Patent ID: 8821599

Claim:
A chemical plant, comprising: a source of biomass particles; a source of carrier gas; a heat source; a thermal receiver having an inner cavity with cavity walls which is configured to receive concentrated energy from the heat source to cause a radiant heat within the inner cavity; a radiant heat driven chemical reactor comprising multiple reactor tubes, each reactor tube having an outer wall; and wherein the outer walls of the multiple reactor tubes are comprised of material configured to 1) segregate the particles of biomass being gasified in an endothermic gasification reaction environment from an atmosphere of the inner cavity and 2) transfer energy exchanged with the inner cavity by primarily absorption and re-radiation, as well as secondarily through convection and conduction to the reacting particles to drive the endothermic gasification reaction of the particles of biomass flowing through the multiple reactor tubes; wherein the multiple reactor tubes are fluidly connected to the source of biomass particles and the source of carrier gas such that the particles of biomass are gasified in a presence of the carrier gas in the endothermic gasification reaction to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide products at an exit temperature from the multiple reaction tubes exceeding 1000 degrees C.; wherein the cavity walls and the multiple reactor tubes are made of materials configured to allow the particles of biomass to achieve a high enough temperature necessary for substantial tar destruction to less than 200 mg/m^3 and gasification of greater than 90 percent of a carbon content of the particles of biomass into reaction products including the hydrogen and the carbon monoxide gas in a residence time of greater than 0.01 second; wherein at least two of the multiple reactor tubes are materially made of refractory ceramics or metals, wherein the material of the refractory ceramics or the metals chosen have a chemical stability and a strength suitable for operation at temperatures between 1000-1600 degrees C., corrosion and abrasion resistance rates suitable for the operation at the temperatures between 1000-1600 degrees C., a radiation emissivity (ε) greater than 0.8, a thermal conductivity greater than 1 W/m-K, and be suitable for operation at pressures up to 75 PSIG; and wherein the material chosen for the multiple reactor tubes is selected from the group of materials, individually or in combination, including silicon-carbide, silicon-carbide coated graphite, Tungsten, molybdenum, mullite, zirconia, molybdenum with Aluminum Sulfide, Sintered submicron silicon carbide powder, ceramic matrix composites including melt infiltrated SiC/SiC, high aluminum content nickel-base alloys, and refractory ceramics including aluminum oxide (Al203).