Direct steam heating and cooling of reactor vessel containing substrate

摘要

This method heats and cools a reactor vessel (12, 14), using hot steam. It is filled with a substrate, e.g. building materials to be processed, and steam-heated for time T1, to state N1, with associated low pressure- and temperature levels. A steam generator (20) then fills the vessel, to arrive at higher state N2. The reactor vessel to be emptied is cooled over interval T2. The steam is passed to a storage vessel or accumulator (42) above a third state N3, its corresponding temperature- and pressure levels lying below those of N1. In this original process, cooling interval T2 is shorter than heating interval T1. Also claimed is plant supplying steam to a reaction vessel, containing essentially the equipment described, with ancillaries and interconnecting pipework.