Recovery of aluminum halides

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING AN ALUMINUM HALIDE FROM AN ALUMINUM HALIDE-HYDROCARBON COMPLEX WHICH COMPRISES MAINTAINING A MASS OF CERAMIC PEBBLES WITHIN A DISTILLATION ZONE AND A COMBUSTION ZONE EACH DEFINED BY A WALL OF CERAMIC MATERIAL, CONTINUOUSLY TRANSFERRING PEBBLES FROM THE LOWER END OF SAID DISTILLATION ZONE TO THE UPPER END OF SAID COMBUSTION ZONE AND FROM THE LOWER END OF SAID COMBUSTION ZONE TO THE UPPER END OF SAID DISTILLATION ZONE AT SUCH A RATE AS TO MAINTAIN A CONTINUOUS CIRCULATION OF PEBBLES THROUGH THE SYSTEM WITH A SLOW GRAVITATION OR SETTLING OF PEBBLES IN SAID ZONES EFFECTED WITHOUT IMPACT OF THE PEBBLES AGAINST SAID CERAMIC WALLS, INTRODUCTING AND ALUMINUM HALIDE-HYDROCARBON COMPLEX IN THE FLUID STATE INTO SAID DISTILLATION ZONE, SAID COMPLEX BEING NON-CORROSIVE TO SAID CERAMIC WALLS AND PEBBLES, SAID PEBBLES ENTERING THE DISTILLATION ZONE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM CARBONACEOUS DEPOSITS AND AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 1000 TO 1500* F., WHEREBY SAID COMPLEX IS DISTILLED INTO A GASEOUS STREAM, COMPOSED OF SAID ALUMINUM HALIDE AND LIGHT HYDROCARBONS, AND A HEAVY CARBONACEOUS RESIDUE, WHICH IS DEPOSITED ON SAID PEBBLES, WITHDRAWING SAID GASEOUS STREAM AS A PRODUCT FROM A HIGH PIONT IN SAID DISTILLATION ZONE, WITHDRAWING SAID RESIDUE SUBSTANTIALLY WHOLLY AS A DEPOSIT ON SAID PEBBLES AS A RESULT OF THE AFORESAID SLOW GRAVITATION OR SETTLING OF SAID PEBBLES IN THE DISTILLATION ZONE, INTRODUCING AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS AND SUFFICIENT FUEL AT A LOW POINT IN SAID COMBUSTION ZONE TO BURN OFF SUBATANTIALLY ALL OF SAID CARBONACEOUS RESIDUE AND HEAT THE PEBBLES LEAVING SAID COMBUSTION ZONE TO A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE AFORESAID RANGE OF 1000 YO 1500*F., SAID FUEL PRODUCING WATER AS A PRODUCT OF COMBUSTION, WITHDRAWING COMBUSTION PRODUCTS AT A HIGH POINT IN SAID COMBUSTION ZONE, AND INTRODUCTING AN INERT GAS FREE FROM WATER VAPOR INTO THE PEBBLES LEAVING THE COMBUSTION UNDER SUCH CONDITIONS AS TO CAUSE IT TO FLOW INTO THE COMBUSTION ZONE AT SUCH VELOCITY AS TO PREVENT ENTRANCE OF SAID WATER INTO THE DISTILLATION ZONE.