A pellet cooling device featuring energy-efficient heat recovery in a plant for producing wood pellets or other solid granulates from small pieces of organic material, said plant comprising devices for feeding, processing, drying, compressing, cooling and discharging the material. At least some of said devices are arranged in containers that can be individually transported and can be modularly combined to form at least a substantial portion of the plant.

A heat transfer system and related method of heat transfer is provided. The heat transfer system includes a tubular receiver positioned to receive heat from a heat source, the receiver comprising one or more enclosed tubes configured for gravity-driven flow of a particulate heat transfer fluid therethrough in a dense, unfluidized state having a particle volume fraction of at least about 25%; and at least one storage vessel in fluid communication with the tubular receiver and positioned to receive the heat transfer fluid therefrom, wherein the particulate heat transfer fluid includes a plurality of particles of a metal-containing material having a melting point of greater than 800 C, the heat transfer fluid being substantially free of a liquid component.

A heat exchanger comprises a housing that includes an inlet for receiving bulk solids having a first temperature, and an outlet for discharging the bulk solids. A plurality of spaced apart, substantially parallel heat transfer tubes are disposed within the housing between the inlet and the outlet, for cooling the bulk solids that flow from the inlet into spaces between heat transfer tubes, to a second intermediate temperature, and a plurality of spaced apart, substantially parallel heat transfer plate assemblies disposed within the housing and interposed between the plurality of heat transfer tubes and the outlet for further cooling the bulk solids that flow from the spaces between heat transfer tubes, to spaces between heat transfer plate assemblies and to the outlet, to a third temperature.

Disclosed herein is a solids flow control valve comprising a standpipe; a shoe; and a transport pipe; wherein the standpipe is in operative communication with the shoe and lies upstream of the shoe; the standpipe comprising a first end and a second end, where the first end is in contact with a source that contains disposable solids and the second end is in fluid contact with the shoe; the shoe being operative to restrict the flow of the disposable solids; the transport pipe being disposed downstream of the shoe to receive and transport the solids from the shoe.

A method is described for quenching coke coming from the distillation of coal and having a temperature higher than or equal to 900 C., comprising the steps of a) lowering the temperature of said coke to about 700-300 C. by heat exchange with a fluid through walls of a thermally conductive material interposed between coke and fluid, b) feeding a continuous flow of said coke at about 700-300 C. into a turbo-cooler (T), comprising a cylindrical tubular body (18), closed at opposite ends by respective end plates (19,20), provided with an optional cooling jacket (21) for the inner wall thereof, at least one inlet opening (9) for the coke, at least one inlet opening (10, 15, 16) for water, at least one discharge opening (11, 12) and a rotor, rotatably supported in the cylindrical tubular body (5) and comprising a shaft (13) provided with elements (14) projecting radially from said shaft, adapted for the handling and advancement of the coke; c) feeding a continuous flow of water at a temperature less than or equal to 100 C. into the turbo-cooler (T), through said at least one inlet opening (10, 15, 16) and subjecting said flow of coke and water to the action of the rotor, which advances the coke towards said at least one discharge opening (11); d) continuously discharging from said at least one discharge opening (11, 12) a flow of coke at a temperature lower than or equal to 200 C., and a flow of water vapor.

Disclosed herein is an orifice plate comprising one or more plates having orifices disposed therein; the orifices being operative to permit the flow of solids from a moving bed heat exchanger to a solids flow control system; where the orifice plate is downstream of a tube bundle of the moving bed heat exchanger and upstream of the solids flow control system and wherein the orifice plate is operative to evenly distribute the flow of solids in the solids flow control system.