Manufacture of combustible gas

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF MAKING COMBUSTIBLE GAS IN CYCLES IN A GAS-MAKING SET COMPRISES OF TWIN GENERATORS A AND B CONNECTED AT THE BOTTOM ADAPTED FOR THE FLOW OF A FLUID THROUGH THEM SERIALLY IN EITHER SEQUENCE EACH OF WHICH GENERATORS HAS A DEEP SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS PERVIOUS BED OF REFRACTORY SOLIDS DISPOSED IN A ZONE BELOW THE TOP ZONE THEREOF, WHICH PROCESS INCLUDES THE CYCLE OF STEPS COMPRISING, ESTABLISHING HOT ZONES HAVING TEMPERATURE IN THE APPROXIMATE RANGE OF 1300 TO 2200* F. IN THE BEDS OF SAID REFRACTORY SOLIDS IN A AND B BY INITIATING COMBUSTION OF A FLUID FUEL IN A COMBUSTION CHAMBER OF SAID GENERATOR A ABOVE THE BED OF REFRACTORY SOLIDS THEREIN PASSING THE HOT PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION DOWN THROUGH THE LATTER BED WITH INCREASING INTIMACY OF CONTACT WITH THE REFRACTORY SOLIDS THEREOF AND UP THROUGH THE BED IN B WITH DECREASING INTIMACY OF CONTACT WITH THE REFRACTORY SOLIDS THEREOF, THEN MAKING SAID COMBUSTIBLE GAS BY PASSING A GASIFORM STREAM INITIALLY COMPRISING A MIXTURE OF AN OXIDANT INCLUDING SUPERHEATED STEAM AND A FLUID HYDROCARBON FUEL DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE DEEP BED IN A FROM ABOVE WITH INCREASING INTIMACY OF CONTACT WITH THE THUS HEATED REFRACTORY SOLIDS THEREIN AND UPWARDLY THROUGH THE BED IN B WITH DECREASING INTIMACY OF CONTACT WITH THE HEATED REFRACTORY SOLIDS THEREIN, AND DISCHARGING THE GAS THUS MADE FROM ABOVE THE LATTER BED SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM SUSPENDED CARBON, SAID REFRACTORY SOLIDS BEING SO DISPOSED IN EACH GENERATOR THAT THEY AFFORD INCREASING CONTACT SURFACE PER UNIT OF VOLUME PROGRESSIVELY DOWNWARDLY WHEREBY THE VARIATION IN INTIMACY OF CONTACT OF GAS AND SOLIDS IS OBTAINED.