Method for the preliminary treatment of crude gas from a thermic carbon refinement process

Claim 1

In a process of conveying high temperature crude gas derived from a thermic carbon refinement process to positions of subsequent production or utilization, said high temperature crude gas containing condensable components including impurities having boiling points higher than 350° C., such impurities being capable, during conveyance of said high temperature crude gas, of condensation, thereby forming condensates which interfere with the conveyance of said high temperature crude gas, the improvement comprising removing from said high temperature crude gas only said impurities which have boiling points above 350° C. and which are capable of forming condensates during the conveyance of said high temperature crude gas, while avoiding the removal of the remainder of said condensable components and while substantially maintaining the high temperature of said high temperature crude gas during substantially the entire length of the conveyance thereof to said positions of subsequent production or utilization, said operation of removing comprising: passing said high temperature crude gas containing therein said impurities, derived from said thermic carbon refinement process, at the exit temperature from said process, through a heat emitting portion of an indirect heat exchanger, and thereby preliminarily cooling said high temperature crude gas to form preliminarily cooled crude gas; passing said preliminarily cooled crude gas from said heat exchanger through a scrubber and therein further cooling said preliminarily cooled crude gas by contact with a cooling liquid to a separation temperature of approximately 350° C., which is lower than said boiling points of said impurities, thereby forming further cooled crude gas and condensing said impurities from said further cooled crude gas to form treated crude gas; collecting the thus condensed impurities and passing said collected impurities into and through said scrubber in the form of a flow of wash tar which is used as said cooling liquid to perform said step of further cooling said preliminarily cooled crude gas; and passing said treated crude gas from said scrubber through a heat absorbing portion of said indirect heat exchanger, and thereby heating said treated crude gas, by heat exchange with said high temperature crude gas in said heat emitting portion of said indirect heat exchanger, to a temperature approximately equal to said exit temperature from said thermic carbon refinement process, whereby said treated crude gas may thereafter be conveyed to said positions of subsequent production or utilization without the formation of condensates.