Gasification of carbonaceous materials

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR FORMING A GASEOUS FUEL FROM FINELY DIVIDED SOLID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL, WHICH COMPRISES CHARGING FRESH POWDERED SOLID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL TO A GASEOUS FUEL GENERATION ZONE, CHARGING STEAM TO SAID GENERATION ZONE WHERE IT CONTACTS SAID CHARGED CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL AT TEMPERATURES WITHIN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 1500* F. TO 2100* F., CAUSING THE STEAM TO FLOW UPWARDLY IN SAID GENERATION ZONE AT A SUFFICIENTLY LOW RATE SO AS TO CAUSE THE SAID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL UNDERGOING TREATMENT TO FORM A FLUIDIZED BED, WITHDRAWING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL FROM SAID GENERATION ZONE, MIXING THE WITHDRAWN CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL WITH AN OXYGEN CONTAINING GAS AND CAUSING THE SAID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL TO UNDERGO AT LEAST PARTIAL COMBUSTION TO ADD HEAT TO SAID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL, WHILE THE SAID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL IS IN THE FORM OF A CONFINED STREAM IN A ZONE OF RESTRICTED CROSSSECTION, LIMITING THE TIME PERIOD OF COMBUSTION OF SAID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL WITHIN THE LIMITS OF FROM ABOUT 0.5-0.7 SECOND, SEPARATING THE UNBURNT CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL FROM THE RESULTING COMBUSTION FUMES TO PREVENT SUBSTANTIAL REDUCTION OF THE FORMED CARBON DIOXIDE ADN RETURNING THE THUS HEATED CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL TO THE SAID GENERATION ZONE FOR THE PURPOSE OF SUPPLYING THE HEAT NECESSARY TO SUPPORT THE GASEOUS FUEL GENERATION THEREIN TAKING PLACE.