Apparatus for recovering oil from oil-bearing minerals

Claim 1

IN A RETORTING APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING OIL FROM OIL-BEARING MINERAL SOLIDS, THE COMBINATION OF A CLOSED VERTICAL RETORTING VESSEL HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FIXED COMBUSTION ZONE WITHIN A CONFINED AREA OF SAID VESSEL, A HOPPER MEANS AT THE TOP OF SAID RETORTING VESSEL FOR INTRODUCING CRUSHED SOLIDS INTO SAID RETORTING VESSEL, AN INDEPENDENT FIRST INLET AND FIRST CONDUIT BELOW SAID COMBUSTION ZONE FOR TEMPORARILY SUPPLYING AN OXYGENCONTAINING GAS TO SAID COMBUSTION ZONE, AN INDEPENDENT SECOND INLET CONDUIT ABOVE SAID COMBUSTION ZONE AND DOWN FROM THE TOP OF SAID RETORTING VESSEL EQUIPPED WITH A GAS DISTRIBUTING MEANS ADAPTED TO DISPERSE AN OXYGENCONTAINING GAS UNIFORMLY OVER THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE MASS OF SOLIDS IN A DOWNWARDLY DIRECTION ACROSS SAID COMBUSTION ZONE WHEN SAID TEMPORARY SUPPLY OF OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS IS DISCONTINUED THROUGH SAID FIRST INLET CONDUIT, SAID FIRST OUTLET CONDUIT FOR WITHDRAWING A STREAM OF COMBUSTION PRODUCTS AND EDUCTED OIL PRODUCTS FROM SAID RETORTING VESSEL, THE HEIGHT OF THE TOP OF SAID RETORTING VESSEL ABOVE SAID SECOND INLET CONDUIT BEING MAINTAINED AT SEVERAL TIMES THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID SECOND INLET CONDUIT AND SAID FIRST INLET AND FIRST OUTLET CONDUIT AN INDEPENDENT THIRD INLET CONDUIT BELOW SAID FIRST OUTLET CONDUIT FOR INTRODUCING WATER INTO THE LOWER REGIONS OF SAID RETORTING VESSEL UNIFORMLY OVER THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE MASS OF SOLIDS TO COOL OIL-FREE SOLIDS AFTER COMBUSTION THEREOF, AND AN INDEPENDENT SECOND OUTLET CONDUIT IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID RETORTING VESSEL FOR REMOVING SAID OIL-FREE SOLIDS THEREFROM.