Production of gas of high calorific value

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A FUEL GAS OF IMPROVED HEATING VALUE WHICH COMRPRISES CHARGING POWDERED CARBONACEOUS SOLIS AND IRON OXIDE CATALYTIC MATERIAL TO A CARBONIZING AND METHANE SYNTHESIS ZONE, PROCURING SAID MATERIALS IN THE FORM OF A FLUIDIZED MASS, CONTACTING SAID MATERIALS WITH A GAS CONTAINING HYDROGEN, CARBON MONOXIDE AND A VOLTALIZED ALKALI METAL COMPOUND, UNDER CONDITIONS SUITABLE FOR CARBONIZATION AND SYNTHESIZING METHANE FROM CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN, FOR A SUFFICIENT PERIOD OF TIME TO CAUSE THE DESIRED CONVERSIONS, WITHDRAWING CARBONACEOUS SOLIDS AND IRON OXIDE CATALYTIC MATERIAL FROM THE METHANE SYNTHESIS AND CARBONIZING ZONE AND CHARGING THEM TO A WATER GAS GENERATION ZONE, PROCURING SAID SOLIDS IN SAID WATER GENERATION ZONE IN THE FORM OF A FLUIDIZED MASS, CHARGING STEAM OXYGEN AND A WATER GAS REACTION CATALYST CONSISTING OF ONE OF THE CLASS CONSISTING OF AN ALKALI METAL OXIDE AND AN ALKALI METAL AT LEAST PARTIALLY VAPORIZABLE TO SAID WATER GAS GENERATION ZONE, MAINTAINING SAID WATER GAS GENERATION ZONE AT WATER GAS GENERATION TEMPERATURES, PERMITING CONTACT BETWEEN THE STEAM, THE OXYGEN AND THE CARBONACEOUS SOLIDS, IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID CATALYST, FOR A SUFFICIENT PEROID OF TIME TO EFFECT THE DESIRED CONVERSION, WITHDRAWING VOLATILIZED WATER GAS CATALYST AND PRODUCTS OF THE WATER GAS REACTION CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN FROM SAID WATER GAS GENERATION ZONE, CHARGING SAID WITHDRAWN MATERIALS DIRECTLY TO THE CARBONIZING AND METHANE SYNTHESIS ZONE, RECOVERING FROM LAST NAMED ZONE A GASEOUS FUEL CONTAINING CO, H2 AND METHANE AND DISCHARGING FROM SAID WATER GAS REACTION ZONE AS ASH CONTAINING UNREACTED CARBON, IRON OXIDE AND UNVOLATILIZED ALKALI METAL COMPOUND.