Method and apparatus for expelling volatile constituents from solid carbonaceous fuel

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR EXPELLING THE VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS OF SOLID CARBONACEOUS FUEL WHICH COMPRISES A DRUM MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS AND INCLUDING A PRE-HEATING SECTION AND A HEATING SECTION, THE HEATING SECTION HAVING MEANS FOR MAINTAINING A CHARGE OF PREDETERMINED DEPTH THEREIN, MEANS FOR ROTATING THE DRUM TO AGITATE THE FUEL IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE THEREOF AND TO ADVANCE THE FUEL FIRST THROUGH THE PRE-HEATING SECTION AND THEN THROUGH THE HEATING SECTION, ELECTRODES MOUNTED ON THE WALL OF THE HEATING SECTION AND SPACED ABOUT THE AXIS OF THE DRUM AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SECTION, SAID ELECTRODES BEING IN TWO SETS, WITH ONE SET MOUNTED AT ONE END PORTION OF THE HEATING CHAMBER AND THE OTHER SET MOUNTED AT THE OTHER END PORTION THEREOF, SAID SETS BEING SO SPACED ABOUT THE DRUM THAT OPPOSITE ELECTRODES OF EACH SET ARE ALWAYS SUBMERGED IN THE FUEL IN THE HEATING SECTION AS THE DRUM ROTATES, MEANS FOR APPLYING POTENTIAL ACROSS THE ELECTRODES TO CAUSE FLOW OF CURRENT THROUGH THE CHARGE IN THE HEATING SECTION WHILE THE CHARGE IS BEING AGITATED, THE VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS ESCAPING FROM THE HEATING SECTION THROUGH THE PRE-HEATING SECTION, AND A PLURALITY OF AIR SUPPLY PIPES MOUNTED IN OPENINGS THROUGH THE WALL OF THE PRE-HEATING SECTION, OF THE DRUM AT A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE FROM THE HEATING SECTION, THE AIR SUPPLY PIPES TERMINATING WITHIN THE INTERIOR OF THE DRUM INWARDLY FROM THE WALL A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE NORMAL THICKNESS OF THE FUEL TRAVELING THROUGH THE PRE-HEATING SECTION.