AU2012101017A4 - Lance feeder for metallurgical and gasification application - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract Lance Feeder for metallurgical and gasification application 5 The application provides a metallurgical lance. The metallurgical lance has an inner conduit through which one or more feed material can be fed, an outer conduit which extends around the inner conduit, wherein a multiplicity of flat-plate baffles are adapted to be attached between the freeboard space between inner conduit and outer conduit, and at least a portion of the exterior wall surface of outer conduit is coated with a fused refractory material and arranged to be exposed to 10 heat flux, and freeboard space between inner conduit and outer conduit is in fluid communication with one or more coolant circuit to introduce and direct the flow of a determined coolant fluid from one or more coolant circuit into freeboard space between inner conduit and outer conduit so as to transfer heat flux from exterior wall surface of outer conduit to determined coolant fluid, multiplicity of flat-plate baffles are perforated with a plurality of holes and further arranged to 15 cause non-linear flow of determined coolant fluid in freeboard space between inner conduit and outer conduit. (Fig. 1) >< ->c: -+ -* N ;4 4 ~ " "'""'~~ 43 7Zf6F~YFbI - 4 4 44 '4 " - 'tour 4 44444 4.. \~' ________________________9__) /34 4t

Description

C; 1111" 0 18 At.,1 Lance Feeder for metallurgical and gasification application FIELD OF THE INVENTION 5 This invention relates to a lance feeder device for metallurgical apparatus and processes, such as lances for use in metallurgical processes, the invention also relates to a lance feeder device for gasification processes, including gasification processes using molten metal contained in a metallurgical vessel or crucible for generating product syngas from a multitude of feed material and with methods of cooling such lances. 10 The syngas generated from the gasification processes utilizing the lance feeder device can be deployed for downstream application such as electric power generation, or chemical upgrading into one or more determined syngas-derived product. 15 DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART In many metallurgical applications, which utilize high temperature furnaces or reactors or molten salt baths, there is a requirement to introduce heat through combustion or the feed of reactants. The furnace environment is subject to very high heat flux. 20 Most conventional furnaces have combustion systems which are often refractory-lined combustion chambers, in which gaseous, liquid or solid fuels are combusted together with air or an oxidant such as oxygen or oxygen-enriched air. Normally, a combustion system is mounted in the freeboard or combustion space above the working bath or melt and the heat flux by radiation from the furnace 25 environment back to the combustion chamber is accommodated by virtue of the flow of the combustion reactants through the burner together with the use of suitable refractory materials or by using water-cooled metals for the combustion parts. In other metallurgical operations it is desirable to contact the melt more efficiently and use the 30 combustion products or potential reactants within the metallurgical bath, both augmenting heat and mass transfer. In this instance, the combustion system has to accommodate the heat flux from the melt itself, plus potential corrosive effects due to the chemistry of the slag, matte or metal that is present. Further, there is a need to overcome any back pressure effects due to the hydrostatic head created by the melt. 35 In the steel industry it is common to use lances for the injection of gases or reagents into the melt. Such lances frequently involve the use of refractory-coated steel tubes down which a gas such as 2GK. 01.8 AU 2 nitrogen, argon or oxygen passes at high velocity (with or without solid reagents). These lances eventually corrode, melt or fail and are considered consumable. In another type of furnace, common in the non-ferrous metal industry, it is desirable to contact reactants of a gaseous nature with the melt. Specially designed tuyeres, or tubes, are used which are mounted flush with the refractory of 5 the vessel to minimise the impact of the corrosive melt and its temperature on the materials of construction of the infection tube itself. Alternatively, some metallurgical converters use water cooled lances, but generally only in the free-combustion space, not in the submerged melt, or sometimes submerged but flush with the refractory wall. Traditionally, there has been a resistance to the use of water cooling for submerged lance devices, especially where they actually enter the 10 melt, due to the potential hazard from fracture of a cooling jacket and the consequent vapour explosion. Yet, to accommodate the high heat fluxes within a melt, it is necessary to ensure that the lance materials are adequately cooled. One way of achieving this has been to use a cooling oil which 15 passes through a metal annulus and both cools the metal of the lance and enters the melt. The latent heat of evaporation of the oil creates local cooling of the injector or nozzle. Another alternative for such an injector/nozzle or lance is to use methane gas as a coolant. This so-called shrouded-tuyere arrangement takes advantage of the cooling gas flow through a narrow annulus at high velocity directly into the melt. One obvious disadvantage of this is that the melt is contaminated with the oil 20 or methane gas, which may not always be desirable. Another disadvantage, in the case of oil as a coolant, is that pyrolytic cracking or coking of the injector assembly may occur with subsequent blockage and ultimate failure of the assembly. Careful arrangements have to be made to ensure that there is no back flow of the melt into the gas or oil passageways and elaborate mechanical arrangements have to be made for their start-up. 25 Combinations of ceramic-coated cooling systems have been applied where water is used in either a jacket or a coil to ensure the integrity of the metal (steel) inner surfaces. This arrangement has the potential risk of fracture of the ceramic and leakage and subsequent explosion of the cooling fluid within a melt. To obviate some of these problems, totally gas-cooled lances have been developed in 30 which the reactants, typically air and oil, or air and combustible gas or solid fuel, are passed through the lance directly into a melt. These lances have been applied in a number of non-ferrous metals applications where the slag itself forms a refractory coating on the lance. This approach is valid when the slag-forming constituents of the melt are satisfactory for making an adhesive slag with suitable thermal properties, but leads to a number of significant disadvantages. 35 Gasification is a process in which combustible materials are partially oxidized or partially combusted. The product of gasification is a combustible synthesis gas, or syngas.

2G1HK. 018 AU 3 Gasification technology has, for example, been actually utilized in a power plant integrated with coal gasification units, etc, with being oxygen or highly oxygen-enriched air is supplied to a coal gasification plant as a gasifying agent. However, consumption of the generated electric power in an 5 auxiliary facility including an oxygen plant for producing such a gasifying agent is highly energy intensive. The gasification reaction typically involves delivering feed, free-oxygen-containing gas and any other materials to a gasification reactor which is also referred to as a "partial oxidation gasifier reactor" or simply a "reactor" or "gasifier." Because of the high temperatures utilized, the gasifier is lined with a refractory material designed to withstand the reaction temperature. 10 The feed and oxygen are intimately mixed and reacted in the gasifier to form syngas. While the reaction will occur over a wide range of temperatures, the reaction temperature which is utilized must be high enough to melt any metals which may be in the feed. If the temperature is not high enough, the outlet of the reactor may become blocked with unmelted metals. On the other hand, the 15 temperature must be low enough so that the refractory materials lining the reactor are not damaged. Gasification systems and their associated gasifier apparatus have generally fallen into one of three classifications as follows: (1) updraft gasification; (2) downdraft gasification; and (3) crossdraft gasification. Under each classification a column of the solid fuel to be gasified is developed in a 20 reactor or stack and air is passed through the column. As the fuel gasification proceeds the column gradually moves downwardly within the reactor or stack into a lower hearth zone. The air stream can be led in the same direction as the direction of fuel movement (downdraft gasification) or led in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the descending fuel column (updraft gasification). If the air stream traverses the descending fuel column crossdraft gasification is 25 promoted. Each method allows the fuel to gradually enter the hearth zone where highest temperature conditions subsist. In the basic form of an updraft gasification system the fuel column rests on a grate through which a stream of air and steam passes. Above the grate a hearth zone develops with a reduction zone, a 30 distillation zone and a drying zone lying sequentially above the hearth zone within the fuel column. The product gas is drawn off above the fuel column after having transferred some of its heat to the fuel in the distillation and drying zones in the upper part of the column. Only tar free fuels such as charcoal or anthracite are suitable for updraft gasification systems. If the fuel contains tar, as do wood, peat, lignite, etc., the tar is gasified and carried off with the syngas generated through the 35 gasification system. A tar separator is then required to prevent the tars from fouling or otherwise adversely affecting downstream equipment.

2GIK 0 18 AU) 4 In downdraft gasifiers such as US Patent 4428308, US Patent 4306506, the air stream enters the system in the area of the hearth zone (usually through nozzles arranged circumferentially or through a central nozzle) and draws all of the gaseous fuel components down into the hearth zone, there to enter into the gasification reactions. Tars and moisture are exposed at high temperature to the 5 carbon in the hearth zone and undergo partial combustion and partial dissociation so that the final syngas leaving the system is tar free. Downdraft gasification systems have developed a characteristic funnel shaped constriction of the hearth at or just below the entry of the air stream. The hearth constriction or throat causes a localized increase in the air flow velocity which in turn causes localized high temperature conditions for conversion of the tars into their gaseous 10 components. Downdraft gasifier operation is generally unsuitable for fuels with high ash content because the high temperatures generated in the throat section of the hearth cause sintering of the ash into a slag which is difficult to remove and causes functional problems in the system. In crossdraft gasification 15 air is introduced through a small diameter high velocity nozzle and is projected across the fuel column to achieve a hearth zone of small volume but of very high temperature. Tar dissociation is limited because of the small hearth zone that is developed and therefore low tar fuels are preferred for crossdraft gasification. 20 Various entrained flow gasifiers are known, such as US Patent 4531949, a common problem for instance, is that the biomass materials are not prepared in a sufficiently contained area to prevent discharging of odours into the surrounding enviromnent. Further inefficiencies arise when the biomass material is not prepared, gasified and subsequently completely combusted in a single environment with appropriate feedback and interaction between the various stages of the process. 25 In U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,080 a coal gasification process is described which may be performed in a gasification reactor as above. This publication describes that a layer of slag will form on the membrane wall during gasification of coal. This layer of slag will flow downwards along the inner side of the membrane wall. The Shell Coal Gasification Process also makes use of a gasification 30 reactor having a pressure shell and a membrane walled reaction zone according to " Gasification" by Christofer Higman and Maarten van der Burgt, 2003, Elsevier Science, Burlington Mass., pages 118-120. According to this publication the Shell Coal Gasification Process is typically performed at 15000 C. and at a pressure of between 30 and 40 bar. The horizontal burners are placed in small niches according to this publication. 35 In the Shell Coal Gasification Process at the lower end of the above disclosed pressure range. It is however desirable to operate a gasification reactor at higher pressures because, for example, the 2GHIK 018 AU 5 size of the reactor (diameter and/or length) can then be reduced while achieving the same capacity. Generally, the granulated ash or fully molten slag is cooled by injecting water and is collected in bulk form in a water bath, discharged from the pressure system through pressure lock hoppers and 5 disposed of, or processed, into building materials. Such type methods and apparatus are described in European Patent No. EP 0 545 241 BI and German Patent No. DE 4 109 231. EP 0 545 241 BI describes a method for thermal utilization of waste materials, combining actually known process steps such as pyrolysis, comminution, classification, gasification and gas purification in which CO and H2 containing gas and a slag are formed in a gasification reactor, the slag granulating upon 10 contact with water and being discharged from the gasification reactor. Molten bath gasifiers are also widely known for more than 50 years such as US Patent 4496369, US Patent 418672, it is well known in the art that in molten bath gasifiers, molten metal reactors utilizing a single reaction zone, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,496,369, 4,511,372, 4,574,714 and 15 4,602,574, may be deployed to gasify hydrocarbons. By operating in a single reaction zone, all of the above-mentioned gasifiers produce a single mixed-gas product in which the hydrogen and carbon monoxide are combined. In the German Letters Patent No. 1,915,248, carbon fuel containing sulfur and preheated air are 20 laterally introduced into a molten iron bath, through the walls of the stationary reactor using lances. During the operation of a stationary reactor, difficulties can arise--particularly when nozzles are arranged in the bottom area of the reactor for introduction of the carbon fuel and air instead of the lances described above. Due to the gasification process, such nozzles tend to burn or wear off, or 25 become corroded. In order to maintain efficient reactor operation, these nozzles must be occasionally cleaned or replaced. However, in order to clean or replace a malfunctioning bottom nozzle, a stationary reactor must be taken out of operation and be emptied of its molten metal. This naturally is costly in and of itself and additionally results in the loss of a great deal of operating time. These same difficulties also ensue when repairing other damage such as wash-outs or 30 corrosion of the fireproof cladding of the reactor, particularly in the area of the phase boundary. Rasor (in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,187,672 and 4,244,180) describes a hydrocarbon gasification process in which solid hydrocarbons such as coal are lowered onto the surface of a molten iron bath zone in which high temperature cracking of the hydrocarbons into lighter molecular weight materials takes 35 place and residual carbon is dissolved in the molten iron. The gaseous cracked hydrocarbon products are removed via outlets in the shaft through which the feed hydrocarbon solids drops onto the molten iron. The molten iron containing dissolved carbon is transferred to a second molten iron 2G111-K O , A1.1 6 zone in which an oxygen-containing gas is introduced to convert the carbon into carbon monoxide and raise the temperature of the iron for transfer back to the feed zone. The carbon monoxide is further oxidized above the molten iron bath and heat is recovered via a boiler or similar system. Sulfur in the feed is removed via slag formation on top of the molten iron. 5 Tyrer (in U.S. Pat. No. 1,803,221) and Nixon (in U.K. Patent 1,187,782) describe in general terms two-zone gasifier processes that have the potential to produce a high-purity hydrogen-rich gas by introducing the hydrocarbon feed below the surface of the molten iron, thereby minimizing the production of cracked products. However, by operating at atmospheric pressure, these molten-metal 10 gasifier processes produce hydrogen-rich and carbon monoxide-rich gases at atmospheric pressure, when in fact most industrial processes require that such gases be available at higher pressures, such as 5 to 100 atmospheres absolute or higher. U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,657 issued to Knuppel et al. is directed to a process and an apparatus for 15 gasifying sulphur-bearing coal in a molten iron bath. Reportedly, hot liquid slag is transferred from the iron bath to a second vessel in which the slag is desulfurized by contact with an oxygen containing gas, and then returned to the iron bath for reuse. An article by L. Meszaros and G. Schobel in British Chemical Engineering, January 1971, Volume 20 16, No. 1 describes a molten-bed reactor having a molten lead bath which facilitates the simultaneous oxidation and decarboxylation of furfurol to produce furan. Furfurol and air were reportedly bubbled through molten lead in stoichiometric ratio from a common furfurol-air inlet system and, alternatively, from a separate furfurol inlet and air inlet system. The article states that the method is useful for the partial oxidation of hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, and for the 25 decomposition of natural gas and gasoline. U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,666, issued to Paschen et al., is directed to a device for the gasification of carbon-containing material in a molten metal bath process to obtain the continuous production of a gas composed of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The '666 Patent states that gaseous carbon 30 materials as well as gases containing oxygen can be introduced into the reactor below the surface of the molten metal bath. The molten metal reportedly consists of molten iron, silicon, chromium, copper, or lead. A method for converting carbon-containing feed, such as municipal garbage or a hydrocarbon gas, 35 to carbon dioxide is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,304 issued to Nagel. The carbon-containing feed and oxygen are introduced to a molten metal bath having immiscible first and second molten metal phases. The '304 Patent states that the feed is converted to atomic carbon in the bath, with the 2G1K 018 Au 7 first metal phase oxidizing atomic carbon to carbon monoxide and the second metal phase oxidizing carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide. Heat released by exothermic reactions within the molten bath can reportedly be transferred out of the molten system to power generating means, such as a steam turbine. 5 U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,668 issued to Erickson presents a process for producing a hydrogen rich gas such as hydrogen, ammonia synthesis gas, or methanol synthesis gas. In the process, steam, carbon dioxide, or a combination of the two is reportedly reacted with a molten metal to produce a molten metal oxide and a gaseous mixture of hydrogen and steam. The '668 Patent states that the steam 10 portion of the gaseous mixture can be condensed and separated to produce a relatively pure hydrogen stream. The molten metal oxide is said to be regenerated for further use by contact with a reducing gas stream containing a reformed hydrocarbon gas, such as reformed methane. When methanol is a 15 desired product, appropriate amounts of carbon dioxide and steam are reportedly reacted with the molten metal, whereby CO 2 is reduced to CO and H 2 0 is reduced to H 2 to produce a methanol synthesis gas. Alternatively, the '668 Patent states that the relatively high purity hydrogen stream can be subsequently reacted with CO 2 in a reverse water shift reaction to produce a methanol synthesis gas. 20 The use of molten salts in the combustion and gasification of carbonaceous materials is known. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,737 to Birk, directed to a method for producing heat, discloses carrying out the combustion of carbonaceous materials in a molten salt medium in the form of an alkali metal carbonate melt containing a minor amount of alkali metal sulfate or sulfide. In such 25 combustion reaction, the combustion of the oxygen and carbon occurs indirectly, as described in the above patent, and the alkali metal carbonate, such as sodium carbonate, provides a compatible salt medium at practical operating temperatures, retains heat for conducting the combustion reaction, and also reacts with and neutralizes acidic or undesirable pollutants such as sulfur-containing gases which are formed during'combustion of carbonaceous materials, e.g. coal, containing impurities 30 such as sulfur and sulfur-bearing compounds. A similar reaction in such molten salt medium is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,270 to Birk et al, directed to a method of pyrolyzing carbonaceous material. A carbonaceous feed is thermally decomposed in a pyrolysis zone by heating it in the absence of oxygen to form char and a gaseous 35 effluent. An optional steam input for gasification of the char material may also be utilized. In a heat generation zone, carbon and oxygen are reacted to forn carbon dioxide to provide heat for the pyrolytic decomposition reaction.

2GHK 0 18 AU 8 In both of the above patents the reaction in the alkali melt is carried out to maximize heat generation so that the reaction product principally contains CO 2, and also N 2 where air is the source of oxygen. Thus, in these patents, particularly U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,737, it is noted that carbon monoxide formation is undesirable, and although provision is made for a separate furnace or burner 5 to combust any carbon monoxide present, carbon monoxide is stated to be a minor product of the reaction. The above patents point out that an excess of carbon is used, i.e., an amount of oxygen less than that stoichiometrically required for complete oxidation of the carbonaceous material is present in 10 the melt, so that under steady-state operating conditions the sulfur present in the melt is maintained substantially all in the sulfide form. These conditions are employed in these patents not for purposes of obtaining incomplete combustion and formation of carbon monoxide, but in a manner so that substantially complete 15 combustion of the char or coal to CO 2 is achieved with as little production of CO as possible. Thereby a maximum amount of heat is obtained from the char or coal, most of this heat.being generated in the molten salt. The combustion and gasification of coal and other impure carbon containing fuels by carbonization 20 and solution of the carbon in molten iron and its oxidation therein is known as a general process. The state of the prior art in this regard is set out, for example, by J. A. Karnavas, et al, in "ATGAS- Molten Iron Coal Gasification", 1972 AGA Synthetic Pipeline Gas Symposium, Chicago, Ill., Oct. 30, 1972, as well as in Pelczarski, et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,526,478 and 3,533,739. 25 U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,128 discloses combustion of carbonaceous fuel dissolved in a molten salt to produce heat which may be used to generate steam to drive power turbines. U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,527 discloses the cracking and dispersion of heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks in molten alkali metal carbonate baths followed by gasification of the dispersed material by contacting 30 with oxygen, steam, or CO 2 at 30000 F. Cracking and combustion occur in separate vessels. U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,127 discloses a means of sulfur removal from carbonaceous fuel during combustion. Fuel, a collector, and oxygen are introduced into a molten bath of salt. The collector forms a sulfur compound which is insoluble in molten salt. 35 U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,620 discloses the cooling of the outer metal shell of a molten metal bath by circulation of fluid through a plurality of passages within the shell. A layer of refractory material 2G IK 0.18 AUJ 9 lies between the bath and the outer metal shell. Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in 5 the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as "about," is not limited to the precise value specified. In some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value. In some instances, the term about can denote a value within a range of ±10% of the quoted value. 10 The indefinite articles "a" and "an" as used herein mean one or more when applied to any feature in embodiments of the present invention described in the specification and claims. The use of "a" and "an" does not limit the meaning to a single feature unless such a limit is specifically stated. The definite article "the" preceding singular or plural nouns or noun phrases denotes a particular specified feature or particular specified features and may have a singular or plural connotation 15 depending upon the context in which it is used. The adjective "any" means one, some, or all indiscriminately of whatever quantity. The term "and/or" placed between a first entity and a second entitymeans one of (1) the first entity, (2) the second entity, and (3) the first entity and the second entity. 20 Terms "heating value," "calorific value," "caloric value," are interchangeably used within this description. Feed, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, may refer to coal, biomass, municipal solid waste, refuse-derived fuel (RDF), industrial waste, sewage, raw sewage, peat, scrap rubber, 25 shale ore, tar sands, crude oil, natural gas, low-BTU blast furnace off-gas, flue gas exhaust, or a combination thereof. Refuse-derived fuel (RDF), which is generally produced by shredding municipal solid waste, consists largely of organic components of municipal waste such as plastics and biodegradable 30 waste. Non-combustible materials such as glass and metals are removed mechanically and the resultant material compressed into pellets, bricks, or logs and used for conversion to combustible gas, which can itself be used for electricity generation or the like. Coal refers to a common fossil fuel, the most common classification is based on the calorific value 35 and composition of the coal. Coal is of importance as a fuel for power generation now and in the future since there are a lot of coal reserves, and the coal reserves are hardly unevenly distributed over the world.

2CIK 01 8.AU 10 ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standard D388 classifies the coals by rank. This is based on properties such as fixed carbon content, volatile matter content, calorific value and agglomerating character: Broadly, the coals can be categorized as "high rank coal" and "low rank coal," which denote high-heating-value, lower ash content and lower heating value, higher ash 5 content coals, respectively. Low-rank coals include lignite and sub-bituminous coals. These coals have lower energy content and higher moisture levels, 10 High-rank coals, including bituminous and anthracite coals, contain more carbon than lower-rank coals and correspondingly have a much higher energy content. Some coals with intermediate properties may be termed as "medium rank coal." The term biomass covers a broad range of materials that offer themselves as fuels or raw materials and are characterized by the fact that they are derived from recently living organisms (plants and animals). 15 This definition clearly excludes traditional fossil fuels, since although they are also derived from plant (coal) or animal (oil and gas) life, it has taken millions of years to convert them to their current form. Thus the term biomass includes feeds derived from material such as wood, woodchips, sawdust, bark, seeds, straw, grass, and the like, from naturally occurring plants or 20 purpose grown energy crops. It includes agricultural and forestry wastes. Agricultural residue and energy crops may further include husks such as rice husk, coffee husk etc., maize, corn stover, oilseeds, cellulosic fibers like coconut, jute, and the like. Agricultural residue also includes material obtained from agro 25 processing industries such as deoiled residue, gums from oil processing industry, bagasse from sugar processing industry, cotton gin trash and the like. It also includes other wastes from such industries such as coconut shell, almond shell, walnut shell, sunflower shell, and the like. In addition to these wastes from agro industries, biomass may also include wastes from animals and 30 humans. In some embodiments, the biomass includes municipal waste or yard waste, sewage sludge and the like. In some other embodiments, the term biomass includes animal farming byproducts such as piggery waste or chicken litter. The term biomass may also include algae, microalgae, and the like. Thus, biomass covers a wide range of material, characterized by the fact that they are derived from recently living plants and animals. All of these types of biomass contain carbon, 35 hydrogen and oxygen, similar to many hydrocarbon fuels; thus the biomass can be used to generate energy.

2GH K 018 AU 11 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A metallurgical lance having an inner conduit allowing the flow of one or more feed materialand an outer conduit arranged around the inner conduit thereby forming a free space interposed between 5 inner conduit and outer conduit (also referred to as freeboard space), a coolant fluid circuit in fluid communication with the freeboard space between inner conduit and outer conduit to allow for the introduction of a coolant fluid such as fluid water to flow into the freeboard space in a non-linear fluid flow path. 10 The fluid water or coolant fluid is injected with a determined volume of gas such as air, and metallurgical lance is further adapted to include a multiplicity of baffles made up of flat-plate bars each having a plurality of holes to cause hydrodynamic turbulence during non-linear fluid flow of coolant fluid in freeboard space. 15 Metallurgical lance feeder tube assembly is plasma polymer coated for added surface strength including the baffle plates. Reference to article on typical plasma coating heat coefficient is temperature dependent between 0.58 to 0.62 W.m-l.K-1. The subsequent turbulence and bubble coalescence results in partial evaporative cooling between 20 the baffles and the coolant fluid thereby improving the overall thermal load carrying capacity of the lance during deployment and application. Generally, when a single bubble rises due to the buoyancy force, the pressure at the lower surface of the bubble is higher than that at the top surface of the bubble. A vortex sheet developed at the surface of the bubble has a sense of rotation, which induces a tongue of liquid that pushes into the bubble from below. Deformations of the bubble 25 occur. For multiple bubbles, similar behaviour is expected but the deformation and fragmentation of surfaces are much more complex - when they start to rise, two bubbles become ellipsoids due to a pressure difference between the top and bottom surfaces of the bubbles. Discontinuous fluid properties in a flow system can produce a complex flow structure with rich 30 physical length scales, which presents both computational and experimental challenges. Numerically, a robust algorithm for solving multi-phase flows with an accurate representation of interfaces is required to accommodate the complex topological changes in bubble coalescence. The feeder tube internal partition plates are with 5mm diameter perforated holes (baffles in the form 35 of flat plates) for generation of bubbles and are injected from external air/gas source, boiling theory is used to compute the air flow via convection of these cooling air stream.

2(31HK 018 AU 12 Reaction scheme and modeling Heat dissipation at the feeder tube (Steady-state condition): 5 Heat dissipated by cooling tower = Heat load on the feeder tube + Heat load of slurry - heat loss via bubbling convection. Qct = Qftc + Qslurry - Qhz 10 Heat is generated at the furnace, gasifier crucible or a combination thereof depending on its chosen application, and the metallurgical lance is cooled by: (1) by coolant fluid in the 2 pass arrangement via fluid flow in freeboard space containing the multiplicity of baffles; 15 (2) boiling / bubbling air via the perforated plates. The cooling fresh water (as one selected to be the coolant fluid) is pumped at 100 mA3/hr to the cooling tower at inlet temperature to the feeder tube at 25 deg C, considering the affected pool 20 boiling / bubbling air and confining to gravitational field with solid surface conditions, we positioned the bubbling at the nucleate boiling zone (see below figure) and use of bubble-induced convection cooling. Based on analysis of the global reaction parameter incorporating petcoke, coal, biomass feeds, the 25 main reactions are hereby provided: Feeds with high volatile content: CH 4 + 12 0 2 -> C 0 + 2 H 2 30 CH4 + H20 -> CO + 3H2 Global rate limiting parameters: 35 H2+0.502-+H20 CO+H20 +4C02+H2 2G1 [1KI 0.1 KAI 13 Dependence on temperature during gasification would provide the following reactions having: C(s) + 0.502 (g) -> CO (g) 5 C(s)+ H20 (g) -CO (g) + H2 (g) C(s) + C02 (g) -> 2CO (g) Therefore, Typical gasification reactions of coal/biomass can be represented by the following 10 equations: Coal -> Char(C)+CH 4 +H 2 +CO (1) C+O 2 -> CO 2 (2) 15 C+CO 2 -> 2 CO (3) C+H 2 -> H 2 +CO (4) 20 CO+H 2 0 -+CO 2 +H 2 (5) The pyrolysis reaction (1) and the shift reaction (5) take place relatively rapidly and the combustion reaction (2) is completed in very short time. But the reactions (3) and (4) are slow in reaction rate compared with the rest of the reactions and take much time for gasification. Therefore the 25 improvement in gasification efficiency depends on how to make the reactions (3) or (4) faster. The reaction rate in the reaction (3) or (4) is influenced by the reaction temperature, partial pressures of gasifying agents, properties of coal particles, etc. According to the gasification processes mentioned above, optimum conditions are not always employed, -so that char is discharged from a gasifier. 30 Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) determination of the above reaction parameters are based on the following well-known conservation equations for mass.and momentum, expressing mass conservation by; 5 (A) 35 2G1K 0 18 AU 14 and fluid momentum conservation by; I(UJ+ a fUJ - P + a , + p g (B) 5 where p 1 is fluid density, Ur is fluid velocity, p is fluid pressure, g is the specific gravity and -,is the fluid stress tensor. When the fluid stress tensor r is known, such as for a Newtonian fluid, the single-phase flow can be predicted by numerical solution of (A) and (B). In the various embodiments of this invention a mixture of steam, air/oxygen and biomass/coalwood 10 particles are approximated in the CFD numerical calculation as follows: In one configuration, the feed in the form of crushed or pulverized particles are entrained within a carrier gas such as steam, oxygen, air, or a combination thereof into contact with the melt via at least one lance device/apparatus. 15 Based on the selected Eulerian representation of (the wood/biomass/coal particles dispersed in a fluid containing steam-vapor droplets), given by the equations (A) and (B). The flow phase is represented as a continuous field. 20 Transport equations for the phases appear from volume averages of the fluid and particles in a control volume (within the gasification zone of the gasifier). For a gas-particle system typical transport equations that appear are for mass conservation: 25 -pa, p)1 a ± ,(cxUj- 0 C and for fluid momentum: a aU (p a +,afUjU p iay + paafg,+aepv -U.) (D) The volume fraction of fluid a and the inter-phase friction factor 6 (drag term) appear from the 30 volume averages of (A) and (B).

