Reactors for processing gases

Abstract

The gas reactor may include a reaction chamber having a first end, a second end, and a side extending between the first end and the second end. The gas reactor may include a torch inlet disposed at the first end of the reaction chamber, the torch inlet may be configured for an input flow of fuel in a first flow direction. The gas reactor may include a reactant inlet disposed at the second end of the reaction chamber, configured to flow reactants into the reaction chamber in a second flow direction. The fuel or reactants may move through the reaction chamber in a vortex flow pattern. The gas reactor may include an exit port disposed at the second end of the reaction chamber, the exit port configured for an output flow of products from the reaction chamber.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to reactors for processing gases. [Background technology]

[0002] A gas reaction can be effected within a reaction chamber of a gas reactor configured for an inlet flow and an outlet flow of gas. The inlet flow of gas can include one or more gas reactants, and the outlet flow can include one or more gas products produced based on the gas reactants included in the inlet flow. In some circumstances, the gas reaction can be an exothermic reaction that generates heat during the reaction process, while in other circumstances, the gas reaction can be an endothermic reaction that requires a heat input to drive the reaction process. Thus, the reaction chamber in which the gas reaction occurs can reach high temperatures during operation of the gas reactor.

[0003] The subject matter claimed in this disclosure is not limited to embodiments that solve any shortcomings or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is provided only to illustrate one example technology area in which some embodiments described in this disclosure may be practiced. Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to an aspect of an embodiment, the gas reactor may include a reaction chamber having a first end, a second end, and a side extending between the first end and the second end. The gas reactor may include a torch inlet disposed at the first end of the reaction chamber, the torch inlet may be configured for an input flow of fuel in a first flow direction. The gas reactor may also include a reactant inlet disposed at the second end of the reaction chamber, configured to flow reactants into the reaction chamber in a second flow direction. The fuel or reactants may move through the reaction chamber in a vortex flow pattern. The gas reactor may further include an outlet port disposed at the second end of the reaction chamber, the outlet port configured for an output flow of products from the reaction chamber.

[0005] A method of carrying out a chemical reaction using a gas reactor according to the present disclosure may include inputting a fuel into a fuel inlet at a first end of a reaction chamber of the gas reactor to flow the fuel in a first flow direction within the reaction chamber, the reaction chamber including a first end, a second end, and a side. The method may include providing a gas reactant to a gas reactant inlet to the reaction chamber to flow the gas reactant in a second flow direction within the reaction chamber. The method may also include providing a vortex pattern within the reaction chamber for one or more of the fuel or the gas reactant to move within the reaction chamber. The method may further include outputting a product based on the fuel and the gas reactant via an outlet port at the second end of the reaction chamber.

[0006] The object and advantages of the embodiments will be realized and attained at least by the elements, features, and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory but are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.

[0007] Example embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of a gas reactor according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a second exemplary embodiment of a gas reactor according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a staged gas reactor according to the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is a flow chart of an exemplary method of performing a gas reaction using a gas reactor in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The gas reactor may be configured to carry out one or more gas reactions within a reaction chamber of the gas reactor. In some circumstances, the gas reaction occurring within the reaction chamber may include an endothermic reaction in which the production of products is promoted by inputting heat to the gas reactants. Thus, the gas reactor may include a heat input stream to drive the endothermic gas reaction. In some embodiments, the heat input stream may include a torch inlet that may heat a non-reactive chemical, such as an inert gas, to provide heat to the gas reactants within the reaction chamber.

[0010] However, the heat introduced into the reaction chamber by the torch inlet can raise the temperature of the gas reactor beyond the temperature limits of the materials, which can cause damage to or reduce the life of one or more components of the gas reactor, such as the reaction chamber. As a result, there can be a trade-off between effectively promoting endothermic gas reactions and reducing wear on the gas reactor caused by the high temperatures required for the gas reactions.

