is provided in an upper part of a gasifier of the gasification unit. The methanation unit includes a first primary methanation reactor, a second primary methanation reactor, a first secondary methanation reactor, and a second secondary methanation reactor connected in series. An outlet of the second primary methanation reactor is provided with two bypasses, one of which is connected to an inlet of the first primary methanation reactor, the other of which is connected to the first secondary methanation reactor. The second secondary methanation reactor is connected to the methane concentration unit.

According to known methods, biomass is broken down under the action of water vapour via a carbon monoxide-hydrogen mixture (called synthesis gas) as an intermediate stage into hydrogen and carbon dioxide instead of being combusted directly to generate energy. Carbon dioxide is stored/sequestered and the hydrogen is used to generate energy. The transfer of bio-activity can also be effected within the same process by breaking down a mixture of biomass and fossil fuel (e.g. wood and coal) into carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The hydrogen is then reacted with half of the formed carbon dioxide to form methane and the remaining carbon dioxide is stored. The stored carbon dioxide and generated methane respectively comprise one half each of biological and fossil carbon. If the bio-activity of the stored biocarbon dioxide is transferred to the fossil carbon in methane, a corresponding mixture of wood and coal produces 100% biomethane. Here, too, up to 100% biomethane can be obtained from coal-wood mixtures. By adding the hydrogen obtained from excess electrical energy to the biocarbon, the bio-energy based on the biomass used is even quadrupled. For a traceable eco-balance with such mixtures, it is important to quantify the bio-proportion in the two end products stored carbon dioxide and generated methane. For this purpose, use is made e.g. of the radiocarbon (C14) method.

Disclosed embodiments provide a system and method for producing hydrocarbons from biomass. Certain embodiments of the method are particularly useful for producing substitute natural gas from forestry residues. Certain disclosed embodiments of the method convert a biomass feedstock into a product hydrocarbon by hydropyrolysis. Catalytic conversion of the resulting pyrolysis gas to the product hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide occurs in the presence of hydrogen and steam over a CO.sub.2 sorbent with simultaneous generation of the required hydrogen by reaction with steam. A gas separator purifies product methane, while forcing recycle of internally generated hydrogen to obtain high conversion of the biomass feedstock to the desired hydrocarbon product. While methane is a preferred hydrocarbon product, liquid hydrocarbon products also can be delivered.

A method for the conversion of organic waste and/or biological waste into combustible products includes: feeding a first flow having organic waste and/or biological waste: performing a pyrolysis of the first flow to obtain one or more liquid pyrolysis products, one or more gaseous pyrolysis products, and one or more solid pyrolysis products; mixing the one or more solid pyrolysis products with a first aqueous flow, and subjecting the mixture to oxidation to obtain oxidation products; taking a first gaseous flow from the oxidation products; subjecting the one or more gaseous pyrolysis products to reforming, thereby obtaining one or more reforming products, taking a second gaseous flow from the reforming products, and subjecting the first gaseous flow and the second gaseous flow to catalytic hydrogenation, to obtain at least one first combustible.