Process and apparatus for the production of carbon black

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING CARBON BLACK IN A REACTION CHAMBER HAVING A PERIPHERAL WALL OF GENERALLY CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION AND END WALLS, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING A REACTANT HYDROCARBON STREAM OF FLUID AT APPROXIMATELY THE CENTER OF ONE OF THE END WALLS, PASSING SAID REACTANT STREAM AXIALLY FROM THE INLET TO THE OUTLET END OF THE REACTION CHAMBER WITHOUT CONTACTING THE PERIPHERAL WALL, HEATING THE REACTANT STREAM WHILE PASSING THROUGH THE REACTION ZONE OF SAID CHAMBER TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO DECOMPOSE THE HYDROCARBON AND FORM CARBON BLACK BY HEAT INTERCHANGE WITH A GASEOUS HEAT DONATING STREAM OF FLUID, AND THERE AFTER REMOVING A PORTION OF THE REACTANT STREAM CONTAINING THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE CARBON BLACK FROM THE REACTION CHAMBER THROUGH AN OPENING IN THE CENTER OF THE OUTLET END WALL, SAID HEATING BEING ACCOMPLISHED BY FORCING THE HEAT DONATING STREAM FOR FLUID TANGENTIALLY THROUGH THE PERIPHERAL WALL INTO THE REACTION CHAMBER NEAR THE INLET END THEREOF, AND MAINTAINING IT AT A SUFFICIENTLY HIGH VELCOCITY SO THAT THE HEAT DONATING STREAM FORMS A VORTEX WHICH BLANKETS THE CYCLINDRICAL WALL OF THE REACTION CHAMBER THROUGH SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE LENGTH THEREOF WHILE LEAVING A CENTRAL PORTION SUBSTANTIALLY OPEN PASSAGE OF THE REACTANT STREAM AXIALLY THERETHROUGH FROM END TO END OF THE CHAMBER, MAINTAINING THE REACTANT AND THE HEAT DONATING STREAMS IN DIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE RELATION THROUGHOUT THEIR PASSAGE THROUGH THE REACTION ZONE OF THE CAMBER, REMOVING A PORTION OF THE HEAT DONATING STREAM OF FLUID FROM THE PERIPHERY OF THE CHAMBER THROUGH AT LEAST ONE PERIPHERAL PORT ADJACENT THE END OF THE REACTION CHAMBER OPPOSITE FROM ITS INLET, COOLINNG THE PORTION OF THE CARBON CONTAINING STREAM REMOVED FROM THE CENTRAL OUTLET IN THE REACTION CHAMBER, AND SEPARATELY COLLECTING THE CARBON BLACK THEREFROM.