Process for the gasification of solid fuels

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE GENERATION OF CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN BY THE INTERACTION OF A SOLID CARBONACEOUS FUEL CONTAINING AN INCOMBUSTIBLE RESIDUE WITH AN OXYGENCONTAINING GAS AND STEAM IN A FLOW-TYPE REACTION ZONE AT A PRESSURE ABOVE ABOUT 100 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAUGE AND A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE FUSION POINT OF SAID RESIDUE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES DISCHARGING MOLTEN RESIDUE TOGETHER WITH ALL GASEOUS EFFLUENT FROM A COMMON OUTLET IN THE LOWERMOST PORTION OF SAID REACTION ZONE TO PERMIT UNOBSTRUCTED FLOW OF MOLTEN RESIDUE THEREFROM INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITH WATER THEREBY QUENCH COOLING SAID MOLTEN RESIDUE TO SOLIDIFIED PARTICLES OF SLAG, COLLECTING RESULTING SLAG PARTICLES IN A CLOSED QUENCH ZONE MAINTAINED AT THE PRESSURE OF SAID REACTION ZONE, MAINTAINING A BODY OF WATER IN SAID QUENCH ZONE, DISCHARGING PRODUCT GAS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM SLAG FROM SAID QUENCH ZONE, AND SEPARATELY DISCHARGING SOLIDIFIED SLAG AND WATER FROM SAID QUENCH ZONE.