Process for destructive distillation of hydrocarbonaceous materials

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR THE DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION OF OIL SHALE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF USEFUL LIQUID PRODUCTS WHICH INVOLVES THE STEPS OF CONTINUOUSLY PASSING THE SHALE AS A BED OF BROKEN SOLIDS DOWNWARDLY IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL COLUMN SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH A PREHEATING ZONE AND A DISTILLATION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY PASSING A STREAM OF NONCONDENSABLE GASES CONTAINING ARTIFICIALLY INDUCED CONDENSATION NUCLEI SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ALUMINUM OXIDE, TITANIUM OXIDE AND TIN OXIDE UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID DISTILLATION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO EFFECT THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF SAID OIL SHALE, THEREBY PRODUCING CONDENSABLE PRODUCT VAPORS WHICH ARE CARRIED UPWARDLY IN SAID GAS STREAM CONTAINING ARTIFICIALLY INDUCED CONDENSATION NUCLEI, PERMITTING SAID VAPOR-CONTAINING GAS STREAM TO PASS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID PREHEATING ZONE, WHEREBY THE DESCENDING SHALE BECOMES PROGRESSIVELY HEATED, WITHDRAWING SAID GAS STREAM FROM SAID COLUMN AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENTLY LOW SO THAT SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE VAPOR CONTENT OF SAID GAS STREAM CONTAINING ARTIFICIALLY INDUCED CONDENSATION NUCLEI UNDERGOES CONDENSATION WITHIN SAID COLUMN, WHEREBY THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE VAPORS CONDENSE ON THE ARTIFICIALLY INDUCED NUCLEI AS A RELATIVELY STABLE MIST AND A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF CONDENSATION OCCURS ON THE SURFACE OF SAID SHALE, WITHDRAWING SAID RELATIVELY STABLE MIST AND ACCOMPANY GAS STREAM FROM THE COLUMN, AND SEPARATING THE SHALE-OIL MIST INCLUDING THE ARTIFICIALLY INDUCED NUCLEI, FROM THE ACCOMPANYING GASES.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR THE DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION OF OIL SHALE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF USEFUL LIQUID PRODUCTS WHICH INVOLVES THE STEPS OF CONTINUOUSLY PASSING THE SHALE AS A BED OF BROKEN SOLIDS DOWNWARDLY IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL COLUMN SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH A PREHEATING ZONE AND A DISTILLATION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY PASSING A STREAM OF NONCONDENSABLE GASES CONTAINING ARTIFICIALLY INDUCED CONDENSATION NUCLEI SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ALUMINUM OXIDE, TITANIUM OXIDE AND TIN OXIDE UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID DISTILLATION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO EFFECT THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF SAID OIL SHALE, THEREBY PRODUCING CONDENSABLE PRODUCT VAPORS WHICH ARE CARRIED UPWARDLY IN SAID GAS STREAM CONTAINING ARTIFICIALLY INDUCED CONDENSATION NUCLEI, PERMITTING SAID VAPOR-CONTAINING GAS STREAM TO PASS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID PREHEATING ZONE, WHEREBY THE DESCENDING SHALE BECOMES PROGRESSIVELY HEATED, WITHDRAWING SAID GAS STREAM FROM SAID COLUMN AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENTLY LOW SO THAT SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE VAPOR CONTENT OF SAID GAS STREAM CONTAINING ARTIFICIALLY INDUCED CONDENSATION NUCLEI UNDERGOES CONDENSATION WITHIN SAID COLUMN, WHEREBY THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE VAPORS CONDENSE ON THE ARTIFICIALLY INDUCED NUCLEI AS A RELATIVELY STABLE MIST AND A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF CONDENSATION OCCURS ON THE SURFACE OF SAID SHALE, WITHDRAWING SAID RELATIVELY STABLE MIST AND ACCOMPANY GAS STREAM FROM THE COLUMN, AND SEPARATING THE SHALE-OIL MIST INCLUDING THE ARTIFICIALLY INDUCED NUCLEI, FROM THE ACCOMPANYING GASES.