2GIIK 0 18 AU 15 For particle mass balance: 5 and for particle momentum: at pp' x. aaa pa + -- +papg -a p pa +aPU,-V F a, aJ Jx x 10 a, is the volume fraction of particles. Because of inter-particle collisions and momentum exchange due to collisions both the solids pressure p and the solid particle internal stress rj, is included in the equations. The velocities are now averages from small control volumes and are no longer the instantaneous 15 velocities given in the equations (A) and (B). In a swarm of large particles the fluid velocity close to the particle surface is very different from the volume-averaged velocity. However, the effects of the local variations will in practice only affect the interphase transfer terms such as drag and mass transfer. 20 In another reactor configuration, where the feed is injected into contact with the melt from below its surface by means of one or more conduits such as tuyeres, fluid dynamics would have to be expressed in the general form of: d #dV= = dV+ f 0Q-i )indA VrVof > f '60 dV+ # -bindA d dt Vcv (=) Acv (=1 0 ) VCv cv 25 Note that F may be mass, momentum, or energy in a control mass CM, and A continuity equation is the mass balance (dmcm/dt=O) for a d V system; 30 R+pV-i =0 Dt 2GI K 018 AU 16 The momentum equation is the linear-momentum balance (d (mi)M /dt =F= , + P), applied to a dV system; with b = pi; we get from the generalized equation above, using the convective derivative: 5 pDi; d(pi) 5 Dt t +V+ (pv )=V + pg =-V (ppgz)+V -r where r is the stress tensor (such that the force per unit area of normal vector ii is f = 7. i), g is any volumetric force field (e.g. gravity), p is fluid pressure (one third of the trace of the stress tensor), and F' the viscous component of the stress tensor. 10 The energy equation should be expressed as follows: Energy balance (d (me)cM / dt =Q + W) for a dVsystem; with #=pe: DT 15 pc, =-V-q+aTDp/Dt+T':Vv Dt The above is expressed in terms of temperature of the melt. The multiphase approach outlined above can be easily modified to suit the reactor (gasifier) 20 operating pressure and the flow field fluid velocity (thus the gasification agent superficial gas velocity), providing a highly flexible and scalable means to perform gasification of the coal/biomass/wood particles in numerous gasifier configurations such as an entrained flow burner or a melt bath (molten iron) gasifier. 25 In another embodiment of this invention, some common metal reduction-oxidation reactions can be generalized as follows: 3Fe2O3 + CO -* 2Fe3O4 + C02 30 Fe304 + CO -+ 3FeO + C02 FeO + CO -+ Fe + CO2 Iron as a selected gasification medium: 2G(H.K. 01. SAU 17 iron can exist in three forms a... BCC crystal with crystal dimension a = 2,86 Angstrom exists at temperatures up to 91 OoC, y... FCC crystal with crystal dimension a= 3,65 Angstrom exists at temperature range 91OoC to 5 1403oC, 6... BCC crystal with crystal dimension a = 2,93 Angstrom exists at temperature range. 1403oC to 1535oC, molten iron due to its large thermal gradient and excellent heat transfer characteristics, is an ideal gasification media to which carbonaceous material is gasified via thermal decomposition/partial oxidation but also aided by various chemical reactions that can optimize in situ (reactor) treatment of the evolved syngas compound composition for subsequent downstream 10 application. Although the maximum solubility of carbon in solid solutions in 2.0%, carbon is even more soluble in liquid iron, the range of compositions from 2% to 4.5% carbon gives rise to the very important group of engineering materials called cast irons. 15 At very high temperatures, a radical change takes place: the iron begins to absorb carbon rapidly, and the iron starts to melt, since the higher carbon content lowers the melting point of the iron. A principal factor influencing the properties of gray iron is the free sulfur present in the molten iron bath. Free sulfur (or free manganese) is the amount present in uncombined form at the onset of 20 solidification. This can be defined by using the solubility product data. The solubility of manganese sulfide in liquid will vary with composition and temperature: Log10 (%Mn x %S) = -1,920/T (T = Kelvin) 25 Liquidus and solidus temperatures can be derived from empirical equations to predict carbon equivalent (CE) in iron alloys and are expressed in the following; % CE = 0.096 - 0.0043TL + 0.0056TS % Si= -49.06 + 0.0157TS + 0.0139TE 30 %C=%CE-1/3%Si TL is liquidus temperature, TS is solidus temperature and TE is the eutectoid temperature. For iron alloy compositions where the TS - TL values are unknown or cannot be obtained from its cooling curve dataset, then a sample can be taken and its values derived. Electrical volt reading of the 35 sample can be expressed as follows; % CE = 4.5010 - 0.22813 (mVL - mVs) the mVL being the thermocouple mVolt value that 2G1.K 01 KAU 18 corresponds to its liquidus temperature and the mVs being the thermocouple mVolt value that corresponds to its solidus temperature. Relationship between manganese - slag interface of iron bath 5 Base chemistry of the molten iron bath together with the basicity of its accompanying slag system has a significant impact on gasification of any given feed material, thus, conditioning and controlled manipulation of both the iron bath and slag system pre or post formation can affect its subsequent steady-state process operations. 10 If a manganese content is selected for a given gray iron composition, the sulfur level, which is in equilibrium with this manganese level, can be obtained from that curve. If average sulfur content is known, a manganese level could be obtained, which would avoid MnS precipitation. This principal can be applied to an example of gray iron with a carbon equivalent of 4.1 and sulfur at 0.09%. The 15 liquidus temperature of 1,175C is obtained. The solubility product curve for the liquidus can be obtained. With a sulfur level of 0.09%, equilibrium is established with a manganese level of 0.52%. In turn, at manganese content of 0.52%, reducing sulfur below 0.09% will under these conditions, MnS precipitation will occur at a temperature below the liquidus. This temperature can be 20 calculated using a manganese level and a sulfur level slightly below 0.52% and 0.09%. In numerous conventional and existing gasification processes, the gasifier refractory lining lifespan is crucial to both gasifier availability and refractory replacement expense, for high temperature gasification, the problem is more pronounced as the choice of liner will determine the overall 25 reliability, associated costs and operational availability of the overall system. The higher affinity between manganese and sulphur as compared to iron is highly advantageous as sulphur present in the feedstock will be predominantly present in the slag layer of the iron bath, this is especially so if the slag chemistry (such as slag components MgO, CaO, Al.sub.2.O.sub.3 and 30 SiO.sub.2) during iron bath operation is insufficient to produce sulphur oxides. The trace FeO thus will react with existing non-ferrous compounds such as Mn, Si to initiate the slag system right from the beginning at formation of the molten iron bath to specified slag basicity. Further to note is the effect on slag viscosity based on the level of FeO present in a CaO-SiO.sub.2 35 Al.sub.2.0.sub.3-MgO-FeO slag system, where an increased FeO content at a fixed CaO-SiO.sub.2 basicity will exhibit lower viscosity, in slags with high viscosity heat is preserved within the melt as the refractory properties of the slag is incrementally higher than a low viscosity slag of basicity of 2GHK 01 8AUL! 19 about 1.4. Therefore, while the CaO-SiO ratio determines basicity of the slag, FeO plays a role in determination of the slag's viscosity. 5 In some cast irons the silicon and manganese levels present in its solid phase may range from Si 1.5 to 2.0% wt and Mn from 0.5 to 1.0%, and while energy fuel expenditure for such cast iron charge materials are lower during reactor start-up, the formation of the molten iron bath and in combination with the stirring action of the oxidizer gas will cause fonnation of SiO and MnO in the 10 slag layer right above the molten iron bath surface, contributing to limited but severe erosion of the refractory lining in the reactor. The heat of reaction (AH), or enthalpy, determines the energy cost of the process. If the reaction is exothennic (AH is negative), then heat is given off by the reaction, and the process will be partially 15 self-heating. If the reaction is endothermic (AH is positive), then the reaction absorbs heat, which will have to be supplied to the process. The Gibbs free energy (AG) of a reaction is a measure of the thermodynamic driving force that makes a reaction occur. A negative value for AG indicates that a reaction can proceed spontaneously without external inputs, while a positive value indicates that it will not. The equation for Gibbs free energy is: 20 AG = AH-TAS where AH is the enthalpy change in the reaction, T is absolute temperature, and AS is the entropy change in the reaction. The enthalpy change (AH) is a measure of the actual energy that is liberated 25 when the reaction occurs (the "heat of reaction"). If it is negative, then the reaction gives off energy, while if it is positive the reaction requires energy. The entropy change (AS) is a measure of the change in the possibilities for disorder in the products compared to the reactants. An Ellingham diagram is a plot of AG versus temperature. Since AH and AS are essentially 30 constant with temperature unless a phase change occurs, the free energy versus temperature plot can be drawn as a series of straight lines, where AS is the slope and AH is the y-intercept. The slope of the line changes when any of the materials involved melt or vaporize. (note that free energy of formation is negative for most metal oxides). 35 The position of the line for a given reaction on the Ellingham diagram shows the stability of the oxide as a function of temperature. Reactions closer to the top of the diagram are the most "noble" metals (for example, gold and platinum), and their oxides are unstable and easily reduced. As we 2C1K 018 AIU 20 move down toward the bottom of the diagram, the metals become progressively more reactive and their oxides become harder to reduce. When using carbon as a reducing agent, there will be a minimum ratio of CO to C02 that will be 5 able to reduce a given oxide. The main reactions within the molten iron agent are similar to that of the common gasification reactions that occur in today's conventional processes, namely the partial oxidation of carbon expressed as follows: C(s) + 0.502 (g) -+ CO (g) 10 C(s)+ H20 (g) -CO (g) + H2 (g) C(s) + C02 (g) -+ 2CO (g) H20->0.502+H2 Direct reduction 15 FeO(s) + C(s) -> Fe(s) + CO(g) Moisture contained within the feed is gasified in accordance with the following reaction chemistry: 20 Fe(s) + H20 (1) -+ FeO(s) + H2 (g) Various slag/gasification chemistry are as follows (where cast iron 3-4.5% carbon is utilized): CaCO3-+CaO+CO2 25 MgO.Al203(s) -+ Mg (s) + 2A (s) + 40 Mg(s)+CO(g) -+ MgO(s)+C(s) Typical composition of the syngas produced may be as follows: 30 Analysis: CO CO.sub.2 O.sub.2 35 H.sub.2 N.sub.2 2GHK 018 AU 21 HCL (<ppm) CH.sub.4 (<ppm) CxHy (<ppm) Total Sulphur (<ppm) 5 In configurations where the oxidizer gas is air, nitrogen may be between 40 - 50% of the gas composition, while trace gases such as methane, hydrocarbons are very low due to the high temperature of the syngas evolved from the molten iron bath. 10 The sulphur level (which can be 80-50 ppm or lower) is dependent on the slag chemistry deployed in the reactor and CO/H.sub.2 ratio would be determined with a number of reaction parameters. In carbonaceous feeds where moisture content is 40-50% such as those in municipal solid waste streams, then the H.sub.2/CO (hydrogen to carbon monoxide) ratio may be marginally higher than the 15 typical 1.0 range when the reactor is gasified at slightly below 1 ATM absolute. Other trace gases may include mercury, which is largely dependent on the feed composition. It should be noted that due to the high reaction temperature there is virtually no trace of HCL, light hydrocarbons, or H.sub.2.S the slag system further contributing to oxide reactions within. 20 DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG I illustrates the metallurgical lance of the present invention. FIG 2 illustrates the metallurgical lance water inlet and outlet ports connected to a cooling unit and a 25 gas compressor. FIG 3 illustrates a feeder tube thermal heat flow for illustrating thermal, structural analysis performed on ANSYS 13 independently verified to have a factor of safety for the metallurgical lance between 5.0 - 7.5 based on von mises stress. 30 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION Gasification reactor and refractory vessel assembly example: 35 In one example, the gasification reactor has a refractory-lined vessel that is of a substantially cylindrical geometry to hold a molten metal mass, also called a melt, and an induction coil apparatus 2G HK 018 AU 22 In one example, the gasification reactor has a refractory-lined vessel that is of a substantially cylindrical geometry to hold a molten metal mass, also called a melt, and an induction coil apparatus and related supporting structure for holding the refractory-lined vessel, the induction coil apparatus in operational communication with the gasification reactor. 5 The refractory-lined vessel is further adapted with a cover lid device that is operationally configured with the top of the refractory-lined vessel to be substantially gas tight, and or causing the refractory-lined vessel to be substantially gas tight, the cover lid device further adapted with at least one inlet port to facilitate the flow of carbonaceous material, or feed, into contact with the melt 10 contained in the refractory-lined vessel. The inlet port may be operationally configured with a tubular apparatus such as a feed lance, or said feed lance and or tubular apparatus is in fluid communication with the inlet port so as to perform the facilitation, transport and flow of feed into contact with the melt that is contained within the 15 refractory-lined vessel. With reference to FIG 1, metallurgical lance 10 is adapted with first passageway 40 having a body 40A, and arranged around 40 a second passageway 50A formed with body 50. A multiplicity of baffles 60 each have perforated holes 60A are adapted into freeboard space within second 20 passageway 50A. A conduit 20 supplies feed into the first passageway 40 and into contact with molten metal (interchangeably termed melt) 90. Lance 10 is submerged in one embodiment into the melt 90, and in another embodiment lance 10 is submerged into melt 90 and a layer of molten slag depicted at 100. 25 Lance 10 is connected to conduit 20 using a flange connection 30, the tip 80 exposed to heat flux generated from melt 90 is adapted with a plurality of bored holes 70 to increase the inner wall surface area of body 50. Additional baffles 200 each with additional perforated holes 200A are adapted near to or in partial contact with the tip 80. 30 In another embodiment of the present invention and with reference to FIG 1, a coolant liquid such as water is introduced into a metallurgical lance having at least two separate fluid passageway, comprising a first passageway 40 for introduction of one or more feed through first passageway into a vessel (not shown) operationally in communication with the metallurgical lance, and a second passageway 50A arranged around and surrounding first passageway to form a space interposed 35 between external wall surface 40A of first passageway and internal wall surface (50) of second passageway, wherein coolant liquid is introduced to flow through in a non-linear flow stream in the said space.

2CHK 018 AU 23 With reference to FIG 2, the coolant liquid (not shown) is supplied from a closed loop coolant circulation circuit CTl 0 that is further adapted to be in operational communication with one or more heat exchange cooling device 1000, such as a forced air and/or water cooled heat exchanger 5 unit. At a determined point within closed loop circuit, a gas compressor 2000 is in fluid communication with the closed loop circuit CT10 so as to direct a volume of compressed gas such as air, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, or a combination thereof, to be introduced and be admixed into the coolant liquid. 10 This creates hydrodynamic turbulence and a "bubbling" effect which induces partial laminar evaporative cooling between the coolant liquid and the exposed wall surfaces within the metallurgical lance. The admixed coolant liquid is directed into the metallurgical lance 10 at inlet port 110, exchanges heat with surfaces of the metallurgical lance 10 especially those exposed to high heat flux, in a non-linear manner before existing the lance 10 from outlet port 120, the now 15 heated admixed coolant fluid is directed into one or more heat exchange cooling device 1000 from line 4000, cooled to a determined and satisfactory temperature before being re-circulated back into inlet port 110 from line 3000. It should be noted that gas compressor 2000 may be located along line 3000, after cooled fluid is 20 directed from the heat exchanger 1000, or gas compressor may be located along line 4000, and compressor gas injected prior to being directed into heat exchanger 1000. Further, the cover lid device is operationally configured with at least one outlet port that is in fluid communication with at least one tubular outlet conduit device for directing the flow of product 25 syngas and or raw syngas evolving from the melt to either a powerplant (such as a reciprocating engine unit, a gas turbine, or a fuel cell electricity-generating system), a first chemical catalytic reactor to chemically reform product syngas into a determined hydrocarbon product, a second chemical catalytic reactor to chemically reform product syngas into anhydrous ammonia product, a third chemical catalytic reactor to chemically reform product syngas into methanol product, or a 30 combination thereof. It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that many variations can be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.

Claims (5)

1. A metallurgical lance having an inner conduit through which one or more feed material can be fed, an outer conduit which extends around the inner conduit, wherein a multiplicity of flat 5 plate baffles are adapted to be attached between the freeboard space between inner conduit and outer conduit, and at least a portion of the exterior wall surface of outer conduit is coated with a fused refractory material and arranged to be exposed to heat flux, and freeboard space between inner conduit and outer conduit is in fluid communication with one or more coolant circuit to introduce and direct the flow of a determined coolant fluid from one or more coolant circuit 10 into freeboard space between inner conduit and outer conduit so as to transfer heat flux from exterior wall surface of outer conduit to determined coolant fluid, multiplicity of flat-plate baffles are perforated with a plurality of holes and further arranged to cause non-linear flow of determined coolant fluid in freeboard space between inner conduit and outer conduit. 15

2. The metallurgical lance of claim 1 wherein a determined volume of gas is injected into determined coolant fluid so as to cause hydrodynamic turbulence and partial evaporative cooling between determined coolant fluid and multiplicity of flat-plate baffles during non-linear flow of determined coolant fluid in freeboard space between inner conduit and outer conduit. 20

3. The metallurgical lance of claim 1 wherein metallurgical lance is deployed for use in metallurgical processes for metal refining, smelting or deployed for use in gasification processes for generating product syngas to be utilized subsequently for power generation, hydrocarbon synthesis, anhydrous ammonia synthesis, methanol synthesis, or a combination thereof. 25

4. A method of cooling a metallurgical lance which has feeding one or more feed material through an inner conduit thereof, passing a coolant fluid through an outer conduit which extends around the inner conduit and which has an exterior wall surface arranged to be exposed to heat flux, admixing coolant fluid with a determined volume of a determined gas at a determined gas 30 pressure absolute to form an admixed coolant and circulating admixed coolant through outer conduit in a non-linear flow, wherein determined gas is selected from air, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of cooling a metallurgical lance of claim 1 wherein coolant fluid is liquid water 35 and circulating admixed coolant is made to flow through outer conduit so as to cause metallurgical lance to have a factor of safety of at least 4.0, and metallurgical lance is deployed for use in metallurgical processes for metal refining, smelting or deployed for use in 25 gasification processes for generating product syngas to be utilized subsequently for power generation, hydrocarbon synthesis, anhydrous ammonia synthesis, methanol synthesis, or a combination thereof. 5