Process for retorting oil shale with maximum heat recovery

摘要

Crushed, retorted shale particles recovered from a shale oil retort but still containing combustible materials are burned under oxidizing conditions in a fluidized combustor to remove substantially all of the hydrocarbonaceous materials. Hot combustion flue gases are recovered, divided, and delivered to two heat exchangers, the first for indirectly preheating recycled retort education gases and the second for indirectly heating water. Also recovered from the combustor are shale particles, which are introduced into a fluidized cooling vessel and therein cooled by indirectly exchanging heat with water while traces of residual hydrocarbons burn from the shale.