Regenerative processes and apparatus

Claim 1

A FURNACE ADAPTED TO THE THERMAL CONVERSION OF GASEOUS REACTANTS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A HEAT INSULATING SHELL, TWO PAIRS OF REGENERATIVE MASSES COMMUNICATIVELY CONNECTED ONE PAIR WITH THE OTHER PAIR AND LOCATED WITHIN SAID SHELL, A REACTION CHAMBER LOCATED WITHIN SAID SHELL INTERMEDIATE THE COMMUNICATING ENDS OF SAID PAIRS OF REGENERATIVE MASSES, SAID REACTION CHAMBER BEING COMMUNICATIVELY CONNECTED TO EACH PAIR OF REGENERATIVE MASSES THROUGH A MIXING DEVICE COMPRISING A MASS OF MATERIAL HAVING A PLURALITY OF PASSAGES PASSING THERETHROUGH AND THROUGH A MIXING CHAMBER OF A RESTRICTED CROSS SECTION, THE LIMITS OF SAID REACTION CHAMBER BEING DEFINED BY THE MASS OF MATERIAL OF EACH MIXING DEVICE AND BY SAID INSULATING SHELL SAID REGENERATIVE MASSES HAVING A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT UNINTERRUPTED UNOBSTRUCTED FLUES PASSING THERETHROUGH, SAID FLUES HAVING A MAXIMUM FREE CROSS-SECTIONAL DISTANCE NOT GREATER THAN 0.75 IN. AND THE RATIO OF THE TOTAL VOLUME OF THE FLUES IN EACH REGENERATIVE MASS TO THE TOTAL VOLUME OF THE MASS IN WHICH SAID FLUES ARE LOCATED NOT EXCEDING 1:3, SAID FLUES BEING ARRANGED IN STAGGERED ROWS, EACH OF SAID FLUES IN EACH ROW BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIDISTANTLY SPACED FROM THE TWO CLOSEST FLUES IN EACH ADJACENT ROW AND THE TWO CLOSEST FLUES IN THE SAME ROW.