Process for producing gases containing hydrogen from hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING GASES CONTAINING HYDROGEN FROM HYDROCARBONS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF MIXING A FLIUD HYDROCARBON TOGETHER WITH AN OXIDIZING FLUID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF STEAM AND CARBON DIOXIDEE AND MIXTURES THEREOF, PASSING THE MIXTURE OF HYDROCARBON AND OXIDIZING FLIUD THROUGH A CATALYST HEATED TO BEING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE MIXTURE WITHIN AN APPROXIMATE RANGAE OF 1100-1500*F TO THEREBY CAUSE REACTION OF SAID FLUIDS AND PRODUCTION OF A GAS CONTAINING A HIGH PERCANTAGE OF HYDROGEN AND A LOW PERCENTAGE OF UNREACTED HYDROCARBON, PASSING THE GASS INTO A CONVECTION HEATING ZONE FOR HEATING THE GAS OUT OF THE PRESENCEOF CATALYST TO A TEM-MPERATURE WITHIN THE APPROXIMATE RANGE OF 1400 TO 2000* F. AND PASSING THE GAS FROM THE CONVECTING ZONE ADIABATICALLY THROUGH ADDITIONAL CATALYST AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE THAN THAT OF THE GAS LEAVING THE FIRST-MENTIONED CATALYST AND IN THE APPROXIMATE RANGE OF 14002000*F. TO FURTHER REDUCE THE UNREACTED HYDROCARBON CONTENT THEREOF.