Gasification of carbonaceous solids

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE GASIFICATION OF A SOLID CARBONACEOUS FEED MATERIAL BY AN ENDOTHERMIC GASIFICATION REACTION, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES ADMIXING SAID SOLID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL IN PARTICLE FORM WITH PARTICLES OF A SOLID INERT HEAT CARRIER MATERIAL AT A TEMPERATURE SUBSTANTIALLY IN EXCESS OF THE TEMPERATURE REQUIRED FOR THE GASIFICATION REACTION, MAINTAINING A BED OF THE RESULTANT MIXTURE OF SOLIDS IN A GASIFICATION ZONE, PASSING A GASEOUS REACTANT THROUGH SAID BED IN SAID GASIFICATION ZONE TO EFFECT ENDOTHERMIC GASIFICATION OF SAID SOLID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL, WITHDRAWING RESULTING GASES FROM SAID GASIFICATION ZONE, DISCHARGING UNGASIFIED RESIDUE FROM SAID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL ADMIXED WITH SAID HEAT CARRIER MATERIAL FROM SAID GASIFICATION ZONE, INTRODUCING SAID MIXTURE WITHDRAWN FROM SAID GASIFICATION ZONE INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF A COMBUSTION ZONE, MAINTAINING A DOWNWARDLY MOVING BED OF SOLID HEAT CARRIER MATERIAL AND UNGASIFIED RESIDUE FROM SAID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL IN SAID COMBUSTION ZONE, CONTACTING SAID BED IN SAID COMBUSTION ZONE, CONTACTING SAID OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS PASSING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID BED IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT FOR SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE COMBUSTION OF CARBON IN SAID MIXTURE THEREBY HEATING SAID HEAT CARRIER MATERIAL, WITHDRAWING HEATED HEAT CARRIER MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID COMBUSTION ZONE, SEPARATING SAID PARTICLES OF SOLID INERT HEAT CARRIER MATERIAL FROM RESIDUE FROM SAID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL, AND RETURNING HEATED HEAT CARRIER MATERIAL FROM SAID COMBUSTION ZONE TO SAID GASIFICATION ZONE.