1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fuel generation and, more particularly, to novel systems and methods for gasification of municipal solid waste and other feedstocks.
2. The Background Art
Manufactured gas, or synthesis gas (syn-gas) as it is more often called today, comprises the unburned gasses (carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas) created by incomplete combustion of an organic raw material. Gasification (the process of generating manufactured gas) was discovered independently in both France and England. By 1850, gasification of coal had developed to where much of London was lit with manufactured gas, “town gas,” or “coal gas” as it was called. By 1920, many towns and cities throughout the United States supplied manufactured gas to their residents through local “gasworks.”
Following 1930, as natural gas pipelines began to proliferate, low-cost natural gas displaced manufactured gas. The gasification industry was largely abandoned and forgotten. However, beginning with the oil embargo of the 1970's, there has been an almost continual increase in the cost of fuel. Accordingly, what is needed today is an efficient system, process, and gasifier that can receive a wide variety of inputs and efficiently produce a clean fuel.