Patent ID: 7909899

Claim:
An automated method for converting a solid, carbonaceous material to a low tar fuel gas within a downdraft gasification reactor chamber, comprising: introducing the carbonaceous material into the chamber; transforming a first portion of the carbonaceous material into a char material at a flaming pyrolysis zone; controlling a plurality of temperatures along a length of the chamber by injecting oxidizing gas at more than two levels in the gasification reactor chamber, wherein: the oxidizing gas is injected through a plurality of injection tubes that protrude radially through the gasification reactor chamber walls into the interior of the gasification reactor chamber, the plurality of injection tubes protrude radially into the interior of the gasification reactor chamber at varying distances from the gasification reactor chamber walls, each injection tube of the plurality of injection tubes comprises a plurality of nozzles through which the oxidizing gas is delivered, and the plurality of injection tubes inject oxidizing as into the interior of the gasification reactor chamber at varying distances from the gasification reactor chamber walls; controlling an amount of the oxidizing gas injected from at least one of the more than two-levels; varying a location of the flaming pyrolysis zone within the chamber by increasing or decreasing an amount of oxidizing gas injected upstream or downstream of the pyrolysis zone; controlling a porosity of the char material and a second portion of the carbonaceous material in the gasification reactor chamber by applying at least one force to the chamber; and converting the char material and the second portion of the carbonaceous material to the low tar fuel gas within the gasification reactor chamber.