Coal gasification plant

Claim 2

In a coal slagging gasifier comprising: a gasifying vessel; means for introducing coal into said vessel for gasification thereof in said vessel; means for introducing oxygen and steam into said vessel to effect gasification of coal therein; and a hearth located at the bottom of said vessel and including a slag tap orifice located centrally within said hearth for removing slag from the vessel; the improvement wherein said hearth further includes means for defining a removable annular hearth member located so as to fit over and around said slag tap orifice and comprising a solid mass of high thermal conductivity material having means defining an integrally formed passageway for circulating a coolant liquid at a pre-determined rate of flow through said mass, and means defining an inlet and outlet communicating said passageway exteriorly of the mass, whereby in operation of the gasifier the exposed surfaces of the mass in direct contact with the molten slag are maintainable at a temperature within the range 200° C. to 400° C.

Claim 3

An improved coal slagging gasifier according to claim 1 wherein said annular hearth member comprises copper or copper and alloyed metal.

Claim 4

An improved coal slagging gasifier according to claim 1 wherein said coolant passageway is of spiral form whose convolutions extend at least adjacent to the surface of said hearth member exposed to slag in said vessel.

Claim 5

An improved coal slagging gasifier according to claim 3 wherein said coolant passageway comprises a metal tube of spirally coiled form, the ends of which project exteriorly of the surrounding metal mass to provide said inlet and outlet.

Claim 6

An improved coal slagging gasifier according to claim 1 wherein said slag tap orifice is provided in a slag tap, wherein the uppermost annular surface of said hearth member slopes downwardly towards its center, and wherein the inner peripheral wall of said hearth member is formed in a surface of revolution whose cross-sectional profile corresponds to the external surface profile of said slag tap.

Claim 7

An improved coal slagging gasifier according to claim 1 wherein an area of said hearth surrounding said annular hearth member slopes downwardly towards the center and is lined with a plurality of partially overlapping layers of refractory bricks, and wherein said annular hearth member is surrounded by the lowermost annular layer of said bricks which are thereby cooled by mutual contact with the liquid-cooled hearth member which supports them.

Claim 8

In a method of gasifying coal in a coal slagging gasifier comprising introducing coal, oxygen and steam into a gasifying vessel, maintaining the temperature within said gasifier sufficient to gasify the coal and to form a molten slag at the bottom of said vessel, and periodically discharging slag downwardly through a slag tap orifice located centrally within said hearth located at the bottom of said vessel, the improvement wherein the hearth further includes means for defining a removable annular hearth member located so as to fit over and around said slag tap orifice and comprising a solid mass of high thermal conductivity material having means defining an integrally formed passageway for circulating a coolant liquid through said mass, and means defining an inlet and outlet communicating said passageway exteriorly of the mass, and circulating coolant liquid through said passageway at a flow rate sufficient to maintain the exposed surfaces of said mass in direct contact with the molten slag at a temperature of from 200° C. to 400° C.

Claim 9

In a method of gasifying coal in a coal slagging gasifier comprising introducing coal, oxygen and steam into a gasifying vessel, maintaining the temperature within said gasifier sufficient to gasify the coal and to form a molten slag at the bottom of said vessel, and periodically discharging slag downwardly through a slag tap orifice located centrally within said hearth located at the bottom of said vessel, the improvement wherein the hearth further includes means for defining a removable annular hearth member located so as to fit over and around said slag tap orifice and comprising a solid mass of high thermal conductivity material having means defining an integrally formed passageway for circulating a coolant liquid through said mass, and means defining an inlet and outlet communicating said passageway exteriorly of the mass, and circulating coolant liquid through said passageway at a flow rate sufficient to maintain the exposed surfaces of said mass in direct contact with the molten slag at a temperature of from 200° C. to 400° C.