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  The 2d stream is scrubbed and further divided into 2 streams.  1 is withdrawn as product gas.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.