Process for the recovery of oil from oil-bearing minerals

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN FROM AN OIL-BEARING MINERAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TAR SAND AND OIL SHALE WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A SLURY OF PARTICLES OF SAID MINERAL SMALLER THAN ONE-QUARTER INCH IN AVEERAGE DIAMETER IN WATER, PASSING SAID SLURY INTO AN ELONGATED TUBULAR HEATING ZONE UNDER CONDITIONS OF TURBULENT FLOW AT A VELOCITY WITHIN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 1/2 TO 10 FEET PER SECOND, VAPORIZING ALL OF THE WATER AND A VOLATILIZABLE PORTION OF THE OIL FROM SAID MINERAL IN SAID HEATING ZONE FORMING A DISPERSION OF SOLID RESIDUE FROM SAID MINERAL IN VAPOUR AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 500 TO ABOUT 1500*F., DISCHRGING THE RESULTING DISPERSION FROM THE HEATING ZONE AT A VELOCITY WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 25 TO 200 FEET PER SECOND, AND SUBJECTING SAID DISPERSION TO REACTION WITH OXYGEN AT AN ELEVATED TEMPEATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 2,000-2,600* F. EFFECTIVE FOR CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS TO CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN.