Coal gasification process and apparatus

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS FOR GASIFYING COAL BY THE REACTION OF FINELY-DIVIDED COAL WITH OXYGEN AND STEAM AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE 750* C. IN A FURNACE OF GENERALLY CIRCULAR TRANSVERSE CROSS SECTION HAVING A REACTANT INLET PORT IN ONE END AND A PRODUCT OUTLET PORT IN THE OPPOSITE END, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING INTRODUCING INTO SAID FURNANCE, THROUGH A TANGENTIAL PORT IN THE SIDEWALL ADJACENT SAID INLET PORT IN A DIRECTION TO THE SIDEWALL AND GENERALLY NORMAL TO THELONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF, A GASEOUS SUSPENSION OF FINELY-DIVIDED COAL AND STEAM AT A SUFFICIENTLY HIGH VELOCITY AND IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITY AS TO BE MAINTAINED ADJACENT THE WHOLE INNER SURFACE OF THE SIDEWALL THUS FORMING A SEPARATING LAYER OF SAID FINELYDIVIDED COAL AND SUSPENDING GAS BETWEEN SAID SIDEWALL AND THE REACTION ZONE IN THE CENTER OF SAID FURNACE, THERBY SHIELDING THE WALLS OF SAID FURNANCE FROM HEAT RADIATIONS AND SIMULTANEOUSLY PREHEATING THE FINELY-DIVIDED COAL AND STEAM, REMOVING THE REACTION PRODUCTS THROUGH SAID PRODUCT OUTLET PORT, REMOVING THE PREHEATED COAL AND STEAM THROUGH ANOTHER PORT ADJACENT THE PRODUCT OUTLET PORT, PASSING SAID PREHEATED COAL AND STEAM TOGETHER WITH A FREE OXYGED-CONTAIONING GAS INTO SAID CHAMBER THROUGH THE REACTANT INLET PORT FOR CONVERSION INTO GASEOUS PRODUCTS.