Abstract: An infrared heat-image camera is aimed at a hot surface not perpendicular thereto but instead in a direction almost parallel to the surface, presenting to the camera a heat image of the surface not cartesian but instead highly distorted in accordance with the laws of optical perspective. The camera's output data is correspondingly non-cartesian and distorted with respect to organization and content, but the data is applied to a computer which transforms it to cartesian organization and corrects content, and then a corrected cartesian display is generated, simulating the heat image which would be presented to a perpendicularly aimed camera. Alternatively, the camera's scanning mechanisms are programmed to follow a non-cartesian scanning schedule, the geometry of which itself causes the camera output data to have the cartesian organization of a perpendicularly aimed camera.

Abstract: Coking coal is preheated and dried by passing hot carrier gas into a generally vertical flash drying pipe, then passing comminuted coal into the same pipe, the carrier gas being blown with a flow speed to move the coal upwards in the pipe and passing at about the midpoint of the pipe a mixture of hot combustion gases and additional hot recycle gas branched off from the other hot waste gas line into the pipe so as to cause further heating and moving of the coal, the further heating being carried out in a uniform and gentle manner. At the end of the pipe the coal and carrier gas are separated and the coal is recovered while the waste gas are recycled into a blower and therefrom into the vertical flash drying pipe with a branch leading part of the recycle gas into a mixing chamber with the combustion gases so as to lower the temperature of the combustion gases when the same are passed into the pipe.

Abstract: Process for making indole by subjecting 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline to a thermal decomposition at a reaction temperature of about 650.degree. to 750.degree. C. in a reactor filled with a substantially inert material and in the presence of steam. The starting product for this process is easily available and can easily be obtained by chemical reaction and the process itself has a high yield.

Abstract: A process and an apparatus for the drying and preheating of coking coal is described, in which a coarser grain fraction of the starting coal is separated out at least at one location in a flight stream tube through which the coal and a heat carrier gas are fed, and in which this larger grain fraction is subsequently reintroduced into the main stream containing only the finer grain fraction of the coal and the predominant portion of the heat carrier gas. The method and the apparatus through which the method may be carried out allow for a single-step process for both drying and preheating of the coal, make it possible to substantially reduce the length of the flight stream tube necessary, and increase the uniformity of the degree of pretreatment of the variously-sized fractions of the starting material.

Abstract: A reactor for the continuous thermal treatment of solids, particularly carbonaceous adsorbents comprises two superimposed fluidizing beds, below them a combustion chamber for receiving a fuel- or oil-air mixture, an intermediate regeneration space between the fluidizing beds and a similar space above the upper fluidizing bed. A gas outlet is provided in the top regeneration space to which also the inlet for the material to be treated leads. The outlet for the treated materials is provided on the intermediate regeneration space. The two spaces are connected by a channel through which the overrun of treated material passes from the upper to the intermediate regeneration space. This channel leads from the upper space through the wall of the reactor to the outside and reverts then through the wall back into the intermediate space. Valve means are provided for regulating the flow in the connecting channel.

Abstract: An arrangement for drying and preheating coking gas has a transport tube for transporting coal in a stream of a carrier gas, and a feed conduit for feeding hot gas into the transport tube. The feed conduit is movable relative to the tube so as to vary the conditions of feeding the hot gas into the transport tube. For this purpose, feed conduit may be connected with the transport tube by a ball-and-socket joint, so that it can be movable relative to the transport tube in circumferential and axial directions of the latter. The feed conduit may be composed by a plurality of conduit members located in the transport tube and one in the other, and movable relative to transport tube in the axial direction of the latter.

Abstract: Bodies are press-molded from a mixture of particulate fuel and a binder. These bodies are heated to a temperature between about 600.degree.-900.degree. C. in a rotary furnace to degas them. The degassing is carried out without subjecting the bodies to mechanical stresses and without permitting combustion of the expelled volatile gases. The resulting shaped coke has a greatly improved abrasion resistance.

Abstract: Conventionally, the concentration of a polar component in an otherwise non-polar or negligibly polar material, e.g., water content in pourable coal, is ascertained by measuring the attenuation of electromagnetic waves transmitted through a layer-thin sample of the material, the waves having a frequency as near as possible to the maximum-dipole-relaxation-loss frequency f.sub.o, in order to maximize the power-loss effect of the transmitted waves, this being directly attributable to the polar component, and thereby serving to accentuate the effect of the polar component in the measurement signal.

Abstract: A process is provided for purifying filter-clogging coal tar residue of the type obtained by low-temperature carbonization of coal. Such coal tar residues include viscous organic coal tar constituents, particulate solid impurities and liquid water. Applicants' process includes the step of heating coal at 450.degree.-700.degree. C. at least substantially in the absence of air to thereby decompose the coal to products including coal tar, the coal tar being of the type containing liquid water, particulate solid impurities, and viscous organic coal tar constituents including light oils, the light oils incidentally combining with the liquid water to produce a filter-clogging emulsion.

Abstract: Prior to starting up a plant in which fine coke is produced by mixing high bituminous lignite coal with circulating hot fine coke serving as a heat carrier in the plant, hot inert gas is admitted into the mixing unit in which the coal and coke are admixed. Only after all parts of the plant are thus preheated, the operation of the plant is started up.

Abstract: A power loader having upper and lower cutting drums travels along the length of a face conveyor. Seam-top and seam-bottom sensors mounted on the power loader sense the heights of the true seam-top and seam-bottom. The data produced by these sensors during machine travel is not used to directly change the heights of the upper and lower cutters in the manner of an immediate-response automatic interface-follower system. Instead, to prevent the system from reacting and/or overreacting to changes in interface conditions, including changes which are physically insigificant and/or which, if fully reacted to, would exceed the floor and roof-negotiating abilities of the equipment, the system follows a preestablished interface-shape program. However, the true seam-top and seam-bottom height data from the sensors is fed into the process-control computer of the system, and used to modify and update the stored interface-shape program in a gradual ongoing manner.

Abstract: A solid carbonaceous material principally coal is subjected to a solvent extraction by[a] introducing a hydrogen donor-solvent and the carbonaceous particulate material into a generally vertically directed extraction zone at an elevated pressure;[b] imparting a continuous generally upwards directed flow to said solvent, the solvent being at a temperature above the softening temperature of the said particles and the pressure being higher than the vapor pressure of the solvent at said temperature, the flow velocity of the solvent being sufficient to cause fluidization of said particles;[c] withdrawing the solvent together with the formed extract continuously at the top of the extraction zone while preventing the entrainment of solid particles;[d] effecting the separation of the extract and solvent outside said extraction zone;[e] removing the remaining solid particles together with residual extract-free or extract-lean solvent from the extraction zone separate from the withdrawal at [c]; and[f] separating the s

Abstract: The waste heat resulting from a coke oven operation is recovered in a two-stage proceeding. The waste gas is first cooled to not more than about 400.degree. C. in a recuperator or regenerator of the oven to principally utilize the heat radiation of the gas. Then, in a second stage, the gas is subjected to further cooling in a separate heat exchanger to principally exploit the heat convection of the gas. The process permits to recover waste gas on both basic principles of waste recovery, that is the recovery by radiation and the recovery by convection.

Abstract: A recuperative coke oven includes at least one recuperator chamber arranged below an oven chamber. Hot undergrate firing exhaust gas is passed from the oven through the recuperator chamber. At least one elongated recuperator extends into the recuperator chamber. The recuperator includes an inner tube and a coaxially outer tube. The inner end of the inner tube is open, and the inner end of the outer tube is closed to define an annular chamber between the two tubes. Combustion air to be heated is introduced into the inner tube and passed therethrough. The combustion air then reverses direction and passes through the annular chamber and is thereat heated by the hot exhaust gas passing through the recuperator chamber. The heated combustion air is discharged from the annular chamber and passed to the heating flues of the oven.

Abstract: Continuous production of coke by pyrolysis of a hydrocarbon mixture containing petroleum tar, coal tar pitch or pyrolysis tars in which the hyrocarbon mixture and recycled condensate is heated in a preheater at a rate to increase the mesophase content of the mixture up to 30 to 60%; the preheated mixture is then heated in a coking zone at a rate to form a raw coke having a mesophase content of 70 to 100%; continuously removing the raw coke from the coking zone and heating it in a calciner. The coke produced is more uniform and the process more efficient.

Abstract: Coke is mixed with bituminous coal and the mixture is converted into briquettes. To obtain high-quality and high-strength briquettes, the temperature of the coke is adjusted, prior to mixing, to such a level that when the mixing takes place, the coke/coal mixture will have a precisely predetermined temperature within the scope of 400.degree.-500.degree. C. The exact temperature within this range is selected in dependence upon the characteristics of the coke and the coal.

Abstract: The invention is concerned with an improved flotation plant in which gassed solid particles can be removed from a carrying liquid stream by a separating means. The invention proposes curving the path along which the gassed stream passes upstream of the separating means to facilitate the separation of the gassed and ungassed components.

Abstract: A sealing, packing, caulking and protective shielding composition comprising a mixture of at least one synthetic thermoplastic compound to which may be added at least one elastomer having thermoplastic properties with a carbonaceous material obtained by the liquefaction of coal which material has a boiling point above 350.degree. C. at atmospheric pressure. The composition is useful, particularly for sealing and protective purposes in the building and installation industries, for instance in the form of foils for water-proofing various articles, as sealing compounds for pipes and as protective coating for containers, pipes, electric cables and so on.

Abstract: Coal-containing shaped bodies are made by intimately mixing particulate coal with 10 to 30 percent by weight of a polymer. The mixture is shaped by subjecting it to a pressure between about 295 and 3430 newtons per square centimeter. Shaping takes place within a temperature range of 100.degree. to 250.degree. C. The shaped bodies have high compressive and bending strengths and can be precisely dimensioned.

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.