Gasification of hydrocarbon fuel oils

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE GENERATION OF GASEOUS MIXTURES OF CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN WHEREIN A LIQUID HYDROCARBON IS SUBJECTED TO PARTIAL OXIDATION BY REACTION WITH OXYGEN AND STEAM IN A GAS GENERATION ZONE AT AN AUTOGENOUS TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1800 TO 3500*F. PRODUCING A HOT PRODUCT GAS STREAM COMPRISING CARBON MONOXIDE, HYDOGEN AND UNCONVERTED FREE CARBON FROM SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBON AND WHEREIN SAID PRODUCT GAS IS CONTACTED WITH WATER IN A CONTACTING ZONE EFFECTING REMOVAL OF SAID CARBON FROM THE GAS STREAM AND FORMING A SLURRY CONSISITING ESSENTIALLY OF CARBON IN WATER, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES WITHDRAWING FROM SAID CONTACTING ZONE A PUMPABLE SLURRY OF SAID CARBON IN WATER CONTAINING FROM 0.5 TO 3 PERCENT CARBON Y WEIGHT; PASSING SAID CARBON-WATER SLURRY IN TURBULENT FLOW INTO AN ELONGATED TUBULAR HEATING ZONE WHEREIN SAID WATER IS VAPORIZED THEREBY FORMING A STREAM OF STEAM CONTAINING SAID CARBON DISPERSED AND ENTRAINED THEREIN AND HAVING A VELOCITY IN EXCESS OF 20 FEET PER SECOND; INJECT ING HEAVY LIQUID HYDROCARBON INTO SAID STREAM OF STEAM CONTAINING SAID DISPERSED CARBON THEREBY FORMING A STREAM OF STEAM CONTAINING SUSPENDED CARBON AND ENTRAINED LIQUID HYDROCARBON; PASSING THE MIXED STREAM AT A VELOCITY IN EXCESS OF 20 FEET PER SECOND THROUGH A SECOND ELONGATED TUBULAR HEATING ZONE PROVIDING A FLOW PATH HAVING A LENGTH AT LEAST 100 TIMES ITS DIAMETER AND SUSPENDED IN FINE DROPLET OIL IS UNIFORMLY DISPERSED AND SUSPENDED IN FINE DROPLET FOM IN SAID STREAM OF STEAM AND SUSPENDED CARBON IS SIMULTANEOUSLY TRANSFERRED TO SAID OIL DROPLETS; AND PASSING THE RESULTING DISPERSION OF CARBON-CONTAINING OIL DROPLETS SUSPENDED IN STEAM INTO SAID REACTION ZONE IN ADMIXTURE WITH SAID OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS.