Process for carbon black production

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF FINELY DIVIDED THERMAL DECOMPOSTION CARBON COMPRISING THE STEPS OF HEATING A CHECKERWORK OF REFRACTORY MATERIAL IN A FURNACE BY MEANS OF BURNING A MIXTURE OF HYDROCARBON FUEL AND AIR PASSING THROUGH THE FURNACE AND CHECKERWORK FROM THE INLET END TO THE OUTLET END THEREOF PRODUCING A RELATIVELY INERT COMBUSTION GAS, SIMULTANEOUSLY PASSING A HYDROCARBON GAS THROUGH A PREVIOUSLY HEATED ADJACENT SIMILAR FURNACE FROM THE INLET END TO THE OUTLET END THEREOF WITH THE HYDROCARBON GAS DECOMPOSING TO FROM THERMAL CARBON, MIXING THE PRODUCTS FROM BOTH FURNACES IN A MIXING CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITH THE OUTLET END OF BOTH FURNACES TO THEREBY DILUTE THE DECOMPOSED GAS AND REDUCE THE AGGLOMERATION OF THE THERMAL CARBON ENTRAINED THEREIN, CONTINUING THE OPERATION UNTIL THE CHECKERWORK IN THE SECOND FURNACE IS REDUCED IN TEMPERATURE BUT REMAINS SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO CAUSE THERMAL DECOMPOSITION, SIMULTANEOUSLY CHANGING THE FLOW OF HYDROCARBON GAS TO THE INLET END OF THE FIRST FURNACE AND THE FLOW OF HYDROCARBON FUEL AND AIR TO THE INLET END OF THE SECOND FURNACE AND REPEATING SUCH CYCLE TO PROVIDE A CONTINUOUS PROCESS.