Pyrolysis and gasification process and apparatus

摘要

A method of adjusting the temperature of a gasifying agent comprising steam used in the gasification step of a two-stage pyrolysis and gasification process for converting solid carbonaceous materials into heat energy, comprises dividing a supply of a gasifying agent (8) which consists of or comprises steam into two streams hereinafter referred to as a first stream and a second stream; passing only said first stream (9) through a conduit which is heated by the secondary combustion of the off gases from pyrolysis and gasification; and recombining said first and second streams before the combined stream is passed into the zone in which gasification takes place; the proportion of said first and second streams being adjusted so as to achieve a desired combined stream temperature prior to entry into the gasification zone.