Process for the destructive distillation of carbonaceous materials

Claim 1

THE PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES CHARGING A RETORT WITH AN ASSEMBLED MASS OF SOLID PARTICLES TO FORM AN INCLOSED, IMMOBLIE, GAS-TRAVESABLE BED OF SOLIDS WITHIN THE RETORT, THE SOLIDS INITIALLY CONTAINING A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF A NONBITUMINOUS, THERMALLY UNSTABLE, CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL RAPIDLY DECOMPOSABLE ABOVE AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE T1 AT LEAST 400* F. AND A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF A SECOND CARBONACEOUS CONSTITUENT RAPIDLY DECOMPOSABLE ABOVE A SECOND ELEVATED TEMPERATURE T2 AT LEAST 600* F. AND HIGHER THAN T1; FORCING A RECYCLED THERMAL CARRIER GAS CONSISTING PRINCIPALLY OF N2, CO AND H2 AND FREE FROM INTENTIONAL ADDITIONS OF THE OXIDIZING GASES CO2, H2O AND O2 AND SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM ADMIXTURE WITH PRODUCTS OF FUEL COMBUSTION, PREHEATED TO A RETORTING TEMPERATURE T'' BETWEEN 600* F. AND 1700* F. AND, INTERMEDIATE BETWEEN T1 AND T2, TO ENTER THE RETORT AND TRAVERSE THE BED WHEREBY THE SOLID PARTICLES THEREIN ARE SUBJECTED TO SELECTIVE DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION, WHEREIN THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE FIRST CARBONACEOUS CONSTITUENT IS CONVERTED INTO A VAPOR-PHASE PRODUCT OF PYROLYSIS AND THE MAJOR PROTION OF THE SECOND CARBONACEOUS CONSTITUENT