Abstract: 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.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: 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.