Synthesis gas generation

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A GASEOUS MIXTURE COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE FROM A SOLID CARBONACEOUS FUEL BY REACTION WITH STEAM AND OXYGEN, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING A STREAM OF SOLID CARBONACEOUS FUEL SUSPENDED IN STEAM INTO AN ELONGATED VERTICAL CYLINDRICAL REACTION ZONE AT A POINT ADJACENT THE UPPER END THEREOF AND IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY TANGENT TO THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ZONE, INTRODUCING A STREAM OF OXYGEN-CONTRAINING GAS FREE FROM FUEL INTO SAID ZONE AT A POINT ADJACENT AND UPSTREAM OF SAID POINT OF INTRODUCTION OF SAID STREAM OF STEAM AND SOLID FUEL INTO CONFLUENCE WITH SAID STREAM OF STEAM AND PARTICULATE CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL WHEREBY THE REACTANTS AND RESULTING PRODUCT GAS ARE GIVEN A SPIRAL MOTION DOWNWARDLY ALONG THE WALL OF THE REACTION ZONE, AND WITHDRAWING ALL OF THE GASEOUS PRODUCT COMPRISING CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN AXIALLY THROUGH THE UPPER PORTION OF THE REACTION ZONE FROM A POINT WITHIN SAID ZONE ALONG THE AXIS THEREOF BELOW THE POINT OF INTRODUCTION OF SAID REACTANTS ND ABOVE THE CENTER OF SAID ZONE, ALL OF THE REACTANTS BEING INTRODUCED INTO SAID ZONE ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID POINT OF WITHDRAWAL, WHEREBY THE REACTANTS AND RESULTING REACTION PRODUCTS FROM A STREAM FLOWING SPIRALLY DOWNWARDLY IN AN ANNULUS FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF THE REACTION ZONE TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID ZONE AND THENCE UPWARD ALONG THE AXIS THERREOF TO SAID POINT OF WITHDRAWAL IN DIRECT RADIANT HEAT TRANSFER RELATION WITH SAID DOWNWARDLY FLOWING SPIRAL.