Gasification of carbonaceous materials

Claim 1

IN PROCESS FOR THE CARBONIZATION AND GASIFICATION OF PARTICULATE SOLID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL BY INTERACTING GAS WITH HOT PARTICULATE CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL MAINTAINED IN THE FLUIDIZED STATE, SAID HOT PARTICULATE CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL BEING PARTIALLY BURNT IN A COMBUSTION ZONE BY SUBJECTING IT TO THE ACTION OF AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS AT A RATE SUFFICIENIT TO MAINTAIN THE PARTICLES IN THE FLUIDIZED STATE AND TO GIVE THE DESIRED RATE AND DEGREE OF COMBUSTION, THEN BEING PASSED TO AT LEAST ONE OF A CARBONIZATION ZONE WHEREIN THERE IS MAINTAINED A FLUIDIZED MASS OF PARTICULATE CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL BEING CARBONIZED, AND A GASIFICATION ZONE IN WHICH A FLUIDIZED MASS OF PARTICULATE CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL IS BEING GASIFIED BY INTERACTION WITH GAS, THE METHOD OF RECOVERING HEAT WHICH COMPRISES PASSING HOT GASEOUS PRODUCT FROM A STEP OF THE PROCESS UPWARDLY THROUGH THE UPPER VESSEL OF A FIRST SET OF PEBBLE-HEATERS, PASSING A MASS OF SOLID MATERIAL IN THE FORM OF PEBBLES DOWNWARDLY UNDER GRAVITY THROUGH SAID FIRST SET OF PEBBLE-HEATERS, PASSING A GAS UPWARDLY THROUGH THE LOWER VESSEL OF SAID FIRST SET OF PEBBLE-HEATERS AND THEN TO A GAS PRODUCING STEP OF THE PROCESS OTHER THAN THE COMBUSTION STEP, ELEVATING PEBBLES FROM THE BOTTOM OF, SAID FIRST SET OF PEBBLE-HEATERS TO A HOPPER ABOVE ITS UPPER VESSEL, PASSING AT LEAST SOME OF THE PEBBLES FROM SAID HOPPER INTO SAID UPPER VESSEL OF THE FIRST SET OF PEBBLE-HEATERS AND THE REMAINDER INTO THE UPPER VESSEL OF A SECOND SET OF PEBBLE-HEATERS, PASSING HOT GASEOUS PRODUCTS FROM A STEP OF THE PROCESS UPWARDLY THROUGH THE UPPER VESSEL OF SAID SECOND SET OF PEBBLE-HUEATERS PASSING A MASS OF SOLID MATERIAL IN THE FORM OF PEBBLES DOWNWARDLY UNDER GRAVITY THROUGH SAID SECOND SET OF PEBBLE-HEATERS, PASSING AN OXYGENCONTAINING GAS UPWARDLY THROUGH THE LOWER VES-