Control of conversion in a catalytic hydrogen producing unit

Claim 1

IN A PROCESSING SYSTEM FOR CATALYTICALLY CONVERTING A NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBON CHARGE STREAM TO HYDROGEN AND CARBON WHEREIN SUBDIVIDED CATALYST PARTICLES ARE CONTACTED IN A REACTION ZONE BY THE HYDROCARBON CHARGE STREAM AT DECOMPOSITION CONDITIONS, RESULTING CARBONIZED CATALYST PARTICLES ARE SUBSEQUENTLY CONTACTED WITHIN A REGENERATION ZONE BY AN OXYGEN CONTAINING STREAM BEING INTRODUCED THERETO TO EFFECT THE GASIFICATION OF CARBON FROM SAID PARTICLES AND SUCH CONTACTED CATALYST PARTICLES IN TURN CARRY HEAT INTO THE REACTION ZONE, THE IMPROVED METHOD OF OPERATION TO PROVIDE VARIATIONS IN THE HEAT RELEASE PER MOLE OF CARBON GASIFIED IN THE REGENERATION ZONE FOR A GIVEN CARBON GASIFICATION RATE, WHICH COMPRISES, VARYING THE OXYGEN INTRODUCTION RATE TO THE REGENERATION ZONE WITHIN A RANGE BELOW THE THERORETICAL REQUIRED TO GASIFY ALL OF THE CARBON ON THE CATALYST PARTICLES TO CARBON DIOXIDE, THEREBY VARYING THE CARBON LEVEL ON THE CATALYST PARTICLES, AND VARYING SAID HEAT RELEASE PER MOLE OF CARBON GASIFIED INVERSELY RESPONSIVE TO THE CARBON LEVEL RETAINED ON THE CATALYST PARTICLES AND DIRECTLY RESPONSIVE TO THE CARBON DIOXIDE TO CARBON MONOXIDE RATIO PRODUCED IN THE REGENERATION ZONE.