Production of gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING A GAS COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE AT AN ELEVATED REACTION TEMPERATURE AND SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE ABOVE ABOUT 100 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING POWDERED COAL AT ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE INTO A STORAGE ZONE; INCREASING THE PRESSURE IN SAID STORAGE ZONE FROM ATMOSPHERIC TO SAID SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, PASSING POWDERED COAL UNDER SAID SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE FROM SAID STORAGE ZONE TO A PRESSURE STORAGE ZONE; PASSING A PORTION OF POWDERED COAL FROM SAID PRESSURE STORAGE ZONE INTO A REACTION ZONE MAINTAINED AT AN ELEVATED REACTION TEMPERATURE AND SAID SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE; PASSING ANOTHER PORTION OF THE POWDERED COAL FROM SAID PRESSURE STORAGE ZONE INTO A HEAT EXCHANGE ZONE MAINTAINED AT SAID SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE; BURNING THE POWDERED COAL IN THE PRESENCE OF AIR IN SAID HEAT EXCHANGE ZONE IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH SOLID, INERT, HIGH HEAT CAPACITY PARTICLES ALSO INTRODUCED INTO SAID HEAT EXCHANGE ZONE; PASSING THE HEATED INERT PARTICLES FROM SAID HEAT EXCHANGE ZONE INTO A GAS HEATING ZONE; INTRODUCING A GAS COMPRISING STEAM INTO THE GAS HEATING ZONE TO EFFECT HEAT EXCHANGE BETWEEN SAID GAS AND THE HEATED INERT PARTICLES TO HEAT SAID GAS ABOVE THE ELEVATED REACTION TEMPERATURE; AND INTRODUCING SAID HEATED GAS INTO THE REACTION ZONE WHEREBY THE HEATED STREAM FLUIDIZES POWDERED COAL, FURNISHES THE HEAT OF REACTION TO MAINTAIN THE REACTION ZONE AT SAID ELEVATED REACTION TEMPERATURE, AND REACTS ENDOTHEMICALLY WITH SAID COAL TO PRODUCE A GAS COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE.