Production of industrial gases

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR CONVERTING A GASEOUS HYDROCARBON INTO A GAS CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN WHICH COMPRISES ESTABLISHING A PAIR OF ZONES, THE FIRST BEING A REACTION ZONE AND THE SECOND BEING A REGENERATION ZONE, CIRCULATING BETWEEN SAID ZONE A SUSPENSION OF FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLES OF A MIXTURE OF IRON OXIDE AND METALLIC IRON, MAINTAINING IN SAID REACTION ZONE A DENSE SUSPENSION OF SAID PARTICLES BY FLOWING HYDROCARBON GAS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID ZONE AT A SUPERFICIAL VELOCITY BETWEEN ABOUT 0.3 AND 5 FT./SECOND, MAINTAINING IN SAID REACTION ZONE A TEMPERATURE SUITABLE FOR REACTION BETWEEN THE GASEOUS HYDROCARBON AND SAID IRON OXIDE TO FORM CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN, MAINTAINING A DENSE SUSPENSION OF SAID FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLES IN SAID REGENERATION ZONE BY PASSING AN OXIDIZING GAS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID REGENERATION ZONE AT A VELOCITY BETWEEN 0.5 AND 5.0 FT./SECOND AT A TEMPERATURE SUITABLE FOR THE OXIDATION OF METALLIC IRON AND CONTROLLING THE CIRCULATION OF SAID PARTICLES FROM THE REACTION ZONE INTO THE REGENERATION ZONE AND THENCE BACK INTO THE REACTION ZONE TO MAINTAIN AN ATOMIC RATIO OF OXYGEN TO IRON IN THE FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLES IN THE REACTION ZONE BETWEEN ABOUT 0.5 AND 1.25 TO 1, AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID IRON BEING IN THE METALLIC STATE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR CONVERTING A GASEOUS HYDROCARBON INTO A GAS CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN WHICH COMPRISES ESTABLISHING A PAIR OF ZONES, THE FIRST BEING A REACTION ZONE AND THE SECOND BEING A REGENERATION ZONE, CIRCULATING BETWEEN SAID ZONE A SUSPENSION OF FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLES OF A MIXTURE OF IRON OXIDE AND METALLIC IRON, MAINTAINING IN SAID REACTION ZONE A DENSE SUSPENSION OF SAID PARTICLES BY FLOWING HYDROCARBON GAS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID ZONE AT A SUPERFICIAL VELOCITY BETWEEN ABOUT 0.3 AND 5 FT./SECOND, MAINTAINING IN SAID REACTION ZONE A TEMPERATURE SUITABLE FOR REACTION BETWEEN THE GASEOUS HYDROCARBON AND SAID IRON OXIDE TO FORM CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN, MAINTAINING A DENSE SUSPENSION OF SAID FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLES IN SAID REGENERATION ZONE BY PASSING AN OXIDIZING GAS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID REGENERATION ZONE AT A VELOCITY BETWEEN 0.5 AND 5.0 FT./SECOND AT A TEMPERATURE SUITABLE FOR THE OXIDATION OF METALLIC IRON AND CONTROLLING THE CIRCULATION OF SAID PARTICLES FROM THE REACTION ZONE INTO THE REGENERATION ZONE AND THENCE BACK INTO THE REACTION ZONE TO MAINTAIN AN ATOMIC RATIO OF OXYGEN TO IRON IN THE FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLES IN THE REACTION ZONE BETWEEN ABOUT 0.5 AND 1.25 TO 1, AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID IRON BEING IN THE METALLIC STATE.