| 主权项 |
1. An integrated plant to generate syngas from biomass, comprising:
a source of biomass; a source of steam; a steam explosion unit having an input cavity configured to receive the biomass as a feedstock from the source of biomass, two or more steam supply inputs configured to receive steam from the source of steam, and two or more stages operably coupled with each other, where a first and second stage each have at least one of the steam supply inputs, where the two or more stages are configured to pre-treat the biomass for subsequent supply to a biomass gasifier, where the stages are configured to use a combination of heat, pressure, and moisture that are applied to the biomass to make the biomass into a moist fine particle form, where the first stage of the steam explosion unit has a first steam supply input, where the first stage of the steam explosion unit is configured to use the combination of the heat, the pressure, and the moisture to break down a bulk structure of the received biomass, at least in part, by applying steam from the first steam supply input of the steam supply inputs to begin degrading bonds between lignin and hemi-cellulose from cellulose fibers of the biomass and increase a moisture content of the received biomass, and where the second stage of the steam explosion unit has a second steam supply input, where the second stage of the steam explosion unit is configured to apply steam at at least ten times atmospheric pressure from the second steam supply input of the steam supply inputs to heat and pressurize any gases and fluids present inside the biomass to internally blow apart the bulk structure of the received biomass via a rapid depressurization of the biomass with the increased moisture content and the degraded bonds, where the first and second stages cooperate with one another to produce, from the biomass, the moist fine particle form having average dimensions of less than 70 microns thick and less than 500 microns in length, and those produced moist fine particles of biomass are adapted for subsequent feeding to a feed section of the biomass gasifier operably coupled downstream from the stages; and where the biomass gasifier has a reactor vessel configured to react the biomass in moist fine particle form with a decreased particle size due to being blown apart by the steam explosion unit, where the biomass gasifier has a third steam supply input and one or more heat sources, and in the reactor vessel, in the presence of the steam from the third steam supply input and heat from the heat sources, the biomass in fine particle form is adapted to react in a rapid biomass gasification reaction to produce at least syngas components, including hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO), where the steam explosion unit and the biomass gasifier are part of the integrated plant. |
