Method for producing coke and gas from carbonizable material

Claim 1

IN A METHOD FOR PRODUCING COKE AND GAS FROM COAL WHICH CONTAINS LOW TEMPERATURE VOLATILES CAPABLE OF BEING LIBERATED AT TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM ABOUT 300*F. TO ABOUT 950*F. AND HIGH TEMPEATURE VOLATILES CAPABLE OF BEING LIBERATED AT TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM BETWEEN ABOUT 950*F. TO ABOUT 1,800F., AT LEAST SOME OF SAID VOLATILES BEING TARS WHICH CONDENSE AT TEMPERATURES AT ABOUT 320*F. AND BELOW 320*F. THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE: PASSING INITIALLY COOL COAL OF THE ORDER OF 90*F. AND BELOW THROUGH A PREHEATER-DRYER; FORMING A BED OF THE DRY PREHEATED COAL AND HORIZONTALLY PASSING THE BED THROUGH A HOT CARBONIZER FURNACE FROM AN INPUT END TO AN OUTPUT END THEREOF SO AS FORM A FIRST BED PORTION CONTIGUOUS TO THE INPUT END OF THE FURNACE AND AN ADJACENT SECOND BED PORTION WHICH LIES CONTIGUOUS TO THE OUTPUT END OF THE; FEEDING AIR UPWARDLY THROUGH THE SECOND BED PORTION IN LIMITED QUANTITIES SUFFICIENT ONLY TO OXIDIZE PART OF THE VOLATILES IN THE COAL AND RAISE THE SECOND BED PORTION TEMPEATURE TOE ABOUT 1,800*F. SO AS TO VREATE A MIXTURE OF HOT SUBSTANTIALLY OXYGEN-FREE BYPRODUCTS OF OXIDATION AND UNBURNED HIGH-TEMPERATURE VOLATILES AT ABOUT 1,800*F. ABOVE THE BED, DOWNDRAFTING AT LEAST PART OF SAID MIXTURE THROUGH THE FIRST BED PORTION IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITITES TO RAISE THE FIRST BED PORTION TEMPERATURE TO ABOUT 950*F. WHILE LIBERATING AND SWEEPING OFF AT LEAST MOST OF THE LOW-TEMPERATURE VOLATILES AND PARTIALLY COOLING SAID PART OF THE MIXTURE TO ABOUT 950*F.; SWEEPING THE DOWNDRAFTED PART OF THE MIXTURE AND LOW TEMPERATURE VOLATILES THROUGH THE COAL PASSING THROUGH THE DRYER, AND CONDENSING SAID TARS ON THE COAL IN THE DRYER, THE AIR FED UPWARDLY THROUGH THE SECOND BED PORTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY THE ONLY AIR FED THROUGH THE COAL WHILE THE LATTER PASSES THROUGH THE FURNACE.