Process for feeding carbonaceous material into reaction spaces

Claim 1

A process for feeding of solid particulate or fluid carbonaceous materials or mixtures of such materials into reactor spaces operating under pressure, comprising the steps of: using at least one screw conveyor rotatable in a closely fitting housing for conveying and compressing the feed material into a plug of compressed feed material which is impervious at the pressure predominating in the reactor and is continuously renewed as it enters the latter as a strand of feed material; conveying the strand via a delivery head having a nozzle into the reactor; and using a closure member provided with a passage opening through which passes said strand in said delivery head for shutting off the flow of feed material to the reactor pressure space as well as any appreciable backflow of process gases from the reactor into the screw conveyor area, wherein said process includes the step of disintegrating the strand of feed material at a position of the flow thereof between said delivery head and said pressure space, said disintegrating step comprising directing high pressure fluid media at normal or elevated temperature through nozzles and onto said strand of feed material, wherein said high pressure fluid media are fed at high pressure via bores leading through said closure member and nozzles which are in connection with said bores into said passage opening of the closure member through which said strand passes.