Apparatus and method for solar coal gasification

Patent · Tue Oct 21 04:00:00 EDT 1980

OSTI ID:6465187

Gregg, D W

Apparatus for using focused solar radiation to gasify coal and other carbonaceous materials. Incident solar radiation is focused from an array of heliostats onto a tower-mounted secondary mirror which redirects the focused solar radiation down through a window onto the surface of a vertically-moving bed of coal, or a fluidized bed of coal, contained within a gasification reactor. The reactor is designed to minimize contact between the window and solids in the reactor. Steam introduced into the gasification reactor reacts with the heated coal to produce gas consisting mainly of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, commonly called ''synthesis gas'', which can be converted to methane, methanol, gasoline, and other useful products. One of the novel features of the invention is the generation of process steam at the rear surface of the secondary mirror.

• Assignee: Dept. of Energy
• Patent Number(s): US 4229184
• OSTI ID: 6465187
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140505* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photochemical
Photobiological
& Thermochemical Conversion-- (1980-)
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
FLUIDIZED BED
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GASES
GASIFICATION
HELIOSTATS
MATERIALS
MIRRORS
OPENINGS
RADIATIONS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR RADIATION
STEAM
STELLAR RADIATION
SYNTHESIS GAS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WINDOWS