Pebble heater and method of converting hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR SUBJECTING HYDROCARBONS TO DIFFERENT REACTION TEMPERATURE IN A SINGLE REACTION ZONE WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING A FIRST PORTION OF RELATIVELY LARGE DIAMETER PEBBLES INTO THE UPPER END PORTION OF A REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF BETWEEN 1200* F. AND 2000* F.; INTRODUCING AT LEAST ONE OTHER PORTION OF PEBBLES OF A DIAMETER SMALLER THAN SAID FIRST PORTION INTO SAID REACTION ZONE AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE ITS UPPER END PORTION AND ITS LOWER END PORTION AND AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF BETWEEN 600* F. AND 1200* F.; INTRODUCING A HYDROCARBON FLUID INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID REACTION ZONE; REACTING SAID HYDROCARBON FLUID IN THE PRESENCE OF A MIXTURE OF SAID PEBBLES AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF BETWEEN 600* F. AND 120O* F.; PASSING RESULTING REACTION PRODUCTS UPWARDLY IN SAID REACTION ZONE INTO CONTACT WITH SAID LARGER PEBBLES AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF BETWEEN 1200* F. AND 2000* F.; REACTING SAID REACTION PRODUCTS IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID HOTTER PEBBLES; REMOVING RESULTING REACTION PRODUCTS FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID REACTION ZONE; GRAVITATING SAID PEBBLES FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID REACTION ZONE, ELEVATING SAID PEBBLES TO A SINGLE PEBBLE HEATING ZONE; HEATING SAID PEBBLES IN SAID PEBBLE HEATING ZONE; SEPARATING SAID SMALLER PEBBLE FROM SAID LARGER PEBBLES IN SAID PEBBLE HEATING ZONE AND GRAVITATING THEM FROM SAID PEBBLE HEATING ZONE TO SAID INTERMEDIATE POINT OF SAID REACTION CHAMBER UPON REACHING A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF BETWEEN 600* F. AND 1200* F.; FURTHER HEATING SAID LARGER PEBBLES IN SAID PEBBLE HEATING ZONE TO A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF BETWEEN 1200* F. AND 2000* F.; AND GRAVITATING SAID LARGER PEBBLES FROM SAID PEBBLE HEATING ZONE INTO THE UPPER END PORTION OF SAID REACTION ZONE.