Fluidized distillation of shale

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS METHOD OF DISTILLING OIL SALE TO PRODUCE THEREFROM VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS CONTAINING NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBON OILS BY SUBJECTING THE SUBDIVIDED OIL SHALE TO ELEVATED TEMPERATURES IN THE FLUIDIZED STATE, WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY CHARGING SUBDIVIDED FRESH OIL SHALE TO A DISTILLATION ZONE, MAINTAINING SAID SHALE IN SAID ZONE AT DISTILLATION TEMPERATURE IN THE FORM OF A DENSE FLUIDIZED BED OF SUBDIVIDED SOLIDS, ADDING TO SAID ZONE SUBDIVIDED SOLID CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF LIGNITES AND BITUMINOUS COALS AND HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF SAID FRESH OIL SHALE, SUPPLYING A FREE OXYGENCONTAINING GAS TO SAID ZONE TO GENERATE HEAT BY BURNING SAID MATERIALS IN SAID ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE DISTILLATION HEAT SO GENERATED TO SAID DISTIALLATION ZONE BY DIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE BETWEEN SAID OIL SHALE AND MATERIALS DIRECTLY HEATED BY SAID OIL SHALE SAID HEAT BEING SUFFICIENT IN AMOUNT TO SUPPORT THE DISTILLATION IN SAID DISTIALLATION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING FROM SAID DISTILLATION ZONE A VAPOR STREAM CONTAINING NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING A DOWNWARD STREAM OF SAID SOLIDS FROM SAID REACTION ZONE.