A carbonaceous substance dry powder gasification device and method, the device comprising from bottom to top a lower cooling and purification section (1), a gasification reaction section (2), a cooling reaction section (3) and an upper cooling and purification section (4); an initial cooling device is disposed at the connection between the cooling reaction section and the gasification reaction section; and a plurality of nozzles are circumferentially arranged in the gasification reaction section. The method comprises: a gasification reaction is conducted between a carbonaceous substance and an oxygenated gasifying agent to generate crude synthesis gas and ash; part of the crude synthesis gas and most of the ash go downstream for cooling and gasification, and the cooled and ash removed crude synthesis gas is transferred to subsequent processes, and the quenched ash is discharged through an ash outlet; the remaining crude synthesis gas and fly ash go upstream to mix with a cooling substance for cooling, and then are transferred to the cooling reaction section for reacting with the incompletely reacted carbon and added gasification agent; the crude synthesis gas and the fly ash are cooled and purified to remove the fly ash, and the clean low-temperature crude synthesis gas is transferred to subsequent processes. The method avoids ash blocking at an ash outlet in an upstream air-exhaust method, and also avoids overheating at the top in a downstream air-exhaust method, thus improving the carbon conversion rate.

A temperature measurement system for a gasifier may employ a first stage gasifier with a refractory wall that defines a first stage gasifier volume. A protruding refractory brick may protrude from the first stage refractory wall and into a gaseous flow path of the first stage gasifier volume. The temperature sensor may reside completely through the refractory wall, which may be a plurality of brick layers, except for a tip end of a temperature sensor that may reside in a blind or non-through hole within the protruding refractory brick. The protruding refractory brick protrudes beyond a normal wall surface of the plurality of brick layers that defines the first stage gasifier volume. The protruding refractory brick may have a face that forms an angle that is not 90 degrees, such as 45 degrees, relative to the gaseous flow path of the fluid stream through the first stage gasifier volume.

A process for the production of charcoal comprising the steps of: a) feeding biomass, in particular wood chips, into a pyrolysis unit, in which the wood chips are pyrolyzed into a full stream comprising solid, liquid and gaseous material, b) feeding the full stream and a gasifying agent into an oxidation unit, wherein the full stream is oxidized at least partially and transported pneumatically, c) feeding the partially oxidized full stream from the oxidation unit into a reduction unit arranged essentially vertically, the material outlet of the oxidation unit being connected to the reduction unit, with the cross-section of the reduction unit increasing as the distance from the material outlet of the oxidation unit increases, the flow rate of the full stream in the reduction unit being adapted to the material of the full stream and to the shape of the flow cross-section of the reduction unit in such a way that a stable fixed bed kept in suspension is formed in the reduction unit, d) removing the raw charcoal from the reduction unit via an overflow, e) separating gaseous components in a hot gas filter and collecting the charcoal, and f) quenching the collected charcoal with water.

A method for producing synthesis gas for operating an internal combustion engine from an organic solid fuel decomposed into pyrolysis products in a pyrolysis reactor without an oxygen supply, includes feeding the pyrolysis products from a bottom of the pyrolysis reactor to a fluidized bed reactor. A synthesis gas produced in the fluidized bed reactor is withdrawn as product gas. The products gas is directly or indirectly fed to the internal combustion engine. The pyrolysis reactor is operated using at least one pyrolysis auger for conveying the solid fuel. The fluidized bed reactor is fluidized by supplying air at a rate above a minimal loosening rate of the bed material of the fluidized bed of the fluidized bed reactor.

The device for performing mechanical work and/or producing electrical or thermal energy, the energy necessary for operation is obtained from the oxidation of carbonaceous fuels into carbon dioxide and water. The device comprises means for compression and/or condensation of the exhaust gas, and storage means for receiving the compressed and/or condensed exhaust gas.

The invention present provides a method (and suitable apparatus) to convert biomass to ethanol, comprising gasifying the biomass to produce raw syngas; feeding the raw syngas to an acid-gas removal unit to remove at least some CO.sub.2 and produce a conditioned syngas stream; feeding the conditioned syngas stream to a fermentor to biologically convert the syngas to ethanol; capturing a tail gas from an exit of the fermentor, wherein the tail gas comprises at least CO.sub.2 and unconverted CO or H.sub.2; and recycling a first portion of the tail gas to the fermentor and/or a second portion of the tail gas to the acid-gas removal unit. This invention allows for increased syngas conversion to ethanol, improved process efficiency, and better overall biorefinery economics for conversion of biomass to ethanol.

Carbonaceous-containing material including biomass, municipal solid waste, and/or coal and/or contaminated soil, and/or other carbonaceous materials may be gasified at low temperatures utilizing a reactor designed to generate shockwaves in a supersonic gaseous vortex. Preprocessed waste may be introduced into the reactor. A gas stream may be introduced substantially tangentially to an inner surface of a chamber of the reactor to generate a gaseous vortex rotating about a longitudinal axis within the chamber. The gas stream may be introduced using a nozzle that accelerates the gas stream to a supersonic velocity, and may impinge on an impactor positioned within the reactor chamber. A frequency of shockwaves emitted from the nozzle into the gaseous vortex may be controlled. The processed waste discharged from the reactor, which may include a gas component and at least a solid component, can be subjected to separation, and at least some of the gas component and at least one solid component (i.e., tars) may be fed back to the feeding device so that the solids from the processed waste condense on preprocessed waste contained in the feeding device and are reprocessed within the reactor. The gas component from the feeding device may be cleaned after the solids have been condensed out in the feeding device.

A cooling wall includes: a wall surface defined by arrangement of central axes of a plurality of cooling tubes; and an opening formed in a part of the wall surface in which a burner is installable, each of the plurality of cooling tubes forming the opening has a straight portion and a curved portion, the plurality of cooling tubes include a first cooling tube whose first virtual axis extending in an axial direction of the straight portion overlaps the opening, and a second cooling tube whose second virtual axis extending in an axial direction of the straight portion is located outside an outer circumference of the opening in a radial direction, the curved portion of the first cooling tube is arranged so as to form a curve along the outer circumference surface of the opening and on a surface along the wall surface.

Processes for producing high biogenic concentration Fischer-Tropsch liquids derived from the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (MSW) feedstock that contains a relatively high concentration of biogenic carbon (derived from plants) and a relatively low concentration of non-biogenic carbon (derived from fossil sources) wherein the biogenic content of the Fischer-Tropsch liquids is the same as the biogenic content of the feedstock.

A carbonaceous fuel gasification system for all-steam gasification with carbon capture includes a micronized char preparation system comprising a devolatilizer that receives solid carbonaceous fuel, hydrogen, oxygen, and fluidizing steam and produces micronized char, steam, volatiles, hydrogen, and volatiles at outlets. An indirect gasifier includes a vessel comprising a gasification chamber that receives the micronized char, a conveying fluid, and steam. The gasification chamber produces syngas, ash, and steam at one or more outlets. A combustion chamber receives a mixture of hydrogen and oxidant and burns the mixture of hydrogen and oxidant to provide heat for gasification and for heating incoming flows, thereby generating steam and nitrogen. The heat for gasification is transferred from the combustion chamber to the gasification chamber by circulating refractory sand. The system of the present teaching produces nitrogen free high hydrogen syngas for applications such as IGCC with CCS, CTL, and Polygeneration plants.