[0011] A gas reactor according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure can provide sufficient heat to affect endothermic gas reactions while limiting the temperature of the walls of the reaction chamber. Thus, the gas reactor itself is not degraded by high temperatures, but can provide sufficient heat to the gas reactions to generate gas products. A gas reactor according to the present disclosure can provide a specific thermal profile that includes lower temperatures at or near the walls and / or surfaces of the gas reactor, while the center of the gas reactor includes higher temperatures. In some embodiments, the temperature near one or more walls of the gas reactor may be lower than that of other existing gas reactors that radiate heat from the center of the existing gas reactor, because the gas reactants in the gas reactor according to the present disclosure may impart a temperature shielding effect to the walls of the gas reactor. Additionally or alternatively, a flow of heated fuel gas to promote the gas reactants and the gas reactions can improve the mixing of the gas reactants, further improving the completion of the gas reactions.

[0012] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] 1 is a diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of a gas reactor 100 according to the present disclosure. The gas reactor 100 can include a torch inlet port 110 configured to input a torch gas inlet stream 116. In some embodiments, the torch gas inlet stream 116 can include a mixture of gases coming from a fuel inlet stream 112 and an oxidizer inlet stream 114. For example, the oxidizer inlet stream 114 can include a gas such as oxygen, chlorine, or nitrous oxide, and the fuel inlet stream 112 can include a gas such as hydrogen or a hydrocarbon.

[0014] The gas reactor 100 can include a reaction chamber 130 through which the torch gas inlet flow 116 and one or more gas reactants (e.g., gas reactants 122 and 124) can flow in and out, and one or more gas products can flow from the reaction chamber 130. Thus, the torch inlet port 110, one or more gas reactant inlet ports (e.g., gas reactant inlet ports 120a and 120b), and the torch outlet 150 can be connected to the reaction chamber 130. In some embodiments, the reaction chamber 130 can include a hollow interior cavity having a first end, which can include a top surface, and a second end, which can include a bottom surface. The first end and the second end of the reaction chamber 130 can be connected by one or more sides, which can provide the reaction chamber 130 with a particular shape having a constant or variable cross-section. For example, the reaction chamber 130 can include a single rounded side such that the reaction chamber 130 has a circular cross-section and a cylindrical or tubular shape. As another example, reaction chamber 130 may include four sides (so that reaction chamber 130 has a rectangular prism shape), five sides (if the reaction chamber 130 has a pentagonal prism shape), six sides (if the reaction chamber 130 has a hexagonal prism shape), eight sides (if the reaction chamber 130 has an octagonal prism shape), etc.

[0015] To ensure that the gases contained in the fuel inlet stream 112 and the oxidant inlet stream 114 do not adversely affect the gas reactions, the gases used in the fuel inlet stream 112 and the oxidant inlet stream 114 may be selected based on the particular gas reactions occurring in the gas reactor 100. For example, introducing chlorine gas into the reaction chamber 130 of the gas reactor 100 via the oxidant inlet stream 114 may result in undesirable side reactions that produce unexpected or undesirable products, whereas using oxygen gas may not result in any side reactions or may promote a desired chemical reaction (e.g., a chemical reaction that results in a target product), in this example, oxygen gas may be selected as the oxidant for input via the oxidant inlet stream 114. The same or similar considerations may be made for the fuel inlet stream 112 so that the selected fuel gas input into the fuel inlet stream 112 does not affect unexpected or undesirable side reactions. Additionally or alternatively, the selection of gases for the fuel inlet stream 112 or the oxidant inlet stream 114 may include considerations such as temperature, volatility, cost, recyclability, or any other factor.

[0016] In some embodiments, the torch inlet port 110 may be configured to allow the torch gas inlet flow 116 to enter at the top of the reaction chamber 130 and flow through the reaction chamber 130 towards the torch outlet 150. In these and other embodiments, the torch outlet 150 may be located along any surface of the reaction chamber 130, and the gas flow associated with the torch gas inlet flow 116 may be directed to the torch outlet 150 based on the geometry of the reaction chamber 130. For example, the torch outlet 150 may be located at the bottom of the reaction chamber 130 such that the torch inlet port 110 at the top of the reaction chamber 130 flows through the reaction chamber 130 at the bottom of the reaction chamber 130.

