PATENTS

2782.       ROBERTS, E. S., RINCKHOFF, J. B., AND CUNNINGHAM, F. C. (Chemical Construction Corp.).  Method for the Production of Water Gas.  United States Patent 2,502,670, Apr. 4, 1950; appl. filed June 4, 1946, Serial No. 674,198; 4 claims (Cl. 48-20906).  Chem. Abs., vol. 44, 1950, p. 5569.

Method is given for producing N2 free water gas from coal.  The coal is reacted with steam at water-gas reaction temperatures in a gas producer to form a hot water gas consisting of H2 and CO.  Part of the hot water gas is recovered as product gas, and the rest is mixed with steam and used with movable heat-exchange solids in a gas-heating zone to bring the mixture to a water-gas reaction temperature.  The hot mixture is passed to the water-gas producer.  The heat-exchange solids had been heated above the desired temperature by the hot products of combustion in a solids heating zone.  The partly cooled water gas is further cooled in heat exchange with preheated H2O to generate steam.  The water gas is divided into 2, 1 is mixed with a portion of the generated steam and recycled through a gas-heating zone to gas producer.  The 2d stream is scrubbed and further divided into 2 streams.  1 is withdrawn as product gas.  The other is mixed with preheated air, and the mixture is burned in the solids heating zone.  A gas suitable for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is produced.  Describes apparatus.  2 United States patents cited.