Partial oxidation of fuel-rich mixtures in a spouted bed combustor

It is shown that stable combustion can be maintained in spouted beds at fuel concentrations greatly in excess of the rich limit of flammability. This makes it possible to minimize the fraction of fuel used for heat release in any high-temperature partial oxidation, pyrolysis, or other reaction in which the remainder of the fuel is to be processed. Thus, combustion of methane/oxygen/nitrogen mixtures at equivalence ratios of up to 2.34 is shown to yield large proportions of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, as well as appreciable amounts of higher hydrocarbons. In view of the ability of spouted beds to handle solid and heavy liquid fuels, a wide range of potential applications of the method is envisaged, ranging from less polluting combustion systems to processing inexpensive fuels to more desirable products.