Destructive distillation of hydrocarbonaceous materials

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION OF OIL SHALE WHEREIN (1) THE RAW SHALE IS BROUGHT TO DISTILLATION TEMPERATURE BY CONTACT WITH A HOT COUNTER-FLOWING GAS STREAM, (2) THE GASEOUS EFFLUENT FROM THE DISTILLATION REACTION IS REMOVED FROM THE DISTILLATION CHAMBER AND TREATED TO REMOVE CONDENSABLE CONSTITUENTS AND (3) THE NON-CONDENSABLE GAS SO PRODUCED IS REHEATED AND INTRODUCED INTO THE DISTILLATION ZONE TO SUSTAIN THE PROCESS, THE STEPS COMPRISING: (A) PROVIDING A RELATIVELY SHORT OIL SHALE DISTILLING ZONE HAVING A SHALE SUPPORTING BOTTOM SURFACE, FORMING A SOLID BED OF PARTICULATE OIL SHALE IN SAID ZONE ON SAID SURFACE, MOVING SAID BED FORWARDLY THROUGH SAID ZONE AND CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING FRESH, RAW PARTICULATE OIL SHALE TO THE REAR OF SAID ZONE TO MAINTAIN SAID BED, (B) DISCHARGING THE HOT SPENT SHALE FROM THE FORWARD END OF SAID BED, (C) PASSING A FIRST PORTION OF THE NON-CONDENSABLE GASES RESULTIG FROM THE DISTILLATION OF SAID SHALE IN DIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HOT SPENT SHALE DISCHARGED FROM SAID BED TO PREHEAT SAID GASES AND CHEMICALLY CONVERT THE WATER VAPOR AND CARBON DIOXIDE PRESENT INTO CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN TO PRODUCE A NON-OXIDIZING PREHEATED EFFLUENT GAS, (D) RAISING SAID NON-OXIDIZING EFFLUENT GAS TO A TEMPERATURE OF 700*F. TO 2000*F., (E) PASSING THE HOT NON-OXIDIZING GAS SO PRODUCED THAROUGH SAID MOVING SOLID BED OF PARTICULATE OIL SHALE COUNTER-CURRENTLY TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID BED AND REGULATING THE SPEED OF SAID BED AND THE RATE OF FLOW OF SAID GASES SUCH THAT THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID GASED DISCHARGED FROM THE RARE OF SAID BED DOES NOT EXCEED 200*F., A NARROW FORWARD ZONE ONLY OF SAID BED BEING RAISED TO THE SHALE DISTILLATION TEMPERATURE, AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE LIQUID MATERIALS RESULTING FROM THE DISTILLATION OF SAID SHALE IN SAID FORWARD ZONE CONDENSING IN A REARWARD PREHEATING ZONE OF SAID BED CONTAINING RELATIVELY COLD PARTICULATE OIL SHALE, AND (F) RECOVERING LIQUID DISTILLATION PRODUCTS AT THE REAR END OF SAID BED.