Process for destructive distillation of solid carbonaceous materials

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING AND RECOVERING SHALE OIL FROM OIL SHALE WHICH COMPRISES: INTRODUCING FINELY DIVIDED OIL SHALE HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE NO GREATER THAN 40 MESH AND CONTAINING FROM 10 TO 90 GALLONS OF SHALE OIL PER TON INTO A PREHEATING ZONE AND THEREIN FORMING A FLUIDIZED OIL SHALE BED AND PREHEATING SAID OIL SHALE BY DIRECTLY CONTACTING SAID OIL SHALE WITH A GASEOUS MIXTURE OF STRIPPING GAS AND SHALE OIL PRODUCT WITHDRAWN FROM A SEPARATION ZONE AS HEREINAFTER SET FORTH AND INTRODUCED INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID PREHEATING ZONE, THEREBY PREHEATING SAID OIL SHALE TO A TEMPERATURE NO GREATER THAN 450* F. AND COOLING AND CONDENSING A PORTION OF SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE OF STRIPPING GAS AND SHALE OIL PRODUCT INTRODUCED INTO SAID PREHEATING ZONE; WITHDRAWING RESULTING GASEOUS SHLE OIL PRODUCT AND STRIPPING GAS FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID PREHEATING ZONE AS A PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS WITHDRAWING RESULTING PREHEATED OIL SHALE AND CONDENSED SHALE OIL PRODUCT FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID PREHEATING ZONE, SEPARATING RESULTING PREHEATED OIL SHALE FROM RESULTING CONDENSED SHALE OIL PRODUCT AND WITHDRAWING RESULTING CONDENSED SHALE OIL PRODUCT AS A PRODUCT OF THE PROCCESS; PASSING RESULTING PREHEATED OIL SHALE IN DIRECT CONCURRENT CONTACT WITH A STRIPPING GAS INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF A STRIPPING ZONE AND THEREIN FLUIDIZING SAID RESULTING PREHEATED OIL SHALE; THEREIN HEATING SAID RESULTING PREHEATED OIL SHALE TO A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE FROM 825 TO 1050* F. BY DIRECTLY AND COUNTERCURRENTLY CONTACTING SAME WITH A MOVING BED OF HOT REFRACTORY PEBBLES HAVING A DIAMETER OF FROM ONE-FOURTH INCH TO ONE INCH PASSED INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID STRIPPING ZONE AND HEATED AS HEREINAFTER SET FORTH IN A PEBBLE HEATING ZONE, THEREBY STRIPPING SHALE OIL FROM SAID RESULTING PREHEATED OIL SHALE; WITHDRAWING RESULTING PRODUCTS OF SAID STRIPPING IN ADMIXTURE WITH STRIPPING GAS AND STRIPPED OIL SHALE FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID STRIPPING ZONE AND PASSING SAME INTO A SEPARATION ZONE AND THEREIN SEPARATING SAID STRIPPED OIL SHALE FROM SAID STRIPPING GAS AND SHALE OIL PRODUCT; PASSING A PORTION OF A RESULTING GASEOUS MIXTURE OF SHALE OIL PRODUCTS AND STRIPPING GAS INTO SAID PREHEATING ZONE AS HEREINBEFORE SET FORTH; REMOVING RESULTING STRIPPED OIL SHALE FROM SAID SEPARATION ZONE AND PASSING SAME IN DIRECT AND CONCURRENT CONTACT WITH AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF A PEBBLE HEATING ZONE, THEREBY FLUIDIZING SAID STRIPPED OIL SHALE, BURNING RESIDUAL CARBON FROM SAID STRIPPED OIL SHALE AND HEATING A MOVING BED OF REFRACTORY PEBBLES BY DIRECTLY CONTACTING SAME WITH A RESULTING MIXTURE OF HOT FLUE GASES AND SPENT OIL SHALE; WITHDRAWING RESULTING HOT REFRACTORY PEBBLES FROM SAID PEBBLE HEATING ZONE AND PASSING SAME INTO SAID STRIPPING ZONE AS HEREINBEFORE SET FORTH; AND WITHDRAWING SPENT OIL SHALE AND FLUE GASES FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID PEBBLE HEATING ZONE.