Synthesis gas generation

Claim 1

IN A METHOD FOR GENERATION OF SYNTHESIS GAS BY PARTIAL OXIDATION OF HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES REACTING LIQUID HYDROCARBON WITH OXYGEN AND STEAM IN AN UNPACKED REACTION ZONE AT AN AUTOGENOUSLY MAINTAINED TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 2800 TO 3500*F. WITH THE PRODUCTION OF A MINOR AMOUNT OF FREE CARBON IN THE RANGE OF 0.5 TO 5 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL CARBON CONTAINED IN THE REACTANTS SUPPLIED TO THE REACTION ZONE PRODUCING A HOT GAS STREAM COMPRISING CARBON MONOXIDE, HYDROGEN AND ENTRAINED CARBON, AND CONTACTING SAID HOT GAS STREAM FROM SAID REACTION ZONE WITH WATER IN A GAS-LIQUID CONTACTING ZONE EFFECTING REMOVAL OF CARBON FROM SAID GAS STREAM AND FORMING A SLURRY OF CARBON IN WATER, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES RETURNING ALL OF THE CARBON TO THE REACTION ZONE BY WITHDRAWING FROM SAID GAS-LIQUID CONTACTING ZONE A SLURRY OF CARBON IN WATER CONTAINING FROM ABOUT ONE TO ABOUR FOUR WEIGHT PERCENT CARBON, INTRODUCING LIQUID HYDROCARBON OIL DIRECTLY INTO SAID SLURRY IN AN AMOUNT WITHIN THE RANGE OF 0.5 TO 2 TIMES THE OIL ABSORPTION VALUE OF THE CARBON AND MIXING SAID OIL WITH SAID SLURRY FORMING A FREE FLOWING MIXTURE; PASSING SAID ENTIRE MIXTURE INTO AN EXTERNALLY HEATED TUBULAR HEATING ZONE UNDER CONDITIONS OF TURBULENT FLOW WHEREIN WATER CONTAINED IN SAID MIXTURE IS COMPLETELY VAPORIZED AND THE OIL AND CARBON CONTAINED IN SAID MIXTURE ARE SUSPENDED IN DISPERSED PARTICLE FORM IN RESULTING STEAM; AND PASSING THE RESULTING DISPERSION COMPRISING CARBON AND OIL DROPLETS SUSPENDED IN STEAM DIRECTLY INTO SAID REACTION ZONE AS REACTANTS FOR THE GENERATION OF SYNTHESIS GAS.