Process for the extraction of hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon-bearing substrate and an apparatus therefor

摘要

Hydrocarbons are extracted from a hydrocarbon-bearing substrate, e.g. shale oil, bituminous coal, tar sand, in the substantial absence of oxygen at temperatures above 400 DEG C., by passing substrate particles through a plurality of successive stages in which the substrate is mixed with a solid heat-bearing medium, the mixture being maintained in a fluidized-bed condition, and the liberated hydrocarbons being removed by passage of an inert stripping gas in cross-current flow with respect to the passage of the substrate particles. The average cross-sectional area of at least one or more of the stages subsequent to the first one is preferably smaller than the average cross-sectional area of one or more of the preceding stages. An apparatus for carrying out the process is described.