Abstract: Coke oven gas is subjected, immediately after the discharge thereof from coke ovens, and without any preliminary cooling operation or any purification operation other than desulfurization, to a catalytic cracking operation to form a hot cracked gas which is rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The catalytic cracking reaction is carried out in the presence of a hydrogen-containing and/or CO.sub.2 -containing gas, with a steam reforming catalyst.

Abstract: Method for charging a coke oven chamber. Where the chamber is charged through a single charging hole with a stream of flowable preheated particulate coal at a flow rate of between substantially 8-20 tons per minute. The coal flows sufficiently in the chamber to assure filling of the chamber to substantially 100% of the volumetric capacity of the same. Due to the flowability of the preheated coal the charge is self-leveling.

Abstract: As hot crude coke oven gas is conveyed from coke ovens to a position of utilization, condensation of higher hydrocarbons from the coke oven gas is prevented by increasing the temperature of the coke oven gas to a temperature such that higher hydrocarbons are prevented from condensing therefrom. This increase in temperature may be achieved by injecting oxygen-containing gas into the hot crude coke oven gas, to thereby produce a partial combustion of the coke oven gas. Alternatively, when the coke oven gas is being conveyed to a thermal cracking reactor wherein the coke oven gas is thermally cracked to form a cracked gas, the temperature of the coke oven gas may be increased by passing the coke oven gas through a heat exchanger in indirect heat exchange relation with the cracked gas.

Abstract: An inclined chamber of a coke oven is defined by a heating side wall, a coke removal side, a horizontal chamber ceiling and a chamber floor inclined downwardly from the heating side wall to the coke removal side. Briquettes are charged into the chamber, through charging holes in the heating side wall arranged vertically one above the other and through charging holes in the chamber ceiling arranged one behind the other, in separate inclined fill layers. The charging operation is through separate charging holes, in a sequence from the lowermost charging hole in the heating side wall to the uppermost charging hole therein, and then from the chamber ceiling charging hole closest to the heating side wall to the chamber ceiling charging hole furthest therefrom. The vertical and horizontal spacing between adjacent charging holes is dimensioned to avoid breakage of the briquettes.

Abstract: An inclined chamber of a coke oven is defined by a heating side wall, a coke removal side, a horizontal chamber ceiling and a chamber floor inclined downwardly from the heating side wall to the coke removal side. Briquettes are charged into the chamber, through charging holes in the heating side wall arranged vertically one above the other and through charging holes in the chamber ceiling arranged one behind the other, in separate inclined fill layers. The charging operation is through separate charging holes, in a sequence from the lowermost charging hole in the heating side wall to the uppermost charging hole therein, and then from the chamber ceiling charging hole closest to the heating side wall to the chamber ceiling charging hole furthest therefrom. The vertical and horizontal spacing between adjacent charging holes is dimensioned to avoid breakage of the briquettes.