Carbon black process and apparatus

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CARBON BLACK WHICH COMPRISES IN A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL REACTION ZONE; FORMING AN ANNULUS SECTION EXTENDING A SUBSTANTIAL BUT NOT THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF SAID ZONE, THUS LEAVING AT ONE END OF SAID ZONE A SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY UNOBSTRUCTED REACTION SECTION; FLOWING A HOT RELATIVELY INERT GAS FROM THE OTHER END OF SAID ZONE THROUGH SAID ANNULUS SECTION TURBULENTLY IN A CURVED PATH INTO SAID UNOBSTRUCTED REACTION SECTION, PROVIDING AROUND SAID REACTION ZONE A HEATING ZONE; FURTHER HEATING SAID RELATIVELY INERT GAS BY INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IT AND HEAT IN SAID HEATING ZONE; INTRODUCING A FEED TO BE CONVERTED TO CARBON BLACK SUBSTANTIALLY AXIALLY INTO SAID REACTION SECTION SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE PLACE AT WHICH SAID ANNULUS SECTION COMMUNICATES WITH ONE END OF SAID REACTION SECTION; IN SAID REACTION SECTION IMMEDIATELY TRANSVERSELY DISPERSING SAID FEED OUTWARDLY INTO SAID RELATIVELY INERT GAS AND IMMEDIATELY CONVERTING SAID FEED IN SAID GAS TO CARBON BLACK; REMOVING THE REACTION PRODUCT FROM THE OTHER END OF SAID REACTION SECTION, COOLING THE REACTION PRODUCT AND RECOVERING CARBON BLACK THEREFROM.