Gasification of powdered caking type coal

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE GASIFICATION OF A CAKING TYPE COAL TO PRODUCE A GAS RICH IN HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE, WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A GASEOUS MIXTURE OF OXYGEN, STEAM AND FINELY DIVIDED CAKING TYPE COAL WHICH COAL HAS A PARTICLE SIZE LESS THAN ABOUT 250 MICRONS UPWARD THROUGH A REACTION ZONE AT A LINEAR GAS VELOCITY BETWEEN ABOUT 8 AND ABOUT 100 FEET PER SECOND SUCH THAT THE HEAVIEST PARTICLES OF FINELY DIVIDED COAL CONTINUOUSLY MOVE IN THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF THE GASES, MAINTAINING SAID REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 1800* F. AND ABOUT 2600* F. AND UNDER A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 250 AND ABOUT 1000 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAGE, MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE INSIDE OF THE REACTION ZONE AT A HIGHER TEMPERTURE THAN THE TEMPERTURE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE REACTION ZONE, MAINTAINING A RESIDENCE TIME OF POWDERED SUBPENDED COAL IN SAID REACTION ZONE NOT SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN ABOUT 10 SECONDS, WHEREBY A GASEOUS EFFLUENT IS PRODUCED RICH IN CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN AND SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM METHANE, AND WITHDRAWING FROM SAID REACTION ZONE SUCH AN EFFLUENT AS A PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS.