Temperature-stabilized conversion of hydrocarbons and the like

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS FOR CARRYING OUT ENDOTHERMIC REACTIONS AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE BY FEEDING AT LEAST ONE REACTANT INTO A STREAM OF HOT FLAME GASES PRODUCED BY BURNING HYDROGEN-CONTAINING FUEL WITH OXYGEN TO RAISE THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID REACTANT TO REACTION TEMPERATURE AND FLOWING THE RESULTANT MIXTURE THROUGH A REACTION ZONE WHEREIN AN ENDOTHERMIC REACTION OCCURS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES: A. LOWERING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID FLAME GASES AND STABILIZING THAT OF THE REACTING MATERIAL IN SAID REACTION ZONE BY INJECTING A TEMPERATURE-STABILIZING MATERIAL WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY CHEMICALLY INERT TOWARD SAID REACTANT IN THE NON-GASEOUS STATE INTO SAID HOT FLAME GASES. B. VAPORIZING SAID TEMPERATURE-STABILIZING MATERIAL THEREIN PRIOR TO ADMIXING THE REACTANT THEREWITH, C. ADMIXING AT LEAST ONE REACTANT INTO SAID SREAM OF MIXED VAPORIZED TEMPERATURE-STABILIZING MATERIAL AND FLAME GASES OF REDUCED TEMPERATURE, AND D. CONDENSING SAID SUBSTANCE WITHIN SAID REACTION ZONE, SAID SUBSTANCE HAVING, AT THE PARTIAL PRESSURE THEREOF PREVAILING IN SAID REACTION ZONE, A VAPORIZING TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF THE REACTION TEMPERATURE.