The present invention relates to a fuel gas generator. More particularly, the present invention relates to an automated feeding system for a fuel gas generator that utilizes two different types of plasma arc torches.
Plasma is a partially ionized gas. Plasma has traditionally been used in the semiconductor industry to deposit etching, ion implantation and surface treatment materials.
In other industries, plasma arc torches have been conceived for cutting and melting materials.
A need has long existed for a plasma generator that can cut and melt waste materials and provide a process for the recovery of product from those waste materials, such as hydrogen gas, molten metal or other material.
Recently, a fuel gas generator was invented which could be used to recover enough hydrogen from the process to run steam boilers that in turn ran steam turbines and produced power. However, this generator needed an automatic feed handling system to keep production of the steam consistent. In addition to being automated, the feed handling system needed to be inexpensive, and capable of withstanding the intense heat produced by the fuel gas generator.
An object of the present invention is to provide a feeding system for a fuel gas generator that can be used to produce electricity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a feeding system for a fuel gas generator that combines the advantages of an automated system with the advantages of being inexpensive to build, modular in construction and inexpensive to operate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a feeding system for a fuel gas generator that can adjust to the size of the material being handed and in particular can handle various bales of waste material quickly and easily.
The present invention provides a feeding system for a fuel gas generator system for producing hydrogen gas, wherein the generator comprises a vessel consisting of a front, a back, bottom, a first side, a second side, a third side and a feed ramp, a moveable non-transferred torch disposed in at least one side of the vessel for contacting waste in the vessel forming molten material. The generator also has a moveable transferred torch for contacting the molten material disposed in at least one side of the vessel. Further the generator has at least one steam injector disposed in at least one side of the vessel and at least one molten material outlet disposed in the back of the vessel. Additionally, a gas outlet is disposed in the third side of the vessel for transferring gas from the vessel to a dry scrubber. The dry scrubber has a dry scrubber outlet to which a wet scrubber is connected. The wet scrubber receives gas from the dry scrubber scrubs the gas and passes the gas to a wet scrubber outlet to connect to a steam boiler or turbine to produce power.
More specifically, the present invention is a feed system comprising: a sealable double walled container having an outer topside and an inner topside. The outer topside has a first rail, a second rail and a door for slidable engaging the first and second rails. The container has an outer first container side, an inner first container side, an outer second container side, an inner second container side, an outer container back, an inner container back, an outer container bottom, and an inner container bottom. The container outer and inner backs each have an outer back hole and an inner back hole. The outer back and inner back holes are aligned together forming a passageway. The double wall construction comprises a space of between one-half inches to 2-inches in width.
Further, a piston penetrates the outer back and inner back holes. The piston is connected to a plate moveably disposed in the container. At least two spring-loaded door locks are connected to the topside of the container. Each door lock is disposed adjacent to the door for locking the door. At least two spring-loaded sealing locks are mounted on the vessel of the generator system for locking the sealable opening. The piston is connected to the sealable opening locks to unlock all locks and to apply pressure to retract the plate to a position against the back revealing a loading chamber. Waste is then loadable into the loading chamber.
A second piston connects to the door locks to unlock and retract the door for loading waste. At least one inert gas injector is mounted to at least one side or to the bottom of the container for flooding the loading chamber with inert gas, such as nitrogen. A liquid cooling system is used disposed in the space created by the double walls of the container. Finally a controller is used for operating the locks, door and sealable opening of the automated feed system.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings, given by way of illustration only and thus not intended to be limitative of the present invention.
Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments and that it can be practiced or carried out in various ways.
The invention is shown in more detail in
Also in
Continuing in
At least one steam injector (32) is contemplated to be disposed in at least one side of the vessel (10) however, two or more steam injectors are contemplated as usable in the invention. The steam is used to not into introduce water into the generator vessel (10) to keep material from sticking to the side walls of the vessel, but it is also used as a source of hydrogen, that is, the water of the steam is then separated by the heat of the plasma treatment process and used, with the heated waste material to produce hydrogen gas which is a useful gas for running the steam boilers which in turn run the steam turbines and produce power of this system.
Additionally, at least one molten material outlet (34) is located in the back of the vessel (10) for removing molten steel, or other molten metal. Since one of the waste material components is contemplated to be tires, and tires traditionally have steel belts, as the rubber of the tires is melted, it is expected that the metal steel, will separate from the rubber forming the metal of the molten material pool of the vessel (10).
