Manufacture of hydrogen

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN, COMPRISING PASSING A CONTIGUOUS PARTICULATE MASS OF FLUENT SOLIDS COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE FREE METAL OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF IRON, COBALT AND NICKEL DOWNWARDLY THROUGH AN UPPERMOST SECTION OF A REACTION ZONE IN CONCURRENT FLOW AND HEAT EXCHANGE RELATION WITH STEAM AND A GASEOUS HYDROCABON UNDER TIME AND TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS FOR REACTING THE SAID STEAM WITH SAID HYDROCARBON IN PRESENCE OF SAID FREE METAL TO FORM CARBON MONOXIDE, CARBON DIOXIDE AND HYDROGEN AS THE PRICIPAL REACTION PRODUCTS; PASSING TOTAL GASES AND SOLIDS DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID UPPERMOST SECTION AND ADDING ADDITIONAL STEAM TO THE SAID TOTAL GASES AND SOLIDS AT A TEMPERATURE AND IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO QUENCH SAID GASES AND SOLIDS TO A TEMPERATURE FAVORING REACTION OF CARBON MONOXIDE WITH STEAM TO PRODUCE CARBON DIOXIDE AND HYDROGEN IN PRESENCE OF AN OXIDE OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID FREE METALS AND TO CONCOMITANTLY OXIDIZE SAID FREE METAL; PASSING RESULTING TOTAL MIXTURE OF ADDED STEAM, GASES AND SOLIDS INTO A SUBJACENT AND INTERMEDIATE SECTION IN SAID ZONE AND THEREIN MAINTAINING THE LAST SAID MIXTURE FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO EFFECT MIXTURE OF QUENCHED GASES, STEAM AND OXIDIZED SOLIDS INTO A LOWERMOST SECTION SAID REACTION ZONE AND THEREIN MAINTAINING STEAM AND SAID GASES IN CONTACT WITH OXIDIZED SOLIDS FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO EFFECT SAID REACTION OF CARBON MONOXIDE WITH STEAM TO FORM ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS OF HYDROGEN AND CARBON DIOXIDE; AND RECOVERING HYDROGEN FROM EFFLUENTS FROM SAID LOWERMOST SECTION, AS PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS.