Examples of a flexible pyrolysis system are provided that include at least one reaction chamber capable of pyrolyzing a combination of coal in a supercritical carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) atmosphere. The system includes a recuperating and condensing circuit that removes dissolved pyrolysis products from the supercritical CO.sub.2 atmosphere and then recovers CO.sub.2 for reuse in the reaction chamber. The recuperating and condensing circuit includes multiple stages of recuperators and collectors that can be independently controlled in order to selectively fractionate the pyrolysis products. In addition, the pyrolysis reaction may be controlled to alter the pyrolysis products generated.

The present invention relates to a method for treating carbonaceous materials by steam thermolysis, comprising: shredding carbonaceous waste materials; introducing the shredded carbonaceous waste materials into a reactor heated by combustion gases, gases laden with steam being introduced into the reactor so as to heat said shredded carbonaceous waste materials to a temperature between 200 and 700 C. during a steam thermolysis reaction; cooling the combustion gases to a temperature between 200 and 450 C. and discharging said gases; discharging from the reactor the vapor/gas products formed in the reactor by steam thermolysis, followed by condensation of said products; separating the condensate obtained from said condensation into water containing residual hydrocarbons and into oil, and the water from the condensate being used as a source of heat energy for the reactor. The present invention also relates to a device for implementing the invention.

The present invention relates to a method for treating carbonaceous materials by steam thermolysis, comprising: shredding carbonaceous waste materials; introducing the shredded carbonaceous waste materials into a reactor heated by combustion gases, gases laden with steam being introduced into the reactor so as to heat said shredded carbonaceous waste materials to a temperature between 200 and 700 C. during a steam thermolysis reaction; cooling the combustion gases to a temperature between 200 and 450 C. and discharging said gases; discharging from the reactor the vapor/gas products formed in the reactor by steam thermolysis, followed by condensation of said products; separating the condensate obtained from said condensation into water containing residual hydrocarbons and into oil, and the water from the condensate being used as a source of heat energy for the reactor. The present invention also relates to a device for implementing the invention.

The invention discloses a sleeve-type coal material decomposition apparatus which includes a kiln body. The inside of the kiln body is set with coal material decomposition-promoting layers and circular heating layers centered on the axis of kiln body; the circular coal material decomposition-promoting layers and circular heating layers are isolated from each other; both ends of the circular coal material decomposition-promoting layer are respectively connected to the coal inlet and coal outlet on kiln body and are also connected to the decomposition gas collecting mechanism on kiln body. The coal material decomposition-promoting layers and circular heating layers are isolated from each other, which is helpful for the acquisition of pure coal decomposition gas. The heat released from circular heating layers is fully absorbed by adjacent set coal material decomposition-promoting layers via conduction and radiation forms; the full absorption of pulverized coal brings better effect of complete decomposition.

The invention discloses a sleeve-type coal material decomposition apparatus which includes a kiln body. The inside of the kiln body is set with coal material decomposition-promoting layers and circular heating layers centered on the axis of kiln body; the circular coal material decomposition-promoting layers and circular heating layers are isolated from each other; both ends of the circular coal material decomposition-promoting layer are respectively connected to the coal inlet and coal outlet on kiln body and are also connected to the decomposition gas collecting mechanism on kiln body. The coal material decomposition-promoting layers and circular heating layers are isolated from each other, which is helpful for the acquisition of pure coal decomposition gas. The heat released from circular heating layers is fully absorbed by adjacent set coal material decomposition-promoting layers via conduction and radiation forms; the full absorption of pulverized coal brings better effect of complete decomposition.

The present invention is directed to processing feedstock materials for recovery, recycling and/or reuse of the constituent components of the feedstock materials, and includes adding feedstock materials at a constant temperature to a thermal reactor, heating the feedstock materials at a temperature of 1,100 F. or higher in an anaerobic environment within the thermal reactor to produce cracked and gasified hydrocarbons and residual material, removing cracked and gasified hydrocarbons released from the feedstock materials from the thermal reactor, further processing the residual material to recover one or more constituent component of the feedstock materials, and oxidizing the cracked and gasified hydrocarbons removed from the thermal reactor having five or less carbon atoms in their molecular structure in order to produce heat to obtain the temperature of 1,100 F. or higher for the thermal reactor. The present invention further includes systems, reactors and apparatuses configured to perform the processes of the present invention.

A method for operating a coke oven plant, comprising providing a blast furnace gas stream and a coke oven gas stream treating a part of the blast furnace gas stream in a CO converter unit to obtain a treated blast furnace gas stream, subjecting the treated blast furnace gas stream in a CO.sub.2-depletion unit to obtain a primary CO.sub.2-depleted blast furnace gas stream, mixing the primary CO.sub.2-depleted blast furnace gas stream with a proportion of the blast furnace gas stream in a first mixing unit to obtain a secondary CO.sub.2-depleted blast furnace gas stream, mixing the secondary CO.sub.2-depleted blast furnace gas stream with a proportion of the coke oven gas stream in a second mixing unit to obtain a tertiary CO.sub.2-depleted gas stream, feeding said tertiary CO.sub.2-depleted gas stream to an underfiring system of a coke oven from the coke oven plant to convert coal to coke thereby producing a coke oven gas and an exhaust gas, where properties of the secondary CO.sub.2-depleted blast furnace gas stream are determined by a first analyzer downstream the first mixing unit are determined by properties of the tertiary CO.sub.2-depleted gas stream in a second analyzer downstream the second mixing unit, wherein the proportion of the blast furnace gas stream and the proportion of the coke oven gas stream are controlled based on said properties determined by said first and second analyzers to adjust at least one of CO.sub.2 content, CO content, H.sub.2 content, Wobbe Index, stoichiometric combustion air demand and Lower Heating Value in said tertiary CO.sub.2-depleted gas stream thereby controlling operation of the underfiring system.

A method for operating a coke oven plant, comprising providing a blast furnace gas stream and a coke oven gas stream treating a part of the blast furnace gas stream in a CO converter unit to obtain a treated blast furnace gas stream, subjecting the treated blast furnace gas stream in a CO.sub.2-depletion unit to obtain a primary CO.sub.2-depleted blast furnace gas stream, mixing the primary CO.sub.2-depleted blast furnace gas stream with a proportion of the blast furnace gas stream in a first mixing unit to obtain a secondary CO.sub.2-depleted blast furnace gas stream, mixing the secondary CO.sub.2-depleted blast furnace gas stream with a proportion of the coke oven gas stream in a second mixing unit to obtain a tertiary CO.sub.2-depleted gas stream, feeding said tertiary CO.sub.2-depleted gas stream to an underfiring system of a coke oven from the coke oven plant to convert coal to coke thereby producing a coke oven gas and an exhaust gas, where properties of the secondary CO.sub.2-depleted blast furnace gas stream are determined by a first analyzer downstream the first mixing unit are determined by properties of the tertiary CO.sub.2-depleted gas stream in a second analyzer downstream the second mixing unit, wherein the proportion of the blast furnace gas stream and the proportion of the coke oven gas stream are controlled based on said properties determined by said first and second analyzers to adjust at least one of CO.sub.2 content, CO content, H.sub.2 content, Wobbe Index, stoichiometric combustion air demand and Lower Heating Value in said tertiary CO.sub.2-depleted gas stream thereby controlling operation of the underfiring system.