Process and apparatus for producing carbon black

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING CARBON BLACK COMPRISING INTRODUCING A COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE OF A FUEL GAS AND A COMBUSTION SUPPORTING GAS INTO A CYLINDRICAL HEAT INSULATED REACTION ZONE HAVING ONE END CLOSED, AND THE OTHER END OPEN, BURNING SAID COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE IN SAID ZONE, SAID COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE BEING INTRODUCED INTO SAID ZONE AT SAID CLOSED END AND IN A DIRECTION TANGENT TO THE SIDEWALLS OF SAID CYLINDRICAL REACTION ZONE AND IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS THEREOF AND AT SUCH A VELOCITY THAT SAID COMBUSTIBLE GAS MIXTURE AND GASES PRODUCED BY SAID COMBUSTION FOLLOW A HELICAL PATH ADJACENT THE CYLINDRICAL WALL FROM SAID CLOSED END TO SAID OPEN END OF SAID ZONE THEREBY FORMING A ROTATING ANNULUS ADJACENT SAID CYLINDRICAL WALL; INTRODUCING AN OXYGEN CONTAINING GAS INTO THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID REACTION ZONE AND IN A DIRECTION TANGENT TO THE SIDEWALL OF SAID ZONE AND IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS THEREOF, SAID OXYGEN CONTAINING GAS BEING INTRODUCED AT A SUFFICIENTLY HIGH VELOCITY AS TO MIX AND FLOW WITH SAID ROTATING ANNULUS ADJACENT SAID CYLINDRICAL WALL; INTRODUCING A STREAM COMPRISING REACTANT HYDROCARBON IN THE GASEOUS STATE AXIALLY AND AT A NONPERIPHERAL POINT INTO THE INLET END OF SAID ZONE, HEATING SAID AXIALLY INTRODUCED STREAM OF REACTANT HYDROCARBON BY CONDUCTION AND BY RADIATION BUT OUT OF DIRECT CONTACT WITH SAID HELICALLY MOVING BURNING GASES, INTRODUCING THE SO HEATED REACTANT HYDROCARBON LONGITUDINALLY INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITH SAID HELICALLY MOVING ANNULUS OF FLAME AND COMBUSTION PRODUCTS IN THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID CYLINDRICAL ZONE AND HEATING SAID REACTING HYDROCARBON TO A CARBON BLACK FORMING TEMPERATURE