Method for the destructive distillation of hydrocarbonaceous materials

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR THE DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION OF SOLID HYDROCARBONACEOUS MATERIALS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PASSING THE MATERIAL IN PARTICULATE FORM DOWNWARDLY AS A CONTINUOUS VERTICAL COLUMN OF SOLID MATERIAL SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH A DISTILATION ZONE, A COMBUSTION ZONE, AND A RESIDUE COOLING ZONE, WITHDRAWING FROM ABOVE SAID DISTILLATION ZONE THE PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION AND OF DISTILLATION, INCLUDING A NONCONDENSIBLE GAS RELATIVELY LEAN IN COMBUSTIBLES, RECYCLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID LEAN GAS IN A RELATIVELY COOL CONDITION TO THE LOWER PORTION OF GAS RESIDUE COOLING ZONE, PERMITTING SAID RECYCLED GAS TO PASS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID COLUMN IN CONTACT WITH THE HOT RESIDUE FROM SAID COMBUSTION ZONE WHEREBY SAID RESIDUE BECOMES COOLED AND SAID GAS BECOMES HEATED, DISENGAGING FROM SAID COLUMN AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE HOT LEAN GAS FLOWING UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID RESIDUE COOLING ZONE, PASSING SAID DISENGAGED GAS THROUGH A VERTICAL SOLIDS-FREE CHANNEL, SAID CHANNEL BEING COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE VERTICAL COLUMN OF THE CONTINUOUS PARTICULATE MATERIAL AND BEING SHIELDED THEREFROM AT ITS UPPER END, MIXING AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS WITH SAID DISENGAGED LEAN GAS WITHIN SAID CHANNEL AND PASSING THE RESULTANT MIXTURE INTO SAID COLUMN ABOVE SAID RESIDUE COOLING ZONE, THEREBY ESTABLISHING A ZONE OF COMBUSTION IN THE COLUMN OF SHALE BETWEEN SAID RESIDUE COOLING ZONE AND SAID DISTILLATION ZONE, AND PERMITTING THE HOT GASES FROM SAID COMBUSTION ZONE TO PASS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID COLUMN THEREBY EFFECTING DISTILLATION OF THE DOWNWARDLY MOVING MATERIAL.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR THE DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION OF SOLID HYDROCARBONACEOUS MATERIALS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PASSING THE MATERIAL IN PARTICULATE FORM DOWNWARDLY AS A CONTINUOUS VERTICAL COLUMN OF SOLID MATERIAL SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH A DISTILATION ZONE, A COMBUSTION ZONE, AND A RESIDUE COOLING ZONE, WITHDRAWING FROM ABOVE SAID DISTILLATION ZONE THE PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION AND OF DISTILLATION, INCLUDING A NONCONDENSIBLE GAS RELATIVELY LEAN IN COMBUSTIBLES, RECYCLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID LEAN GAS IN A RELATIVELY COOL CONDITION TO THE LOWER PORTION OF GAS RESIDUE COOLING ZONE, PERMITTING SAID RECYCLED GAS TO PASS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID COLUMN IN CONTACT WITH THE HOT RESIDUE FROM SAID COMBUSTION ZONE WHEREBY SAID RESIDUE BECOMES COOLED AND SAID GAS BECOMES HEATED, DISENGAGING FROM SAID COLUMN AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE HOT LEAN GAS FLOWING UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID RESIDUE COOLING ZONE, PASSING SAID DISENGAGED GAS THROUGH A VERTICAL SOLIDS-FREE CHANNEL, SAID CHANNEL BEING COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE VERTICAL COLUMN OF THE CONTINUOUS PARTICULATE MATERIAL AND BEING SHIELDED THEREFROM AT ITS UPPER END, MIXING AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS WITH SAID DISENGAGED LEAN GAS WITHIN SAID CHANNEL AND PASSING THE RESULTANT MIXTURE INTO SAID COLUMN ABOVE SAID RESIDUE COOLING ZONE, THEREBY ESTABLISHING A ZONE OF COMBUSTION IN THE COLUMN OF SHALE BETWEEN SAID RESIDUE COOLING ZONE AND SAID DISTILLATION ZONE, AND PERMITTING THE HOT GASES FROM SAID COMBUSTION ZONE TO PASS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID COLUMN THEREBY EFFECTING DISTILLATION OF THE DOWNWARDLY MOVING MATERIAL.