Manufacture of combustible gas

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMBUSTIBLE GASES WHICH COMPRISES, (A) A BLAST PERIOD WHEREIN AIR PASSES DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A PREVIOUSLY HEATED RISER PIPE THEREBY EFFECTING PARTIAL HEATING OF THE AIR, UPWARDLY THROUGH THE INTERSTICES OF HEATED REFRACTORIES CONTAINED IN A FIRST ZONE THEREBY FURTHER HEATING THE AIR, PASSING THE PREHEATED AIR INTO A SECOND EMPTY ZONE WHEREIN SECONDARY AIR AND HEATING FLUID ARE INTRODUCED, WHICH LATTER BURNS TO IMPART HEAT TO THE WALLS OF THE EMPTY ZONE, PASSING THE COMBUSTION GASES RESULTING FROM THE REACTION OF THE COMBUSTIBLE FLUID AND AIR TOGETHER WITH EXCESS AIR DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A THIRD EMPTY ZONE THEREBY TRANSFERRING HEAT FROM THE COMBUSTION GASES TO ITS WALLS AND BURNING ANY CARBONACEOUS DEPOSITS THEREON BY MEANS OF THE EXCESS AIR, COMTINUING THE PASSAGE OF COMBUSTION GASES DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE INTERSTICES OF REFRACTORIES CONTAINED IN A FOURTH ZONE THEREBY HEATING THE REFRACTORIES THEREIN, AND THEN DISCHARGING THE COMBUSTION GASES TO THE ATMOSPHERE THROUGH A SECOND RISER PIPE LEADING FROM THE BASE OF THE FOURTH ZONE; (B) A PURGE PERIOD FOR THE EVACUATION OF COMBUSTION GASES CONTAINED IN THE SYSTEM WHEREIN STEAM INTRODUCED INTO THE FIRST RISER PIPE PASSES UPWARDLY THROUGH THE FIRST AND SECOND ZONES, DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE THIRD AND FOURTH ZONES, AND DISCHARGES TO THE ATMOSPHERE THROUGH THE SECOND RISER PIPE; (C) A MAKE PERIOD WHEREIN STEAM INTRODUCED INTO THE FIRST RISER PIPE IS ADMIXED WITH A HYDROCARBON CARRIER GAS AND THE MIXTURE PASSES UPWARDLY THROUGH THE REFRACTORIES IN THE FIRST ZONE, THENCE UPWARDLY INTO THE SECOND EMPTY ZONE COUNTERCURRENT TO DOWNWARDLY INJECTED HYDROCARBON CHARGING STOCK, MAINTIANING THE VELOCITY OF THE MIXTURE OF STEAM AND HYDROCARBON CARRIER GAS SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO PREVENT PASSAGE OF CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY OUT OF THE SECOND ZONE, WITHDRAWING GASEOS CONSTITUENTS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SOLID AND LIQUID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL FROM THE TOP OF THE SECOND EMPTY ZONE, PASSING THE GASEOUS CONSTITUENTS DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE THIRD AND FOURTH ZONES THEREBY FIXING THE GAS, AND DISCHARGING THE GASEOUS CONSTITUENTS FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH ZONE THROUGH THE SECOND RISER PIPE; (D) A SECOND PURGE PERIOD FOR THE DISPLACEMENT OF GASEOUS CONSTITUENTS IN THE SYSTEM WHEREIN STEAM INTRODUCED INTO THE FIRST RISER PIPE PASSES UPWARDLY THROUGH THE FIRST AND SECOND ZONES, DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE THIRD AND FOURTH ZONES, AND DISCHARGES THROUGH THE SECOND RISER PIPE; (E) A REVERSE BLAST PERIOD AS DESCRIBED IN (A) ABOVE; (F) A REVERSE PURGE PERIOD AS DESCRIBED IN (B) ABOVE; (G) A REVERSE MAKE PERIOD AS DESCRIBED IN (C) ABOVE AND (H) A REVERSE PURGE PERIOD AS DESCRIBED IN (D) ABOVE.