Appeal No. 2000-1032
Application No. 08/795,878
27. In a molten metal bath apparatus for decomposing
carbon and hydrogen-containing feed and producing
hydrogen, said apparatus comprising:
a gas-impermeable vessel having, a molten metal bath
within the bottom of said vessel, means for defining a
feed chamber within said vessel for dissolving carbon
from said feed, an outlet means defining an outlet
chamber within said vessel, a gas phase above said molten
metal bath, a baffle means within said vessel having a
lower portion in said molten metal bath and separating
said feed chamber from said outlet chamber; the
improvement comprising:
a burner within said vessel having a combustion
chamber opening through a nozzle at one end of said
burner, means for supplying an oxidant under pressure to
said combustion chamber, means for supplying said carbon
and hydrogen containing feed to said combustion chamber
for combustion
under pressure in said burner and for discharging
products of combustion under pressure including carbon
soot from said combustion chamber through said nozzle as
a high velocity stream and means for directing said high
velocity stream into said vessel, against said molten
metal bath for causing penetration of said carbon soot
therein, wherein said products of combustion further
include at least CO and wherein said soot dissolves in
2
said molten metal and said CO disassociates in the molten
2
metal; molten metal circulates under said baffle means
into the outlet chamber and therein produces H and CO
2
recoverable for fuel gas or synthesis purposes, wherein
said vessel is of upright U-shape in elevation having
walls, wherein said burner is mounted to one end of said
U-shaped vessel, with the nozzle thereof opening inwardly
of the vessel, downwardly and discharging the products of
combustion vertically downwardly so as to penetrate the
surface of said molten metal bath in the bottom of the
vessel, wherein an opposite end of said U-shaped vessel
has coaxially coupled thereto a gas outlet line, and
wherein the walls of said U-shaped vessel constitute said
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Last modified: November 3, 2007