Manufacture of combustible gases

Claim 1

A CYCLIC PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CONBUSTIBLE GAS HAVING A GROSS CALORIFIC VALUE OF FROM 400 TO 550 B.T.U.''S PER CUBIC FOOT FROM HYDROCARBON OIL, EACH CYCLE INCLUDING A MAKE PERIOD AND A HEATING PERIOD COMPRISING DURING THE MAKE PERIOD THE STEPS OF PASSING STEAM UPWARDLY THROUGH A FIRST ZONE CONTAILNING HOT HEAT-STORING REFRACTORY MATERIAL TO PREHEAT THE STEAM, SAID MATERIAL HAVING BEEN HEATED DURING THE HEATING PERIOD, PASSING THE RESULTING PRE-HEATED STEAM UPWARDLY THROUGH A SECOND ZONE, SPRAYING SAID HYDROCARBON OIL INTO SAID SECOND ZONE COUNTER-CURRENT TO THE FLOW OF SAID PREHEATED STEAM TO SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY VAPORIZE SAID OIL, SAID SECOND ZONE HAVING A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO VAPORIZE SAID OIL, PASSING THE RESULTING VAPOROUS MIXTURE OF STEAM AND OIL FROM SAID SECOND ZONE DOWNWARDLY INTO A THIRD ZONE CONTAINING A CATALYST, SAID THIRD ZONE HAVING A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 500* TO 975*C. MEASURED BY PYROMETERS ON THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ZONE, CRACKING SAID VAPOROUS MIXTURE OF STEAM AND OIL IN CONTACT WITH SAID CATALYST AT SAID TEMPERATURE RANGE OF FROM 500* TO 975*C. TO FORM CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN, PASSING THE RESULTANT GASEOUS MIXTURE OF CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN FROM SAID THIRD ZONE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A FOURTH ZONE CONTAINING HOT HEAT-STORING REFRACTORY MATERIAL, COLLECTING SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE UPON PASSING THROUGH SAID FOURTH ZONE, AND, DURING THE HEATING PERIOD, THE STEPS OF PASSING AIR THROUGH SAID FOURTH ZONE CONTAINING HEATED REFRACTORY MATERIAL TO PREHEAT SAID AIR, PASSING SAID PREHEATED AIR THROUGH SAID THIRD ZONE IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL DEPOSITED ON SAID CATALYST DURING SAID MAKE PERIOD, SAID COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL BURNING IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID PREHEATED AIR AND HEATING SAID CATALYST, PASSING THE PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION RESULTING FROM THE REACTION BETWEEN THE COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL AND THE PREHEATED AIR THROUGH SAID SECOND ZONE TO HEAT SAID SECOND ZONE AND PASSING THE PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION LEAVING SAID SECOND ZONE THROUGH THE FIRST ZONE CONTAINING SAID HEAT-STORING REFRACTORY MATERIAL TO HEAT SAID MATERIAL AND REMOVING SAID PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION FROM SAID FIRST ZONE.