Method of pyrolysis of fuel

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR PYROLYZING A PARTICULATE, SOLID FUEL IN A PYROLYSIS FURNACE AT A TEMPERATURE EFFECTIVE TO PRODUCE THEREFROM A SUBSTANTIALLY UNCRAKED OIL EFFLUENT AND A COMBUSTIBLE, CARBON-CONTAINING PYROLYSIS RESIDUE WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING AT LEAST PART OF THE PYROLYSIS RESIDUE WITH AN OXYGEN-CARRYING GAS IN A CONBUSTION ZONE TO FORM AN OXIDIZED PYROLYSIS RESIDUE HAVING A TEMPERATURE HIGHER THAN THE PYROLYSIS TEMPERATURE, FORMING HARD AGGOLMERATES FROM A PORTION OF THE PYROLYSIS RESIDUE, SAID AGGLOMERATES HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THAT OF THE PARTICUALTE FUEL, CONTACTING THE AGGLOMERATES WITH THE OXIDIZED RESIDUE UNTIL THE TEMPERATURE OF THE AGGLOMERATES IS ALSO SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE PYROLYSIS TEMPERATURE, CONTACTING THE PARTICULATE FUEL WITH THE LARGER, HOT AGGLOMERATES IN THE PYROLYSIS FURNACE, MAINTAINING THE FUEL AND AGGLOMERATES IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP WITHIN THE FURNACE UNTIL PYROLYSIS OF THE FUEL IS EFFECTED, SEPARATING THE AGGOLMERATES FROM THE PYROLYSIS RESIDUE AND RETURING THE AGGLOMERATES TO THE COMBUSTION ZONE.