Captive sample reactor for kinetic studies of coal pyrolysis and hydropyrolysis on short time scales

Abstract

An apparatus has been designed for kinetic studies of coal devolatilization under closely controlled heating rates, temperatures, and pressures. The reactor system employs a wire-mesh pyrolysis furnace driven by an electronically-controlled power supply to ensure uniform heating rates and precise crossover to a variable length isothermal period; a rapid quenching scheme permits resolution of kinetic processes in 0.1 s intervals, extending the sensitivity of kinetic measurements from the initial stage of pyrolysis through to completion of primary devolatilization. Time-resolved kinetic studies on a bituminous coal in vacuo (13 Pa) and under helium (0.22 MPa) illustrate the operation of the reactor.