Pebble heat exchanger and process

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED PEBBLE HEATER APPARATUS COMPRISING A FIRST CLOSED UPRIGHT SHELL HAVING PEBBLE INLET MEANS IN ITS UPPERN END PORTION; GASEOUS MATERIAL INLET MEANS IN ONE END PORTION OF SAID SHELL; GASEOUS EFFLUENT OUTLET MEANS IN THE END PORTION OF SAID SHELL OPPOSITE THE PORTION CONTAINING SAID GASEOUS INLET MEANS; A SECOND CLOSED UPRIGHT SHELL BELOW FIRST SAID SHELL; PEBBLE OUTLET MEANS IN THE LOWER END OF SAID SECOND SHELL; GASEOUS MATERIAL INLET MEANS IN THE LOWER END PORTION OF SAID SECOND SHELL; GASEOUS EFFLUENT OUTLET MEANS IN THE UPPER END PORTION OF SAID SECOND SHELL; PEBBLE CONDUIT MEANS EXTENDING FROM THE LOWER END OF SAID FIRST SHELL TO THE UPPER END OF SAID SECOND SHELL; PEBBLE FLOW CONTROL MEANS IN THE UPPER END PORTION OF SAID PEBBLE CONDUIT; A PLURALITY OF BAFFLE MEANS FOR MIXING DOWNFLOWING PEBBLES VERTICALLY SPACED APART IN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID PEBBLE CONDUIT MEANS AND BELOW SAID PEBBLE FLOW CONTROL MEANS; HEATING GAS INLET MEANS IN THE LOWER END PORTION OF SAID PEBBLE CONDUIT MEANS; GASEOUS MATERIAL OUTLET MEANS ADJACENT THE LOWERMOST OF SAID BAFFLES IN SAID PEBBLE CONDUIT MEANS; AND ELEVATOR MEANS EXTENDING FROM SAID PEBBLE OUTLET MEANS IN SAID SECOND SHELL TO SAID PEBBLE INLET MEANS IN SAID FIRST SHELL.

Claim 3

A METHOD FOR PROVIDING PEBBLES OF UNIFORM ELEVATED TEMPERATURE IN A REACTION CHAMBER OF PEBBLE HEATER APPARATUS WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION THE STEPS OF HEATING PEBBLES TO AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE IN A PEBBLE HEATING ZONE; GRAVITATING SAID PEBBLES THROUGH A PEBBLE CONDUIT ZONE AS A CONTINUOUS AND CONTIGUOUS PEBBLE MASS TO A PEBBLE FLOW CONTROL ZONE; GRAVITATING SAID PEBBLES TO A PEBBLE FLOW CONTROL ZONE AS A DISCONTINUOUS PEBBLE PHASE; TUMBLING SAID PEBBLES IN SAID DISCONTINUOUS PHASE IN RANDOM ADMIXTURE FORMING A CONTIGUOUS MASS OF THE RANDOMLY ADMIXED PEBBLES WITHIN SAID PEBBLE CONDUIT ZONE; INTRODUCING A GASEOUS HEATING MATERIAL INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CONTIGUOUS PEBBLE MASS WITHIN SAID PEBBLE CONDUIT ZONE AND PASSING SAID HEATING GAS UPWARDLY THERETHROUGH IN DIRECT HEATING EXCHANGE WITH SAID PEBBLES; REMOVING SAID HEATING GAS FROM SAID PEBBLE CONDUIT ZONE AT A POINT ABOVE SAID CONTIGUOUS PEBBLE MASS THEREIN; AND GRAVITATING SAID PEBBLES INTO SAID REACTION ZONE AS A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM TEMPERATURED CONTIGUOUS PEBBLE MASS.

Claim 4

A METHOD FOR PROVIDING PEBBLES OF UNIFORM ELEVATED TEMPERATURE IN A REACTION CHAMBER OF PEBBLE HEATER APPARATUS WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION THE STEPS OF HEATING PEBBLES TO AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE IN A PEBBLE HEATING ZONE; GRAVITATING SAID PEBBLES THROUGH A PEBBLE CONDUIT ZONE AS A CONTINUOUS AND CONTIGUOUS PEBBLE MASS TO A PEBBLE FLOW CONTROL ZONE; GRAVITATING SAID PEBBLES TO A PEBBLE FLOW CONTROL ZONE AS A DISCONTINUOUS PEBBLE PHASE; TUMBLING SAID PEBBLES IN SAID DISCONTINUOUS PHASE IN RANDOM ADMIXTURE FORMING A CONTIGUOUS MASS OF THE RANDOMLY ADMIXED PEBBLES WITHIN SAID PEBBLE CONDUIT ZONE; INTRODUCING A GASEOUS HEATING MATERIAL INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CONTIGUOUS PEBBLE MASS WITHIN SAID PEBBLE CONDUIT ZONE AND PASSING SAID HEATING GAS UPWARDLY THERETHROUGH IN DIRECT HEATING EXCHANGE WITH SAID PEBBLES; REMOVING SAID HEATING GAS FROM SAID PEBBLE CONDUIT ZONE AT A POINT ABOVE SAID CONTIGUOUS PEBBLE MASS THEREIN; AND GRAVITATING SAID PEBBLES INTO SAID REACTION ZONE AS A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM TEMPERATURED CONTIGUOUS PEBBLE MASS.