Patent ID: 6030587
Filing Date: 2000-02-29
Classification: A62D,B01J,C02F,Y02P

Abstract:
A pressurized reactor for supercritical water oxidation, comprising:a pressure vessel for containing a fluid and capable of operating in excess of a supercritical temperature and a supercritical pressure of said fluid, said vessel further comprising a shell and a cap portion, said portions fitting together to enclose an interior space, said portions having interior and exterior surfaces and a common longitudinal axis, said interior space having a center point;an oxidizer, said oxidizer mixed with said fluid;an electrical heating means;a hollow protuberance located in at least one of said portions, said protuberance formed along said common axis and projecting into said interior space, said protuberance having an end closed to said interior surface and an end open to said exterior surface, said protuberance receives said electrical heating means, said electrical heating means heats said fluid in a first zone surrounding said interior center point; andmeans for cooling said vessel exterior surface, thereby cooling said interior surface and creating a second zone in said fluid along said interior surfaces wherein said fluid exists in a subcritical state, said heating means and said cooling means creating a density gradient in said fluid and thereby cause a steady state convective circulation to form in said fluid.