Manufacture of combustible gas

Claim 1

THE CYCLIC PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING A GAS HAVING A CALORIFIC VALUE IN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 400 B.T.U. PER CUBIC FOOT TO ABOUT 1000 B.T.U. PER CUBIC FOOT WHICH, IN EACH CYCLE, COMPRISES SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY: (1) BURNING FLUID FUEL WITH COMPRESSED AIR IN A FIRST COMBUSTION ZONE. PASSING THE RESULTING HOT PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION. AT AN ELEVATED PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 50 P.S.I.G. SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH A FIRST HEAT STORAGE ZONE OF REFRACTORY MATERIAL AND THEN THROUGH A FIRST ZONE OF REFORMING CATALYST TO STORE HEAT IN SAID FIRST HEAT STORAGE ZONE AND SAID FIRST CATALYST ZONE, AND, SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY, BURNING FLUID FUEL WITH COMPRESSED AIR IN A SECOND COMBUSTION ZONE AND PASSING THE RESULTING HOT PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION ALONG WITH THE PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION FROM SAID FIRST CATALYST ZONE, AT AN ELEVATED PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 50 P.S.I.G. THROUGH A SECOND HEAT STORAGE ZONE OF REFRACTORY MATERIAL TO STORE HEAT IN SAID SECOND HEAT STORAGE ZONE, THEN DISCONTINUING SAID BURNING WHILE CONTINUING THE FLOW OF COMPRESSED AIR TO PURGE COMBUSTION PRODUCTS FROM SAID FIRST HEAT STORAGE ZONE, SAID FIRST CATALYST ZONE AND SAID SECOND HEAT STORAGE ZONE, EXPANDING SAID PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION AND PURGE GASES, FROM SAID ELEVATED PRESSURE TO SUBSTANTIALLY ATMOSPHEREIC PRESSURE, IN AN EXPANDING ZONE, COMPRESSING AIR IN A COMPRESSING ZONE WITH ENERGY DERIVED FROM SUCH EXPANSION IN SAID EXPANDING ZONE AND PASSING SAID COMPRESSED AIR TO SAID FIRST COMBUSTION ZONE AND SAID SECOND COMBUSTION ZONE FOR BURNING SAID FLUID FUEL AND FOR SAID PURGING, AND (2) PASSING STEAM, AT AN ELEVATED PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 50 P.S.I.G., SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH A THIRD HEAT STORAGE ZONE OF REFRACTORY MATERIAL, A SECOND ZONE OF REFORMING CATALYST AND A FOURTH HEAT STORAGE ZONE OF REFRACTORY MATERIAL TO PURGE SAID THIRD HEAT STORAGE ZONE, SAID SECOND CATALYST ZONE AND SAID FOURTH HEAT STORAGE ZONE, THEN, WHILE CONTINUING THE FLOW OF STEAM, INJECTING HYDROCARBONS TO BE CATALYTICALLY REFORMED, AT SAID ELEVATED PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 50 P.S.I.G., SUBSTANTIALLY BETWEEN SAID THIRD HEAT STORAGE ZONE AND SAID SECOND CATALYST ZONE AND SIMULATNEOUSLY INJECTING NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS TO BE THERMALLY REFORMED, AT SAID ELEVATED PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 50 P.S.I.G., SUBSTANTIALLY BETWEEN SAID SECOND CATALYST ZONE AND SAID FOURTH HEAT STORAGE ZONE, SAID THIRD HEAT STORAGE ZONE, SAID SECOND CATALYST ZONE AND SIAD FOURTH HEAT STORAGE ZONE CONTAINING HEAT STORED THEREIN ACCORDING TO STOP (3) BELOW, SAID HYDROCARBONS INJECTED BETWEEN SAID THIRD HEAT STORAGE ZONE AND SAID SECOND CATALYST ZONE BEING REFORMING IN SAID SECOND CATALYST ZONE WITH SAID STEAM INTO A GAS RICH IN HYDROGEN WHICH THEN PASSES TO SAID FOURTH HEAT STORAGE ZONE WHERE IT MIXES IWTH SAID NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS INJECTED BETWEEN SAID SECOND CATALYST ZONE AND SAID FOURTH HEAT STORAGE ZONE, WHEREBY SAID NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS ARE THERMALLY CRACKED IN SAID FOURTH HEAT STORAGE ZONE IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID GAS RICH IN HYDROGEN, AND RECOVING THE RESULTING PRODUCT GAS; AND THEREAFTER REVERSING SAID SEQUENCE BY SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY: (3) BURNING A FLUID FUEL WITH COMPRESSED AIR IN A THIRD COMBUSTION ZONE, PASSING THE RESULTING HOT PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION, AT AN ELEVATED PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 50 P.S.I.G., SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH SAID THIRD HEAT STORAGE ZONE AND SAID SECOND CATALYST ZONE TO STORE HEAT IN SAID THIRD HEAT STORAGE ZONE AND SAID SECOND CATALYST ZONE, AND SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY BURNING FLUID FUEL, WITH COMPRESSED AIR IN A FOURTH COMBUSTION ZONE DOWNSTREAM FROM SAID SECOND CATALYST ZONE AND PASSING THE RESULTING HOT PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION ALONG WITH THE PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION FROM SAID SECOND CATALYST ZONE, AT AN ELEVATED PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 50 P.S.I.G., THROUGH SAID FOURTH HEAT STORAGE ZONE TO STORE HEAT IN SAID FOURTH HEAT STORAGE ZONE, THEN DISCONTINUING SAID BURNING WHILE CONTINUING THE FLOW OF COMPRESSED AIR TO PURGE COMBUSTION PRODUCTS FROM SAID THIRD HEAT STORAGE ZONE, SAID SECOND CATALYST ZONE, AND SAID FOURTH HEAT STORAGE ZONE, EXPANDING SAID PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION AND PURGE GASES, FROM SAID ELEVATED PRESSURE TO SUBSTANTIALLY ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, IN SAID EXPANDING ZONE, COMPRESSING AIR IN SAID COMPRESSING ZONE WITH ENERGY DERIVED FROM SUCH EXPANSION IN SAID EXPANDING ZONE, AND PASSING SAID COMPRESSED AIR TO SAID THIRD COMBUSTION ZONE AND SAID FOURTH COMBUSTION ZONE FOR SAID BURNING OF FLUID FUEL AND FOR SAID AIR PURGING, AND (4) PASSING STEAM, AT AN ELEVATED PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 50 P.S.I.G., SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH SAID FIRST HEAT STORAGE ZONE, SAID FIRST CATALYST ZONE, SAID SECOND HEAT STORAGE ZONE TO PURGE SAID FIRST HEAT STORAGE ZONE, SAID FIRST CATALYST ZONE AND SAID SECOND HEAT STORAGE ZONE, THEN, WHILE CINTINUING THE FLOW OF STEAM, INJECTING HYDROCARBONS TO BE CATALYTICALLY REFORMED, AT SAID ELEVATD PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 50 P.S.I.G., INTO SAID STEAM SUBSTANTIALLY BETWEEN SAID FIRST HEAT STORAGE ZONE AND SAID FIRST CATALYST ZONE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY INJECTING NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS, AT SAID ELEVATED PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 50 P.S.I.G., SUBSTANTIALLY BETWEEN SAID FIRST CATALYST ZONE AND SAID SECOND HEAT STORAGE ZONE, SAID FIRST HEAT STORAGE ZONE, SAID FIRST CATALYST ZONE AND SAID SECOND HEAT STORAGE ZONE CONTAINING HEAT STORED THEREIN ACCORDING TO STEP (1) ABOVE, SAID HYDROCARBONS INJECTED BETWEEN SAID FIRST HEAT STORAGE ZONE AND SAID FIRST CATALYST ZONE BEING REFORMED IN SAID FIRST CATALYST ZONE WITH SAID STEAM INTO A GAS RICH IN HYDROGEN WHICH THEN PASSES TO THE SECOND HEAT STORAGE ZONE WHERE IT MIXES WITH SAID NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS INJECTED BETWEEN SAID FIRST CATALYST ZONE AND SAID SECOND HEAT STORAGE ZONE WHEREBY SAID NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS ARE THERMALLY CRACKED IN SAID SECOND HEAT STORAGE ZONE IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID GAS RICH IN HYDROGEN, AND RECOVERING THE RESULTING PRODUCT GAS, EACH OF SAID COMBUSTION AIR-PURGING STEPS MAKING UP ONE-HALF OF THE CYCLE TIME AND THE FLOW OF GASES TO BE EXPANDED TO SAID EXPANDING ZONE BEING CONTINUOUS AND SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM IN MASS THROUGHOUT THE CYCLE.