Apparatus for reforming gases

Claim 1

IN A HYDROCARBON GAS REFORMER APPARATUS, A REACTION CHAMBER HAVING A TOP END PORTION OF GENERALLY CONICAL SHAPE INCREASING IN CROSS SECTION IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION, A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL PORTION BELOW SAID TOP END PORTION AND A BOTTOM, SAID CONICALLY SHAPED TOP END PORTION AND CYLINDRICAL PORTION BEING FILLED WITH CATALYST MASS, A CARBURETOR MOUNTED ON SAID REACTION CHAMBER ABOVE SAID CONICALLY SHAPED PORTION FOR INTERMIXING AIR WITH RAW HYDROCARBON GAS TO BE REFORMED AND FOR INTRODUCING THE INTERMIXED AIR AND GAS MIXTURE INTO SAID REACTION CHAMBER, SAID CARBURETOR COMPRISING AN AIR INLET CHAMBER HAVING A CYLINDRICAL SIDE WALL, AN AIR INLET CONDUIT MOUNTED AT AN ANGLE TO THE CYLINDRICAL SIDE WALL OF SAID AIR INLET CHAMBER AND LEADING INTO SAID AIR INLET CHAMBER WHEREBY AIR PASSED UNDER PRESSURE THROUGH SAID AIR INLET CONDUIT IS GIVEN A SWIRLING MOTION IN SAID AIR INLET CHAMBER AS SAID AIR IS PASSED THROUGH SAID AIR INLET CHAMBER, AN AIR-GAS MIXING CHAMBER HAVING A CYLINDRICAL SIDE WALL CONNECTED TO SAID AIR INLET CHAMBER IN COAXIAL ALIGNMENT THROUGH WHICH IS PASSED THE AIR PASSED THROUGH SAID AIR INLET CHAMBER, A GAS INLET CHAMBER SURROUNDING SAID AIR-GAS MIXING CHAMBER, A GAS INLET CONDUIT CONNECTED TO SAID GAS INLET CHAMBER, CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACE APERTURES IN THE CYLINDRICAL SIDE WALL OF SAID AIR-GAS MIXING CHAMBER PROVIDING COMMUNICATION PORTS BETWEEN SAID AIRGAS MIXING CHAMBER AND SAID GAS INLET CHAMBER WHEREBY RAW HYDROCARBON GAS PASSED THROUGH SAID PORTS IS INTIMATELY INTERMIXED IN SAID AIR-GAS MIXING CHAMBER WITH AIR PASSED THERETHROUGH FROM SAID AIR INLET CHAMBER, AN AIRGAS DISCHARGE CONDUIT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID AIR-GAS MIXING CHAMBER AND MOUNTED IN COAXIAL ALIGNMENT THEREWITH THROUGH WHICH THE AIR-GAS MIXTURE IS PASSED, SAID AIRGAS DISCHARGE CONDUIT HAVING AN OPEN DISCHARGE END AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID REACTION CHAMBER WITH ITS OPEN DISCHARGE END IN CONTACT WITH SAID CATALYST MASS BUT TERMINATING WITHIN SAID CONICALLY SHAPED UPPER END PORTION, AND A REFORMED GAS DISCHARGE CONDUIT CONNECTED WITH SAID REACTION CHAMBER NEAR ITS BOTTOM THROUGH WHICH REFORMED GAS IS DISCHARGED FROM SAID REACTION CHAMBER.