Synthetic gas production

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 in which said steam is discharged into said body of charge material above the location at which hot products of combustion and unburned finely divided carbonaceous material are discharged into said furnace from said pre-ignition chamber means.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 in which said liquid carbonaceous material is discharged into said shaft of said furnace above the location at which said steam is injected into said furnace.

Claim 5

The method of claim 2 in which said liquid carbonaceous material is discharged into said shaft of said furnace above the location at which said steam is injected into said furnace.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 in which said gaseous products of gasification and unburned finely divided carbonaceous material are discharged into said furnace from said pre-ignition chamber means while at a temperature between about 3000° F. and about 3600° F.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1 in which said steam is discharged into said furnace to cool gases in the furnace shaft to a temperature between about 1000° F. and about 1800° F.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1 in which said liquified carbonaceous material is discharged into said furnace to react with said gas in said furnace at a temperature between about 1000° F. and about 1800° F.

Claim 9

The method of claim 1 in which said gaseous products of combustion and unburned finely divided carbonaceous material are discharged from said pre-ignition chamber means into said furnace at a temperature between about 3000° F. and about 3600° F., said steam is discharged into said furnace at a location whereat the temperature is between about 2600° F. and about 2800° F., and said liquid carbonaceous material is discharged into said furnace at a location whereat the temperature is between about 1000° F. and about 1800° F.

Claim 10

The method of claim 1 wherein the quantity of said flux material and the temperature in said furnace are controlled to cause the formation in said furnace of slag that collects in a molten pool in the hearth of the furnace.

Claim 11

The method of claim 1 in which said slag-producing flux material is basic slag-producing flux material, and reducing conditions are maintained in said furnace so as to cause removal of sulfur from the gas produced in said furnace and collection of said sulfur in the slag produced in said furnace.

Claim 12

The method of claim 1 in which said particulate carbonaceous material charged into the furnace is selected from coke, coal, and metallurgical coke that is under size for conventional metallurgical applications.

Claim 13

The method of claim 1 in which said finely divided solid carbonaceous material introduced into said pre-ignition chamber is selected from the group consisting of coal, coke, breeze coke, coal char and petroleum coke.

Claim 14

The method of claim 1 in which finely divided lime-containing material is introduced into said pre-ignition chamber means along with said finely divided carbonaceous material.

Claim 15

The method of claim 1 in which said slag-producing flux material is lime-containing material selected from the group consisting of lime, limestone, dolomite, basic oxygen furnace slag and open hearth slag.

Claim 16

The method of claim 14 in which finely divided lime-containing material is introduced into said pre-ignition chamber means along with said finely divided carbonaceous material.

Claim 17

The method of claim 1 in which said finely divided solid carbonaceous material introduced into said pre-ignition chamber means is propelled in said pre-ignition chamber means by said oxygen-containing gas at a velocity in excess of the speed of flame propagation.

Claim 18

The method of claim 1 in which said oxygen-containing gas introduced into said pre-ignition combustion chamber means is hot air.

Claim 19

The method of claim 1 in which said oxygen containing gas introduced into said pre-ignition combustion chamber is substantially pure oxygen.

Claim 20

The method of claim 1 in which said oxygen-containing gas introduced into said pre-ignition combustion chamber is a mixture of hot air and additional oxygen.

Claim 21

The method of claim 1 in which said liquid carbonaceous material discharged into said furnace is a material selected from the group consisting of oil, tar, asphalt and plastic material.

Claim 24

The method of claim 1 in which reducing conditions are maintained in said furnace so as to cause a removal of sulfur from the gas produced in said furnace and collection of said sulfur in said slag.

Claim 25

The method of claim 1 in which said particulate carbonaceous burden material charged into the furnace is selected from coke, coal and metallurgical coke that is under size for metallurgical applications.

Claim 26

The method of claim 1 in which said finely divided solid carbonaceous material introduced into said pre-ignition chamber means is selected from the group consisting of coal, coke, breeze coke, coal char and petroleum coke.

Claim 27

The method of claim 21 in which said slag-producing flux material is selected from the group consisting of lime, limestone, dolomite, basic oxygen furnace slag, and open hearth slag.

Claim 28

The method of claim 21 in which finely divided lime-containing material is introduced into said pre-ignition chamber means along with said finely divided carbonaceous material.

Claim 29

The method of claim 21 in which said liquid carbonaceous material discharged into said furnace is a material selected from the group consisting of oil, tar, asphalt and plastic material.

Claim 30

The method of claim 21 in which said finely divided solid carbonaceous material introduced into said pre-ignition chamber means is propelled in said pre-ignition chamber means by said oxygen-containing gas at a velocity in excess of the speed of flame propagation.

