Conversion of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PYROLYZING HYDROCARBONS IN WHICH HYDROCARBONS AND OXYGEN ARE PASSED AT A LINEAR VELOCITY EXCEEDING THE FLAME PROPAGATION VELOCITY THROUGH A CONVERSION ZONE UNDER CONDITIONS SUITABLE TO EFFECT FLAME PARTIAL COMBUSTION AND CONVERSION OF THE HYDROCARBONS TO HYDROCARBONS HAVING A HIGHER CARBON TO HYDROCARBON RATIO, THE IMPROVEMETN WHICH COMPRISES MAINTAINING THE COMBUSTION FLAME WITHIN THE CONVERSION ZONE BY CONTACTING THE HYDROCARBON REACTANTS AND OXYGEN FLOWING THERETHROUGH WITH A FLAME STABILIZING MATERIAL HAVING STRONG OXIDIZING PROPERTIES AND DISPOSED ACROSS SAID ZONE IN THE FORM OF SURFACE MATERIAL ON SPACED ELONGATED MEMBERS BETWEEN WHICH THE HYDROCARBON REACTANTS AND OXYGEN PASS, SAID FLAME STABILIZING MATERIAL BEING IN THE FORM OF SAID SURFACE MATERIAL HAVING A SURFACE AREA BETWEEN ABOUT 0.10 AND ABOUT 2.0 TIMES THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF THE REACTION ZONE, SAID FLAME STABLILIZING MATERIAL BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COPPER, COBALT, IRON, NICKEL, PLATINUM, PALLADIUM, ALUMINUM, SILVER, MANGANESE, AND VANADIUM, AND ALLOYS AND OXIDES THEREOF.

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ACETYLENE BY THE PARTIAL FLAME COMBUSTION OF A HYDROCARBON WITH OXYGEN WHICH COMPRISES MEANS DEFINING AN ELONGATED CONFINED REACTION CHAMBER, MEANS IN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID REACTION CHAMBER ADAPTED FOR THE PASSAGE OF SAID HYDROCARBON AND OXYGEN INTO SAID REACTION CHAMBE, FLAME STABILIZING MEANS HAVING CATALYTIC OXIDATION PROPERTIES AND HAVING A SURFACE AREA BETWEEN ABOUT 10% AND ABOUT 200% TIMES THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID REACTION CHAMBER DISPOSED IN SAID REACTION CHAMBER SO AS TO OFFER A SURFACE FOR CONTACT WITH SAID HYDROCARBON AND OXYGEN AND A QUENCH MEANS ADAPTED FOR RECEIVING THE EFFLUENT GASES FROM SAID REACTION CHAMBER AND FOR QUENCHING SAID GASES TO A TEMPERATURE AT WHICH REACTION SUBSTANTIALLY CEASES, SAID FLAME STABILIZING MEANS BEING IN THE FORM OF A PLURALITY OF SPACED RODS, SAID RODS BEING FORMED OF A REFRACTORY MATERIAL AND HAVING THEIR PERIPHERAL PORTIONS IMPREGNATED WITH A CATALYST MATERIAL HAVING STRONG CATALYTIC OXIDIZING PROPERTIES.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ACETYLENE BY THE PARTIAL FLAME COMBUSTION OF A HYDROCARBON WITH OXYGEN WHICH COMPRISES MEANS DEFINING AN ELONGATED CONFINED REACTION CHAMBER, MEANS IN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID REACTION CHAMBER ADAPTED FOR THE PASSAGE OF SAID HYDROCARBON AND OXYGEN INTO SAID REACTION CHAMBE, FLAME STABILIZING MEANS HAVING CATALYTIC OXIDATION PROPERTIES AND HAVING A SURFACE AREA BETWEEN ABOUT 10% AND ABOUT 200% TIMES THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID REACTION CHAMBER DISPOSED IN SAID REACTION CHAMBER SO AS TO OFFER A SURFACE FOR CONTACT WITH SAID HYDROCARBON AND OXYGEN AND A QUENCH MEANS ADAPTED FOR RECEIVING THE EFFLUENT GASES FROM SAID REACTION CHAMBER AND FOR QUENCHING SAID GASES TO A TEMPERATURE AT WHICH REACTION SUBSTANTIALLY CEASES, SAID FLAME STABILIZING MEANS BEING IN THE FORM OF A PLURALITY OF SPACED RODS, SAID RODS BEING FORMED OF A REFRACTORY MATERIAL AND HAVING THEIR PERIPHERAL PORTIONS IMPREGNATED WITH A CATALYST MATERIAL HAVING STRONG CATALYTIC OXIDIZING PROPERTIES.