Tar sand distillation process and apparatus

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE EDUCTION OF HYDROCARBON VALUES FROM HYDROCARBONACEOUS MINERAL SOLIDS WHICH COMPRISES: (1) INTRODUCING SAID HYDROCARBONACEOUS SOLIDS INTO AN ELONGATED EDUCATION ZONE TOGETHER WITH HOT EDUCTED SOLIDS IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN SAID EDUCATION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE AT WHICH HYDROCARBON VALUES ARE EDUCTED IN VAPOR FORM FROM SAID HYDROCARBONACEOUS SOLIDS; (2) INTIMATELY ADMIXING SAID HYDROCARBON ACEOUS SOLIDS AND SAID HOT EDUCATED SOLIDS WITHIN SAID EDUCATION ZONE IN THE ABSCENCE OF APPRECIABLE AMOUNTS OF MATERIALS WHICH REACT CHEMICALLY WITH HYDROCARBONS WHILE MAINTAINING THE MIXTURE TURE OF SOLIDS IN THE FORM OF A COMPACT BED AND WHILE PASSING THE HEREINAFTER DEFINED STRIPPING GAS THROUGH SAID EDUCTION ZONE AT A RATE INSUFFICIENT TO CAUSE SAID SOLIDS TO BE SUSPENDED THEREIN; (3) WITHDRAWING FROM SAID EDUCTION ZONE A VAPOR PHASE COMPRISING EDUCTED HYDROCARBON VAPORS AND SAID STRIPPING GAS; (4) TREATING SAID VAPOR PHASE TO SEPARATE THE NORMALLY GASEOUS COMPONENTS THEREFROM; (5) RETURNING AT LEAST A PART OF THE SEPARATED NORMALLY GASEOUS COMPONENTS TO SAID EDUCATION SAID STRIPPING GAS; (6) WITHDRAWING FROM SAID EDUCATION ZONE A SOLIDS MIXTURE COMPRISING MINERAL SOLIDS CONTAINING COMBUSTIBLE CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL; (7) INTTRODUCING AT LEAST A PART OF SAID SOLIDS MIXTURE INTO A COMBUSTION ZONE WHEREIN SAID SOLIDS ARE MAINTAINED IN THE FORM OF A RELATIVELY SHALLOW DOWNWARDLY MOVING COMPACT BED; (8) INTRODUCING AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS INTO A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED LATERALLY CONFINED GAS LIFT ZONES EXTENDING UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID DOWNWARDLY MOVING BED IN TO A COMMON ENLARGED SPACE AT THE TOP OF SAID COMBUSTION ZONE (9) INTRODUCING SAID SOLIDS MIXTURE FROM SAID COMPACT DOWNWARDLY MOVING BED INTO THE LOWER END OF SAID GAS LIFT ZONES; (10) CONTROLLING THE RATE OF FLOW OF SAID OXYGEN CONTAINING GAS THROUGH SAID GAS LIFTZONES AT SUCH A VALUE THAT THE SOLIDS INTRODUCED THEREINTO ARE SUSPENDED IN AND ARE CARRIED UPWARDLY WITH SAID OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS; (11) MAINTAINING WITHIN SAID GAS LIFT ZONES AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT COMBUSTION OF SAID COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL IN SAID OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS (12) DISCHARGING THE SUSPENSION OF SOLIDS FROM SAID GAS LIFT ZONE INTO SAID ENLARGED SPACE; (13) ALLOWING SAID SOLIDS TO FALL BY GRAVITY TO THE SURFACE OF SAID COMPACR DOWNWARDLY MOVING BED; (14) WITHDRAWING FLUE GAS FROM THE TOP OF SAID COMBUSTION ZONE; (15) WITHDRAWING SOLIDS FROM SAID COMPACT BED AT A POINT BELOW THAT AT WHICH SOLIDS ARE INTRODUCED INTO SAID GAS LIFT ZONES; AND (16) INTRODUCING AT LEAST A PART OF SAID WITHDRAWN SOLIDS INTO SAID EDUCTION ZONE AS SAID HOT EDUCTED SOLIDS.