Method for distilling solid hydrocarbonaceous material

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR DISTILLING SOLID HYDROCARBONACEOUS MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID MATERIAL IN FINELY DIVIDED FORM DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A CONFINED DISTILLATION ZONE AND THEREIN CONTACTING SAID MATERIAL WITH AN UPWARDLY FLOWING GASIFORM HEATING MEDIUM SUBSTANTIALLY DEVOID OF FREE OXYGEN, DISCHARGING MIXED FLUID DISTILLATION PRODUCTS AND HEATING MEDIUM FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID DISTILLATION ZONE AND WITHDRAWING A STREAM OF DISTILLED SOLID PARTICLES FROM THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF INTO A VERTICALLY UPWARDLY FLOWING GAS STREAM COMPRISING HOT COMBUSTION GASES, OBTAINED AS HEREINAFTER SET FORTH, PASING THE RESULTANT MIXTURE IN A CONFINED VERTICAL STRAIGHT LINE PATH UPWARDLY TO THE TOP PORTION OF A DOWNWARDLY MOVING BED OF SOLID PARTICLES MAINTAINED IN A CONFINED BURNING ZONE SUPERIMPOSED ABOVE SAID DISTILLATION ZONE, SAID CONFINED STRAIGTH LINE PATH EX TENDING THROUGH AND IN INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH SAID MATERIAL IN THE DISTILLATION ZONE AND SAID BED OF SOLID PARTICLES IN BURNING ZONE, INTRODUCING A FREE OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS STREAM TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID BURNING ZONE AND THEREBY BURNING SUBSTANTIALLY THE RESIDUAL CARBONACEOUS CONTENT FROM THE SOLID PARTICLES IN SAID DOWNWARDLY MOVING BED, CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING HOT COMBUSTION GASES FORMED IN THE BURNING STEP FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID BURNING ZONE AND HOT RESIDUAL SOLID PARTICLES FROM THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF AND SUPPLYING A PORTION OF SAID HOT GASES TO SAID STREAM OF DISTILLED SOLID PARTICLES WITHDRAWN FROM THE DISTILLATION ZONE, PASSING A STREAM OF THE HOT RESIDUAL SOLID PARTICLES WITHDRAWN FROM THE BURNING ZONE IN A GENERALLY DOWNWARD DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY BY ITS OWN GRAVITY AND AT ITS TEMPERATURE OF DISCHARGE FROM SAID BURNING ZONE INTO A COOLING ZONE AND THEREIN CONTACTING THE SAME WITH WATER SO THAT SAID STREAM OF RESIDUAL PARTICLES IS COOLED AND HIGH TEMPERATURE STEAM IS GENERATED, PASSING STEAM THUS OBTAINED INTO INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH A SECOND PORTION OF THE HOT COMBUSTION GASES REMOVED FROM THE BURNING ZONE AND THEREBY SUPERHEATING THE STEAM TO A TEMPERATURE SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THAT PREVAILING IN THE DISTILLATION ZONE, AND INTRODUCING A STREAM OF THE THUS SUPERHEATED STEAM AS SAID GASIFORM HEATING MEDIUM TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID DISTILLATION ZONE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR DISTILLING SOLID HYDROCARBONACEOUS MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID MATERIAL IN FINELY DIVIDED FORM DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A CONFINED DISTILLATION ZONE AND THEREIN CONTACTING SAID MATERIAL WITH AN UPWARDLY FLOWING GASIFORM HEATING MEDIUM SUBSTANTIALLY DEVOID OF FREE OXYGEN, DISCHARGING MIXED FLUID DISTILLATION PRODUCTS AND HEATING MEDIUM FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID DISTILLATION ZONE AND WITHDRAWING A STREAM OF DISTILLED SOLID PARTICLES FROM THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF INTO A VERTICALLY UPWARDLY FLOWING GAS STREAM COMPRISING HOT COMBUSTION GASES, OBTAINED AS HEREINAFTER SET FORTH, PASING THE RESULTANT MIXTURE IN A CONFINED VERTICAL STRAIGHT LINE PATH UPWARDLY TO THE TOP PORTION OF A DOWNWARDLY MOVING BED OF SOLID PARTICLES MAINTAINED IN A CONFINED BURNING ZONE SUPERIMPOSED ABOVE SAID DISTILLATION ZONE, SAID CONFINED STRAIGTH LINE PATH EX TENDING THROUGH AND IN INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH SAID MATERIAL IN THE DISTILLATION ZONE AND SAID BED OF SOLID PARTICLES IN BURNING ZONE, INTRODUCING A FREE OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS STREAM TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID BURNING ZONE AND THEREBY BURNING SUBSTANTIALLY THE RESIDUAL CARBONACEOUS CONTENT FROM THE SOLID PARTICLES IN SAID DOWNWARDLY MOVING BED, CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING HOT COMBUSTION GASES FORMED IN THE BURNING STEP FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID BURNING ZONE AND HOT RESIDUAL SOLID PARTICLES FROM THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF AND SUPPLYING A PORTION OF SAID HOT GASES TO SAID STREAM OF DISTILLED SOLID PARTICLES WITHDRAWN FROM THE DISTILLATION ZONE, PASSING A STREAM OF THE HOT RESIDUAL SOLID PARTICLES WITHDRAWN FROM THE BURNING ZONE IN A GENERALLY DOWNWARD DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY BY ITS OWN GRAVITY AND AT ITS TEMPERATURE OF DISCHARGE FROM SAID BURNING ZONE INTO A COOLING ZONE AND THEREIN CONTACTING THE SAME WITH WATER SO THAT SAID STREAM OF RESIDUAL PARTICLES IS COOLED AND HIGH TEMPERATURE STEAM IS GENERATED, PASSING STEAM THUS OBTAINED INTO INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH A SECOND PORTION OF THE HOT COMBUSTION GASES REMOVED FROM THE BURNING ZONE AND THEREBY SUPERHEATING THE STEAM TO A TEMPERATURE SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THAT PREVAILING IN THE DISTILLATION ZONE, AND INTRODUCING A STREAM OF THE THUS SUPERHEATED STEAM AS SAID GASIFORM HEATING MEDIUM TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID DISTILLATION ZONE.