Concentric Coal Feeding System for Entrained Flow Gasification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coal feeding systems in entrained flow gasifiers face challenges in preventing direct contact between pulverized coal and oxygen, leading to potential risks and maintenance issues due to erosion from moving parts and elbows.
Innovation Solution
A vertically oriented coal feeding system using concentric separate pipes to separately spray pulverized coal and oxygen directly to the reactor upper level, employing an ejector principle with a screw feeder and ultrasonic sensor for controlled coal flow, and separate air/nitrogen and oxygen supply to prevent mixing until the reactor entrance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If coal and oxygen are fed separately through separate pipes, then safety is improved by preventing direct contact, but device complexity increases due to multiple concentric pipes and flow control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the feeding process into separate streams: coal is fed through the inner concentric pipe while oxygen is fed through the outer concentric pipe. This segmentation allows independent control of each stream and prevents unwanted contact until the reactor, resolving the safety concern while managing complexity through functional separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested concentric pipes where the inner pipe (for coal) is positioned within the outer pipe (for oxygen). This nesting arrangement efficiently delivers two separate feeds through a single vertical structure, achieving safety through separation while minimizing the increase in device complexity by sharing the same spatial envelope.
2Ease of repair
If moving parts and elbows are eliminated, then maintenance is reduced, but device complexity changes due to the vertical direct-feed structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates problematic components such as elbows, valves, and moving parts from the coal and oxygen feeding paths. By using direct vertical feeds from bunkers through concentric pipes to the reactor, the system removes erosion-prone elements, significantly reducing maintenance requirements while simplifying the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using horizontal feeds with elbows and directional changes, the patent inverts the approach by using vertical direct feeds. Coal and oxygen are delivered straight down through concentric pipes without lateral movements, eliminating the need for elbows and reducing maintenance needs.
3Reliability
If coal is fed as slurry with water, then feeding reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases due to high pressure pump requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of coal from slurry (coal + water) to dry pulverized coal. This parameter change eliminates the need for high-pressure slurry pumps and associated energy consumption while maintaining feeding reliability through gravity-assisted vertical delivery and controlled release mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively prevents direct contact between coal and oxygen, reduces maintenance by eliminating erosion-prone components, and ensures controlled coal feeding and gasification efficiency by maintaining separate paths for coal and oxygen until they meet at the reactor entrance, enhancing safety and operational reliability.
Implementation Method 1
another one is feeding the coal as fluidized state with a carrier gas at the pressurized bunkers
Implementation Method 2
In atmospheric gasifiers coal is generally transferred to the reactor with a pneumatic transfer method
Implementation Method 3
employing an ejector principle with a screw feeder and ultrasonic sensor for controlled coal flow
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
This invention is about a coal feeding system (1) which feeds pulverized coal and oxygen separately and vertically through concentric pipes directly to the upper level of the reactor (R) at entrained flow gasification systems. The system (1) consists a top intake (2), a side intake (3), an air supply chamber (4), an oxygen port (5), an ultrasonic sensor port (6), an inner concentric pipe (7), and an outer concentric pipe (8). The system (1) also operates with a coal bunker (K), a screw feeder (B) for adjusting the coal mass flow rate from the coal bunker (K) through the coal feeding system (1) to the reactor (R), and a reactor (R) where the coal are sprayed from the coal feeding system (1) and gasified at high temperatures.