[0017] The gas reactor 100 can include one or more gas reactant inlet ports 120a and 120b configured for input of one or more gas reactants 122 and 124 into the gas reactor 100. In some embodiments, the gas reactant inlet ports 120a and 120b can be disposed on a side and / or a bottom surface of the reaction chamber 130 (e.g., at an interface between a side surface and a bottom surface of the reaction chamber 130), such that one or more reactant gases can flow into the reaction chamber 130 through each of the gas reactant inlet ports 120a and 120b. In these and other embodiments, the gas reactants 122 and 124 can flow toward the top of the reaction chamber 130 as the gas reactants 122 and 124 are injected into the reaction chamber 130 from the bottom surface in an upward direction (e.g., toward the top surface or toward the torch inlet port 120). In these and other embodiments, the gas reactants 122 and 124 can include gases such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen gas, water vapor, carbon dioxide, or hydrocarbon gases. The location and / or shape of the gas reactant inlet port 120 can contribute to or induce vortex flow patterns within the gas reactor 100 .

[0018] The gas reactants 122 and 124 may be injected into the reaction chamber 130 at an angle, such as at least partially tangentially to one or more side surfaces 135 of the reaction chamber 130 (e.g., the flow direction of the gas reactants 122 and 124 may be non-parallel to the side surfaces 135) to generate one or more reactant vortices 126 as the gas reactants 122 and 124 flow toward the top of the reaction chamber 130. As a result, the reactant vortices 126 of the gas reactants 122 and 124 may initially flow in a direction opposite to the direction of the torch gas inlet flow 116, which may promote counterflow heat exchange between the reactant vortices 126 and the torch gas inlet flow 116, improving heat transfer between the two flows versus the simultaneous flow of the torch gas inlet flow 116 and the reactant vortices 126.

[0019] In these and other embodiments, "reactant vortices" and any other description of vorticity with respect to one or more gas streams can refer to a flow pattern of a stream moving in a spiral or substantially spiral pattern in a particular direction. A vortex can include greater or lesser vorticity based on the "curl" of the vortex, which represents the number of rotations of the vortex over a given distance. A vortex can, for example, generally move in any direction (e.g., from a first end of the reaction chamber 130 to a second end of the reaction chamber 130) with a lower vorticity (e.g., a first number of rotations over the height of the reaction chamber 130) or a higher vorticity (e.g., a second number of rotations over the height of the reaction chamber, the second number being greater than the first number).

[0020] Additionally, the reactant vortex 126 may flow upward near the sides 135 of the reaction chamber 130, while the torch gas inlet flow 116 flows downward near the center of the reaction chamber 130. Because the reactant vortex 126 may contain gases having a lower temperature than the gases contained in the torch gas inlet flow 116, the sides 135 of the reaction chamber 130 may be shielded by the relatively cool reactant vortex 126 from high temperatures that are higher than the acceptable operating conditions of the materials that make up the reaction chamber 130.

[0021] After the reactant vortex flow 126 reaches the end of the reaction chamber 130 (e.g., the interior top surface of the reaction chamber 130), the flow of the gas reactants may reverse and flow toward the bottom of the reaction chamber 130 and the torch outlet 150 simultaneously with the torch gas inlet flow 116. In some embodiments, the reactant vortex flow 126 may mix with the torch gas inlet flow 116 during the simultaneous gas flow toward the torch outlet 150. In these and other embodiments, the turbulent fluid flow (i.e., non-laminar flow) of the reactant vortex flow 126 may promote mixing of the gas reactants with the torch gas inlet flow 116. Thus, the arrangement of the torch gas inlet flow 116 and the gas reactant inlet ports 120a and 120b as shown in connection with the gas reactor 100 may facilitate heating and mixing of the gas reactants and may improve reaction processes involving the gas reactants.

[0022] In some embodiments, the reaction chamber 130 can include one or more baffles 140 configured to promote vortex flow of the reactant vortex flow 126. In these and other embodiments, the baffles 140 can be positioned along the path of the reactant vortex flow 126 to at least partially guide or disrupt the gas flow and increase the vorticity of the gas flow. The baffles 140 can be coupled to one or more sides of the reaction chamber 130 or can extend from a top or bottom surface of the reaction chamber 130.

