Self-sustaining regenerative process

Claim 1

A SELF-SUSTAINING REGENERATIVE PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUSLY EFFECTING ENDOTHERMIC REACTIONS WITH FLUID REACTANTS WHICH COMPRISES FLOWING A NON-FLAMMABLE MIXTURE CONTAINING HYDROCARBON AND AIR THROUGH CONTINUOUS CHANNELS OF A REGENERATIVE MASS PROGRESSIVELY HOTTER IN THE DIRECTION OF GAS FLOW TO PRE-HEAT SAID MIXTURE AND EFFECT INCIPIENT ENDOTHERMIC CRACKING OF THE HYDROCARBON IN THE REGENERATIVE MASS TO PRODUCE A FLAMMABLE MIXTURE. FLOWING THE FLAMMABLE MIXTURE THROUG A COMBUSTION AND ENDOTHERMIC ALTERATION ZONE SIMULTANEOUSLY TO BURN A PORTION OF THE HYDROCARBON AND ENDOTHERMICALLY TO ALTER SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE REMAINDER OF SAID HYDROCARBON, SAID BURNING SUPPLYING ALL OF THE REQUIRED HEAT FOR SAID ENDOTHERMIC ALTERATION AND PRODUCING A GASEOUS EFFLUENT HAVING A TEMPERATURE HIGHER THAN THAT OF THE REGENERATIVE MASS, FLOWING THE SAID EFFLUENT THROUGH CONTINUOUS CHANNELS OF A SECOND REGENNERATIVE MASS PROGRESIVELY COOLER IN THE DIRECTION OF FLOW TO QUENCH SAID EFFLUENT AND TO TRANSFER THE SENSIBLE HEAT THEREOF TO THE SECOND REGENERATIVE MASS IN AN AMOUNT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT TO THE AMOUNT OF SENSIBLE HEAT REMOVED FROM THE FIRST REGENERATIVE MASS IN THE PRE-HEATING STEP, RAPIDLY REVERSING THE FLOW OF NON-FLAMMABLE GASEOUS FEED MIXTURE WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OF THE FIRST REGENERATIVE MASS FALLS BELOW THAT EFFECTIVE TO PRE-HEAT THE SAID GAS AND BY INCIPIENT CRACKING PRODUCE A FLAMABLE MIXTURE AND THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SECOND REGENERATIVE MASS RISES ABOVE THAT EFFECTIVE TO QUENCH THE EFFLUENT, THE PERIOD OF RESIDENCE OF THE GASES UNDERGOING TREATMENT IN EACH OF THE REGENERATIVE MASSES NOT EXCEEDING ABOUT 0.3 SECOND, THE PERIOD OF RESIDENCES OF THE GASES UNDERGOING TREATMENT IN SAID COMBUSTION AND THERMAL ALTERATION ZONE NOT EXCEEDING ABOUT 0.05 SECOND, SAID RESIDENCE PERIODS BEING CALCULATED AT ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, THE PRESSURE DROP OF THE GASES PASSING THROUGH SAID REGENERATIVE MASSES NOT EXCEEDING ABOUT FIVE POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH.