Gasification device

Abstract

A gasification device (1) comprises: a rotary cylindrical part (11) that has a cylindrical shape centered around a central axis (J1) and rotates around the central axis (J1); a stirring part (15) that stirs a processing object in the rotary cylindrical part (11) due to the rotation of the rotary cylindrical part (11); a heating part (12) that, by heating the rotary cylindrical part (11), heats the processing object which is stirred by the stirring part (15), and generates a pyrolysis gas from the processing object; and a residue guiding part (5) that is provided in the rotary cylindrical part (11), between the stirring part (15) and a discharge outlet (112), and guides a residue of the processing object, which has passed through the stirring part (15), to the discharge outlet (112) of the rotary cylindrical part (11). The residue guiding part (5) comprises an attachment part that is provided to the inner circumferential surface of the rotary cylindrical part (11), and a guiding member that is detachably attached to the attachment part and guides the residue into the discharge outlet (112) due to the rotation of the rotary cylindrical part (11).

Description

Gasifier

[0001] [Reference to Related Applications] This application claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application JP2023-220879, filed December 27, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Conventionally, gasification apparatuses have been used that generate pyrolysis gas and char by heating materials to be processed, such as biomass, inside a rotating cylindrical section (rotary kiln). In the rotary kiln disclosed in JP 2001-91161 A, a scraper plate is attached to the inner tube, which has a stepped section at the connection point with the discharge pipe at the outlet end, so as to extend in the diameter direction of the inner tube. This allows the pyrolysis residue remaining on the inner bottom side of the stepped section to be scraped up and sent into the discharge pipe. Japanese Patent No. 6,373,635 A discloses a lifter that stirs materials fed into a rotary kiln. The lifter has a T-shaped cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and includes a first plate section fixed to the inner wall of the rotary kiln and a second plate section protruding from the first plate section into the rotary kiln. Through-holes are formed on both sides of the second plate section of the first plate section through which anchor bolts protruding from the inner wall of the rotary kiln can be inserted. The device disclosed in JP 2021-42380 A includes an intermediate limiting section that limits the movement of char inside the rotating cylindrical section, and a lift section that is disposed in contact with or in close proximity to the intermediate limiting section. As the rotating cylindrical section rotates, the lift section lifts up the char, allowing it to move beyond the intermediate limiting section.

[0003] In the gasification system, when pyrolysis gas is generated from materials to be treated, such as municipal solid waste, the materials often contain non-combustible materials, which can easily accumulate near the outlet of the rotating tubular section. In this case, the gap that serves as the gas flow path narrows, increasing the pressure difference between the supply and discharge ports of the rotating tubular section. As a result, pyrolysis gas may pass through the supply port and backflow into the storage section for the materials. While it is possible to actively discharge the residue from the interior of the rotating tubular section, excessive discharge reduces the gasification rate of the materials (the rate at which the materials are gasified). Furthermore, the proportion and size of non-combustible materials in the waste vary by region, and optimizing the amount of residue discharge requires a certain amount of trial and error. Therefore, a new method capable of appropriately adjusting the amount of residue discharge is needed. Furthermore, a method for appropriately discharging pyrolysis gas from the storage section in the unlikely event that the pyrolysis gas backflows into the storage section is also needed.

[0004] The present invention is directed to a gasification system and aims to appropriately adjust the amount of residue discharged, and also to appropriately discharge backflowing pyrolysis gas from the storage section.

[0005] A first aspect of the present invention is a gasification apparatus for gasifying a material to be treated, the gasification apparatus comprising: a rotating cylindrical section having a cylindrical shape centered on a central axis, a supply port for the material to be treated at one end in an axial direction parallel to the central axis, and a discharge port at the other end, the rotating cylindrical section being configured to rotate around the central axis; a stirring section configured within the rotating cylindrical section to stir the material to be treated within the rotating cylindrical section as the rotating cylindrical section rotates; a heating section configured to heat the material to be treated being stirred by the stirring section and generate pyrolysis gas from the material to be treated; and a residue guide section configured within the rotating cylindrical section between the stirring section and the discharge port to guide residue of the material to be treated that has passed through the stirring section to the discharge port, the residue guide section comprising: an attachment section configured on an inner surface of the rotating cylindrical section; and a guide member configured to be detachably attached to the attachment section and to guide the residue into the discharge port as the rotating cylindrical section rotates.

[0006] In the first aspect of the invention, the amount of residual material discharged can be appropriately adjusted.

[0007] A second aspect of the present invention is the gasification apparatus of the first aspect, wherein the amount of the residue discharged into the discharge port can be changed by replacing the guide member with another guide member having a different shape.

[0008] Aspect 3 of the present invention is the gasification apparatus of aspect 1 (which may be aspect 1 or 2), in which a plurality of mounting positions offset in the axial direction are set in the mounting portion, and the amount of the residual material discharged into the exhaust port can be changed by changing the mounting position at which the guide member is mounted.

[0009] A fourth aspect of the present invention is a gasification apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the residue guide section further comprises a return member that is detachably attached to the mounting section, the return member being disposed between the stirring section and the guide member, and the rotation of the rotating cylindrical section causes the return member to return a portion of the residue to the stirring section side.

[0010] Aspect 5 of the present invention is a gasification apparatus according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3 (or any one of Aspects 1 to 4), wherein the rotating cylindrical portion has an annular surface extending from the entire circumference of the inner peripheral surface toward the central axis, the discharge outlet is formed by the inner peripheral edge of the annular surface, the guide member comprises a guide body having a lift surface extending radially at the position of the attachment portion and along the axial direction, and a guide plate protruding from the lift surface of the guide body and extending along the radial direction, wherein at least the radially inner portion of the guide plate is inclined with respect to the radial direction so as to be positioned toward the discharge outlet as it moves radially inward.

[0011] Aspect 6 of the present invention is a gasification apparatus according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3 (which may be any one of Aspects 1 to 5), wherein the rotating cylindrical portion has an annular surface extending from the entire circumference of the inner peripheral surface toward the central axis, the discharge outlet is formed by the inner peripheral edge of the annular surface, the guide member comprises a guide body having a lift surface extending radially at the mounting portion and along the axial direction, and the lift surface has an inclined portion that is inclined relative to the radial direction when viewed along the axial direction.

[0012] Aspect 7 of the present invention is a gasification apparatus according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3 (which may be any one of Aspects 1 to 6), further comprising: a material supply section connected to the supply port of the rotating cylindrical section and supplying the material stored in a storage section into the rotating cylindrical section; a detection section that detects the inflow of the pyrolysis gas generated in the rotating cylindrical section into the storage section; an openable / closable auxiliary line that connects the storage section to a residue combustion section provided in the heating section; and a control section that, when the inflow of the pyrolysis gas into the storage section is detected, opens the auxiliary line to send the pyrolysis gas from the storage section to the residue combustion section, and the residue combustion section combusts the residue discharged from the discharge port of the rotating cylindrical section.

[0013] Aspect 8 of the present invention is a gasification apparatus for gasifying a material to be treated, the gasification apparatus comprising: a rotating cylindrical portion having a cylindrical shape centered on a central axis, a supply port for a material to be treated provided at one end in an axial direction parallel to the central axis and a discharge port provided at the other end, the rotating cylindrical portion being configured to rotate around the central axis; a material supply portion connected to the supply port of the rotating cylindrical portion and supplying the material to be treated stored in a storage portion into the rotating cylindrical portion; a stirring portion provided within the rotating cylindrical portion and stirring the material to be treated within the rotating cylindrical portion by rotating the rotating cylindrical portion; and a stirring portion configured to heat the rotating cylindrical portion to stir the material to be treated. The apparatus comprises a heating section that heats the material to be treated being stirred by a stirring section and generates pyrolysis gas from the material to be treated; a detection section that detects the inflow of the pyrolysis gas generated in the rotating cylindrical section into the storage section; an openable / closable auxiliary line that connects the storage section to a residue combustion section provided in the heating section; and a control section that, when the inflow of the pyrolysis gas into the storage section is detected, opens the auxiliary line to send the pyrolysis gas from the storage section to the residue combustion section, and the residue combustion section combusts the remains of the material to be treated that are discharged from the outlet of the rotating cylindrical section.

[0014] In the eighth aspect of the invention, the backflowing pyrolysis gas can be appropriately discharged from the reservoir.

[0015] The above and other objects, features, aspects and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a gasification device; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a rotating cylindrical portion and its surroundings; FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a residue guide portion; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the residue guide portion as viewed along the axial direction; FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an attachment portion; FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating another guide member; FIG. 7 is a front view illustrating another guide member; FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating the guide member; FIG. 9 is a side view illustrating the guide member; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a change in the attachment position of the guide member; FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a change in the attachment position of the guide member; FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another example of a residue guide portion; FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another example of a residue guide portion; FIG. 14 is a front view illustrating another guide member; FIG. 15 is a side view illustrating the guide member;

[0017] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a gasification apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The gasification apparatus 1 has an externally heated rotary kiln (indirectly heated rotary kiln) and is an apparatus that gasifies a material to be treated, which is general waste, to produce a reformed gas, which is a flammable gas. The reformed gas is used, for example, to generate electricity using a gas engine or the like. The material to be treated is not limited to general waste, and may also be industrial waste (such as clothing waste), sewage sludge, woody biomass, or the like.

[0018] The gasification apparatus 1 includes a rotating cylindrical section 11, a heating section 12, a material supply section 13, a mixed gas introduction section 14 (see FIG. 2), a stirring section 15, a residue transfer section 50, a separation section 16, a gas purification section 17, a rotation section 18 (see FIG. 2), and a control section 10. The control section 10 is, for example, a computer including a CPU or the like, and is responsible for overall control of the gasification apparatus 1. Part or all of the control section 10 may be realized by a dedicated electric circuit or the like.

[0019] The rotating tubular part 11 is cylindrical and made of, for example, a metal or alloy (the same applies to other components provided within the rotating tubular part 11). The heating part 12 includes an outer tubular part 121 and a residue combustion part 122. High-temperature gas from the residue combustion part 122 is introduced into the space between the rotating tubular part 11 and the outer tubular part 121, heating the rotating tubular part 11. The material supply part 13 is provided on one side of the central axis of the rotating tubular part 11, and the separation part 16 is provided on the other side. The stirring part 15 and the residue transfer part 50 are provided within the rotating tubular part 11. The separation part 16 has a separation channel 161 and a residue storage part 162. Gas from the separation channel 161 is introduced to the gas purification part 17.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the rotating cylindrical part 11 and its surroundings. Fig. 2 shows a cross section of the rotating cylindrical part 11 along a plane including the central axis J1. In the example of Fig. 2, the central axis J1 of the rotating cylindrical part 11 is horizontal or approximately horizontal. Depending on the design of the gasification apparatus 1, the central axis J1 may be inclined relative to the horizontal direction.

[0021] The rotating cylindrical portion 11 has a supply port 111 at one end in a direction parallel to the central axis J1 (hereinafter referred to as the "axial direction") and a discharge port 112 at the other end. As described below, inside the rotating cylindrical portion 11, a pyrolysis section 151, an intermediate restriction section 113, a reforming section 152, and a residue transfer section 50 are provided in this order from the supply port 111 toward the discharge port 112. A supply-side annular portion 114 is provided at the end of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 on the one side (the supply port 111 side). The supply-side annular portion 114 is an annular member provided on the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 around the entire circumference of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 in the circumferential direction centered on the central axis J1. The surface of the supply-side annular portion 114 facing the discharge port 112 is an annular surface 114a, which extends from the entire circumference of the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 toward the central axis J1. The supply port 111 is defined by the inner peripheral edge of the annular surface 114 a. The height of the supply-side annular portion 114 from the inner peripheral surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 (the height of the inner peripheral surface of the supply-side annular portion 114 in a direction perpendicular to the inner peripheral surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11) is substantially constant around the entire circumference.

[0022] A discharge-side annular portion 115 is provided at the end of the other side (discharge port 112 side) inside the rotating cylindrical portion 11. The discharge-side annular portion 115 is an annular member provided on the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 along the entire circumference. The surface of the discharge-side annular portion 115 facing the supply port 111 is an annular surface 115a, which extends from the entire circumference of the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 toward the central axis J1. The aforementioned discharge port 112 is formed by the inner peripheral edge of the annular surface 115a. The height of the discharge-side annular portion 115 from the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 (the height of the inner circumferential surface of the discharge-side annular portion 115 in a direction perpendicular to the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11) gradually decreases as the separation portion 16 is approached. In other words, the inner circumferential surface of the discharge-side annular portion 115 is a truncated cone whose diameter increases as the separation portion 16 is approached. Residual matter, which will be described later, is guided toward the separation section 16 by the inner peripheral surface of the discharge-side annular portion 115. At each position in the axial direction, the height of the discharge-side annular portion 115 is substantially constant over the entire circumference.

[0023] The rotating part 18 rotates the rotating cylindrical part 11 around the central axis J1. A flange part 116 is provided at the end of the rotating cylindrical part 11 on the supply port 111 side. The flange part 116 is an annular plate member centered on the central axis J1. A pair of rollers 181 of the rotating part 18 is provided below the flange part 116. The pair of rollers 181 are spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 2 . The flange part 116 is rotatably supported by the pair of rollers 181.

[0024] Furthermore, a flange portion 117 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 near the end on the discharge port 112 side. Like the flange portion 116, the flange portion 117 is also an annular plate member centered on the central axis J1 and is rotatably supported by a pair of rollers 182. In the gasification apparatus 1, a rotation mechanism 183 having a motor and a reducer is connected to the rollers 181, and the rotation mechanism 183 of the rotating unit 18 rotates the rollers 181, causing the rotating cylindrical portion 11 to continuously rotate about the central axis J1. The rotation speed of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 is, for example, constant. The structure for rotating the rotating cylindrical portion 11 may be modified as appropriate.

[0025] The outer cylinder portion 121 of the heating unit 12 is cylindrical and centered on the central axis J1, and is formed of, for example, a metal or alloy. The outer cylinder portion 121 is a fixed body that does not rotate. The outer cylinder portion 121 surrounds the periphery of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 between the two flange portions 116, 117, and forms a cylindrical space 120 between itself and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11. The width between the rotating cylindrical portion 11 and the outer cylinder portion 121 in the radial direction centered on the central axis J1, i.e., the width of the cylindrical space 120, is substantially constant throughout the entire length. Annular walls 21, 22 are provided at both ends of the outer cylinder portion 121 in the axial direction. Each annular wall 21, 22 is an annular member centered on the central axis J1 and protrudes from the outer cylinder portion 121 toward the rotating cylindrical portion 11. The end faces of the annular walls 21, 22 on the rotating cylindrical portion 11 side are in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 via, for example, a sliding member, thereby forming a seal structure between the annular walls 21, 22 and the rotating cylindrical portion 11.

[0026] The outer tubular portion 121 is formed with an outlet 23 and an inlet 24. The outlet 23 is provided near the annular wall 21 on the supply port 111 side and connects to the cylindrical space 120. The inlet 24 is provided near the annular wall 22 on the discharge port 112 side and connects to the cylindrical space 120. High-temperature gas is supplied to the inlet 24 from the residue combustion section 122 in FIG. 1. The temperature of the high-temperature gas at the inlet 24 is, for example, 900 to 1100°C. The high-temperature gas flows through the cylindrical space 120 and is discharged from the outlet 23. The high-temperature gas flowing through the cylindrical space 120 heats the outer peripheral surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11. Depending on the design of the gasification apparatus 1, another annular wall may be provided between the annular walls 21 and 22, dividing the cylindrical space 120 into two spaces in the axial direction. In this case, an inlet and an outlet are provided in each space, and the high-temperature gas flows through the space. This makes it possible to separately heat the half of the rotary cylindrical portion 11 on the supply port 111 side and the half on the discharge port 112 side. The cylindrical space 120 may be divided into three or more spaces.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1 , the material supply section 13 includes a material storage section 130, first and second screw feeders 131 and 132, and a chute section 134. The material storage section 130 is a hopper that stores the material before it is fed into the rotating cylindrical section 11. An imaging section 136 is provided inside the material storage section 130. One end of an auxiliary line 81 is connected to the material storage section 130, and the other end of the auxiliary line 81 is connected to the residue combustion section 122. The auxiliary line 81 is provided with a damper 811, which can open and close the auxiliary line 81. As will be described later, the auxiliary line 81 is used when a backflow of pyrolysis gas occurs.

[0028] Each screw feeder 131, 132 includes a rotation mechanism 31, a pipe, and a screw 32. The screw 32 is disposed within the pipe. The pipe and screw 32 of the first screw feeder 131 extend substantially horizontally from the lower portion of the storage section 130 for the material to be processed. The upper end of the chute section 134 is connected to the end of the pipe opposite the storage section 130 for the material to be processed. The chute section 134 extends downward from the pipe of the first screw feeder 131, and the lower end of the chute section 134 is connected to one end of the pipe of the second screw feeder 132. The pipe and screw 32 of the second screw feeder 132 extend along the axial direction. The other ends of the pipe and screw 32 are disposed near the supply port 111 of the rotating cylindrical section 11 (see FIG. 2 ).

[0029] The rotation mechanism 31 of each screw feeder 131, 132 has a motor and a reducer, and rotates the screw 32. As a result, the workpiece in the workpiece storage section 130 is transported to the supply port 111 of the rotating cylindrical section 11 via the first screw feeder 131, the chute section 134, and the second screw feeder 132, and supplied to the interior of the rotating cylindrical section 11. The supply of the workpiece into the rotating cylindrical section 11 by the workpiece supply section 13 may be continuous or intermittent. In the second screw feeder 132 of FIG. 2 , the screw shaft 321 of the screw 32 is hollow. An inlet pipe 141, described below, is disposed in the hollow section of the screw shaft 321. The inlet pipe 141 extends along the central axis J1.

[0030] The agitation unit 15 is provided inside the rotating cylindrical part 11. The agitation unit 15 is fixed to the rotating cylindrical part 11. That is, when the rotating cylindrical part 11 rotates around the central axis J1, the agitation unit 15 also rotates. The agitation unit 15 has a pyrolysis unit 151 and a reforming unit 152. The pyrolysis unit 151 is provided on the supply port 111 side, and the reforming unit 152 is provided on the discharge port 112 side.

[0031] The pyrolysis section 151 includes a partition plate 41 and a guide section 42. The partition plate 41 is a plate member parallel to the central axis J1 and is disposed on the central axis J1. Both ends of the partition plate 41 in a direction perpendicular to the central axis J1 are fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the rotating cylindrical section 11. The internal space of the rotating cylindrical section 11 as viewed along the central axis J1 is divided into two equal parts by the partition plate 41. The partition plate 41 has a relatively large plate thickness (thickness between the main surfaces), and has a through hole 411 formed on the central axis J1. The introduction pipe 141 is inserted into the through hole 411.

[0032] The guide portion 42 includes a plurality of linear protrusions 421. Some of the linear protrusions 421 protrude from one main surface of the partition plate 41, and the remaining linear protrusions 421 protrude from the other main surface of the partition plate 41. The linear protrusions 421 provided on each main surface of the partition plate 41 are parallel to each other. In the example shown in FIG. 2 , all of the linear protrusions 421 on each main surface of the partition plate 41 extend in the same direction inclined relative to the axial direction. In FIG. 2 , the linear protrusions 421 located on the near side when the partition plate 41 is rotated 180 degrees around the central axis J1 are indicated by two-dot chain lines. The inclination direction of the linear protrusions 421 indicated by the two-dot chain lines is opposite to the inclination direction of the linear protrusions 421 indicated by the solid lines (the direction inverted relative to the central axis J1). In other words, the plurality of protrusions 421 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the partition plate 41.

[0033] The partition plate 41 rotates about the central axis J1 in accordance with the rotation of the rotating cylindrical portion 11. When the orientation of one main surface of the partition plate 41 switches from upward to downward during the rotation of the partition plate 41, the workpiece on that main surface slides down along the linear protrusions 421 and is sent toward the supply port 111. In other words, the main surface and the linear protrusions 421 thereon form a reverse feed structure that moves the workpiece in a direction from the discharge port 112 toward the supply port 111. Note that the workpiece in the rotating cylindrical portion 11 is an object in the middle of processing, and is ultimately discharged from the discharge port 112 as residual material. However, in the following description, the object in the middle of processing will also be referred to as the "object to be processed." As the workpiece repeatedly moves toward the supply port 111, the workpiece collides with the supply side annular portion 114 at the lower part of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 (the lower part in a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction) and remains near the partition plate 41.

[0034] Furthermore, when the orientation of the other main surface of the partition plate 41 switches from upward to downward, the workpieces on that main surface slide down along the linear protrusions 421 and are sent to the opposite side of the supply port 111 (the discharge port 112 side). That is, the main surface and the linear protrusions 421 thereon form a progressive feed structure that moves the workpieces in the direction from the supply port 111 to the discharge port 112. As the workpieces repeatedly move toward the discharge port 112 side, they collide with the intermediate restriction portion 113 (described below) and tend to remain near the partition plate 41. As described above, in the guide portion 42, some of the workpieces are sent toward the supply port 111 side within one rotation angle range of the rotating cylindrical portion 11, and other parts of the workpieces are sent toward the opposite side of the supply port 111 within another rotation angle range of the rotating cylindrical portion 11. As a result, the material to be treated moves back and forth (circulates) between the vicinity of both ends of the partition plate 41 in the axial direction, and the material to be treated remains in the thermal decomposition section 151 .

[0035] As described above, the rotating cylindrical section 11 is heated by the high-temperature gas flowing through the cylindrical space 120. In the pyrolysis section 151, the material to be treated is heated, for example, to a temperature of 400°C or higher (preferably 700°C or lower), causing pyrolysis, producing pyrolysis gas, char, tar, non-combustible materials, and the like. The outlet 112 is depressurized by an induction fan (not shown), and the pyrolysis gas generally flows toward the outlet 112. The pyrolysis gas also contains char particles and non-combustible soot and dust. The material being treated (including the generated char, etc.) that is not contained in the pyrolysis gas remains in the pyrolysis section 151. As the material to be treated is supplied from the material supply section 13, a portion of the material remaining in the pyrolysis section 151 is pushed beyond the intermediate restriction section 113 toward the reforming section 152 (the outlet 112 side).

[0036] As described above, the intermediate limiting section 113 is provided inside the rotating cylindrical section 11 between the pyrolysis section 151 and the reforming section 152. The intermediate limiting section 113 is an annular member formed of, for example, metal or ceramic. The outer peripheral edge of the intermediate limiting section 113 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the rotating cylindrical section 11 over the entire circumference. The intermediate limiting section 113 protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the rotating cylindrical section 11 over the entire circumferential direction. The height of the intermediate limiting section 113 from the inner peripheral surface of the rotating cylindrical section 11 (the height of the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate limiting section 113 in a direction perpendicular to the inner peripheral surface of the rotating cylindrical section 11) is approximately constant over the entire circumference. In the example of FIG. 2 , the height of the intermediate limiting section 113 is equal to or less than the height of the supply-side annular section 114 and equal to or greater than the height of the discharge-side annular section 115. At the position of the intermediate restriction section 113 in the axial direction, the movement path of the pyrolysis gas and the workpiece inside the rotating cylindrical section 11 is restricted to a circular area inside the intermediate restriction section 113. In other words, the intermediate restriction section 113 acts as a dam at the bottom of the rotating cylindrical section 11, restricting the movement of the workpiece from the pyrolysis section 151 to the reforming section 152.

[0037] The reforming section 152 is provided inside the rotating cylindrical section 11 between the intermediate restriction section 113 and the residue transfer section 50. The reforming section 152 has a structure similar to that of the pyrolysis section 151, for example, and includes a partition plate 43 and a guide section 44. The guide section 44 includes a plurality of linear protrusions 441. Some of the linear protrusions 441 protrude from one main surface of the partition plate 43, and the remaining linear protrusions 441 protrude from the other main surface of the partition plate 43. When the orientation of one main surface of the partition plate 43 switches from upward to downward during rotation of the partition plate 43, the material to be processed on that main surface slides down along the linear protrusions 441 and is sent to the pyrolysis section 151 side (the supply port 111 side). At this time, the intermediate restriction section 113 acts as a dam at the bottom of the rotating cylindrical section 11, causing a certain amount of the workpiece to remain in the space between the intermediate restriction section 113 and the reforming section 152. The main surface of the partition plate 43 and the linear protrusions 441 on the main surface form a reverse feed structure that moves the workpiece in a direction from the discharge port 112 toward the supply port 111.

[0038] Furthermore, when the orientation of the other main surface of partition plate 43 switches from upward to downward, the workpieces on that main surface are sent by linear protrusions 441 to the residue transfer section 50 side (discharge outlet 112 side). As will be described later, a certain amount of workpieces remain in residue transfer section 50, and some of the workpieces sent to the residue transfer section 50 side are mixed with the workpieces remaining in residue transfer section 50. The main surface of partition plate 43 and the linear protrusions 441 on that main surface form a forward-feed structure that moves the workpieces in a direction from supply port 111 to discharge outlet 112.

[0039] As described above, in the guide section 44, the material to be treated is sent toward the pyrolysis section 151 within one rotation angle range of the rotating cylindrical section 11, and is sent toward the opposite side of the pyrolysis section 151 within another rotation angle range of the rotating cylindrical section 11. As a result, the material to be treated reciprocates (circulates) between the vicinity of both ends of the partition plate 43 in the axial direction, and remains in the reforming section 152. The gasification apparatus 1 employs a horizontal mechanical internal circulating flow system having a structure that forwards and backwards feeds the material to be treated within the rotating cylindrical section 11.

[0040] The mixed gas inlet section 14 includes an inlet pipe 141 and a mixed gas supply section 142. As described above, the inlet pipe 141 passes through the hollow portion of the screw shaft 321 of the second screw feeder 132 and the through-hole 411 of the partition plate 41. The mixed gas supply section 142 is connected to one end of the inlet pipe 141 outside the rotating cylindrical section 11. An ejection port 143 is provided at the other end of the inlet pipe 141, which is disposed inside the rotating cylindrical section 11 near the reforming section 152. For example, the ejection port 143 is disposed between the pyrolysis section 151 and the reforming section 152 in the axial direction.

[0041] The mixed gas supply unit 142 supplies a mixed gas containing an oxygen-containing gas and water vapor to the inlet pipe 141, and the mixed gas is ejected from the ejection port 143. The oxygen-containing gas is, for example, air or oxygen-enriched air, and in this embodiment, it is preheated high-temperature air. The temperature of the mixed gas is, for example, 200 to 300°C. In the reforming unit 152, the pyrolysis gas flowing toward the outlet 112 is mixed (stirred) with the mixed gas and the material to be treated. This causes partial combustion of flammable gases and tar vapor contained in the pyrolysis gas (i.e., a portion of the pyrolysis gas is combusted). The material to be treated also partially combusts. Note that heat from the reformed gas generated in the gasification apparatus 1, exhaust gas from a gas engine that uses the reformed gas, or the like may be used to heat the oxygen-containing gas and generate water vapor.

[0042] Due to partial combustion of the pyrolysis gas and the material to be treated, the pyrolysis gas flowing through the reforming section 152 and the material to be treated around the partition plate 43 are heated to high temperatures. The mixed gas also contains water vapor. As a result, hydrocarbon gases contained in the pyrolysis gas are converted into hydrogen (H ２ The pyrolysis gas is converted into gases such as sulphur dioxide (S2) and carbon monoxide (CO) (i.e., steam reformed). Tar and powdered char contained in the pyrolysis gas, as well as the char around the partition plate 43, are also steam reformed. If a sufficient amount of char is present around the partition plate 43, some of the tar and powdered char in the pyrolysis gas flowing through the reforming section 152 are trapped in the pores of the char around the partition plate 43.

[0043] As described above, in the reforming section 152, to which the pyrolysis gas and the material to be treated are sent from the pyrolysis section 151, the pyrolysis gas is partially combusted and the char contained in the pyrolysis gas and the material to be treated is steam reformed to produce a reformed gas. The temperature of the pyrolysis gas and the char in the reforming section 152 is, for example, 700°C or higher, preferably 800°C or higher, and more preferably 900°C or higher. The temperature is, for example, 1100°C or lower. The reformed gas is discharged from the rotary tubular section 11 through the outlet 112.

[0044] As described above, the residue transfer section 50 is provided inside the rotating cylindrical section 11 between the agitation section 15 (the reforming section 152) and the discharge port 112. The residue transfer section 50 includes a plurality of residue guide sections 5. The residue guide sections 5 guide the material to be treated that has passed through the agitation section 15 to the discharge port 112. The material to be treated is the residue remaining after the generation of pyrolysis gas (including reformed gas) in the agitation section 15, and will hereinafter be referred to simply as "residue." The residue includes non-combustible materials, generated char, and the like. On the inner surface of the rotating cylindrical section 11, a plurality of residue guide sections 5 are arranged at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, four residue guide sections 5 are provided at 90-degree intervals. The number of residue guide sections 5 may be three or less, or may be five or more. Furthermore, the plurality of residue guide portions 5 do not necessarily need to be arranged at equal angular intervals, and the intervals between the residue guide portions 5 in the circumferential direction may be changed as appropriate.

[0045] 3 and 4 are diagrams showing one of the residue guide sections 5. FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the residue guide section 5 located at the bottom of the rotating cylindrical section 11 in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 shows the residue guide section 5 as viewed axially from the discharge port 112 side. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an attachment section 51, which will be described later, and the components of the residue guide section 5 in FIG. 3 other than the attachment section 51 (the guide member 52, which will be described later) are indicated by a two-dot chain line. The other residue guide sections 5 also have the same structure as the residue guide section 5 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, and when the other residue guide section 5 is located at the bottom of the rotating cylindrical section 11, it is in the same state as FIGS. 3 to 5.

[0046] Each residue guide unit 5 includes an attachment portion 51 and a guide member 52. The attachment portion 51 is a long plate member extending in the axial direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 5 ) and has four surfaces along the axial direction, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 . The four surfaces include two opposing main surfaces and two opposing side surfaces. One side surface of the attachment portion 51 is fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 by welding or the like. The two main surfaces of the attachment portion 51 extend along the radial and axial directions. As shown in FIG. 5 , the attachment portion 51 has a plurality of attachment holes 511 arranged at equal intervals in the axial direction. Each attachment hole 511 penetrates between the two main surfaces. The central axis of the attachment hole 511 is approximately perpendicular to the two main surfaces.

[0047] The guide member 52 is a member attached to the mounting portion 51. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the guide member 52 includes a guide body 53 and multiple guide plates 551 and 552. The guide body 53 is a thin plate member, and two main surfaces of the guide body 53 extend along the radial direction and the axial direction at the position of the mounting portion 51. Multiple guide plates 551 and 552 are provided on one main surface 54 of the guide body 53. As will be described later, as the rotating cylindrical portion 11 rotates, the remaining material is lifted by the main surface 54. In the following description, the main surface 54 is referred to as the "lift surface 54." In the guide member 52, the entire lift surface 54 is included in a single plane.

[0048] In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the guide body 53 has a generally L-shaped outer shape and includes a first portion 531 extending axially and a second portion 532 extending radially from the end of the first portion 531. A plurality of mounting holes 533 are arranged at equal intervals in the axial direction in the first portion 531 of the guide body 53. The arrangement pitch and size of the mounting holes 533 are the same as the arrangement pitch and size of the mounting holes 511 of the mounting portion 51. The guide member 52 is detachably attached to the mounting portion 51 by aligning two or more mounting holes 533 in the guide body 53 with the mounting holes 511 of the mounting portion 51, respectively, and fastening nuts to bolts inserted into the mounting holes 511 and 533. The bolts and nuts are not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 . 3, the number of mounting holes 533 provided in the guide body 53 is the same as the number of mounting holes 511 provided in the mounting portion 51, and all of the mounting holes 533 overlap all of the mounting holes 511. The guide body 53 may be positioned axially shifted from the position shown in FIG. 3 by an integer multiple of the arrangement pitch of the mounting holes 533, and it is not necessarily required that all of the mounting holes 533 overlap all of the mounting holes 511.

[0049] As described above, the multiple guide plates 551, 552 are provided on the lift surface 54 of the guide body 53. Each guide plate 551, 552 is substantially perpendicular to the lift surface 54, protrudes from the lift surface 54, and extends along the radial direction. In the example of FIG. 3 , one guide plate 552 is provided on the second portion 532 extending in the radial direction, and the remaining guide plates 551 are provided on the first portion 531 extending in the axial direction. In the following description, the guide plate 551 on the first portion 531 will be referred to as the "first guide plate 551," and the guide plate 552 on the second portion 532 will be referred to as the "second guide plate 552."

[0050] The multiple first guide plates 551 are arranged at regular intervals in the axial direction on the first portion 531. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the first guide plates 551 are arranged at the same intervals as the arrangement pitch of the mounting holes 533. Each first guide plate 551 extends in a direction inclined relative to the radial direction. Specifically, the first guide plates 551 are inclined relative to the radial direction so as to be positioned closer to the discharge port 112 as they move away from the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 toward the central axis J1 (i.e., as they move radially inward). The second guide plates 552 extend radially on the second portion 532. Specifically, the second guide plates 552 extend along the edge of the second portion 532 on the opposite side from the discharge port 112. The second guide plates 552 extend straight in the radial direction except for their radially inner portions. The radially inner portions are inclined relative to the radial direction so as to be positioned closer to the discharge port 112 as they move radially inward. In the second guide plate 552 , a portion near the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 (a portion on the radially outer side) is located on the first portion 531 .

[0051] As described above, on the discharge outlet 112 side of the residue guide section 5, the discharge-side annular section 115 acts as a weir at the bottom of the rotating cylindrical section 11. In FIG. 4 , viewed from the discharge outlet 112 side toward the supply port 111 side, the rotating cylindrical section 11 is rotating clockwise as indicated by arrow A1, and residue remaining at the bottom of the rotating cylindrical section 11 is lifted by the lift surface 54. When the lift surface 54 reaches a horizontal position and continues to rotate, the height of the radially inner side of the lift surface 54 becomes lower than the height of the radially outer side (the inner peripheral surface side of the rotating cylindrical section 11). As a result, the residue on the lift surface 54 slides down radially inward along the first and second guide plates 551, 552.

[0052] As described above, all or part of the first and second guide plates 551, 552 are inclined with respect to the radial direction so as to be positioned closer to the discharge port 112 as they move radially inward. Therefore, the residual material sliding down from the lift surface 54 is sent towards the discharge port 112. In reality, the residual material slides down from a position higher than the height of the discharge-side annular portion 115 at the bottom of the rotating cylindrical portion 11, and therefore some of the residual material sliding down from the second portion 532 is discharged into the discharge port 112. Because the width of the first portion 531 in the radial direction is smaller than the width of the second portion 532 and the amount of residual material lifted by the first portion 531 is small, the powder contained in the residual material is prevented from flying around at a position away from the discharge port 112.

[0053] The separation section 16 is connected to the outlet 112. In the separation section 16 shown in FIG. 1 , the reformed gas is discharged upward through a separation channel 161, purified in a gas purification section 17, and then recovered. The purified gas may be supplied to a gas engine-type generator. The residue discharged from the outlet 112 falls downward through the separation channel 161 and is recovered in a residue storage section 162. The residue is sent from the residue storage section 162 to a residue combustion section 122, where the residue (mainly char) is combusted. In the residue combustion section 122, high-temperature gas is generated using heat from the combustion of the char, and the high-temperature gas is used to heat the rotary tubular section 11, as described above. Incombustible materials remaining after the combustion of the residue are discharged from the residue combustion section 122.

[0054] The gasification apparatus 1 is also provided with other guide members having shapes different from the guide member 52 of FIG. 3 . By replacing the guide member, it is possible to change the amount of residue guided to the discharge port 112 per unit time, i.e., the amount of residue discharged. FIG. 6 is a front view of another guide member 52a. In the guide member 52a shown in FIG. 6 , the length of the first portion 531 of the guide body 53 is shorter than that of the guide member 52 of FIG. 3 , and only one first guide plate 551 is provided. The rest of the structure is the same as the guide member 52 of FIG. 3 . When the guide member 52a of FIG. 6 is attached to the mounting portion 51 inside the rotating cylindrical portion 11, the arrangement direction of the mounting holes 533 coincides with the axial direction (similar to the other guide members). When the guide member 52a is used instead of the guide member 52, the amount of residue sent to the discharge port 112 by the first portion 531 is smaller than when the guide member 52 is used. As a result, the amount of residue discharged to the discharge port 112 also changes from when the guide member 52 is used.

[0055] FIG. 7 is a front view of yet another guide member 52b, and FIG. 8 is a side view of the guide member 52b. In the guide member 52b shown in FIG. 7, the outer shape of the second portion 532 is approximately triangular, and the area of ​​the lift surface 54 in the second portion 532 is larger than that of the guide member 52 shown in FIG. 3. The second guide plate 552 extends along the left edge of the lift surface 54 of the second portion 532 in FIG. 7. When the guide member 52b is attached to the attachment portion 51 inside the rotating cylindrical portion 11, the edge of the second portion 532 is the edge opposite the discharge port 112. The guide member 52b does not include the first guide plate 551. When the guide member 52b is used in place of the guide members 52 and 52a, the amount of residual material discharged to the discharge port 112 changes due to the larger area of ​​the lift surface 54 in the second portion 532.

[0056] FIG. 9 is a front view of yet another guide member 52c, and FIG. 10 is a side view of the guide member 52c. As can be seen from FIGS. 9 and 7, the outer shape of the lift surface 54 of the guide member 52c, as viewed along the central axis of the mounting hole 533, is substantially the same as that of the guide member 52b. Meanwhile, in the guide member 52c, the guide body 53 is bent toward the side opposite the second guide plate 552 at the boundary between the first portion 531 and the second portion 532. That is, the second portion 532 is inclined relative to the first portion 531. Therefore, when the guide member 52c is attached to the mounting portion 51 inside the rotating cylindrical portion 11 and viewed along the axial direction, the lift surface 54 has an inclined portion 541 that is inclined relative to the first portion 531, and the inclined portion 541 is inclined relative to the radial direction. When guide member 52c is used instead of guide member 52b, the rotation angle range of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 at which the remaining material slides off the lift surface 54 differs from when guide member 52b is used, and therefore the amount of remaining material discharged to the discharge outlet 112 also changes.

[0057] Figure 11 is a side view showing yet another guide member 52d. The guide member 52d of Figure 11 differs from the guide member 52c of Figure 10 in the inclination angle of the inclined portion 541 of the lift surface 54 relative to the first portion 531. The rest of the structure is similar to the guide member 52c of Figure 10. When the guide member 52d is used in place of the guide member 52c, the rotation angle range of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 through which the remaining material slides down from the lift surface 54 differs from that when the guide member 52c is used, and therefore the amount of remaining material discharged to the discharge port 112 also changes.

[0058] The amount of residual material discharged can also be changed by changing the mounting positions of the guide members 52, 52a to 52d relative to the mounting portion 51. For example, when mounting the guide member 52b of FIG. 7 to the mounting portion 51, in the example shown in FIG. 12A , the guide member 52b is fixed using the first and second mounting holes 511 on the mounting portion 51, from the mounting hole 511 closest to the discharge port 112 toward the opposite side from the discharge port 112. In the example shown in FIG. 12B , the guide member 52b is fixed using the second and third mounting holes 511. In this way, the mounting portion 51 has multiple mounting positions offset in the axial direction, and the mounting position at which the guide member 52b is attached can be changed, as in the examples of FIGS. 12A and 12B . Because the axial distance between the guide member 52b and the discharge port 112 differs between the two, the amount of residual material discharged to the discharge port 112 also changes.

[0059] As described above, the gasification apparatus 1 is cylindrical and has a central axis J1 as its center. The gasification apparatus 1 includes the rotating cylindrical portion 11, the agitation portion 15 that agitates the material inside the rotating cylindrical portion 11 as the rotating cylindrical portion 11 rotates, and the heating portion 12 that heats the material being agitated by the agitation portion 15 and generates pyrolysis gas from the material. The residue guide portion 5 is provided inside the rotating cylindrical portion 11 between the agitation portion 15 and the discharge outlet 112, and residue of the material that has passed through the agitation portion 15 is guided to the discharge outlet 112 by the residue guide portion 5. The residue guide portion 5 includes an attachment portion 51 provided on the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 and a guide member (in the above example, any one of the guide members 52, 52a to 52d) that is detachably attached to the attachment portion 51 and guides the residue into the discharge outlet 112 as the rotating cylindrical portion 11 rotates.

[0060] In the gasification apparatus 1, the amount of residue discharged into the discharge port 112 can be changed by replacing the guide member with another guide member having a different shape or by changing the mounting position of the guide member on the mounting portion 51. This allows the amount of residue discharged to be appropriately adjusted depending on the proportion and size of non-combustible material among the materials actually fed into the gasification apparatus 1. As a result, excessive retention of non-combustible material near the discharge port 112 of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 can be avoided, and backflow of pyrolysis gas through the supply port 111 into the material storage portion 130 can be prevented or suppressed. Furthermore, a decrease in the gasification rate of the material due to excessive discharge of residue can also be prevented or suppressed. Note that the types of guide members may be different in the multiple residue guide portions 5.

[0061] Preferably, the rotating cylindrical portion 11 is provided with an annular surface 115a that extends from the entire inner circumferential surface toward the central axis J1, and the inner peripheral edge of the annular surface 115a forms the discharge port 112. The guide member also includes a guide body 53 having a lift surface 54 that extends radially and axially at the mounting portion 51. This allows the residual material to be more reliably discharged from the discharge port 112 in a gasification apparatus 1 in which a step (dam) for retaining the residual material is provided at the discharge port 112.

[0062] More preferably, the guide member further includes guide plates 551, 552 that protrude from the lift surface 54 of the guide body 53 and extend along the radial direction, and at least the radially inner portions of the guide plates 551, 552 are inclined with respect to the radial direction so as to be positioned toward the discharge port 112 as they move radially inward. This makes it possible to more reliably guide the remaining material toward the discharge port 112.

[0063] Furthermore, when viewed along the axial direction, the lift surface 54 may have an inclined portion 541 that is inclined relative to the radial direction. This makes it possible to change the rotation angle range of the rotating cylindrical portion 11, over which the residual material slides off the lift surface 54, depending on the inclination angle of the inclined portion 541, and to easily change the amount of residual material discharged into the discharge port 112 formed by the inner peripheral edge of the annular surface 115a.

[0064] In the residue guide unit 5, multiple guide members may be attached to the attachment portion 51. FIG. 13 illustrates another example of the residue guide unit 5, in which two guide members 52a and 52b are attached to the attachment portion 51. In the example of FIG. 13, guide member 52b is disposed on the discharge port 112 side, and guide member 52a is disposed on the agitator 15 side (opposite the discharge port 112). The residue sent from the agitator 15 is sent to the discharge port 112 side by guide member 52a, and then guided into the discharge port 112 by guide member 52b. In this manner, by combining any of the multiple types of guide members 52, 52a to 52d, it is possible to more appropriately adjust the amount of residue discharged. Three or more guide members may be attached to the attachment portion 51, or multiple guide members of the same type may be attached.

[0065] FIG. 14 illustrates yet another example of the remaining object guide unit 5. The remaining object guide unit 5 of FIG. 14 includes a return member 56 instead of the guide member 52a of the remaining object guide unit 5 of FIG. 13. The return member 56 has a shape obtained by, for example, flipping the guide member 52a of FIG. 6 from side to side. Like the guide member 52a, the return member 56 includes a return body 57 and multiple guide plates 591, 592. The return body 57 has a first portion 571 extending axially and a second portion 572 extending radially from an end of the first portion 571. The first portion 571 has multiple mounting holes 573 arranged axially at the same intervals as the mounting holes 511 of the mounting portion 51. The return member 56 is detachably attached to the mounting portion 51 using the mounting holes 573.

[0066] A plurality of guide plates 591, 592 are provided on the lift surface 58, which is one of the main surfaces of the return body 57. The first guide plate 591 is provided on the first portion 571, and the second guide plate 592 is provided on the second portion 572. The first guide plate 591 is inclined with respect to the radial direction so as to be positioned closer to the agitating section 15 as it moves away from the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 (i.e., as it moves radially inward). The second guide plate 592 extends along the edge of the second portion 592 on the discharge port 112 side. The second guide plate 592 extends straight in the radial direction except for its radially inner portion. The radially inner portion is inclined with respect to the radial direction so as to be positioned closer to the agitating section 15 as it moves radially inward. In this way, at least the radially inner portions of the guide plates 591, 592 of the return member 56 are inclined with respect to the radial direction so as to be positioned closer to the agitating section 15 as it moves radially inward. In the return member 56, the remaining material that slides down from the lift surface 58 as the rotary cylindrical portion 11 rotates is sent to the agitation portion 15 side.

[0067] As described above, the residue guide unit 5 in Fig. 14 further includes a return member 56 that is detachably attached to the attachment unit 51. The return member 56 is disposed between the agitator 15 and the guide member (guide member 52b in the above example), and returns a portion of the residue to the agitator 15 as the rotary cylindrical unit 11 rotates. This increases the residence time of the material in the agitator 15, thereby improving the gasification rate of the material. The shape of the return member 56 may be modified as appropriate, similar to the guide members 52, 52a to 52d.

[0068] In the gasification apparatus 1, it is possible to appropriately adjust the amount of residual material discharged, and therefore it is possible to prevent or suppress the pyrolysis gas generated in the rotating cylindrical part 11 from flowing back into the material storage part 130 due to excessive accumulation of residual material. On the other hand, even if the pyrolysis gas flows back into the material storage part 130, the gasification apparatus 1 is able to appropriately discharge the pyrolysis gas from the material storage part 130. Below, a method for discharging the backflowing pyrolysis gas from the material storage part 130 will be described.

[0069] As described above, in the gasification apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 , the imaging unit 136 is provided inside the material storage section 130. Images acquired by the imaging unit 136 are output to the control unit 10. In the control unit 10, for example, a classifier (trained model) constructed by machine learning is prepared in advance, and the presence or absence of inflow (backflow) of pyrolysis gas into the material storage section 130 is detected from the image using the classifier. Typically, pyrolysis gas flowing into the material storage section 130 is in the form of white smoke, and the presence or absence of white smoke is detected by the classifier. In this way, the imaging unit 136 and the control unit 10 cooperate to realize a detection unit that detects the inflow of pyrolysis gas generated in the rotating cylindrical section 11 into the material storage section 130.

[0070] As shown in Fig. 1, a pressure sensor 137 may be provided near the supply port 111 of the rotating cylindrical portion 11, and the inflow of pyrolysis gas into the storage portion 130 for treated material may be indirectly detected based on the measurement value of the pressure sensor 137. When pyrolysis gas flows into the storage portion 130 for treated material, the pressure near the supply port 111 becomes higher than a predetermined value. As described above, the gasification apparatus 1 of Fig. 1 uses a detection unit including the imaging unit 136 and / or the pressure sensor 137. The detection unit that detects the inflow of pyrolysis gas into the storage portion 130 for treated material may be realized with other configurations.

[0071] When the inflow of pyrolysis gas into the material storage section 130 is detected, the control unit 10 controls the material supply section 13 to stop supplying the material into the rotary cylindrical section 11. The damper 811 of the auxiliary line 81 is also opened. This causes the pyrolysis gas to be sent from the material storage section 130 to the residue combustion section 122 via the auxiliary line 81. In a preferred gasification apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 1 , an inert gas supply line 82 is provided. In addition to opening the auxiliary line 81, inert gas is supplied from the inert gas supply line 82 into the material storage section 130 and the chute section 134. This allows the pyrolysis gas that has flowed into the material storage section 130 to be quickly discharged to the residue combustion section 122. The inert gas is, for example, nitrogen gas. Other types of inert gas may also be used.

[0072] As described above, the gasification apparatus 1 includes the material supply unit 13 connected to the supply port 111 of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 and supplying the material stored in the material storage unit 130 into the rotating cylindrical portion 11, a detection unit (e.g., the imaging unit 136) that detects the inflow of pyrolysis gas generated in the rotating cylindrical portion 11 into the material storage unit 130, an openable / closable auxiliary line 81 that connects the material storage unit 130 and the residue combustion unit 122 of the heating unit 12, and a control unit 10 that, when the inflow of pyrolysis gas into the material storage unit 130 is detected, opens the auxiliary line 81 to send the pyrolysis gas from the material storage unit 130 to the residue combustion unit 122. This makes it possible to properly discharge the pyrolysis gas from the material storage unit 130 even if the pyrolysis gas flows back into the material storage unit 130.

[0073] The gasification apparatus 1 can be modified in various ways.

[0074] The guide members 52, 52a to 52d shown in Figures 3, 4, and 6 to 11 are merely examples, and guide members of other shapes may be used. Figure 15 is a front view of another guide member 52e, and Figure 16 is a side view of the guide member 52e. In the guide member 52e shown in Figures 15 and 16, the guide body 53 is substantially rectangular, and multiple guide plates 553 extending in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the mounting holes 533 are provided on the lift surface 54. When the guide member 52e is attached to the mounting portion 51 inside the rotating cylindrical portion 11 and viewed along the axial direction, the lift surface 54 has an inclined portion 541 inclined toward the guide plate 553. When the guide member 52e is used, it is also possible to lift remaining material near the discharge port 112 and guide it to the discharge port 112. In the guide member, the lift surface 54 of the guide body 53 does not necessarily have to be parallel to the axial direction and may be inclined relative to the axial direction. Furthermore, the lift surface 54 may be a curved surface, and the guide plates 551 to 553 may be curved. The same applies to the lift surface 58 and the guide plates 591 and 592 of the return member 56.

[0075] The mounting portion 51 is not limited to the one shown in FIG. 5 . For example, the mounting portion 51 may be formed by welding a block-shaped member extending in the axial direction to the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 and drilling multiple threaded holes in the radially inward surface of the member. In this case, the guide body 53 of the guide member may have, for example, a plate-shaped portion extending perpendicular to the radial direction and in the axial direction, and the mounting holes may be formed in that portion. Depending on the thickness of the rotating cylindrical portion 11, multiple threaded holes may be directly drilled in the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 and used as the mounting portion 51. It is also possible to fix multiple bolts to the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 by welding, and use these multiple bolts as the mounting portion 51. As such, the mounting portion 51 can be realized in various ways.

[0076] The central axis J1 of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 is preferably horizontal, but may be inclined to some extent as long as the workpiece is agitated inside by rotation of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 about the central axis J1. The inclination angle of the central axis J1 with respect to the horizontal direction is preferably 10° or less. The rotating cylindrical portion 11 may be tubular with the central axis J1 as its center, and is not limited to a cylindrical shape. The supply port 111 for the workpiece of the rotating cylindrical portion 11 may be provided in various ways as long as it is provided at one end in the axial direction. Preferably, the supply port 111 is provided on the central axis J1.

[0077] The discharge outlet 112 may also be provided in various ways as long as it is provided at the other axial end of the rotating tubular portion 11. Preferably, the discharge outlet 112 is provided on the central axis J1. For example, the discharge-side annular portion 115 may be omitted, and the rotating tubular portion 11 may have an end surface perpendicular to the axial direction, with an opening on the central axis J1 of the end surface serving as the discharge outlet 112. In this case, as in the case where the discharge-side annular portion 115 is provided, it can be considered that an annular surface extending from the entire inner circumferential surface of the rotating tubular portion 11 toward the central axis J1 is provided, and the discharge outlet 112 is formed by the inner peripheral edge of the annular surface. Depending on the design of the gasification apparatus 1, the edge of the inner circumferential surface of the rotating tubular portion 11 may be the edge of the discharge outlet 112. In this case, the cross-sectional area of ​​the inner circumferential surface of the rotating tubular portion 11 perpendicular to the central axis J1 is the same as the opening area of ​​the discharge outlet 112.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the residue combustor 122 of the heating unit 12 recovers thermal energy by combusting the residue guided from the residue storage unit 162, and this thermal energy generates high-temperature gas to heat the rotary tubular unit 11. The thermal energy recovered by the residue combustor 122 may be used to heat the rotary tubular unit 11 by other methods. For example, the residue combustor 122 may be disposed below the rotary tubular unit 11, and the combustion heat may be used directly to heat the rotary tubular unit 11. The thermal energy recovered by the residue combustor 122 may also be used for other purposes. That is, the residue combustor 122 may be a component independent of the heating unit 12. In this case, the rotary tubular unit 11 is heated by another heating device without being associated with the residue combustor 122. Furthermore, only a portion of the thermal energy obtained from the residue combustor 122 may be used to heat the rotary tubular unit 11. The heating unit 12, which heats the workpieces inside the rotary tubular unit 11, may be provided in various forms.

[0079] In the above embodiment, both the pyrolysis section 151 and the reforming section 152 are indirectly heated by the high-temperature gas flowing through the cylindrical space 120. However, in the reforming section 152, which uses the heat from partial combustion of the pyrolysis gas, indirect heating by the high-temperature gas may be omitted. If the required temperature in the reforming section 152 can be ensured by indirect heating alone, partial combustion may be omitted in the reforming section 152. A reforming catalyst (e.g., a nickel-based reforming catalyst) may be installed in the reforming section 152 to perform reforming that decomposes tar in the pyrolysis gas. If a reforming catalyst (e.g., a nickel-based reforming catalyst) is installed, it is not necessary to supply steam.

[0080] In the gasification apparatus described above, the agitation unit 15 includes, in order from the supply port 111 toward the discharge port 112, a pyrolysis unit 151 and a reforming unit 152, but the agitation unit 15 does not need to be clearly divided into the pyrolysis unit 151 and the reforming unit 152. The reforming unit 152 may be omitted from the agitation unit 15, in which case the mixed gas introduction unit 14 is also omitted. The agitation unit 15 only needs to have the function of agitating the material to be treated within the rotating cylindrical unit 11, but preferably the agitation unit 15 is fixed within the rotating cylindrical unit 11, and the material to be treated is agitated by utilizing the rotation of the agitation unit 15 caused by the rotation of the rotating cylindrical unit 11 and gravity.

[0081] The reformed gas obtained by the gasification apparatus 1 may be used in a gas turbine type or a fuel cell (such as a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)) type power generation device in addition to a gas engine. The reformed gas may also be used as a fuel gas for various purposes, and may further be converted into a liquid to be used as a liquid fuel.

[0082] The configurations in the above-described embodiment and each modification may be combined as appropriate as long as they are not mutually contradictory.

[0083] While the invention has been particularly illustrated and described, it should be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative and not restrictive, and that numerous modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0084] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Gasification device 5 Residual material guiding section 10 Control section 11 Rotating cylindrical section 12 Heating section 13 Material to be treated supply section 15 Stirring section 51 Mounting section 52, 52a to 52e Guiding member 53 Guiding body 54 Lift surface 56 Return member 81 Auxiliary line 111 Supply port 112 Discharge port 115a Annular surface (of discharge side annular section) 122 Residual material combustion section 130 Material to be treated storage section 136 Imaging section 137 Pressure sensor 541 Inclined section 551 to 553 Guide plate J1 Central axis

Claims

1. A gasification device for gasifying a material to be processed, which is cylindrical with a central axis, has a supply port for the material to be processed provided at one end in the axial direction parallel to the central axis, a discharge port provided at the other end, a rotating cylindrical portion that rotates about the central axis, a stirring portion provided within the rotating cylindrical portion for stirring the material to be processed within the rotating cylindrical portion as the rotating cylindrical portion rotates, a heating portion for heating the material to be processed stirred by the stirring portion by heating the rotating cylindrical portion to generate pyrolysis gas from the material to be processed, and a residue guiding portion provided between the stirring portion and the discharge port within the rotating cylindrical portion for guiding the residue of the material to be processed that has passed through the stirring portion to the discharge port, the residue guiding portion comprising a mounting portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating cylindrical portion, and a guiding member detachably attached to the mounting portion for guiding the residue into the discharge port as the rotating cylindrical portion rotates.

2. The gasification device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge amount of the residue into the discharge port can be changed by replacing the guiding member with another guiding member having a different shape.

3. The gasification device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of mounting positions shifted in the axial direction are set in the mounting portion, and the discharge amount of the residue into the discharge port can be changed by changing the mounting position for attaching the guiding member.

4. The gasification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the residue guiding portion further comprises a returning member detachably attached to the mounting portion, the returning member is disposed between the stirring portion and the guiding member, and as the rotating cylindrical portion rotates, the returning member returns a part of the residue to the stirring portion side.

5. The gasification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the rotating cylindrical portion, an annular surface that extends from the entire circumference of the inner peripheral surface toward the central axis is provided, and the discharge port is formed by the inner peripheral edge of the annular surface, and the guiding member includes a guiding body having a lift surface that extends in the radial direction and the axial direction at the position of the mounting portion, and a guiding plate that protrudes from the lift surface of the guiding body and extends along the radial direction, and at least an inner portion in the radial direction of the guiding plate is inclined with respect to the radial direction so as to be located on the discharge port side as it goes toward the inner side in the radial direction.

6. The gasification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the rotating cylindrical portion, an annular surface that extends from the entire circumference of the inner peripheral surface toward the central axis is provided, and the discharge port is formed by the inner peripheral edge of the annular surface, and the guiding member includes a guiding body having a lift surface that extends in the radial direction and the axial direction at the position of the mounting portion, and the lift surface has an inclined portion that is inclined with respect to the radial direction when viewed along the axial direction.

7. The gasification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a workpiece supply unit that is connected to the supply port of the rotating cylindrical portion and supplies the workpiece stored in the storage unit into the rotating cylindrical portion, a detection unit that detects the inflow of the pyrolysis gas generated in the rotating cylindrical portion into the storage unit, an auxiliary line that is openable and closable and connects the storage unit and a residue combustion unit provided in the heating unit, and a control unit that opens the auxiliary line when the inflow of the pyrolysis gas into the storage unit is detected, thereby sending the pyrolysis gas from the storage unit to the residue combustion unit, and the residue combustion unit burns the residue discharged from the discharge port of the rotating cylindrical portion.

8. A gasification device for gasifying a material to be processed, which is cylindrical with a central axis, has a supply port for the material to be processed provided at one end in the axial direction parallel to the central axis, a discharge port provided at the other end, a rotating cylindrical part that rotates around the central axis, a material supply part connected to the supply port of the rotating cylindrical part for supplying the material to be processed stored in a storage part into the rotating cylindrical part, a stirring part provided in the rotating cylindrical part for stirring the material to be processed in the rotating cylindrical part when the rotating cylindrical part rotates, a heating part for heating the material to be processed stirred by the stirring part by heating the rotating cylindrical part to generate pyrolysis gas from the material to be processed, a detection part for detecting the inflow of the pyrolysis gas generated in the rotating cylindrical part into the storage part, an auxiliary line that is openable and closable and connects the storage part and a residue combustion part provided in the heating part, and a control part for sending the pyrolysis gas from the storage part to the residue combustion part by opening the auxiliary line when the inflow of the pyrolysis gas into the storage part is detected. The residue combustion part burns the residue of the material to be processed discharged from the discharge port of the rotating cylindrical part.

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