Method for heating oxygen containing gas in conjunction with a gasification system

Claim 1

A process for the gasification of a carbonaceous fuel comprising: (a) feeding a mixture of primary oxygen, steam and fuel to a reaction zone to produce a synthesis gas from said mixture; (b) heating secondary oxygen indirectly from said synthesis gas wherein said step of heating said secondary oxygen includes removing heat from said synthesis gas in a first heat exchanger by heat exchange with a heat transfer gas which does not form an explosive mixture with the synthesis gas, and transferring the heat from the heat transfer gas to said secondary oxygen in a second heat exchanger and circulating the heat transfer gas between said first and second heat exchangers at a pressure which is at all times greater than the pressure of the secondary oxygen to prevent flow of secondary oxygen into the synthesis gas in the event of a leak in the second heat exchanger; and (c) feeding said secondary oxygen to said reaction zone.