A method of producing liquid fuel and/or chemicals from a carbonaceous material entails combusting a conditioned syngas in pulse combustion heat exchangers of a steam reformer to help convert carbonaceous material into first reactor product gas which includes carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and other gases. A portion of the first reactor product gas is transferred to a hydrogen reformer into which additional conditioned syngas is added and a reaction carried out to produce an improved syngas. The improved syngas is then subject to one or more gas clean-up steps to form a new conditioned syngas. A portion of the new conditioned syngas is recycled to be used as the conditioned syngas in the pulse combustion heat exchangers and in the hydrocarbon reformer. A system for carrying out the method include, a steam reformer, a hydrocarbon reformer, first and second gas-cleanup systems, a synthesis system and an upgrading system.

Processes and systems for converting a hydrocarbon-containing feed. The feed and heated particles can be contacted within a pyrolysis zone to effect pyrolysis of at least a portion of the feed to produce a pyrolysis zone effluent and a first gaseous stream rich in olefins and a first particle stream rich in the particles can be obtained therefrom. At least a portion of the first particle stream, an oxidant, and steam can be fed into a gasification zone and contacted therein to effect gasification of at least a portion of coke disposed on the surface of the particles to produce a gasification zone effluent. A second gaseous stream rich in a synthesis gas and a second particle stream rich in heated and regenerated particles can be obtained from the gasification zone effluent. At least a portion of the second particle stream can be fed into the pyrolysis zone.

An ASG system for polygeneration with CC includes a devolatilizer that pyrolyzes solid fuel to produce char and gases. A burner adds exothermic heat by high-pressure sub-stoichiometric combustion, a mixing pot causes turbulent flow of the gases to heat received solid fuel, and a riser micronizes resulting friable char. A devolatilizer cyclone separates the micronized char by weight providing micronized char, steam and gases to a gasifier feed and oversized char to the mixing pot. An indirect fluid bed gasifier combustion loop includes a gasifier coupled to the gasifier feed, a steam input to provide oxygen for gasification and to facilitate sand-char separation, and an output for providing syngas. A burner provides POC to a mixing pot which provides hot sand with POC to a POC cyclone via a riser, where the POC cyclone separates sand and POC by weight and provides POC and sand for steam-carbon reaction.

The invention relates to a partial oxidation reactor (POX reactor) having a warm-up burner for producing synthesis gas by partial oxidation of fluid carbon-containing fuels in the presence of an oxygen-containing oxidant and to a process for startup of the partial oxidation reactor According to the invention the preheating of the partial oxidation reactor is carried out via a dedicated warm-up burner which is introduced via one of the media channels of the POX burner without any need to deinstall the entire POX burner.

A method of producing liquid fuel and/or chemicals from a carbonaceous material entails combusting a conditioned syngas in pulse combustion heat exchangers of a steam reformer to help convert carbonaceous material into first reactor product gas which includes carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and other gases. A portion of the first reactor product gas is transferred to a hydrogen reformer into which additional conditioned syngas is added and a reaction carried out to produce an improved syngas. The improved syngas is then subject to one or more gas clean-up steps to form a new conditioned syngas. A portion of the new conditioned syngas is recycled to be used as the conditioned syngas in the pulse combustion heat exchangers and in the hydrocarbon reformer. A system for carrying out the method include, a steam reformer, a hydrocarbon reformer, first and second gas-cleanup systems, a synthesis system and an upgrading system.

An ASG system for polygeneration with CC includes a devolatilizer that pyrolyzes solid fuel to produce char and gases. A burner adds exothermic heat by high-pressure sub-stoichiometric combustion, a mixing pot causes turbulent flow of the gases to heat received solid fuel, and a riser micronizes resulting friable char. A devolatilizer cyclone separates the micronized char by weight providing micronized char, steam and gases to a gasifier feed and oversized char to the mixing pot. An indirect fluid bed gasifier combustion loop includes a gasifier coupled to the gasifier feed, a steam input to provide oxygen for gasification and to facilitate sand-char separation, and an output for providing syngas. A burner provides POC to a mixing pot which provides hot sand with POC to a POC cyclone via a riser, where the POC cyclone separates sand and POC by weight and provides POC and sand for steam-carbon reaction.

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.

Disclosed is methodology for controlling the H2:CO ratio of the product produced in a partial oxidation reactor, by carrying out the partial oxidation under temperature conditions that produce less than maximum conversion.

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.