摘要 |
Charges of finely comminuted solid fuel particles are admitted into an oxygen-containing gasification chamber through a system of locks having an uppermost bunker which is maintained at atmospheric pressure, an intermediate bunker wherein the pressure alternately rises and drops, a lowermost bunker wherein the pressure is always above atmospheric, a metering device which connects the lowermost bunker with the gasification chamber, a pipe which can supply compressed inert gas into the intermediate bunker after the latter has received a charge of fuel particles from the uppermost bunker but before the intermediate bunker is respectively sealed from the uppermost bunker and connected with the lowermost bunker, and a pipe which evacuates compressed gas from the intermediate bunker subsequent to transfer of a charge into the lowermost bunker. The thus evacuated compressed gas is fed to a pneumatic conveyor which supplies charges of fuel particles from a main source to the uppermost bunker while the latter is sealed from the intermediate bunker. The gas evacuating pipe can contain a storage tank for compressed gas so that the admission of fuel particles into the uppermost bunker can be timed independently of the gas pressure in the intermediate bunker. |