[0023] Additionally or alternatively, the geometry of the gas reactant inlet ports 120a and 120b or the reaction chamber 130 can be shaped to provide or increase vorticity in the gas flow. For example, the gas reactant inlet ports 120a and 120b can include a curved profile at the point where the gas reactant inlet ports 120a and 120b connect to the reaction chamber 130 to increase the vorticity of the gas flow. As another example, the reaction chamber 130 can include a cylindrical shape or rounded inner edges or corners that direct the gas flow in a vortex pattern. In these and other embodiments, the formation or promotion of a vortex pattern in the gas flow can be accomplished by any method or technique, including those described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,832,893, issued Nov. 10, 2020 to McClelland et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0024] Additionally or alternatively, any other method of influencing gas vortices can be used. For example, the reaction chamber 130 and / or the gas reactant inlet ports 120a and 120b may rotate at a particular speed to promote vorticity in the gas streams. As another example, one or more inert gas streams (not shown) may be injected into the reaction chamber 130 to redirect one or more gas streams and increase their vorticity.

[0025] After being heated and mixed by the torch gas inlet stream 116, the gas reactants can produce one or more gaseous products. The fuel gas, oxidant gas, gaseous products, and any residual gas reactants 122 and 124 can exit the gas reactor 100 via the torch outlet 150. In some embodiments, the torch outlet 150 can direct the various gases to a heat exchanger, piping, or another reactor to separate the mixed gases or for further processing (e.g., via fractional distillation, membrane separation, pressure swing adsorption, or any other material separation method). In these and other embodiments, the gaseous products can include gases such as methanol, ethanol, ammonia, hydrogen gas, or any other mixed gas (e.g., synthesis gas or "syngas"). Additionally or alternatively, the gas reactor may be configured to output liquid or solid products or intermediate products that are further processed to obtain a final product. For example, the reaction of the gas reactants in the gas reactor 100 can result in polymer plastics, polymer plastic monomers, fabrics, or various industrial chemicals.

[0026] Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the gas reactor 100 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the designation of different elements in the manner described is intended to aid in explaining the concepts described herein and is not meant to be limiting. For example, in some embodiments, the fuel gas, oxidant gas, torch gas inlet streams 116, gas reactants 122 and 124, and gas reactant inlet ports 120a and 120b are depicted in the particular manner described to aid in explaining the concepts described herein, but such depictions are not meant to be limiting. Additionally, the gas reactor 100 may include any number of other elements or be implemented in other systems or contexts other than those described.

[0027] 2 is a diagram of a second exemplary embodiment of a gas reactor 200 according to the present disclosure. The gas reactor 200 can include a fuel gas 212, an oxidizer gas 214, and a torch gas inlet flow 216 that are fed into a reaction chamber 230 and exit the reaction chamber via a torch outlet 240. In some embodiments, the fuel gas 212, the oxidizer gas 214, the torch gas inlet flow 216, the reaction chamber 230, and the torch outlet 240 can be the same or similar to the respective fuel gas or oxidizer gas. The torch gas inlet flow 116, the reaction chamber 130, and the torch outlet 150 are as described in connection with FIG. 1.

[0028] The gas reactor 200 can include one or more gas reactant inlet ports 220a and 220b through which one or more gas reactants 222 and 224 can flow into the reaction chamber 230. In some embodiments, the gas reactant inlet ports 220a and 220b can be located along a top or side of the reaction chamber 130. For example, the gas reactant inlet ports 220a and 220b can be located at the interface between the top and side such that the gas reactants 222 and 224 enter the reaction chamber 230 in a direction at least partially tangential to one or more sides 235 of the reaction chamber 230 to promote swirling of the one or more gas reactant flows 226.

[0029] The torch gas inlet flow 216 and the gas reactant flow 226 can immediately begin mixing, and heat can immediately begin transferring between the torch gas inlet flow 216 and the gas reactant flow 226, because both can be injected into the gas reactor 200 at least partially through the top of the reaction chamber 230. In some embodiments, because the gas reactant flow 226 is injected into the gas reactor 200 closer to the side 235 of the reaction chamber 230 than the torch gas inlet flow 216, the gas reactant flow 226 can provide a heat shielding effect as described with respect to the reactant vortex 126 in connection with FIG.

[0030] After the gas reactant stream 226 is mixed with the torch gas inlet stream 216 and heated, one or more chemical products may be obtained by reaction between the gas reactants 222 and 224. In some embodiments, the chemical products, the fuel gas 212, the oxidant gas 214, and any remaining gas reactants 222 and 224 may exit the gas reactor 200 through the torch outlet 240. In these and other embodiments, the exiting materials may be fed to a heat exchanger, piping, or another reactor for separation or further processing of the mixture of gaseous materials.

