A naphtha reforming reactor system comprising a first reactor comprising a first inlet and a first outlet, wherein the first reactor is configured to operate as an adiabatic reactor, and wherein the first reactor comprises a first naphtha reforming catalyst; and a second reactor comprising a second inlet and a second outlet, wherein the second inlet is in fluid communication with the first outlet of the first reactor, wherein the second reactor is configured to operate as an isothermal reactor, and wherein the second reactor comprises a plurality of tubes disposed within a reactor furnace, a heat source configured to heat the interior of the reactor furnace; and a second naphtha reforming catalyst disposed within the plurality of tubes, wherein the first naphtha reforming catalyst and the second naphtha reforming catalyst are the same or different.

A method of transferring a slurry is provided. The method involves transferring a slurry containing particles and a liquid using a transfer pump equipped with a ball type check valve. The transfer pump is operated under the condition satisfying the following formula: 7.8×10.sup.3<P≤5.0×10.sup.5. In the formula, P=W(ρ.sub.1/(ρ.sub.b−ρ.sub.1)).sup.0.5/(C.Math.d(d+R)R.sup.0.5). W represents the particle flow rate (kg/hr) in the slurry passing through the ball type check valve, C represents the particle concentration (kg/m3) in the slurry, d represents the maximum particle diameter (m) of the particles in the slurry, R represents the ball diameter (m) of the check valve, ρ.sub.1 represents the density (kg/m3) of the liquid, and ρ.sub.b represents the density (kg/m.sup.3) of the ball of the check valve.

Disclosed is a valve for use in particulate material processing. The valve has a rotatable closure member having a convex sealing surface and a resilient sealing ring moveable between a first configuration in which the sealing ring forms a seal around a circumference of the convex sealing surface; and a second position in which a circumferential gap is defined between the convex sealing surface and the sealing ring. The valve body defines a fluid-directing surface extending around the fluid passage between the inlet and the sealing ring to define an annular clearance which tapers towards the sealing ring and becomes narrower than the annular gap. When there is a pressure drop across the valve and before the closure member is moved to fully open the valve, material flowing through the valve experiences a dynamic pressure rise towards the circumferential gap, decreasing flow velocity and wear.

Fluidized bed reactor apparatus, comprising a cylindrical reactor chamber (10), and a rotating shaft (14) equipped with radially extending fluidization units (16) disposed in the reactor chamber (10), said rotating shaft (14) being connected to a drive unit (42). The apparatus further comprising means for feeding fluidizing bed material into the rector chamber (10), creating a fluidized bed (28) in the reactor chamber (10), means for feeding organic material that shall be processed into the fluidized bed (28) in the reactor chamber (10), and one or more outlets (22,24) for discharge of material, gases and vapors, wherein the process in the reactor chamber (10) is controlled by a control system (40) connected to at least the drive unit (42). The invention also relates to a method for processing organic material using a fluidized bed reactor apparatus.

A meter for controlling the flow of feedstock from an in-feed hopper to a distillation unit, including a cylindrical roller having a first end, a second end, and an outer diameter, the roller defining a recess that extends helically substantially from the first end to the second end, a sleeve circumscribing a portion of the outer diameter of the cylindrical roller, the sleeve having an open first side that allows the passage of feedstock into the recess of the roller, and an open second side that allows the passage of feedstock out of the recess of the roller as the roller rotates relative to the sleeve, and a housing fixedly attached to the sleeve and capable of attachment to the in-feed hopper and the distillation unit such that feedstock must pass through the housing to get from the in-feed hopper to the distillation unit.

The machinery and methods disclosed herein are based on the use of a specialized extruder configured to continuously convey and plasticize/moltenize selected lignocellulosic biomass and/or waste plastic materials into a novel variable volume tubular reactor, wherein the plasticized/moltenized material undergoes reaction with circumferentially injected supercritical water—thereby yielding valuable simple sugar solutions and/or liquid hydrocarbon mixtures (e.g., “neodiesel”), both of which are key chemical commodity products. The reaction time may be adjusted by changing the reactor volume. The machinery includes four zones: (1) a feedstock conveyance and plasticization/moltenization zone; (2) a steam generation and manifold distribution zone; (3) a central supercritical water reaction zone; and (4) a pressure let-down and reaction product separation zone. The machinery and methods minimize water usage—thereby enabling the economic utilization of abundant biomass and waste plastics as viable renewable feedstocks for subsequent conversion into alternative liquid transportation fuels and valuable green-chemical products.

A method of producing a composite product is provided. The method includes providing a fluidized bed of metal oxide particles in a fluidized bed reactor, providing a catalyst or catalyst precursor in the fluidized bed reactor, providing a carbon source in the fluidized bed reactor for growing carbon nanotubes, growing carbon nanotubes in a carbon nanotube growth zone of the fluidized bed reactor, and collecting a composite product comprising metal oxide particles and carbon nanotubes.

A laminar stream reactor for the production of hydrochar of a solid-fluid mixture of water and a carbon-containing component, wherein the solid-fluid mixture is treated at a temperature of 100-300 degree ° C. and a pressure of 5-70 bar, consists of tubular reactor units of largely vertical holding sections (1,3) and direction-changing diverters (2,4). The holding sections are thereby flown through slower by the solid-fluid mixture than the remaining tube distances, as they have larger diameters.

A system for removing particle agglomerates from a particulate product stream. The system including a product stream inlet configured for receiving the particulate product stream, a diverter system configured for permitting a particulate product having a size less than or equal to a desired size to pass through the diverter system, a carrying fluid source connected to the diverter system configured to feed a carrying fluid into the diverter system to carry the particle agglomerate out of the diverter system during a discharge operation, a collector vessel connected to the diverter system, the collector vessel configured for receiving the particle agglomerate carried out by the carrying fluid from the diverter system during the discharge operation, and a particulate product outlet connected to the diverter system, the particulate product outlet configured for conveying the particulate product to a downstream process.

An apparatus is provided for processing reusable fuel comprising: a continuous material supply assembly; a heated airlock feeder configured to continuously receive and process the material supply received therein; a reactor configured to receive the processed material from the heated airlock feeder; and a vapor refining system configured to process vapor supplied by the reactor. The apparatus may comprise a char disposal system configured to eliminate char from the reactor. The apparatus may also comprise a thermal expansion system configured to allow thermal expansion of the reactor. A cooling system may be configured to receive processed fuel from the reactor.