Method of Producing Liquid Fuel from Carbonaceous Feedstock through Gasification and Recycling of Downstream Products
A feedstock delivery system transfers a carbonaceous material, such as municipal solid waste, into a product gas generation system. The feedstock delivery system includes a splitter for splitting bulk carbonaceous material into a plurality of carbonaceous material streams. Each stream is processed using a weighing system for gauging the quantity of carbonaceous material, a densification system for forming plugs of carbonaceous material, a de-densification system for breaking up the plugs of carbonaceous material, and a gas and carbonaceous material mixing system for forming a carbonaceous material and gas mixture. A pressure of the mixing gas is reduced prior to mixing with the carbonaceous material, and the carbonaceous material to gas weight ratio is monitored. A transport assembly conveys the carbonaceous material and gas mixture to a first reactor where at least the carbonaceous material within the mixture is subject to thermochemical reactions to form the product gas.
1 .- 22 . (canceled)
23 . A refinery system comprising:
a feedstock delivery system configured to accept a feedstock comprising a carbonaceous material and to process the feedstock to yield a carbonaceous stream comprising at least some of the carbonaceous material;
a product gas generation system configured to accept at least a portion of the carbonaceous stream into one or more reactors and to react the carbonaceous material in the carbonaceous stream with steam, an oxygen-containing gas, carbon dioxide, or a combination thereof to yield a first product gas;
a primary gas clean up system configured to accept the first product gas and to remove one or more of solids, semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC), volatile organic compounds (VOC), or solvent from the first product gas to yield a second product gas;
a secondary gas clean up system configured to accept the second product gas and to remove carbon dioxide from the second product gas to yield a carbon dioxide depleted product gas and a stream of carbon dioxide;
a synthesis system configured to accept the carbon dioxide depleted product gas and to catalytically synthesize a synthesis product and a tail gas from the carbon dioxide depleted product gas; and
an upgrading system configured to accept the synthesis product and to generate an upgraded product and off-gas from the synthesis product.
24 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the feedstock delivery system is further configured to accept a mixing gas and to combine the mixing gas and the feedstock, and wherein the carbonaceous stream further comprises the mixing gas.
25 . The system of claim 24 , wherein the stream of carbonaceous material comprises a plurality of streams.
26 . The system of claim 24 , wherein the mixing gas comprises carbon dioxide, and optionally wherein the carbon dioxide comprises at least a portion of the stream of carbon dioxide from the secondary gas clean up system.
27 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the product gas generation system is configured perform one or more of steam reforming, water-gas shift, dry reforming, or partial oxidation thermochemical processes.
28 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the product gas generation system is configured to accept fuel from a downstream gas clean up system, the synthesis system, or both.
29 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the product gas generation system is configured to accept carbon dioxide from the secondary gas clean up system.
30 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the product gas generation system comprises one or more of a first reactor, a second reactor, and a third reactor.
31 . The system of claim 30 , wherein the first reactor comprises a fluidized bed, a heat exchanger, or a particulate heat transfer material.
32 . The system of claim 31 , wherein a first reactor heat exchanger is in thermal contact with the first reactor.
33 . The system of claim 30 , wherein the second reactor comprises a fluidized bed, a heat exchanger, or a particulate heat transfer material.
34 . The system of claim 33 , wherein a second reactor heat exchanger is in thermal contact with the second reactor.
35 . The system of claim 30 , wherein the third reactor comprises a burner.
36 . The system of claim 35 , wherein a third reactor heat exchanger is in thermal contact with the third reactor.
37 . The system of claim 23 , wherein at least a portion of the stream of carbon dioxide from the secondary gas clean up system is recycled to the product gas generation system.
38 . The system of claim 23 , wherein at least a portion of the tail gas is recycled to the product gas generation system.
39 . The system of claim 38 , wherein at least a portion of the tail gas is provided as an input to a heat exchanger of the product gas generation system or as an input to a burner of the product gas generation system.
40 . The system of claim 23 , wherein at least a portion of the off-gas is recycled to the product gas generation system.
41 . The system of claim 40 , wherein at least a portion of the off-gas is provided as an input to a heat exchanger of the product gas generation system or as an input to a burner of the product gas generation system.