Process for the conversion of a normally gaseous hydrocarbon to carbon monoxide and hydrogen

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF A NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBON TO A GAS COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE IN WHICH OXYGEN AND STEM ARE REACTED WITH SAID NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBON IN SAID REACTION ZONE CONTAINING A FIXED BED OF CONTACT MATERIAL COMPRISING A CATALYST FOR THE REACTION TO PRODUCE HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES PREHEATING SAID NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBON AND STEAM TO A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 1000*F. AND ABOUT 1400* F., ADMIXING SAID PREHEATED STEAM AND NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBON WITH OXYGEN, INTRODUCING THE RESULTING ADMIXTURE INTO SAID REACTION ZONE INTO CONTACT WITH SAID BED OF CONTACT MATERIAL, MAINTAINING THE VELOCITY OF SAID ADMIXTURE BETWEEN THE POINT OF ADMIXTURE AND THE INITIAL CONTACT WITH SAID BED OF CONTACT MATERIAL ABOVE 50 FEET PER SECOND, CONTROLLING THE VELOCITY OF SAID ADMIXTURE AND THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE POINT OF ADMIXTURE AND THE INITIAL CONTACT OF THE ADMIXTURE WITH THE BED OF CONTACT MATERIAL SUCH THAT THE LAPSE OF TIME IS BETWEEN ABOUT 0.01 AND 0.05 SECOND, MAINTAINING THE MOL RATIO OF OXYGEN AND STEAM TO ORGANIC CARBON BETWEEN ABOUT 0.3 AND ABOUT 0.7 AND BETWEEN ABOUT 1 AND ABOUT 2, RESPECTIVELY, AND A REACTION TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 1800*F. AND ABOUT 2200* F. AND A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 150 AND ABOUT 350 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAGE SUCH THAT AN EFFLUENT IS PRODUCED CONTAINING HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE IN A MOL RATIO ABOVE 2:1 AND CONTAINING LESS THAN 5 VOLUME PERCENT UNREACTED NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBON.