Process and apparatus for carrying out chemical reactions

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR CARRYING OUT HIGH TEMPERATURE REACTIONS IN THE PRESENCE OF A MOLTEN SALT HEAT MEDIUM COMPRISING THE STEPS OF (1) ADMIXING A BASE FEED MATERIAL WITH A MOLTEN SALT, (2) PASSING THE ADMIXTURE CONCURRENTLY THROUGH A TUBULAR REACTION ZONE, (3) SEPARATING A MIXTURE OF MOLTEN SALT AND OXIDIZABLE REACTION PRODUCTS FROM THE GROSS REACTION PRODUCTS ISSUING FROM THE REACTION ZONE, (4) PASSING THE SEPARATED MIXTURE OF MOLTEN SALT AND OXIDIZABLE REACTION PRODUCT THROUGH A LIQUID SEAL OF PREVIOUSLY SEPARATED MIXTURE OF MOLTEN SALT AND SOLID REACTION PRODUCTS AS REGENERATION ZONE WHEREIN, (5) OXIDIZABLE REACTION PRODUCT IS ESSENTIALLY COMPLETELY REMOVED FROM THE MOLTEN SALT BY CONTACTING WITH AN OXIDIZING GAS, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY THE TEMPERATURE OF THE MOLTEN SALT IS ADJUSTED SUITABLY FOR CARRYING OUT THE REACTION IN STEP (2) OF THE PROCESS, AND (6) RECYLING THE THUS REGENERATED MOLTEN SALT TO STEP (1) OF THE PROCESS, WHICH IS FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THE AVERAGE RESIDENT TIME OF THE FEED AND REACTION PRODUCTS WITH THE MOLTEN SALT IN THE REACTION ZONE, EXCLUDING THAT WHICH IS SEPARATED WITH THE MOLTEN SALT IN THE SEPARATION ZONE, DOES NOT EXCEED 0.02 SECOND AND THE AVERAGE RESIDENCE TIME OF THE SALT IN THE SEPARATION ZONE DOES NOT EXCEED 0.5 SECOND.