Carbonization of coal

Claim 1

PROCESS OF PORUCING A METALLURGICAL GRADE COKE FROM SWELLING COALS WHICH COMPRISES SUBJECTING SUCH COAL TO FLASH OXIDATION WITH A GAS CONTAINING FREE OXYGEN, IN PARTICULATED AND FLUIDIZED FORM, AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE PLASTIC RANGE OF THE COAL FOR A CONTROLLED BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME; SHOCK COOLING THE OXIDIZED PARTICULATED COAL TO A TEMPERATURE AT WHICH OXIDATION OF THE COAL IS INHIBITED; ADMIXING THE OXIDIZED COAL WITH A FLUENT BINDER TO PRODUCE A PLASTIC, FORMABLE MASS OF UNIFORM CONSISTENCY; FORMING THE PLASTIC MASS INTO UNITS OF SELECTED SIZE AND SHAPE; CARBONIZING THE FORMED UNITS BY CONTACT ING SUCH UNITS WITH A FLOWING STREAM OF NON-REACTIVE GAS CHARACTERIZED BY A LOW PARTIAL PRESSURE OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE COAL WHICH ARE VOLATILE AT SUCH CARBONIZATION TEMPERATURE; CONTROLLING THE RATE OF HEAT INPUT FROM SUCH NON-REACTIVE GAS TO SAID FORMED UNITS SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE RATE OF BETWEEN 2.5*C. TO 5*C. PER MINUTE UP TO SUBSTANTIALLY 500*C. AND THEREAFTER CONTROLLING SUCH HEAT