A new CO conversion quench reactor design

Syntheses downstream of coal gasifiers face specific requirements regarding syngas quality. High sypgas H-2/CO ratios are a typical requirement. A new quench concept for entrained-flow gasifiers has been developed in order to increase the H-2/CO ratio within the quench vessel and thereby minimize efforts in the subsequent catalytic water-gas shift reaction (WGSR). To achieve this target, steam instead of water will be injected into the quench chamber to realize CO conversion via homogeneous WGSR. The concept allows a flexible mode of operation, such as full or partial water quenching with subsequent waste heat utilization for high and medium pressure steam production. This allows self-sufficiency in terms of steam and additionally offers the potential to increase the overall plant efficiency. To test the concept, three different syngases from various feedstock and two inlet design configurations will be investigated using CFD and compared to one other. The numerical setup has been validated against gasification reactor measurements and simulation, respectively. A sensitivity analysis shows the performance and flexibility of the proposed concept. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.