Side feed/centre ash dump system

1. An apparatus for gasifying solid fuel, said solid fuel including solid organic materials comprising:

a primary oxidation chamber defined by a top, a bottom and sides, and having an inner surface lined with a refractory material to promote catalytic oxidation of the solid organic materials;

at least one inlet opening in one of said sides for infeed of said solid fuel into said primary oxidation chamber;

a storage container for storing the solid fuel;

transfer means connecting said storage container with said at least one inlet opening and for transferring in an upwardly inclined direction the solid fuel from said means for storing the solid fuel through said inlet opening into said primary oxidation chamber to form an upwardly mounted fuel bed of the solid fuel including the organic materials on said bottom of said primary oxidation chamber, wherein said transfer means includes a hydraulic ram feeder and a compression tube, said hydraulic ram feeder driving fuel from said means for storing the solid fuel into said compression tube thereby compacting said fuel;

means for supplying an oxidant into said primary oxidation chamber to gasify the solid organic materials to produce gasified organic materials including a first gaseous effluent, thereby leaving a residue of said solid fuel;

cooperating with the primary oxidation chamber, a means for removing said first gaseous effluent from said primary oxidation chamber;

at least one opening in said bottom of said primary oxidation chamber, said at least one opening having mounted thereunder means for the removal of said residue, said means for the removal of said residue includes a walking-floor feeder wherein a reciprocating rack having upstanding rigid members is seated on, and slides reciprocally relative to, said bottom so as to urge said residue out from underneath said fuel bed; and

wherein said reciprocating rack reciprocating linearly from a first position adjacent a first side of said primary oxidation chamber to a second position away from said first side.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein when in said second position, said reciprocating floor extending out through an opening in a second side of said primary oxidation chamber, said second side being opposite said first side.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said transfer means further includes a fuel removal means for removing the fuel from said storage means and for transferring the fuel to said hydraulic ram feeder adjacent said inlet opening of said primary oxidation chamber.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said transfer means further includes a diverging chute connected at a narrower end to said compression tube, and at an opposite, diverging end to said inlet opening, compacted fuel from said compression tube being driven into and through said diverging chute and into said primary oxidation chamber by said hydraulic ram feeder.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said compression tube and said diverging tube being lined with refractory material.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of perforated air distribution conduits for supplying an oxidant into said fuel bed to gasify the solid organic materials to produce gasified organic materials including a first gaseous effluent from the fuel bed, thereby leaving a residue of said fuel.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said plurality of individually spaced perforated air distribution conduits extending longitudinally across a fuel bed cavity in said primary oxidation chamber, at least one of said plurality of perforated air distribution conduits positioned above and in spaced separation from the bottom of said fuel bed cavity and through said fuel bed, adjacent to fuel driven upwardly into said fuel bed through said inlet opening, so as to introduce air into said interior of said fuel bed to thereby promote evenly distributed gasification, evenly distributed through said fuel bed.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said at least one of said plurality of perforated air distribution conduits being positioned below said inlet opening.