Production of coke agglomerates

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING MARKETABLE PELLETIZED COKE FROM HEAVY HYDROCARBONACEOUS LIQUID OIL RESIDUE HAVING AN INITIAL BOILING POINT ABOVE ABOUT 900* F., WHICH COMPRISES SUPPLYING A FLUIDIZED MASS OF PREHEATED CARBO NACEOUS SOLID PARTICLES OF ABOUT 30 TO 400 MESH PARTICLE SIZE TO A PRIMARY COKING ZONE, SPRAYING SAID OIL RESIDUE INTO SAID ZONE TO CONTACT SAID PARTICLES AND TO CONVERT SAID RESIDUE TO MORE VOLATILE PRODUCTS PLUS COKE DEPOSITED UPON SAID PARTICLES, THEREBY CAUSING SAID PARTICLES TO GROW BY ACCRETION OF COKE IN LAYERS, PASSING THE PARTICLES THUS AUGMENTED IN SIZE BUT WHILE STILL FLUIDIZABLE, TO A SECONDARY ZONE, ESTABLISHING A FLUIDIZED BED OF SAID AUGMENTED PARTICLES IN SAID SECONDARY ZONE BY PASSING A GASIFORM FLUID UPWARDLY THERETHROUGH, FEEDING ADDITIONAL OIL RESIDUE INTO SAID FLUIDIZED BED UNDER SUCH CONDITIONS AS TO CAUSE THE AUGMENTED PARTICLES TO COHERE AND FORM AGGLOMERATE COKE PELLETS OF ABOUT 10 TO 100 TIMES THE SIZE OF THE ORIGINAL AUGMENTED PARTICLES, WHICH PELLETS BECOME TOO LARGE TO REMAIN FLUIDIZED AND HENCE FALL BY GRAVITY AGAINST THE UPFLOWING GASIFORM FLUID, COLLECTING SAID PELLETS IN AN UNFLUIDIZED MASS IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID SECONDARY ZONE, AND WITHDRAWING PELLETIZED COKE PRODUCT FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID SECONDARY ZONE.