Patent ID: 8336621
Filing Date: 2012-12-25
Classification: B01D,C10G,F23G,F23J

Abstract:
1. A process for recovery of energy values and liquid and gaseous products from ore comprising solid or semi-solid hydrocarbonaceous materials where the energy values of residues are recovered from a mineral portion, and process emissions of carbon dioxide are minimized, said process comprising: providing multiple reaction spaces containing a bed of rubblized ore and treating the ore bed in each reaction space by the following steps: (a) operating a non-oxidative pyrolysis (NOP) cycle by heating the bed of rubblized ore using heated vapor introduced near the bottom of the reaction space to produce fluid products from the hydrocarbonaceous materials and a bed depleted of hydrocarbonaceous material, withdrawing a vapor portion of the fluid products near the top of the reaction space and withdrawing a liquid portion of the fluid products near the bottom of the reaction space; the heating to obtain temperature conditions sufficient to convert a major portion the hydrocarbonaceous materials to the fluid products for recovery in the liquid portion and the vapor portion, and insufficient for substantial conversion of metal carbonates to metal oxides in the bed; (b) operating an oxidative combustion (OC) cycle by forming a combustion zone by heating the bed of ore depleted of hydrocarbonaceous-material from (a) and by introducing an oxidizing gas into the bed to provide the combustion zone, with temperature conditions in the combustion zone sufficient to oxidize residual hydrocarbonaceous material in the bed to form combustion products and at conditions that can decompose at least a portion of metal carbonates in the bed to form carbon dioxide gas and metal oxides, such that the combustion zone travels up through the bed as the oxidizing and decomposition proceeds, withdrawing the combustion products and carbon dioxide gas from decomposition in an effluent gas stream and recovering at least a portion of the heat from the effluent stream to heat the heated vapor used to heat a bed of rubblized ore in another reaction space operating in a NOP cycle, forming a recarbonation zone by recycling a recycle portion of the effluent stream from which heat has been recovered as a recycle stream into the bed to form the recarbonation zone such that the bed is cooled to temperature conditions where carbon dioxide in the recycle stream reacts with metal oxides in the bed to form metal carbonates, the recarbonation zone travelling up through the bed below the combustion zone as the combustion travels up through the bed producing a recarbonated bed of ore.