Continuous method of producing oxygen involving the use of a thermophore and the purging thereof

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF PRODUCING OXYGEN BY THE LIQUEFACTION AND RECTIFICATION OF AIR, THE IMPROVEMEMT WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A MASS OF THERMOPHORE PARTICLES DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A ZONE COUNTERCURRENT TO AN UPWARDLY RISING STREAM OF A RECTIFICATION PRODUCT THEREBY MAINTAINING SAID THERMOPHORE PARTICLES IN A STATE OF DENSE PHASE FLUIDIZATION, MAINTAINING A DESCENDING TEMPERATURE GRADIENT IN THE MASS OF THE THEROMOPHORE PARTICLES AND AS ASCENDING TEMPERATURE GRADIENT IN THE RECTIFICATION PRODUCT STREAM, PASSING A STREAM OF THERMOPHORE PARTICLES WITHDRAWN FROM SAID ZONE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A SECOND ZONE COUNTERCURRENT TO AN UPWARDLY RISING STREAM OF AIR THEREBY MAINTAINING SAID STREAM OF THEROMOPHORE PARTICLES IN A STATE OF DENSE PHASE FLUIDIZATION, MAINTAINING A DESCENDING TEMPERATURE GRADIENT IN THE AIR STREAM AND AN ASCENDING TEMPERATURE GRADIENT IN THE THEROMOPHORE STREAM, REMOVING A PORTION OF THE THERMOPHORE PARTICLES CONTAINING A CONDENSIBLE CONSTITUENT REMOVED FROM THE AIR STREAM FROM SAID SECOND ZONE, TREATING THE THERMOPHORE PARTICLES THUS REMOVED TO EFFECT THE ELIMINATION THEREFROM OF SAID CONDENSIBLE CONSTITUENT AND RETURNING THE THUS TREATED THERMOPHORE PARTICLES TO THE PROCESS.