Treatment at elevated temperatures and/or carbonization of carbonaceous materials

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF CARBONIZING CARBONIZABLE SOLID FUELS BY CONTACTING HOT, SMALL-SIZE COKE WITH SAID FUELS IN A SUBDIVIDED STATE AND INITIALLY AT A RELATIVE LOWER TEMPERATURE PRODUCING ADDITIONAL COKE AND VAPOROUS PRODUCTS OF CARBONIZATION, COMPRISING, HEATING PREVIOUSLY PREPARED, SIZED COKE, SIZED SMALLER THAN ABOUT 1/2-INCH DIAMETER, TO A CARBONIZING TEMPERATURE ABOVE ABOUT 1250* F. WHILE IT IS CONFINED IN A HEATING ZONE BY PROMOTING COMBUSTION REACTIONS IN SAID ZONE IN CONTACT WITH SAID PREPARED COKE, SEPARATING THE THUS HEATED COKE FROM GASEOUS PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION AND FEEDING IT AS A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS STREAM TO THE TOP OF A DEEP, ENCLOSED CARBONIZATION ZONE, SIMULTANEOUSLY INTRODUCING ALSO SUBDIVIDED SOLID FUEL TO BE TREATED WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE SIZE RANGE 0.5 TO 1.5 INCHES DIAMETER INTO THE TOP OF THE LATTER ZONE AT A PARTICULAR RATE CONTACTING THE HEATED COKE AND SAID SOLID FUEL IN SAID CORBONIZATION ZONE, PASSING THE WHOLE MASS SLOWLY DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID CARBONIZATION ZONE SUBSTANTIALLY AS A CONTINUOUS FIXED BED COLUMN, INTRODUCING ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THE COLUMNAR MASS A GASIFORM STREAM INITIALLY COMPRISING OXYGEN AND WATER VAPOR AT A TEMPERATURE MUCH LOWER THAN THAT OF SAID HEATED COKE, AND PASSING IT UP THROUGH SIAD MASS SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY THEREBY COOLING SAID MASS IN THE BOTTOM PORTION OF THE CARBONIZATION ZONE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY HEATING SAID GASIFORM STREAM, CAUSING THE THUS HEATED STREAM TO FACILITATE THE TRANSFER OF HEAT FROM SAID HEATED CHAR TO SAID SUBDIVIDED FUEL AS IT PASSES UP THROUGH THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID MASS, PROMOTING COMBUSITON REACTIONS IN THE LATTER STREAM IN A PORTION OF SAID COLUMNAR MASS ONLY ABOVE THE BOTTOM ZONE THEREOF WITH COMSUMPTION OF SAD OXYGEN GENERATING HEAT THEREIN TO FURTHER AID CARBONIZATION OF SAID FUEL, THEREBY CARBONIZING SAID SUBDIVIDED FUEL IN TRANSIT THROUGH SAID CARBONIZATION ZONE, DISCHARGING SAID GASIFORM STREAM ALONG WITH VOLATILE PRODUCTS OF CARBONIZATION AND PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION FROM ABOVE SAID MASS, AND DISCHARGING THE COKE AND SOLID PRODUCT OF CARBONIZATION FROM ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF SAID CARBONIZATION ZONE SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY; SAID PARTICULAR RATE BEING SUCH THAT ALTERNATE LAYERS (STRATA) ARE FORMED IN SAID COLUMN INITIALLY COMPRISING CHIEFLY HOT COKE IN ONE LAYER AND CHIEFLY SAID SUBDIVIDED FUEL IN AN ALTERNATE LAYER THEREBY MAKING FROM SAID FUEL COKE OF LARGER SIZE THAN 1/2-INCH DIAMETER, MEANWHILE SEPARATING THE LARGE SIZE PRODUCT COKE FROM THE FINES IN A KNOWN MANNER AND CIRCULATING SOME OF THE LATTER FINES BACK TO THE HEATING ZONE AS SAID PREPARED COKE.