Abstract: A process for the dry sluicing of sediment from pressurized systems, such as gasification processes, in which gravitationally conveyed sediments are cooled to below their release temperature before removal. The sediments are cooled via indirect heat exchange, such as radiation cooling, to below their release point in a first zone, and are then further cooled indirectly as well as directly via cool countercurrent gas in a second zone to temperatures below 300.degree. C., the sediment route in the second zone being lengthened by deflection of at least a part of the sediment, the sediment being removed via a sluice.

Abstract: Fuel gas produced in a coal distillation or gasification plant 1 is fed to a power plant 5 and chlorine, fluorine, sulphur and compounds thereof in the fuel gas are separated from the fuel gas, and also from flue or exhaust gas emanating from the power plant, in two stages. In a first stage, chlorine and fluorine and their compounds are separated, preferably in the dry using alkali metal or alkaline earth metal oxides, hydroxides or carbonates, in a separator 3. In a second stage sulphur and its compounds, together with further chlorine, fluorine and their compounds, if any, produced in the power plant, are removed from the flue or exhaust gas from the power plant in a desulphurizing plant 6. This two stage process is thermally more efficient and less costly than a process in which the chlorine, fluorine sulphur and their compounds are all removed at once from the fuel gas.