Method for manufacture of a gas rich in hydrogen

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A GASEOUS MIXTURE COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE IN RELATIVELY LARGE PROPORTION WHICH COMPRISES PASSING REACTANTS AND PRODUCTS OF REACTION UPWARD THROUGH A MASS OF FINELY-DIVIDED CONTACT MATERIAL IN A REACTION ZONE AT A VELOCITY SUFFICIENT TO SUSPEND SAID MASS IN A PSEUDO-LIQUID CONDITION WHEREBY A DENSE PHASE OF CONTACT MATERIAL IS FORMED, INTRODUCING OXYGEN AND METHANE INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID DENSE PHASE OF CONTACT MATERIAL AND REACTING SAME TO PRODUCE HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE, INTRODUCING METHANE AND STEAM INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID DENSE PHASE AND REACTING SAME TO PRODUCE HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE, REMOVING AN EFFLUENT FROM SAID REACTION ZONE COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDES AS THE PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS, WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF HOT CONTACT MATERIAL FROM THE DENSE PHASE OF SAID REACTION ZONE, COOLING SAID HOT CONTACT MATERIAL WITHDRAWN FROM SAID REACTION ZONE TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID DENSE PHASE, RETURNING A PORTION OF THE COOLED CONTACT MATERIAL TO SAID REACTION ZONE AS A MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE DENSE PHASE OF CONTACT MATERIAL THEREIN, AND ADMIXING ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID COOLED CONTACT MATERIAL WITH SAID WITHDRAWN CONTACT MATERIAL ADJACENT THE POINT OF WITHDRAWAL.