Process for producing a fuel gas

Claim 1

THE CONTINUOUS METHOD OF FORMING FUEL GAS WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF HEATING PEBBLES TO A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF BETWEEN 1750*F. AND 2900*F. IN A PEBBLE HEATING ZONE, GRAVITATING SAID HEATED PEBBLES INTO AND THROUGH A REACTION ZONE SUBJACENT AND CONTIGUOUS TO SAID HEATING ZONE AS AN UNINTERRUPTED MASS, INTRODUCING A HYDROCARBON MATERIAL, FREE OXYGEN, AND STEAM INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID REACTION ZONE AND UPWARDLY IN DIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH SAID HEATED PEBBLES, REFORMING SAID HYDROCARBON WITH SAID STEAM TO FORM CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN, DEPOSITING CARBON RESULTING FROM SAID REFORMING REACTION ON SAID PEBBLES IN SAID REACTION ZONE, CONVERTING SAID CARBON TO WATER-GAS BY REACTION WITH SAID STEAM IN SAID REACTION ZONE, PASSING SAID PRODUCTS FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID REACTION ZONE DIRECTLY INTO AND THROUGH A CONTIGUOUS QUENCH ZONE, GRAVITATING A MASS OF COOL PEBBLES THROUGH SAID QUENCH ZONE INTO DIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH SAID PRODUCTS, WHEREBY SAID PRODUCTS ARE QUENCHED, MAINTAINING A HIGHER PEBBLE COLUMN ABOVE SAID REACTION ZONE THAN IN SAID QUENCH ZONE ABOVE THE ENTRY OF SAID PRODUCTS THERETO SO AS TO CAUSE SAID PRODUCTS TO PASS THROUGH SAID QUENCH ZONE, REMOVING PEBBLES FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID REACTION AND QUENCH ZONES AND ELEVATING SAID PEBBLES TO SAID PEBBLE HEATING AND QUENCH ZONES.