Distillation of volatile matters of carbonaceous materials

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED METHOD OF RECOVERING VOLATILE MATERIAL FROM NON-AFFLOMERATING MATERIAL, SUCH AS SHALE, BY LOW TEMPERATURE CARBONIZATION IN A SINGLE PASS SYSTEM WHICH COMPRISES, PARTICULATING THE CHARGE MATERIAL, DENSE PHASE FLUIDIZING THE PARTICULATED MATERIAL IN A FLUIDIZING MEDIUM, PASSING THE FLUIDIZED CHARGE AT SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM VELOCITY UPWARDLY THROUGH A DISTILLATION ZONE AND HEATING IT THEREIN TO TEMPERATURES SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO EFFECT PYROLYTIC DECOMPOSTION OF THE SHALE WITH THE FORMATION OF CARBONACEOUS GASES AND VAPORS AND THE DEPOSITION OF LIBERATED CARBON ON THE MINERAL RESIDUES, AND TO DISTIL OFF SAID RESULTING GASES AND VAPORS WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL UNDESIRABLE PYROLYSIS THEREOF, BY HERAT APPLIED INDIRECTLY FROM A COMBUSTION ZONE LOCATED CENTRALLY AND WHOLLY WITHIN THE CIRCUMJACENT DISTILLATION ZONE; WITHDRAWING FROM THE OVERHEAD PRODUCTS FROM THE DISTILLATION ZONE UNMIXED WITH PRODUCTS FROM THE COMBUSTION AND SEPARATING THE ENTRAINED SOLIDS FROM THE GASIFORM CARRIER MATERIALS, THEN FRACTIONATING SUCH GASIFORM MATERIALS TO SEPARATE CONDENSIBLE AND NON-CONDENSIBLE FRACTIONSM SEPARATELY WITHDRAWING FROM THE DISTILLATION ZONE THE CARBON-COATED PARTICULATE SOLID RESIDUES, FEEDING SUCH RESIDUES IN FLUIDIZED FROM THE COMBUSTION ZONE TOGETHER WITH COMBUSTIVE AIR AND A FLUIDIZING MEDIUM; COMBUSTING SAID SOLIDS IN THE COMBUSTION ZONE TO BURN OFF THE CARBON; WITHDRAWING FROM THE COMBUSTION ZONE THE DECARBONIZED PARTICULATE SOLID RESIDUE ENTRAINED IN THE GASEOUS PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION, SEPARATING THE SAID SOLIDS FROM THE GASEOUS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS AND DISCHARGING SEPARATED SOLIDS FROM THE SYSTEM.