Acetylene generation from hydrocarbons

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING ACETYLENE WHICH COMPRISES, SEPARATELY PREHEATING REACTANT HYDROCARBON LOW IN CARBON CONTENT AND OXYGEN, THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF OXYGEN BEING STOICHIOMETRICALLY INSUFFICIENT FOR COMPLETE COMBUSTION OF THE REACTANT HYDROCARBON, THE OXYGEN BEING HEATED TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW THAT OF THE REACTANT HYDROCARBON, MIXING THE REACTANT HYDROCARBON AND OXYGEN IN A FIRST MIXING ZONE OF RESTRICTED CROSS SECTION, PASSING THE MIXTURE THROUGH A FIRST REACTION ZONE HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND VOLUME SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN SAID FIRST MIXING ZONE, ADMIXING THE GASEOUS EFFLUENT FROM SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE IN A SECOND MIXING ZONE OF RESTRICTED CROSS SECTION WITH ADDITIONAL OXYGEN PREHEATED TO A TEMPERATURE HIGHER THAN THAT OF SAID FRIST-MENTIONED OXYGEN, BUT LOWER THAN THE TEMPERATURE OF THE REACTANT GASES, PASSING THE RESULTING MIXTURE THROUGH A SECOND REACTION ZONE HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND VOLUME LESS THAN SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE BUT GREATER THAN SAID SECOND MIXING ZONE, ADMIXING THE GASEOUS EFFLUENT FROM SAID SECOND REACTION ZONE IN A THIRD MIXING ZONE OF RESTRICTED CROSS SECTION WITH ADDITIONAL OXYGEN PREHEATED TO A TEMPERATURE HIGHER THAN THAT OF SAID SECOND-MENTIONED OXYGEN, BUT LOWER THAN THE TEMPERATURE OF THE REACTANT GASES, PASSING THE RESULTING MIXTUR THROUGH A THIRD REACTION ZONE HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND VOLUME LESS THAN SAID SECOND REACTION ZONE BUT GREATER THAN ANY OF SAID MIXING ZONES, QUENCHING THE RESULTING EFFLUENT FROM SAID THIRD REACTION ZONE AND RECOVERING ACETYLENE AS A PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS.