Waste to fuel system
A waste to fuel system is disclosed that provides for simplified pyrolysis and cracking of useful hydrocarbons from waste by using molten salt as a heat transfer medium in the pyrolysis stage and using molten salt mixed with catalyst in the cracking stage.
1. A system for converting waste to fuel, the system comprising:
a premix chamber where waste is mixed with paraffin to create a slurry;
a pyrolysis chamber comprised of an upper pre-melt chamber and a lower pyrolysis chamber:
the upper pre-melt chamber receiving the slurry from the premix chamber which is heated to a point where some of the slurry begins to vaporize and the remainder of the slurry is melted;
the lower pyrolysis chamber receiving the melted slurry from the upper pre-melt chamber which is further heated to temperatures sufficient to vaporize most of the slurry, except for some remaining asphalt tars and biochars;
a molten salt catalyst chamber where vapors from the pyrolysis chamber are pulled through a column of molten salt mixed with a catalyst, removing oxygen from the vapors and cracking long carbon chain hydrocarbons into shorter carbon chain hydrocarbons, creating cracked vapors; and
a plurality of distillation chambers separate the cracked vapors into paraffin, heavies, water, lights, and syngas.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the lower pyrolysis chamber uses molten salt as the primary heat transfer medium.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the paraffin from at least one of the distillation chambers is fed into the premix chamber.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the waste is one of:
waste plastic;
paper and plastic municipal solid waste;
biomass; and
organic municipal solid waste.
5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:
a centrifugal cleaner that removes particulates from the heavies and lights;
a mixer for mixing a ratio of heavies and lights to create diesel fuel, renewable crude or other renewable petroleum products.
6. A system for converting waste to fuel, the system comprising:
a premix chamber where waste is mixed with paraffin to create a slurry;
a pyrolysis chamber comprised of an upper vapor chamber and a lower molten salt chamber:
the vapor chamber receiving the slurry from the premix chamber which is heated to a point where some of the slurry begins to vaporize and the remainder of the slurry is melted;
the molten salt receiving the melted slurry from the upper pre-melt chamber which is further heated to temperatures sufficient to vaporize most of the slurry, except for some remaining asphalt tars and biochars;
a molten salt catalyst chamber where vapors from the pyrolysis chamber are pulled through a column of molten salt mixed with a catalyst, removing oxygen from the vapors and cracking long carbon chain hydrocarbons into shorter carbon chain hydrocarbons, creating cracked vapors; and
a plurality of distillation chambers separate the cracked vapors into paraffin, heavies, water, lights, and syngas.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein:
the molten salt chamber contains molten salt heated by airtubes and troughs running through the molten salt that contain the melted slurry.
8. The system of claim 6 wherein:
the paraffin from at least one of the distillation chambers is fed into the premix chamber.
9. The system of claim 6 wherein:
the waste is one of:
waste plastic;
paper and plastic municipal solid waste;
biomass; and
organic municipal solid waste.
10. The system of claim 6 further comprising:
a centrifugal cleaner that removes particulates from the heavies and lights;
a mixer for mixing a ratio of heavies and lights to create diesel fuel, renewable crude or other renewable petroleum products.