Apparatus and method for solar coal gasification

Patent · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:863686

Gregg, David W ^[1]

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1. Moraga, CA

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.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4229184
• OSTI ID: 863686
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/48/126/203/422/518/
apparatus
array
bed
called
carbon
carbon monoxide
carbonaceous
carbonaceous material
carbonaceous materials
coal
coal gas
coal gasification
commonly
consisting
contact
contained
converted
designed
features
fluidized
fluidized bed
focused
gas
gasification
gasification reactor
gasify
gasoline
generation
heated
heliostats
hydrogen
incident
incident solar
introduced
mainly
materials
methane
methanol
method
minimize
mirror
monoxide
moving bed
novel
process
produce
produce gas
products
radiation
reactor
reacts
rear
rear surface
redirects
secondary
secondary mirror
solar
solar coal
solar radiation
solids
steam
surface
synthesis
synthesis gas
tower-mounted
useful
useful products
vertically-moving
window