Coke quenching system and method

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF COOLING COKE WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A COLUMN OF INITIALLY INCANDESCENT COKE DOWNWARDLY IN A COLUMN WITHIN A FIRST CONFINED SPACE, DRAFTING GAS FROM THE TOP OF THE FIRST CONFINED SPACE, FORMING A BED OF SAID COKE AND MOVING THE SAME FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE COLUMN THROUGH A SECOND CONFINED SPACE COMMUNICATING WITH THE FIRST CONFINED SPACE, CREATING A PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL IN A STREAM OF SUBSTANTIALLY INERT GAS, SPLITTING SAID STREAM INTO TWO PORTIONS ON THE HIGH PRESSURE SIDE OF THE PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL, TRANSFERRING HEAT FROM THE COKE TO BOTH STREAM PROTIONS SHILE CREATING PRESSURE DROPS THEREIN BY FEEDING ONE STREAM PORTION THROUGH THE COKE IN THE BED WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY FEEDING THE OTHER STREAM PORTION THROUGH THE COKE IN THE LOWER PORTION OF THE COLUMN, RETURNING THAT STREAM PORTION WHICH IS FED THROUGH THE COKE IN THE LOWER PORTION OF THE COLUMN FROM AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE COLUMN TO THE LOWPRESSURE SIDE OF THE PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL AND RETURNING THAT STREAM PROTION WHICH IS FED THROUGH THE COKE IN THE BED WHILE EXTRACTING HEAT FROM BOTH RETURNING STREAM PORTIONS, AND REMOVING THE COKE FROM THE SECOND CONFINED SPACE TO THE ATMOSPHERE VIA A RESTRICTED THROAT CHOKED WITH COKE SO AS TO CREATE A PRESSURE-DROP BARRIER BETWEEN THE SECOND CONFINED SPACE AND THE ATMOSPHERE.