A slag crusher (20) is provided in a combustor of a gasifier (10) for gasifying a carbonaceous feedstock, and discharges falling slag generated in the combustor from the gasifier (10). The slag crusher (20) is provided with: a screen (22) provided so as to intersect with the direction in which the slag falls, the screen (22) having a plurality of openings (30) and passing slag having a diameter smaller than that of the openings (30); a spreader (24) for moving over the top surface of the screen (22) and crushing slag deposited on the top surface of the screen (22); and a nozzle (26) for spraying high-pressure water onto the slag deposited on the screen (22). The slag deposited on the top surface of the screen (22) thereby more easily passes from the openings (30) in the screen (22).

A method is provided for removing tar from a gas by contacting a first gas containing tar with a second gas containing oxygen for time period sufficient to effect oxidation of at least a portion of the tar in the first gas, thus producing an oxidized product gas that contains less tar than the first gas. The method can also include heating a fluidized particulate material in a combustor, introducing the heated fluidized particulate material from the combustor and a biomass feedstock into a gasifier, such that heat from the heated fluidized particulate material causes the gasification of at least a portion of the biomass feedstock to form a tar-containing product gas, the first gas may contain at least a portion of the tar-containing gas, and the tar-containing gas may be extracted from the gasifier prior to contacting the first gas with the second gas.

Provided is a process capable of converting the cokes on spent catalysts in a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process into synthesis gas. The produced synthesis gas contains high concentrations of CO and H.sub.2 and may be utilized in many downstream applications such as syngas fermentation for alcohol production, hydrogen production and synthesis of chemical intermediates. A reducer/regenerator reactor for a fluid catalytic process comprising a chemical looping system to produce synthesis gas is also described.

A direct carbonaceous material to power generation system integrates one or more solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) into a fluidized bed gasifier. The fuel cell anode is in direct contact with bed material so that the H.sub.2 and CO generated in the bed are oxidized to H.sub.2O and CO.sub.2 to create a push-pull or source-sink reaction environment. The SOFC is exothermic and supplies heat within a reaction chamber of the gasifier where the fluidized bed conducts an endothermic reaction. The products from the anode are the reactants for the reformer and vice versa. A lower bed in the reaction chamber may comprise engineered multi-function material which may incorporate one or more catalysts and reactant adsorbent sites to facilitate excellent heat and mass transfer and fluidization dynamics in fluidized beds. The catalyst is capable of cracking tars and reforming hydrocarbons.

A system for gasifying biomass is disclosed. The system comprises a water storage tank, a water pump, a heat exchanger, a plasma torch heater, a gasifier, an ash cooler, a spray tower, a dust collector, a deacidification tower, and a desiccator. The water storage tank is connected to the water inlet of the heat exchanger; the vapor outlet of the heat exchanger is connected to the vapor inlet of the plasma torch heater; the vapor outlet of the plasma torch heater is connected to the vapor nozzle of the gasifier; the ash outlet of the gasifier is connected to the ash inlet of the ash cooler; the gas outlet of the gasifier is connected to the gas inlet of the spray tower; and the gas outlet of the spray tower is connected to the gas inlet of the heat exchanger.

A system for gasifying biomass is disclosed. The system comprises a water storage tank, a water pump, a heat exchanger, a plasma torch heater, a gasifier, an ash cooler, a spray tower, a dust collector, a deacidification tower, and a desiccator. The water storage tank is connected to the water inlet of the heat exchanger; the vapor outlet of the heat exchanger is connected to the vapor inlet of the plasma torch heater; the vapor outlet of the plasma torch heater is connected to the vapor nozzle of the gasifier; the ash outlet of the gasifier is connected to the ash inlet of the ash cooler; the gas outlet of the gasifier is connected to the gas inlet of the spray tower; and the gas outlet of the spray tower is connected to the gas inlet of the heat exchanger.

The present invention relates to an operation control method for a gasification power generation system for gasifying carbon-based fuel such as coal in a gasifier using oxygen or oxygen-enriched air as an oxidizing agent, burning the obtained syngas as fuel in a gas turbine, driving the gas turbine by the syngas, driving a steam turbine by steam generated using exhaust heat of the gas turbine, thus executing combined power generation.

The invention relates to an apparatus for treating waste material including organic components and radioactive agents. In the apparatus the waste material including organic components and radioactive agents are gasified at temperature between 600-950° C. in a fluidized bed reactor to form a gaseous material. The gaseous material is than cooled in a water quenching device so that temperature is between 300-500° C. after the cooling. The solid fraction including radioactive agents is removed from the gaseous material in a in at least one filtration device. A gas scrubbing device then removes sulphur by scrubbing the treated gaseous material after the filtration in order to form a treated gaseous material.

A system includes a first reactor that may gasify a first feed to generate a first syngas. The first feed has a first particle size distribution (PSD.sub.1). The system also includes a second reactor that may receive the first feed, a second feed, and at least a portion of the first syngas. The second reactor may gasify the second feed to generate additional syngas, and the second feed has a second particle size distribution (PSD.sub.2) that is different from the first PSD. The second reactor includes an elutriation zone disposed on a first end of the second reactor. The elutriation zone may receive the first and second feed. The second reactor also includes a fluidized bed disposed at a second end of the second reactor that is substantially opposite the first end. The fluidized bed is fluidly coupled to the first reactor and may receive the portion of the first syngas via a syngas inlet. The system also includes a gas-solids separation section fluidly coupled to the first and second reactors. The gas-solids separation section may receive the first feed and partially reacted particles of the second feed from the elutriation zone and may feed a combined feed consisting of the first feed and the partially reacted particles of the second feed to the first reactor.

Provided is a thermal decomposition method that allows efficient thermal decomposition of an organic substance such as a plastic to produce gas and oil with high heating value and with which a large amount of the organic substance can be processed. The method includes mixing the organic substance with an organic substance decomposition catalyst, forming the mixture to produce a composite agglomerated material, and thermally decomposing the organic substance by placing the composite agglomerated material in a thermal decomposition furnace. The maximum catalytic effect can be obtained since the organic substance and the catalyst are close to each other in the composite agglomerated material. Since the catalyst has thermal conductivity higher than that of the organic substance, the temperature rising rate of the organic substance can be increased. As a result, the efficiency of thermal decomposition of the organic substance by the catalyst can be improved, and the rate of thermal decomposition of the organic substance can be effectively increased.