Patent ID: 9139791
Filing Date: 2015-09-22
Classification: B02C,C01B,C10G,C10J,C10L,Y02E,Y02P,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A device for production of comminuted fuel particles whereby refractory bonds are substantially absent from said particles and said particles are capable of being combusted, liquefied or gasified essentially without forming refractory bonds, wherein the device comprises: a) a housing defining an interior reaction chamber; b) an apparatus for introduction of fuel particles to the interior chamber; c) a source of superheated steam or of another gas as a milling medium, wherein the milling medium is substantially free of oxygen gas; d) optionally an apparatus for dehydrating or semi-dehydrating the fuel particles before their introduction to the interior chamber; e) optionally an apparatus for de-aeration of fuel particles before their introduction to the interior chamber; f) a plurality of nozzles through which the steam or other milling medium may be injected at a decompression ratio of at least 1.5:1, wherein the plurality of nozzles is oriented within the chamber in a manner capable of providing a shear field having a spiral flow and capable of providing vortexes of steam, and wherein: g) a means for entraining the introduced fuel particles within the shear field and vortexes after formation of that shear field and vortexes by spray from the nozzles, whereby the entrained particles may be ground by the shear field and whereby essentially all of the grinding is conducted in the shear field, essentially without refractory bond formation, and whereby the ground particles may be classified by the vortexes; and h) a hydration-modulating unit comprising a means for excluding ambient oxygen gas and also comprising: