Atlantic Richfield Company

Yahia A Abdul-Rahman

Gary Andrew Myers

James L Skinner

In an oil shale retorting process, hot heat-carrying spherically-shaped solids are cycled to a retort zone to mix with and retort crushed oil shale, thereby producing gas and oil products and a mixture of irregularly-shaped, laminar spent shale and spherically-shaped solids. The spherically-shaped solids are separated and recovered from the spent shale for recycle through the process. In one stage of the separation procedure, a mixture of spent shale and spherically-shaped solids is fed to a continuously restored inclined surface whereon the spherically-shaped solids roll from the surface while the irregularly-shaped spent shale solids are separately removed from the inclined surface. Continuous restoration of the inclined surface is achieved through movement of the feed and the impingement area of the inclined surface relative to each other. The separation system may be used for separating other types of spherically-shaped solids which will roll from nonspherical, irregularly-shaped solids which do not roll.

Separation and recovery of heat carriers in an oil shale retorting

Spherically-shaped rolling solids are separated from irregularly-shaped nonrolling solids on the upper surface of a conoidally-shaped rotating table whereon most of the spherically-shaped solids roll from the surface of the table and most of the nonrolling solids move circumferentially with the table until they contact a special scraper which deflects the nonrolling solids off the bottom edge of the table. The action of the table, the scraper, and the two combined, causes nonrolling solids to move downwardly, outwardly and circumferentially in a first path, then in a circumferential path, and then downwardly, outwardly and circumferentially in a second path, and off the bottom edge of the table. This movement of the irregularly-shaped solids frees trapped rolling solids and allows them to roll downwardly and outwardly off the table while the nonrolling solids continue to move circumferentially. This continued circumferential movement prevents the nonrolling solids from interfering with the roll of the released spherically-shaped solids and prevents the nonrolling solids from being knocked or carried off the table by the freed rolling solids. This scraper action increases the separating efficiency of the system. Preferably, in the lower portion of the table, the degree of relative circumferential movement of the nonrolling solids is increased so that the rolling solids leave the table well ahead of the point where the nonrolling solids leave the table. This makes it easier to segregate collection of the solids.

Conoidal solids separator with special scraper and separating method

Spherically-shaped rolling solids are separated from irregularly-shaped nonrolling solids on the upper outer surface of a conoidally-shaped rotating table whereon most of the spherically-shaped solids roll from the surface of the table and most of the irregularly-shaped solids move with the table until they are removed off the surface of the table. A mixture of the two types of solids is fed onto the rotating table by a feed system with an inclined spreader chute, which system fluffs the mixture prior to its impacting the table and spreads the solids on the surface area of the table. The action of the spreader plate may be combined with a breaker plate or the rear side of a spiral-like scraper blade. The feed system lessens undesirable impact momentums of the solids. The feed system distributes the solids more uniformly over a greater area of the table, thereby decreasing solids bridging or piling on the table and increasing effective use of the surface area of the table. The feed system allows the solids to flow at angles less than their angle of repose and reduces the vertical space necessary for the feed system. The separating system is especially useful for separating spherically-shaped heat carriers from spent shale solids in an oil shale retorting process.

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Plano, TX, United States of America

Yahia A Abdul-Rahman