Thermal conversion process and apparatus therefor

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR EFFECTING RELATIVELY HIGH TEMPERATURE THERMAL REACTIONS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A THERMALLYCONVERTIBLE REACTANT INTO A PREHEAT ZONE OF A CONTINUOUS CONFINED PATH COMPRISING SUCCESSIVLEY A PREHEAT ZONE, A CONVERSION ZONE AND A QUENCH ZONE AND IN WHICH PATH THE REACTANT IS PREHEATED IN THE PREHEAT ZONE TO AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE BUT BELOW THERMAL CONVERSION TEMPERATURE, THE THUS PREHEATED RECTANT PASSES INTO THE CONVERSION ZONE WHEREIN IT IS THERMALLY CONVERTED AND THE RESULTING CONVERSION PRODUCT PASSES INTO THE QUENCH ZONE WHEREIN IT IS QUENCHED TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT SUBSTANTIAL FURTHER REACTION OF THE CONVERSION PRODUCT, SAID QUENCHING OF THE CONVERSION PRODUCT IN THE QUENCHING ZONE, CONVERSION OF THE PREHEATED REACTANT IN THE CONVERSION ZONE AND PREHEATING OF THE REACTANT IN THE PREHEAT ZONE BEING EFFECTED BY PASSING AN OXIDIZING GAS AT A TEMPERATURE SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN QUENCH TEMPERATURE INTO INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH SAID QUENCH ZONE TO QUENCH CONVERSION PRODUCT PASSING INTO SAID ZONE AND TO RAISE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE OXIDIZING GAS TO A TEMPERATURE THAT SUPPORTS COMBUSTION OF A MIXTURE OF SAID OXIDIZING GAS WITH A COMBUSTIBLE FUEL, MIXING A COMBUSTIBLE FUEL WITH SAID OXIDIZING GAS RAISED TO SAID COMBUSTION TEMPERATURE WHEREBY THE MIXTURE UNDERGOES COMBUSTION AND BY INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE CONVERSION ZONE THE MIXTURE UNDER COMBUSTION SUPPLIES THE NECESSARY HEAT FLUX TO BE CONVERSION ZONE, AND FOLLOWING SAID INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE CONVERSION ZONE, PASSING THE COMBUSTED MIXTURE INTO INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE PREHEAT ZONE WHEREBY SENSIBLE HEAT OF THE COMBUSTED MIXTURE PREHEATS THE REACTANT IN THE PREHEAT ZONE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR EFFECTING RELATIVELY HIGH TEMPERATURE THERMAL REACTIONS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A THERMALLYCONVERTIBLE REACTANT INTO A PREHEAT ZONE OF A CONTINUOUS CONFINED PATH COMPRISING SUCCESSIVLEY A PREHEAT ZONE, A CONVERSION ZONE AND A QUENCH ZONE AND IN WHICH PATH THE REACTANT IS PREHEATED IN THE PREHEAT ZONE TO AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE BUT BELOW THERMAL CONVERSION TEMPERATURE, THE THUS PREHEATED RECTANT PASSES INTO THE CONVERSION ZONE WHEREIN IT IS THERMALLY CONVERTED AND THE RESULTING CONVERSION PRODUCT PASSES INTO THE QUENCH ZONE WHEREIN IT IS QUENCHED TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT SUBSTANTIAL FURTHER REACTION OF THE CONVERSION PRODUCT, SAID QUENCHING OF THE CONVERSION PRODUCT IN THE QUENCHING ZONE, CONVERSION OF THE PREHEATED REACTANT IN THE CONVERSION ZONE AND PREHEATING OF THE REACTANT IN THE PREHEAT ZONE BEING EFFECTED BY PASSING AN OXIDIZING GAS AT A TEMPERATURE SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN QUENCH TEMPERATURE INTO INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH SAID QUENCH ZONE TO QUENCH CONVERSION PRODUCT PASSING INTO SAID ZONE AND TO RAISE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE OXIDIZING GAS TO A TEMPERATURE THAT SUPPORTS COMBUSTION OF A MIXTURE OF SAID OXIDIZING GAS WITH A COMBUSTIBLE FUEL, MIXING A COMBUSTIBLE FUEL WITH SAID OXIDIZING GAS RAISED TO SAID COMBUSTION TEMPERATURE WHEREBY THE MIXTURE UNDERGOES COMBUSTION AND BY INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE CONVERSION ZONE THE MIXTURE UNDER COMBUSTION SUPPLIES THE NECESSARY HEAT FLUX TO BE CONVERSION ZONE, AND FOLLOWING SAID INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE CONVERSION ZONE, PASSING THE COMBUSTED MIXTURE INTO INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE PREHEAT ZONE WHEREBY SENSIBLE HEAT OF THE COMBUSTED MIXTURE PREHEATS THE REACTANT IN THE PREHEAT ZONE.

