Patent ID: 7815876

Claim:
A reactor pump for catalyzed hydrolytic splitting of cellulose, comprising: (a) a pump comprised of (i) a pumping chamber having a feedstock opening for receiving feedstock; (ii) a cylinder configured to extend from an upstream opening to a downstream end of the pumping chamber; (iii) the extending cylinder configured to compress the feedstock in the pumping chamber against compressed feedstock in a reactor; (iv) the cylinder, upon reaching the downstream end, configured to retract from the downstream end to the upstream opening; and (v) the cylinder configured to cyclically continue its extension and retraction; (b) a reactor comprised of a transition segment and a reaction chamber, (i) the transition segment located between the downstream end of the pumping chamber and the inlet of a reaction chamber; (ii) the transition segment having an inlet smaller than the outlet; (iii) the reaction chamber having an inlet substantially the same size as the outlet of the transition segment and a discharge outlet smaller than the inlet of the reaction chamber; (iv) the reactor having a means for heating the compressed feedstock in the reaction chamber; and (c) whereby the compressed feedstock in the transition segment and the reaction chamber forms a feedstock plug, the feedstock plug cooks as the plug moves downstream under pumping pressure of the pump, and the cooked portion of the plug exits the discharge outlet as a liquefied slurry.