To remove the hydrogen gas so produced, it is contemplated that at least one gas outlet (36) is disposed in the third side (22) of the vessel for transferring gas from the vessel to a dry scrubber (38). More than one outlet could be used to maximize the capacity of the generator to produce hydrogen. The gas flows into the dry scrubber, is treated in the conventional manner and flows, as to the dry scrubber outlet (42) (See
It is also contemplated, as shown in
Looking again at
Once again returning to
The power supply is contemplated to be a DC-power supply for the torch.
The waste treatable in the system can be a member from the EPA category of MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE, SPECIAL WASTE comprising tires and medical waste or HAZARDOUS WASTE or combinations thereof.
The molten material for the generator is contemplated to be steel, carbon or combinations thereof. The molten material outlet (34) (See
In one embodiment, the gas outlet has an outer diameter between 4 and 6 inches and is externally cooled, such as water-cooled.
It is also contemplated that the vessel has at least five insulating walls disposed adjacent the sides of the vessel as shown in
The novel feed system for this generator system of this invention is shown in more detail in
In
The piston (142) penetrates the holes (140) and (141), as shown in
At least two spring loaded door locks (143 and 145) connect to the topside. Each door lock is adjacent to the door for locking the door in a closed position. At least two spring-loaded sealing locks (147 and 149) are mounted on the vessel for locking the sealable opening, such as in a closed position.
A second piston (146) is connected to the door locks to unlock and retract the door for loading waste.
At least one inert gas injector (150) is mounted to at least one side or to the bottom of the container for flooding the loading chamber with inert gas, which assists in the movement of the gas and increases safety of the system to prevent “back burning” of fire from the generator as the waste is loaded into the chamber. This inert gas insertion technique into the loading chamber of the automatic feeding system (24) (See
Additionally, a liquid cooling system (152) is disposed in the space created by the double walls of the container to keep the feeding system cool and safe to work with for the operators and owner of the generator.
In a preferred embodiment, the liquid cooling system uses water as the cooling carrier.
In another preferred embodiment the feeding system can utilize at least one pneumatic piston, or a hydraulic piston or a mechanical piston as at least one of the pistons of the system. It is contemplated that a combination of these types of pistons could be used and controlled by the controller (164).
In a preferred embodiment, it is contemplated that for the feed system the sealable opening of the vessel is a locking sliding door. The locks of the system, such as for the sliding door are contemplated as being hydraulic locks and operable by the same controller (164) or by an independent controller.
In still another embodiment, it is contemplated that the feed system the door and the sealable opening are hydraulically actuated.
For the gas injectors mounted in the container, it is contemplated that at least two could be used, one on each side of the container and the inert gas that they inject could be nitrogen, argon, helium, carbon dioxide or combinations thereof.
In still another embodiment of the feed system it is contemplated that the container top side, first rail, second rail, door, first container side, second container side, container back, container bottom are all made from an at least one-inch thick metal alloy, such as carbon steel and its alloys, stainless steel and its alloys, titanium and its alloys, or combinations thereof.
As to dimensions of the feed system, it is contemplated that the plate has dimensions of 30-inches by 50-inches by 60-inches and the plate has a thickness between one-half inch and 2-inches. The plate could be made from a flame sprayed coating disposed on all sides of the plate, and this coating could be a ceramic coating, such as one capable of resisting heat up to 12,000 degrees Celsius. The piston is preferably connected to the plate at the center of the plate and the piston has an overall length from between 10 and 400 feet. In one embodiment, the piston is a solid rod.
As to size, the feed system container preferably has an outside height between 12 feet and 400 feet, a length between 10 feet and 400 feet, and a width between 5 feet and 400 feet. More preferably the feed system container has a height between 12 feet and 18 feet, a length between 10 feet and 30 feet, and a width of between 5 feet and 14 feet
It is contemplated that the waste for use in the feed system is either EPA category of MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE, SPECIAL WASTE including tires and medical waste, or HAZARDOUS WASTE.
It is contemplated that for the feed system the controller is a computer based electro-mechanical device for controlling the pistons
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of this invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of this invention and its practical application to thereby enable those skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the present invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled
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