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS, ADAPTED FOR CARRYING OUT RELATIVELY HIGH TEMPERATURE THERMAL REACTANTS, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED CONFINED ANNULUS HAVING AN INLET MEANS AT ONE END PORTION ADAPTED TO PASS REACTANT INTO A PREHEAT CHAMBER IN SAID ANNULUS AND AN OUTLET MEANS AT THE OPPOSITE END POERION FOR DISCHARGE OF REACTION PRODUCT FROM A QUENCH CHAMBER IN SAID ANNULUS, SAID ANNULUS BEING CHARACTERIZED BY COMPRISING SUCCESSIVELY AND IN OPEN COMMUNICATION A PREHEAT-CHAMBER, A CONVERSION CHAMBER A QUENCH CHAMBER WITH THE CONVERSION CHAMBER HAVING INTERNAL WALL SURFACES ADAPTED TO CONFINE REACTANT PASSED FROM THE PREHEAT CHAMBER INTO THE CONVERSION CHAMBER TO A STREAM WHICH, IN CROSS-SECTION, HAS A MINOR AXIS AVERAGING NOT MORE THAN ABOUT 0.1 INCH, MEANS ADAPTED FOR PASSING AN OXIDIZING GAS INTO INDIRECT HEAT EXXCHANGE WITH THE QUENCH CHAMBER WHEREBY TO ABSTRACT HEAT FROM THE REACTION PRODUCT PASSED FROM THE CONVERSION CHAMBER INTO THE QUENCH CHAMBER AND THE OXIDIZING GAS IS RAISED TO A TEMPERATURE THAT SUPPORTS COMBUSTION WITH A COMBUSTIBLE FUEL, MIXING MEANS FOR MIXING SAID OXIDIZING GAS AT COMBUSTION TEMPERATURE WITH A COMBUSTIBLE FUEL WHEREBY THE RESULTING MIXTURE UNDERGOES COMBUSTION, AND MEANS FOR PASSING OF THE MIXTURE UNDER COMBUSTION INTO INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE CONVERSION CHAMBER AND FOR PASSAGE OF THE FLUX IN SAID CONVERSION CHAMBER AD FOR PASSAGE OF THE RESULTING COMBUSTED MIXTURE INTO DIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE PREHEAT CHAMBER WHEREBY SENSIBLE HEAT OF THE COMBUSTED MIXTURE PREHEATS PASSED INTO THE PREHEAT CHAMBER OF SAID CHAMBER.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS, ADAPTED FOR CARRYING OUT RELATIVELY HIGH TEMPERATURE THERMAL REACTANTS, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED CONFINED ANNULUS HAVING AN INLET MEANS AT ONE END PORTION ADAPTED TO PASS REACTANT INTO A PREHEAT CHAMBER IN SAID ANNULUS AND AN OUTLET MEANS AT THE OPPOSITE END POERION FOR DISCHARGE OF REACTION PRODUCT FROM A QUENCH CHAMBER IN SAID ANNULUS, SAID ANNULUS BEING CHARACTERIZED BY COMPRISING SUCCESSIVELY AND IN OPEN COMMUNICATION A PREHEAT-CHAMBER, A CONVERSION CHAMBER A QUENCH CHAMBER WITH THE CONVERSION CHAMBER HAVING INTERNAL WALL SURFACES ADAPTED TO CONFINE REACTANT PASSED FROM THE PREHEAT CHAMBER INTO THE CONVERSION CHAMBER TO A STREAM WHICH, IN CROSS-SECTION, HAS A MINOR AXIS AVERAGING NOT MORE THAN ABOUT 0.1 INCH, MEANS ADAPTED FOR PASSING AN OXIDIZING GAS INTO INDIRECT HEAT EXXCHANGE WITH THE QUENCH CHAMBER WHEREBY TO ABSTRACT HEAT FROM THE REACTION PRODUCT PASSED FROM THE CONVERSION CHAMBER INTO THE QUENCH CHAMBER AND THE OXIDIZING GAS IS RAISED TO A TEMPERATURE THAT SUPPORTS COMBUSTION WITH A COMBUSTIBLE FUEL, MIXING MEANS FOR MIXING SAID OXIDIZING GAS AT COMBUSTION TEMPERATURE WITH A COMBUSTIBLE FUEL WHEREBY THE RESULTING MIXTURE UNDERGOES COMBUSTION, AND MEANS FOR PASSING OF THE MIXTURE UNDER COMBUSTION INTO INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE CONVERSION CHAMBER AND FOR PASSAGE OF THE FLUX IN SAID CONVERSION CHAMBER AD FOR PASSAGE OF THE RESULTING COMBUSTED MIXTURE INTO DIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH THE PREHEAT CHAMBER WHEREBY SENSIBLE HEAT OF THE COMBUSTED MIXTURE PREHEATS PASSED INTO THE PREHEAT CHAMBER OF SAID CHAMBER.