Apparatus for thermal decomposition of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

IN A PYROLYSIS REACTOR FOR PYROLYZING HYDROCARBONS INTO LESS SATURATED HYDROCARBONS BY INJECTION THEREOF INTO HOT COMBUSTION GASES IN SAID REACTOR, THE COMBINATION WHICH COMPRISES A CYLINDRICAL COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR PRODUCING SAID HOT COMBUSTION GASES BY COMBUSTION OF A FUEL GAS AND A COMBURENT GAS THEREIN, A PYROLYZED CHAMBER IN DIRECT FLOW COMMUNICATION WITH SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND INTO WHICH SAID HYDROCARBONS TO BE PYROLYZED ARE INJECTED, SAID PYROLYSIS CHAMBER BEING DOENSREAM OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER IN THE LINE OF FLOW OF SAID HOT COMBUSTION GASES, A DISTRIBUTOR AT THE UPSTREAM END OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A PLURALITY OF INJECTION PORTS IN SAID DISTRIBUTOR ARRANGED IN PAIRS WITH THE CENTER POINT OF BOTH PORTS OF EACH PAIR LYING ON A COMMON REDIUS FOR SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR INJECTING A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE STREAMS OF SAID FUEL AND COMBURENT GASES FOR ADMIXTURE AND COMBUSTION IN SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, SAID PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF PORTS BEING DISPOSED IN SAID DISTRIBUTOR IN ONLY TWO CIRCLES WITH ONE EACH OF EACH SAID PAIR BEING IN EACH CIRCLE AND WITH THE CIRCLES BEING COAXIAL WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH SAID CYLINDRICAL COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND HAVING A DIAMETER GREATER THAN ONE-HALF THAT OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, ONE OF SAID CIRCLES HAVING A DIAMETER LARGER THAN THE OTHER AND FORMING THE RADIALLY OUTER CIRCLE AND THE SMALLER ONE FORMING THE RADIALLY INNER CIRCLE OF PORTS, THE AXIS OF EACH OF SAID PORTS BEING DOWNWARDLY INCLINED WITH RESPECT TO THE AXIS OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND WITH THE AXIS OF EACH RESPECTIVE FUEL AND COMBURENT GAS PORT INTERSECTING FOR ADMIXTURE OF SAID GASES AT SAID INTERSECTIONS TO FORM A RING OF FLAMES, AND THE ANGLE BETWEEN THE AXIS OF THE RADIALLY OUTER PORT OF EACH SAID PAIR AND THE AXIS OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER BEING GREATER THAN THE ANGLE BETWEEN THE AXIS OF THE RADIALLY INNER PORT OF EACH SAID PAIR AND THE AXIS OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR DEFLECTING RADIALLY INWARDLY SAID FLAMES FORMED AT SAID INTERSECTIONS AVOIDING DIRECT IMPINGEMENT OF SAID FLAMES ON PERIPHERY WALLS OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER UPSTREAM OF SAID HYDROCARBON INJECTION.