Forming charcoal in an air ambient

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR TREATING WOOD MATERIAL IN THE FORM OF BARK, WOOD CHIPS, SMALL TREE BRANCHES OR THE LIKE TO FORM CHARCOAL, WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING A CONTINUING SUPPLY OF SAME IN THE FORM OF SMALL PIECES ONTO HEARTH AREAS WITHIN A FURNACE, PERIODICALLY RABBLING AND ADVANCING A SUBSTANTIAL LAYER THEREOF OVER THE HEARTH AREAS WHILE MAINTAINING TEMPERATURES ABOVE SAID AREAS SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO CAUSE CHARRING OF THE MATERIAL, BY INTRODUCING INTO THE FURNACE SPACES ABOVE SAID AREAS, DISTRIBUTED STREAMS OF AIR AND THEREWITH CAUSING SOME BURNING AND FLAMES IN THE SMOKE AND VOLATILE GASES PRESENT WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL BURNING OF THE MATERIAL, DISCHARGING THE RESULTING HOT CHARCOAL FROM THE FURNACE AND ADVANCING SAME BY CONVEYING MEANS, WHILE MIXING THEREWITH SPRAY WATER SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE SUBSTANTIAL COOLING THEREOF, THEN MILLING SAME TO FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLE SIZE, AND THEN CONVEYING SAME THROUGH A PNEUMATIC CONVEYOR PIPE THROUGH WHICH THE PARTICLES ARE ADVANCED FOR A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE IN DISPERSED CONDITION BY A STREAM OF AIR.