Production of carbon black

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING CARBON BLACK IN WHICH A HYDROCARBON FEED STOCK AND A PREHEATED STREAM OF AIR ARE INTRODUCED TO A REACTION ZONE MAINTAINED UNDER CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE WHEREBY COMBUSTION TAKES PLACE, IN WHICH CARBON BLACK IS FORMED IN ADMIXING WITH COMBUSTION GASES AND IN WHICH COMBUSTION GASES CONTAINING CARBON BLACK AND AN AMOUNT OF GRIT PARTICLES LESS THAN THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE FOR THE ULTIMATE USE OF THE CARBON BLACK ARE WITHDRAWN FROM THE REACTION ZONE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES INCREASING THE HYDROCARBON FEED RATE SO THAT THE QUANTITY OF GRIT PARTICLES IN THE REACTION ZONE EFFLUENT IS GREATER THAN SAID ALLOWABLE MAXIMUM, INTRODUCING EFFLUENT FROM THE REACTION ZONE INTO AN ENLARGED SEPARATION ZONE OF SUCH SIZE THAT HEAVY PARTICLES PREFERENTIALLY SETTLE TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID ZONE IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE THE GRIT PARTICLES IN THE REACTION ZONE EFFLUENT BELOW SAID ALLOWABLE MAXIMUM AND WITHDRAWING AN INCREASED YIELD PER UNIT OF FEED OF CARBON BLACK PARTICLES OF UNIMPARIED QUALITY OVERHEAD FROM THE SEPARATION ZONE.