Pebble heater apparatus

Claim 1

IN A METHOD FOR THE TRNASFER OF HEAT TO A FLUID AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE LEVELS WHICH COMPRISES HEATING PARTICULATE HEAT TRANSFER SOLIDS TO A TEMPERTURE ABOVE 1200* F. BY DIRECT CONTACT WITH HOT GASES IN A FIRST CONTACTING ZONE, GRAVITATING SAID HEATED SOLIDS THROUGH A RELATIVELY NARROW INTERCONNECTING ZONE TO A SECOND CONTACTING ZONE THEREBELOW, AND CONTACTING A FLUID WITH SAID HEATED SOLIDS IN SAID SECOND ZONE SO AS TO EFFECT THE TRANSFER TO HEAT THEREBETWEEN; THE IMPROVEMTNT WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING GASEOUS HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN IN STOICHIOMETRIC PROPORTIONS INTO A COMBUSTION ZONE AND BURNING SAID HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN THEREIN, ADDING AND MIXING STEAM WITH THE PRODUCT FORMED BY SAID BURNING THEREBY RAISING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID ADDED STEAM TO A TEMPERATURE WITHIN 500* F. OF THE SOLIDS IN SAID INTERCONNECTING ZONE, AND INTRODUCING SAID RESULTING ADMIXTURE INTO SAID INTERCONNECTING ZONE AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT THE FLOW OF FLUIDS THERETHROUGH BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND ZONES.