Patent ID: 9567543
Date: 2017-02-14
CPC Classifications: C10B,C10L,Y02E

Claim:
1. A process for converting a carbon-containing compound to product gas fuel and solid char fuel, comprising: inputting solid carbon-containing feedstock into a substantially horizontal sublimating reaction chamber largely contained within a hot box and configured to be able to heat from an ambient temperature to an operating sublimation temperature, operate at a sublimation temperature, and cool from a operating sublimation temperature to an ambient temperature without leaking any hot product gas fuel from the reaction chamber into the hot box or atmosphere, or leaking any oxygen from outside the hot box into the hot box wherein the substantially horizontal reaction chamber comprises two or more horizontal passages in communication with each other in series, and the first powered transport mechanism has a part of a shaft that extends outside each horizontal passage and the hot box, the system, further comprising an adjustable sealing element located outside the hot box at the region of a hot box surrounding a collar about the extended part of the shaft of the first powered transport mechanism and configured to prevent the adverse entry from outside the hot box of external oxygen entering the hot box during changing temperatures of startup and shutdown operations, and during steady-state sublimation operation; heating solid carbon-containing feedstock to a sublimating temperature before it is able to form a liquid phase; maintaining the temperature at a sublimation temperature for a residence time that is as long a time as needed to convert the carbon-containing feedstock to product gas fuel and solid char fuel; and separating the product gas fuel from the solid char fuel.