Patent ID: 7258841

Claim:
A reactor for gasifying granular fuels, the reactor comprising: a casing provided in an upper portion with a vertical annular wall and a partition defining with the wall a generally closed annular chamber; means including a reservoir holding the granular fuel and opening into the casing within the annular wall for forming in the casing below the partition a fixed bed of the granular fuel having an upper surface spaced below the partition; means for introducing an oxygen-containing gasification medium into the bed below the surface thereof such that the gasification medium moves up through the fixed bed of granular fuel and creates an endothermic reaction in the fixed bed with partial oxidation of the bed and the creation of a product gas containing hydrogen and carbon oxides rising from the surface of bed, whereby the product gas entrains particles upward from the surface out of the fixed bed into a generally empty region below the partition, above the upper surface, and outside the annular wall; at least one centrifugal separator in the casing and at least partially imbedded in the bed for separating particles from the product gas, the separator having an upper inlet opening in the empty region above the fixed bed of granular fuel for taking in the particle-laden product gas coming from the fixed bed of granular fuel, an outlet for product gas projecting through the partition and opening into the annular chamber, and a lower solid discharge opening directly into the fixed bed below the surface thereof; and means including a discharge duct connected to the annular chamber above the surface and via the chamber to the outlet of the separator for withdrawing the product gas from the casing.