Claim 31

A shaft furnace of the type in which charge material including carbonaceous material is charged into the upper portion of the furnace and oxygen containing gas is introduced into the lower portion of the furnace, said furnace comprising a hearth in the lower portion of the furnace, a shaft above the hearth, charging means at the upper portion of said shaft by which charge material essentially comprising particulate solid carbonaceous material and slag-producing flux material is introduced into said furnace to produce in said furnace a body of charge material essentially comprising only said particulate solid carbonaceous material and said flux material; pre-ignition gasification chamber means opening into said furnace above said hearth and associated with means for introducing into said pre-ignition chamber means finely divided solid carbonaceous material and oxygen-containing gas, said pre-ignition chamber means being adapted to operate to ignite, heat, burn, and gasify said finely divided carbonaceous material introduced into said pre-ignition chamber means at a temperature between about 3000° F. and 3600° F., and to discharge into said furnace hot reducing gases along with unburned finely divided carbonaceous material from said pre-ignition chamber means at a temperature high enough to enable substantially all carbon in the carbonaceous material in said furnace in the vicinity of the location of discharge into said furnace from said pre-ignition chamber means to combine with available oxygen in said furnace in said vicinity to produce in said furnace hot gas of substantial calorific content that passes upwardly through said body of charge material in said furnace, said pre-ignition chamber means being adapted to discharge said unburned finely divided carbonaceous material into said furnace at a temperature at least approximating the temperature of the carbonaceous material in the body of charge material in the furnace in the vicinity of the location of discharge into the furnace from said pre-ignition chamber means; means for discharging steam into said furnace above said hearth portion and above and separate from the location at which said pre-ignition chamber means discharges into said furnace; and means at the upper portion of said furnace for withdrawing gas so produced in said furnace.

Claim 32

A shaft furnace of the type in which charge material including carbonaceous material is charged into the upper portion of the furnace and oxygen containing gas is introduced into the lower portion of the furnace, said furnace comprising a hearth in the lower portion of the furnace, a shaft above the hearth, charging means at the upper portion of said shaft by which charge material essentially comprising particulate solid carbonaceous material and slag-producing flux material is introduced into said furnace to produce in said furnace a body of charge material essentially comprising only said particulate solid carbonaceous material and said flux material; pre-ignition gasification chamber means opening into said furnace above said hearth and associated with means for introducing into said pre-ignition chamber means finely divided solid carbonaceous material and oxygen-containing gas, said pre-ignition chamber means being adapted to operate to ignite, heat, burn, and gasify said finely divided carbonaceous material introduced into said pre-ignition chamber means at a temperature between about 3000° F. and 3600° F., and to discharge into said furnace hot reducing gases along with unburned finely divided carbonaceous material from said pre-ignition chamber means at a temperature high enough to enable substantially all carbon in the carbonaceous material in said furnace in the vicinity of the location of discharge into said furnace from said pre-ignition chamber means to combine with available oxygen in said furnace in said vicinity to produce in said furnace hot gas of substantial calorific content that passes upwardly through said body of charge material in said furnace, said pre-ignition chamber means being adapted to discharge said unburned finely divided carbonaceous material into said furnace at a temperature at least approximating the temperature of the carbonaceous material in the body of charge material in the furnace in the vicinity of the location of discharge into the furnace from said pre-ignition chamber means; means for discharging steam into said furnace above said hearth portion and above and separate from the location at which said pre-ignition chamber means discharges into said furnace; and means at the upper portion of said furnace for withdrawing gas so produced in said furnace.

Claim 33

The apparatus of claim 29 comprising means for discharging into said pre-ignition chamber means finely divided carbonaceous material and oxygen-containing gas in proportions to cause partial combustion of said finely divided carbonaceous material in said pre-ignition chamber means so unburned finely divided carbonaceous material is discharged from said pre-ignition chamber into said furnace along with said hot gases.

Claim 34

The apparatus of claim 29 in which said pre-ignition chamber means comprises a plurality of individual pre-ignition chambers spaced around the furnace above the hearth and below the shaft of the furnace.

Claim 35

The apparatus of claim 31 in which each of said pre-ignition chambers comprises a chamber into one end of which a mixture of finely divided particles of carbonaceous fuel and propelling oxygen containing gas are introduced, and the other end of which opens into said furnace at a location above the level of any molten material in said furnace and at the lower portion of the burden in the stack in said furnace.

Claim 36

The apparatus of claim 29 comprisiing means for discharging liquid carbonaceous material into said furnace at a location a substantial distance above the location at which said pre-ignition chamber means discharges into said furnace.

Claim 37

The apparatus of claim 29 comprising means for discharging steam into said furnace at a location a substantial distance above the location at which said pre-ignition means discharges into said furnace, and means for discharging liquid carbonaceous material into said furnace at a location a substantial distance above the location where said pre-ignition chamber means discharges into said furnace.

Claim 38

The apparatus of claim 34 in which said means for discharging liquid carbonaceous material into said furnace discharges said liquid carbonaceous material into said furnace a substantial distance above the location at which steam is discharged into said furnace.

Claim 41

The method of claim 36 in which steam is introduced into the body of charge material in said furnace at a location in the furnace where the furnace temperature is sufficient to cause reaction between said steam and carbon in said carbonaceous material in said body of charge material to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide which are added to said hot gas in said furnace.

Claim 42

The method of claim 36 in which liquid carbonaceous material is discharge into said furnace at a location in the furnace where said hot gas in said furnace is at a temperature high enough to crack said liquid carbonaceous material and lower the temperature of said hot gas in said furnace.

Claim 43

The method of claim 36 in which steam is discharged into said body of charge material in said furnace at a location in the furnace where the furnace temperature is sufficient to cause reaction between said steam and carbon in said carbonaceous material in said body of charge material to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide which are added to said hot gas in said furnace, and in which liquid carbonaceous material is discharged into said furnace at a location in the furnace where said hot gas in said furnace is at a temperature high enough to crack said liquid carbonaceous material and lower the temperature of said hot gas in said furnace.

Claim 44

The method of claim 36 in which said body of charge material in said furnace contains material that cools said hot gas passing upwardly through said furnace without reducing its caloric content.

Claim 45

The method of claim 36 in which said finely divided solid carbonaceous material introduced into said pre-ignition chamber means is propelled in said pre-ignition chamber means by said oxygen-containing gas at a velocity in excess of the speed of flame propagation.