[0031] Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the gas reactor 200 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the designation of different elements in the manner described is intended to aid in explaining the concepts described herein and is not meant to be limiting. For example, in some embodiments, the fuel gas 212, the oxidant gas 214, the torch gas inlet stream 216, the gas reactants 222 and 224, and the gas reactant inlet ports 220a and 220b are depicted in the particular manner described to aid in explaining the concepts described herein, but such depictions are not meant to be limiting. Additionally, the gas reactor 200 may include any number of other elements or be implemented in other systems or contexts other than those described.

[0032] 3 is a diagram of a staged gas reactor 300 according to the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the staged gas reactor 300 can include a first gas reactor stage 310, a second gas reactor stage 320, and any other gas reactors connected in series. In these and other embodiments, each of the gas reactors, such as the first gas reactor stage 310 and the second gas reactor stage 320, can include a torch gas inlet port, one or more gas reactant inlet ports, and a torch outlet, as described above in connection with the gas reactor 100 or the gas reactor 200 described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively. Additionally, each of the first gas reactor stage 310 or the second gas reactor stage 320 can have the same or similar configuration as the gas reactor 100 or the gas reactor 200.

[0033] Although the first gas reactor stage 310 and the second gas reactor stage 320 are shown as having gas reactant inlet ports the same as or similar to the gas reactant inlet ports 220a and 220b of the gas reactor 200, the first gas reactor stage 310 and / or the second gas reactor stage 320 may include any other configuration of gas reactant inlet ports, torch gas inlet ports, or torch outlets. For example, the first gas reactor stage 310 may be the same as or similar to the gas reactor 100 described in connection with FIG. 1, and the second gas reactor stage 320 may be the same as or similar to the gas reactor 200 described in connection with FIG. 2. Additionally or alternatively, the second gas reactor stage 320 may include a reaction chamber having a larger volume than the reaction chamber of the first gas reactor stage 310. Additionally or alternatively, staged gas reactor 300 may include a third gas reactor stage or any other number of gas reactor stages configured the same or similarly as gas reactor 100, gas reactor 200, or any other gas reactor configuration (e.g., having gas reactant inlet ports along the side of the reaction chamber).

[0034] Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the staged gas reactor 300 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the designation of different elements in the manner described is intended to aid in explaining the concepts described herein and is not meant to be limiting. For example, in some embodiments, the first gas reactor stage 310 and the second gas reactor stage 320 are depicted in the particular manner described to aid in explaining the concepts described herein, but such depictions are not meant to be limiting. Additionally, the staged gas reactor 300 may include any number of other elements or be implemented in other systems or contexts other than those described.

[0035] 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary method 400 of performing a gas reaction using a gas reactor according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Method 400 may be performed by any suitable system, apparatus, or device. For example, gas reactor 100, gas reactor 200, or staged gas reactor 300 may perform one or more operations associated with method 400. Although shown in separate blocks, steps and operations associated with one or more of the blocks of method 400 may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or omitted, depending on the particular implementation.

[0036] The method 400 may begin at block 410, where fuel is input to the gas reactor from a second flow direction. The fuel may be input to the gas reactor from any surface of the gas reactor, including the top, bottom, or sides of the gas reactor. In some embodiments, the fuel input to the gas reactor may be input from the top or bottom of the gas reactor, such that the fuel is directed to flow co-currently with or counter-current to the vortex flow of the gas reactants. Additionally or alternatively, the fuel input may be input from or near the center of the top or bottom of the gas reactor, such that the fuel gas is input to the gas reactor at a greater distance from the side of the gas reactor. In these and other embodiments, the gas reactants input to the gas reactor according to the operation of block 410 may be injected into the gas reactor near the side of the gas reactor to shield the side from the high temperature of the input fuel. Additionally or alternatively, the fuel input may include an oxidant gas that flows co-currently with the fuel gas to promote the reaction of the fuel gas. The oxidant gas can facilitate the reaction of the fuel gas such that it can extract and provide heat for the reaction of one or more gas reactants.

