Coal carbonization and/or gasification plant

Claim 1

In a plant for coal carbonization or gasification, or both, of the type having a vessel with reaction compartment, at least one burner at the top of the reaction compartment for the partial combustion of finely-ground coal at a temperature above the ash-melting temperature to produce a product of gas, and solid components composed of coke dust and slag or ashes, the burner being operable to issue a current of the gas and solid components into the reaction compartment, the compartment having a bottom opening for the discharge of gas-coke dust from the compartment, and means for separating the product gas from the solid components, the improvement comprising said vessel having a lower chamber in said vessel underneath said compartment adjacent to the opening, said vessel having a vertical wall portion with a heating surface surrounding said lower chamber, wherein said heating surface is a radiation heating surface, and a slag trap adapted to trap slag arranged in the bottom of said chamber, an uncooled refractory lining said reaction compartment and wherein said reaction compartment is substantially cylindrical with a height-diameter ratio of 2:1 to 3:1 and at least two burners with oppositely directed spirals are arranged at the top of said reaction compartment, said burners being operative to pass the current of gas and solid components therefrom such that any radial components of the gas-solid current issuing from the burners cancel each other out, said heating surface being a radiation heating surface further comprising deflection means for passing product gas and coke dust from said chamber, said deflection means communicating with said chamber between a bottom part of said heating surface and said slag trap, a nozzle-shaped outlet member at said bottom opening, and a conical transition between said reaction compartment and the outlet member, having an angle of 20 to 40 degrees, the ratio of the cross-section of said chamber to the cross-section of the reaction compartment outlet ranging from 1.5:1 to 5:1, the ratio of the reaction compartment diameter to the burner outlet diameter ranging from 5-1 to 2-1, said bottom opening having a cross-section dimension of about a quarter to a third of the cross-section of the reaction compartment, and said compartment having a length sufficient to provide a residence time of the gas-solid current of one to two seconds.