Toroidal pyrolysis chamber arrangement and related systems and methods
A pyrolysis chamber arrangement includes a pyrolysis chamber, a solid feed system and inner and outer heating elements. The pyrolysis chamber defines a toroidal passage extending along a chamber axis between inlet and outlet ends. The solid feed system includes an auger and ram assembly operable to supply particulate feedstock to the toroidal passage at the inlet end. The inner and outer heating elements extend outside inner and outer walls of the toroidal passage, respectively, and supply thermal input therethrough. An inner passage can be defined in the pyrolysis chamber, allowing gas or other pyrolysis to be accomplished simultaneously with the pyrolysis in the toroidal chamber.
1 . A pyrolysis system comprising:
a pyrolysis chamber having a chamber inlet end and chamber outlet end, said pyrolysis chamber comprising,
an outer pyrolysis chamber having inner and outer chamber walls formed generally concentric to each other defining an outer passage as a toroidal passage extending between the chamber inlet end and chamber outlet end along a chamber axis,
an inner pyrolysis chamber having an inner passage radially inward of the inner chamber wall and extending between the chamber inlet and outlet ends along the chamber axis,
a plurality of outer heating elements arranged at the outer chamber wall,
a plurality of inner heating elements arranged at the inner chamber wall, and
an inner auger arranged within the inner passage and operable to remove deposits therefrom, and wherein the inner pyrolysis chamber, inner heating elements, outer pyrolysis chamber and outer heating elements are generally concentric; and
a solid feed system including:
an auger located within an auger housing having distal end connected to the chamber inlet end and having a housing inlet for receiving particulate feedstock; and
an auger motor operable to rotate the auger to advance the particulate feedstock from the housing inlet to the chamber inlet end and into the toroidal passage;
a ram drive operable to translate the auger back and forth within the auger housing along a longitudinal axis defined by the chamber, wherein a radial dimension of teeth of the auger is less than or equal to a radial dimension of the toroidal passage; and
wherein each of the plurality of heating elements has an active region and of equal length, and different portions of the active regions of the plurality of heating elements have different lengths, the active regions of each of the different portions of heating elements each terminating an equal distance from the chamber outlet end.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of heating elements are arranged around inner and outer chamber walls of the pyrolysis chamber and located radially inward and outward of the toroidal passage, respectively.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein more of the plurality of heating elements are located radially outward of the toroidal passage than radially inward.
4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the pyrolysis chamber is formed as a unitary solid.
5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the pyrolysis chamber is formed of a ceramic material.
6 . The system of claim 2 , wherein an inner passage is defined within the inner wall extending between the chamber inlet and outlet ends along the chamber axis.
7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the inner passage is concentric with the toroidal passage.
8 . The system of claim 7 , further comprising a gas feed system operable to supply a controllable flow of gas to the inner passage.
9 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a toroidal auger arranged in the toroidal passage and operable to advance pyrolyzing feedstock therethrough.
10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of heating elements are electrical resistance heating elements.
11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of heating elements has a pair of inactive regions arranged on opposite ends of the active region.