[0037] At block 420, one or more gas reactants are input into the gas reactor from a first flow direction. The gas reactants can be input into the gas reactor from a top, bottom, or one or more sides of the gas reactor. In some embodiments, the gas reactants can be input at least partially tangentially into one or more sides of the gas reactor to affect eddy flow of the gas reactants within the gas reactor.

[0038] At block 430, a swirl pattern may be provided in one or more of the fuel or gas reactants moving through the gas reactor. The creation or promotion of a swirl pattern in the gas stream of the fuel, gas reactant, or both, may be accomplished based on the placement or shape of the inlets for the fuel or gas reactant, the geometry of the gas reactor itself, the inclusion of baffles within the gas reactor, or any other technique described in connection with the gas reactors 100, 200, and 300 of Figures 1, 2, and 3, respectively.

[0039] At block 440, one or more reactions between the gas reactants can output gas products that flow out of the gas reactor from an outlet port. The fuel gas and / or oxidant gas described in connection with the operation of block 440 can facilitate mixing and heating of the gas reactants and can drive the gas reactants to react and generate one or more of the gas products. In some embodiments, the gas products can flow out of the gas reactor through one or more outlet ports, such as the torch outlets 150 and 240 described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively. The gas products, fuel gas, oxidant gas, and remaining gas reactants that flow out of the gas reactor from the outlet ports can be separated or otherwise processed such that various gas components can be captured (e.g., gas products), recycled (e.g., fuel gas and oxidant gas), or sent to additional gas reactors (e.g., gas products, fuel gas, oxidant gas, or remaining gas reactants).

[0040] Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to method 400 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the designation of different elements in the described manner is intended to help explain the concepts described herein and is not intended to be limiting. Additionally, method 400 may include any number of other elements or may be implemented in other systems or contexts other than those described.

[0041] For purposes of explanation, specific details are described herein to provide an understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these details. Furthermore, one skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments of the present disclosure described below can be implemented in a variety of ways.

[0042] The components or modules shown in the figures are illustrative of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and are intended to avoid obscuring the present disclosure. It should also be understood that throughout this description, components may be described as separate functional units that may include subunits, but those skilled in the art will recognize that various components or portions thereof may be divided into separate components or may be integrated together, including integrated within a single system or component. It should be noted that the functions or operations described herein may be implemented as components.

[0043] Reference herein to "one embodiment," "preferred embodiment," "an embodiment," or "embodiments" means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, or function described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, and may be in more than one embodiment. Also, appearances of such phrases in various places in this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment or embodiments.

[0044] The use of certain terms in various places in this specification is for illustration purposes and should not be construed as limiting. The terms "include," "including," "comprise," and "comprising" should be understood to be open terms, and the following list is an example and is not meant to be limited to the listed terms.

[0045] To aid in describing the exemplary embodiments, words such as up, down, front, back, right, and left may be used to describe the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that the embodiments may be located in other positions, may be used in a variety of contexts, and may perform a number of different functions. Additionally, the drawings may be to scale and may show various configurations, arrangements, aspects, and features of the gas reactor. However, it will be understood that the present disclosure may include other suitable shapes, sizes, configurations, and arrangements depending, for example, on the intended application or project scale. Additionally, the gas reactor may include any suitable number of combinations of aspects, features, and the like.

[0046] Terms used in this disclosure, and particularly in the appended claims (e.g., the body of the appended claims), are generally intended as "open terms" (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including, but not limited to").

[0047] Furthermore, where a specific number of introduced claim recitations is intended, such intent is expressly stated in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, such intent does not exist. For example, to aid in understanding, the following appended claims may include the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce the claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as suggesting that the introduction of a claim recitation with the indefinite article "a" or "an" limits any particular claim that includes such an introduced claim recitation to an embodiment that includes only one of such recitations, even if the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and / or "an" should be construed to mean "at least one" or "one or more"), and the same is true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations.

[0048] Furthermore, even when a claim recitation introducing a specific number is explicitly recited, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations" without other modifiers means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, when a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." or "one or more of A, B, and C, etc." is used, it is generally intended that such a structure includes only A, only B, only C, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B, and C together, etc.

[0049] Furthermore, any disjunctive word or phrase preceding two or more alternative terms, either in the specification, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibility of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both of the terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" should be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

[0050] All examples and conditional language described in this disclosure are intended as educational objects to help the reader understand the concepts contributed by the inventor to promote the present disclosure and the present technology, and should not be construed as being limited to such specifically described examples and conditions. Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, various modifications, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. a reaction chamber having a first end, a second end, and a side extending between the first end and the second end; a torch inlet disposed at the first end of the reaction chamber, the torch inlet configured for an input flow of fuel in a first flow direction into the reaction chamber; a reactant inlet disposed at the second end of the reaction chamber and configured to flow reactants into the reaction chamber in a second flow direction, wherein at least one of the fuel or the reactants moves through the reaction chamber in a swirling pattern; and an outlet port disposed at the second end of the reaction chamber, the outlet port configured for a product output flow from the reaction chamber; A gas reactor comprising:

2. 10. The gas reactor of claim 1, wherein the reactant inlet is configured to allow the reactants to flow into the reaction chamber in a second flow direction.

3. 3. The gas reactor of claim 2, wherein the second flow direction is non-parallel to the first flow direction.

4. 3. The gas reactor of claim 2, wherein said reactant inlet is shaped to allow said reactants to enter said reaction chamber in said second flow direction.

5. 3. The gas reactor of claim 2, wherein the reactant inlet is positioned to allow the reactants to flow into the reaction chamber in the second flow direction.

6. 10. The gas reactor of claim 1, wherein the reactants entering the reaction chamber in the second flow direction contribute to the vortex flow pattern.

7. 2. The gas reactor of claim 1, wherein said reactant inlet is disposed at said second end of said reaction chamber, and said location of said reactant inlet contributes to said swirl pattern.

8. 2. The gas reactor of claim 1, wherein said first end and said second end each include a circular cross-section such that said reaction chamber includes a cylindrical shape, said cylindrical shape of said reaction chamber contributing to said swirl flow pattern.

9. 2. The gas reactor of claim 1, wherein the vortex flow pattern of the one or more reactants is configured to reverse to follow the first flow direction of the input flow of the fuel in response to the vortex flow pattern of the reactants reaching a top surface of the reaction chamber.

10. 2. The gas reactor of claim 1, wherein the reactant inlet is configured to direct the swirling flow pattern of the reactant between the side of the reaction chamber and the input flow of the fuel.

11. 10. The gas reactor of claim 1, wherein the reactant inlet is disposed along at least one of the sides of the reaction chamber.

12. 10. The gas reactor of claim 1, wherein the reaction chamber includes one or more baffles, each of the baffles being positioned within the path of the vortex pattern of the one or more reactants.

13. The method further comprises the steps of: a second torch inlet fluidly coupled to the outlet port of the reaction chamber; a second reactor inlet; and Exit port and 2. The gas reactor of claim 1 comprising:

14. 14. The gas reactor of claim 13, wherein the second reaction chamber comprises a larger volume than the reaction chamber.

15. 10. The gas reactor of claim 1, wherein said torch inlet is further configured for an input flow of oxidant in said first flow direction into said reaction chamber.

16. 10. The gas reactor of claim 1, wherein the reactants include at least one of carbon monoxide, hydrogen gas, water, carbon dioxide, or a hydrocarbon gas.

17. 10. The gas reactor of claim 1, wherein the products comprise at least one of methanol, ethanol, hydrogen gas, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water, ammonia, polymer plastics, polymer plastic monomers, textiles, or one or more industrial chemicals.

18. inputting fuel into a fuel inlet at a first end of a reaction chamber of a gas reactor and flowing the fuel in a first flow direction within the reaction chamber, the reaction chamber including the first end, a second end, and a side; providing a gas reactant to a gas reactant inlet to the reaction chamber and flowing the gas reactant in a second flow direction within the reaction chamber; providing a vortex pattern within the reaction chamber for moving one or more of the fuel or the gas reactants within the reaction chamber; outputting a product based on the fuel and the gas reactant through an outlet port at a second end of the reaction chamber; A method comprising:

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first flow direction is countercurrent to the second flow direction.

20. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the gas reactant inlet is positioned at the second end of the reaction chamber such that the swirl pattern of the gas reactant is configured to reverse to follow the first flow direction of the fuel in response to the swirl pattern of the gas reactant reaching the first end of the reaction chamber.

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