HyMelt® Technology

HyMelt® Process Advantages

  • Smaller, higher output reactor than other gasifiers
  • Lower capital and operating costs than other gasifiers (~20-35%)
  • Higher heat transfer efficiency
  • Higher cold gas efficiency than other commercial gasifiers
  • Thermodynamics show an overall thermal efficiency higher than slurry fed gasifiers.
  • Produces separate hydrogen rich and carbon monoxide rich gas streams in “swing” mode
  • Has a relatively high turndown ratio
  • Is capable of rapid changes in feed rate
  • Greater feedstock flexibility
  • Less CO2 produced in the reactor and more syngas production per unit of carbon input
  • Smaller scale projects have the potential to be economically attractive
  • Backup reactor more affordable to provide near 100% on-stream factor

Less CO2 make in reactor means:

  • ~10% less feed required
  • ~30% less O2 required
  • More CO output per unit of input

High energy efficiency

  • 90-95% cold gas efficiencies
  • No slag quench water
  • Larger steam production than competitive gasifiers–can drive O2 plant

Flexibility of steady state or “swing” modes

  • Steady state mode produces mixed H2/CO syngas
  • Swing mode produces separate H2 and CO-rich gases

Reclaim valuable metals

  • Vanadium (V) and Nickel (Ni) accumulate in iron, can be recovered and sold

A global solution with broad application

  • Meets most gasification customer needs
  • Greater feedstock flexibility
  • Can process pet coke, coal, pitch, biomass, etc.
  • Uses conventional downstream equipment

“Swing” mode avoids WGS and CO2 scrubbing when:

  • H2 needs are smaller
  • CO-rich syngas is needed


Faster Kinetics than Competition

Reactions occur very rapidly in molten iron

  • Reactions much faster in “liquid” phase than solid phase of conventional gasifiers
  • Operates at 1300–1500°C (2400–2700°F)

Near thermodynamic equilibrium reached very quickly

  • <1% methane make
  • Very low soot make

High throughput possible from small reactors

  • Lower capital cost
  • Good economics at lower capacities


Highly Reducing Atmosphere

Iron has high solubility for carbon

  • Up to 4 wt% C  (16 mole% C)

Dissolved carbon reacts quickly with O2 to produce CO

  • <1 mole% CO2 in product gas
  • ~30% less O2 consumption than conventional gasifier for equivalent H2 production

Sulfur converted to H22 for easy recovery downstream

Very little FeO, SOx, NOx for