Gas producer having ash removal plates with individual temperature sensing

Claim 2

A FURNACE APPARATUS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A. A SHAFT FURNACE BODY HAVING A CENTRAL AXIS; B. MEANS FOR TRANSVERSLY SUBDIVIDING SAID FURNACE INTO A PLURALITY OF ZONES ADJACENT THE LOWER END THEREOF INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CONCENTRICALLY DISPOSED TUBULAR MEMBERS HAVING AS THEIR COMMON AXIS THE CENTRAL AXIS OF THE SHAFT FURNACE; C. EACH OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBERS HAVING ADJACENT ITS LOWER END A HORIZONTAL PLATE FOR COLLECTION OF ASH FROM THE CORRESPONDING ZONE, SAID HORIZONTAL PLATES BEING IN AXIALLY

Claim 3

A furnace apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the separate ash removal means includes scraper means coacting with said horizontal plates for removing ash therefrom, and means for causing relative rotation between said plates and said scraper means.

Claim 4

A furnace apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the ash removal rate control means includes individual drive means responsive thereto for driving said ash removal means.

Claim 5

In a gas producer apparatus including a large diameter vertically axised shaft furnace, means for introducing particulate carbonaceous material, means for maintaining combustion of the carbonaceous material in a downwardly moving burden, means for introducing an oxidizing gas; means for removing fuel gas from said furnace, and means for removing ash from the base of said furnace, the improvement which comprises in combination: a. an ash pit assembly including a pit housing at the lower end of said shaft furnace; b. a plurality of concentrically disposed tubular members having their distal extremities extending into the lower portion of said burden, and the proximal extremities being in axially stepped relation, the innermost tubular member being the longer, and extending into said pit housing, and having as their common axis the vertical axis of said shaft furnace, said concentrically disposed tubular members defining separate zones; c. means coacting between the pit housing and the proximal extremities of each of said tubular members for supporting said tubular members in said concentric axially stepped relation; d. axially stepped concentric ash supporting ledges carried by said support means and underlying the space between adjacent tubular members and a lower ash supporting platform underlying the central tube; e. means in each separate zone for sensing temperature; and f. separate means responsive to temperature in each of the zones defined by said concentric tubular members for independently removing ash from said ledges and platform, respectively.

Claim 6

In a gas producer apparatus including a large diameter vertically axised shaft furnace, means for introducing particulate carbonaceous material, means for maintaining combustion of the carbonaceous material in a downwardly moving burden, means for introducing an oxidizing gas; means for removing fuel gas from said furnace, and means for removing ash from the base of said furnace, the improvement which comprises in combination: a. an ash pit assembly including a pit housing at the lower end of said shaft furnace; b. a plurality of concentrically disposed tubular members having their distal extremities extending into the lower portion of said burden, and the proximal extremities being in axially stepped relation, the innermost tubular member being the longer, and extending into said pit housing, and having as their common axis the vertical axis of said shaft furnace, said concentrically disposed tubular members defining separate zones; c. means coacting between the pit housing and the proximal extremities of each of said tubular members for supporting said tubular members in said concentric axially stepped relation; d. axially stepped concentric ash supporting ledges carried by said support means and underlying the space between adjacent tubular members and a lower ash supporting platform underlying the central tube; e. means in each separate zone for sensing temperature; and f. separate means responsive to temperature in each of the zones defined by said concentric tubular members for independently removing ash from said ledges and platform, respectively.

Claim 7

An apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including temperature sensing means for sensing ash temperature adjacent the distal extremities of said tubular members.

Claim 8

An apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein individual temperature sensing means are located between adjacent tubular members, between the outermost tubular member and the furnace wall, and centrally of the innermost tubular member.