Process for gasifying carbonaceous fuels

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN FROM SOLID CARBONACEOUS FUEL WHEREIN A FLUID SLURRY OF SAID FUEL IN PARTICLE FORM IN WATER IS FORMED, SAID SLURRY IS PASSED AS A CONFINED STREAM IN TURBULENT FLOW THROUGH A HEATING ZONE WHEREIN SAID WATER IS VAPORIZED FORMING A DISPERISON OF SAID FUEL PARTICLES IN VAPOR, AND SAID DISPERISON OF SAID FUEL PARTICLES REACTION WITH FREE OXYGEN IN AN UNOBSTRUCTED REACTION ZONE AUTOGENOUSLY MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 200 TO 3000*F. PRODUCING A GASEOUS PRODUCT COMPRISING MAINLY CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN AND CONTAINING FREE CARBON, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID PRODUCT GAS WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A WATER-SOLUBLE OXYGENATED HYDROCARBON WETTING AGENT EFFECTING REMOVAL OF CARBON THEREFROM AND FORMING A SUSPENSION OF CARBON IN SAID AQUEOUS SOLUTION, AND ADMIXING SAID SOLID CARBONACEOUS FUEL IN PARTICLE FORM WITH SAID AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONTAINING SAID RECOVERED CARBON SUSPENDED THEREIN TO FORM SAID SLURRY WHEREBY SAID WATERSOLUBLE OXYGENATED HDROCARBON IS SUBJECTED TO HEATING AND VAPORIZATION IN SAID HEATING ZONE AND IS FED INTO SAID GASFICATION ZONE WHEREIN IT IS CONVERTED TO CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN.