Manufacturing apparatus, systems and method of making silicon (Si) nanowires on carbon based powders, such as graphite, that may be used as anodes in lithium ion batteries are provided. In some embodiments, an inventive tumbler reactor and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system and method for growing silicon nanowires on carbon based powders in scaled up quantities to provide production scale anodes for the battery industry are described.

The present invention relates to a multistage stirred reactor, comprising a multiplicity of mutually adjacent reaction chambers and stirring elements for mixing the contents of at least one of the reaction chambers, wherein, between adjacent reaction chambers, there is in each case provided at least one opening that can be closed by means of closure means, such that in the open state there is a fluidic connection between the adjacent reaction chambers and in the closed state the adjacent reaction chambers are separated from one another. At least one of the closure means (300, 310, 320) is connected to an actuation rod (500, 510, 520) that is guided out of the stirred reactor. The actuation rod (500, 510, 520) can be moved back and forth between at least one first position and a second position, by rotation and/or displacement, wherein in the first position closure means (300, 310, 320) that are connected to the actuation rod (500, 510, 520) effect an open state of the opening assigned to them and in the second position closure means (300, 310, 320) that are connected to the actuation rod (500, 510, 520) effect a closed state of the opening assigned to them.

A reverse-phase suspension polymerization process for the manufacture of polymer beads comprising forming aqueous monomer beads comprising an aqueous solution of water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer or monomer blend and polymerizing the monomer or monomer blend, to form polymer beads while suspended in a non-aqueous liquid, and recovering polymer beads, in which the process comprises providing in a vessel (1) a volume (2) of non-aqueous liquid wherein the volume of non-aqueous liquid extends between at least one polymer bead discharge point (3) and at least one monomer feed point (4), feeding the aqueous monomer or monomer blend through orifices (5) into, or onto, the non-aqueous liquid to form aqueous monomer beads, allowing the aqueous monomer beads to flow towards the polymer bead discharge point initiating polymerization of the aqueous monomer beads to form polymerizing beads, wherein the polymerizing beads form polymer beads when they reach the polymer bead discharge point, removing a suspension of the polymer beads in non-aqueous liquid from the vessel at the polymer bead discharge point and recovering, water soluble or water swellable polymer beads from the suspension, in which the aqueous monomer or monomer blend and/or the orifices is/are vibrated such that the frequency multiplied by the weight average droplet diameter is between 150 and 800 mm/s. The invention also relates to the apparatus suitable for carrying out a reverse-phase suspension polymerization and polymer beads obtainable by the process or employing the apparatus. Furthermore, the invention also relates to polymer beads having a weight mean particle size in the range of 0.05 to 5 mm which are held in a container in an amount of at least 300 kg having a standard deviation of particle size less than 20%. In addition, the invention also provides polymer beads having a weight mean particle size in the range 0.05 to 5 mm having a standard deviation of particle size less than 20% and having an amount of residual acrylamide of less than 500 ppm.

Provided is a system for supplying a liquid (such as an irritant chemical solution) safely. This liquid supplying system comprises: a base on which a container containing liquid is placed; a hollow needle having a spired part; a first movement mechanism that moves the needle between a first needle position at which the spired part is separated from the container and a second needle position at which the spired part is passed through a wall of the container; a hollow tube having a smaller outer diameter than the inner diameter of the lumen of the needle; and a second movement mechanism that moves the tube between a first tube position separated from the container and a second tube position at which the tube is passed through the lumen of the needle located at the second needle position and is inserted inside the container.

A reactor comprising a plurality of vessels, each having a heat exchange surface for processing a fluid as a thin film flow, the vessels arranged in a concentric manner; a plurality of annular spaces situated between the vessels; and a pathway for directing a heat exchange fluid from one vessel to an adjacent vessel for creating a temperature differential between the heat exchange surfaces and the fluid being processed. A system comprising a fluid source, a reactor, and a vapor outlet and a processed fluid outlet through generated vapor and processed fluid are directed out of the reactor, respectively. A method comprising providing a plurality of concentrically arranged surfaces in spaced relation, distributing a fluid to be processed against the surfaces in a controlled manner to form a substantially uniform thin film flow thereon, and evaporating at least a portion of the fluid being processed along the plurality of surfaces.

A liquid fuel product system is configured to produce liquid fuels from carbonaceous materials. The liquid fuel product system includes a plurality of feedstock delivery systems, a plurality of first stage product gas generation systems, a plurality of second stage product gas generation systems, a plurality of third stage product gas generation systems, a primary gas clean-up system, a compression system, a secondary gas clean-up system, and a synthesis system that includes one or more from the group consisting of ethanol, mixed alcohols, methanol, dimethyl ether, and Fischer-Tropsch products.

The invention relates to an apparatus for introduction of droplets into a reactor, comprising a holder for at least one dropletizer unit, where the dropletizer unit has a feed for a liquid to be dropletized and a dropletizer plate and the dropletizer plate has holes through which a liquid to be dropletized is introduced into the reactor, where the holder for the at least one dropletizer unit can be pushed into the reactor or pulled out of the reactor through an opening in the shell of the reactor. At least one rail is accommodated within the reactor and is used to guide the holder for the at least one dropletizer unit along it.

A biomass cake pressure-feeding apparatus includes: a screw pump including a first screw with a helical first conveying thread, a second screw with a helical second conveying thread, and a casing accommodating the first screw and the second screw such that the first screw and the second screw are parallel to each other, the screw pump being configured to feed biomass cake to a high pressure reactor, the biomass cake being obtained by adding water to powdery biomass; and a throttle part positioned downstream of the screw pump and configured to form a material seal made of the biomass cake by restricting a flow of the biomass cake.

A feed system for a reactor, a reactor assembly comprising such a feed system, and a method of supplying a feed material to a reactor with a feed system are provided. The reactor may be a pyrolysis reactor, such as a fluidised bed pyrolysis reactor. A method of pyrolysing a feed material is also provided. The feed system may comprise a feed conduit extending from an inlet to an outlet, and may have a first section including the inlet and a second section including the outlet. The first section may accommodate an auger. The second section may comprise at least one plug forming zone in which feed material is compressed into a substantially gas-tight plug during operation. There may be a temperature regulator for controlling the temperature in the second section. The temperature regulator may comprise a cooling jacket.

An apparatus for pyrolysis of organic wastes includes: a feeding mechanism, a pyrolysis reaction mechanism, a carbon black slagging mechanism, a cyclone vacuum cleaner, a catalytic converter, a gas treatment mechanism 6 and a crude oil pump. The two said feeding mechanisms are both connected to the pyrolysis reaction mechanism, the carbon black slagging mechanism is connected to under a right end of the pyrolysis reaction mechanism via a pipeline, the cyclone vacuum cleaner is arranged at an upper end of the pyrolysis reaction mechanism, two said catalytic converters are connected at a top end of the cyclone vacuum cleaner via a pipeline, the gas treatment mechanism is connected to a high end of the catalytic converter via a pipeline, and the crude oil pump is connected to a lower end of the gas treatment mechanism via a pipeline.