Method and apparatus for heattreating particle form solids

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR HEAT TREATING A PARTICLE FORM GEL TYPE SOLID ADSORBENT MATERIAL WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL CRACKING OF SAID SOLID MATERIAL PARTICLES WHICH METHOD COMPRISES: MAINTAINING A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT, VERTICAL, CONFINED COLUMN OF SAID PARTICLE FORM SOLID MATERIAL, WITHDRAWING TREATED SOLID MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER END OF SAID COLUMN AT A CONTROLLED RATE, SUPPLYING UNTREATED SOLID MATERIAL UNIFORMLY ACROSS THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE UPPER END OF SAID COLUMN, PASSING AN INERT GAS AT SUBSTANTIALLY ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE THROUGH A VERTICAL SECTION OF THE COLUMN NEAR THE LOWER END THEREOF IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE SOLID MATERIAL AND COUNTERCURRENTLY TO THE DIRECTION OF FLOW THEREOF TO COOL THE TREATED SOLID MATERIAL, WITHDRAWING SAID GAS FROM CONTACT WITH THE SOLID MATERIAL AND MIXING IT OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID SOLID MATERIAL WITH A SECOND STREAM OF SUBSTANTIALLY INERT GAS EXTERNALLY PREHEATED TO A SET TEMPERATURE ABOVE A PREDETERMINED HEAT TREATING TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE ABOUT 1000-1600* F., PASSING THE MIXED HOT GAS THROUGH SAID COLUMN ABOVE SAID COOLING SECTION IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH SAID SOLID MATERIAL TO MAINTAIN SAID SOLID MATERIAL NEAR SAID PREDETERMINED HEAT TREATING TEMPERATURE THROUGHOUT A MAJOR PORTION OF THE COLUMN LENGTH AND TO ADJUST THE TEMPERATURE OF THE ENTERING SOLID MATERIAL AND WITHDRAWING THE HEAT TREATING GAS FROM THE UPPER END OF SAID COLUMN AND PASSING IT IN SUCH CONTROLLED INDIRECT HEAT TRANSFER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ENTERING UNTREATED SOLID MATERIAL AS TO PREHEAT SAID SOLID MATERIAL TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENTLY HIGH FOR REMOVAL OF SUBSTANTIALLY ALL MOISTURE FROM SAID SOLID MATERIAL, SAID TEMPERATURE BEING WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 500* TO 700*F., THE RATE OF HEATING BEING BELOW THE MAXIMUM CRITICAL RATE AT WHICH THE SOLID PARTICLES WOULD BE SUBSTANTIALLY CRACKED, WHICH RATE DEPENDS UPON THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SOLID MATERIAL SUPPLIED TO SAID COLUMN AND IS BELOW ABOUT 3*F. PER MINUTE AND BELOW ABOUT 60*F. PER MINUTE FOR SOLID MATERIAL SUPPLY TEMPERATURES OF ABOUT 80* F. AND 250*F. RESPECTIVELY.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR HEAT TREATING A PARTICLE FORM GEL TYPE SOLID ADSORBENT MATERIAL WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL CRACKING OF SAID SOLID MATERIAL PARTICLES WHICH METHOD COMPRISES: MAINTAINING A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT, VERTICAL, CONFINED COLUMN OF SAID PARTICLE FORM SOLID MATERIAL, WITHDRAWING TREATED SOLID MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER END OF SAID COLUMN AT A CONTROLLED RATE, SUPPLYING UNTREATED SOLID MATERIAL UNIFORMLY ACROSS THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE UPPER END OF SAID COLUMN, PASSING AN INERT GAS AT SUBSTANTIALLY ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE THROUGH A VERTICAL SECTION OF THE COLUMN NEAR THE LOWER END THEREOF IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE SOLID MATERIAL AND COUNTERCURRENTLY TO THE DIRECTION OF FLOW THEREOF TO COOL THE TREATED SOLID MATERIAL, WITHDRAWING SAID GAS FROM CONTACT WITH THE SOLID MATERIAL AND MIXING IT OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID SOLID MATERIAL WITH A SECOND STREAM OF SUBSTANTIALLY INERT GAS EXTERNALLY PREHEATED TO A SET TEMPERATURE ABOVE A PREDETERMINED HEAT TREATING TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE ABOUT 1000-1600* F., PASSING THE MIXED HOT GAS THROUGH SAID COLUMN ABOVE SAID COOLING SECTION IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH SAID SOLID MATERIAL TO MAINTAIN SAID SOLID MATERIAL NEAR SAID PREDETERMINED HEAT TREATING TEMPERATURE THROUGHOUT A MAJOR PORTION OF THE COLUMN LENGTH AND TO ADJUST THE TEMPERATURE OF THE ENTERING SOLID MATERIAL AND WITHDRAWING THE HEAT TREATING GAS FROM THE UPPER END OF SAID COLUMN AND PASSING IT IN SUCH CONTROLLED INDIRECT HEAT TRANSFER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ENTERING UNTREATED SOLID MATERIAL AS TO PREHEAT SAID SOLID MATERIAL TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENTLY HIGH FOR REMOVAL OF SUBSTANTIALLY ALL MOISTURE FROM SAID SOLID MATERIAL, SAID TEMPERATURE BEING WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 500* TO 700*F., THE RATE OF HEATING BEING BELOW THE MAXIMUM CRITICAL RATE AT WHICH THE SOLID PARTICLES WOULD BE SUBSTANTIALLY CRACKED, WHICH RATE DEPENDS UPON THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SOLID MATERIAL SUPPLIED TO SAID COLUMN AND IS BELOW ABOUT 3*F. PER MINUTE AND BELOW ABOUT 60*F. PER MINUTE FOR SOLID MATERIAL SUPPLY TEMPERATURES OF ABOUT 80* F. AND 250*F. RESPECTIVELY.