A process for the gasification of a petroleum coke feedstock

A method for the gasification of a petroleum coke feedstock comprising the steps of: (a) admixing an ash-deficient substantially dry petroleum coke feed with at least a slag-forming material selected from the group consisting of blast furnace slag, power plant flyash, coal gasification slag, sand, X, Al2O3, and SiO2, where X is a basic component of the ash selected from the group consisting of CaO, CaCO3, MgO, MgCO3, iron oxides, boron oxides, sodium oxides and potassium oxides and mixtures thereof, thereby producing a mixture; determining at least a X:Al2O3:SiO2 weight ratio in said mixture, plotting this weight ratio on an X, Al2O3, SiO2 ternary component phase diagram and deriving from the phase diagram information whether the said mixture has the appropriate composition to form a substantially liquid-phase slag at gasifying conditions; and (b) gasifying said mixture in a gasifier, having an inner wall and a slag tap, under gasifying conditions and in the presence of steam, thereby producing a gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide, wherein at gasification conditions the slag-forming material in said mixture produces a slag of appropriate viscosity which wets said inner wall of said gasifier to form an inner frozen layer of slag and an outer molten layer of slag on said inner wall; wherein said molten slag flows freely through said slag tap; and wherein said molten slag does not carryover out the top of the gasifier.