1922. ------. [KOPPERS, H.] (Koppers Co.). Water Gas. United States Patent 2,151,121, Mar. 21, 1939; appl. filed June 25, 1936. Chem. Abs., vol. 33, 1939, p. 4771.

Describes process for the production of water gas containing H₂ and CO in the ratio of 2:1 from bituminous fuels by extraneous heating. The fuel is distilled in an upper distillation zone of a fuel bed with hot water gas to recover hydrocarbons from the fuel. The distillate gas is withdrawn in mixture with the water gas from the distillation zone, and the gaseous fluids from the fuel-distillation are treated with steam at high temperature to form H₂ and CO from the hydrocarbons present. The conversion gases are passed through the distilled fuel in a lower contiguous water-gas zone of the fuel bed along with steam, and the distilled fuel and steam are treated at high temperature in the water-gas zone to form water gas in the presence of the conversion gas in it. Part of the water-gas stream is passed from the water-gas zone through the fuel in the upper distillation zone for effecting the fuel distillation mentioned, and the remainder of the water gas is withdrawn from the water-gas zone to a point of use outside the system. The temperatures for the water-gas reaction in the lower water-gas zone and the time interval for reaction of the fuel in it with the conversion gas and steam are regulated by removing such quantity of fuel ungasified from the lower water-gas zone per unit of time that CO and H₂ are produced in the ratio of 2 : 1. Describes an arrangement of apparatus.