Patent ID: 8528490

Claim:
A method of operating a biomass gasification system using biomass material containing silica, said method comprising the steps of: feeding a volume of biomass containing silica into a primary combustion chamber; combusting said biomass within said primary combustion chamber creating a primary combustion of said biomass resulting in a producer gas having a first flow rate; agitating said biomass within said primary combustion chamber during said combusting said biomass; adding oxygen to said producer gas forming a gas-oxygen mixture; transferring said producer gas with said oxygen to a secondary combustion chamber at a second flow rate, wherein said step of adding oxygen to said producer gas occurs prior to said producer gas entering said secondary combustion chamber; combusting said producer gas and said oxygen within a secondary combustion chamber fluidly connected to said primary combustion chamber creating a secondary combustion having a temperature of at least 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit thereby liquefying silica, wherein a volume of liquid silica forms on the inner walls of said secondary combustion chamber and is collected in a silica collector positioned at the bottom of said secondary combustion chamber; conducting heat from said secondary combustion with a heat exchanger fluidly connected to said secondary combustion chamber, wherein said heat exchanger utilizes a liquid within to conduct the heat from said secondary combustion; and utilizing the heated liquid from said heat exchanger to produce electricity or in a thermal application.