Burner for the partial oxidation of hydrocarbons to synthesis gas

Claim 1

A BURNER FOR USE IN INTRODUCING RAW MATERIALS INTO THE REACTION ZONE OF A GAS GENERATOR HERE AT AN AUTOGENOUS TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 700* TO 1,900*C. AND A PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1 TO 250 ATMOSPHERES BY THE PARTIAL OXIDATION OF A HYDROCARBON FUEL WITH A FREE-OXYGEN CONTAINING GAS OPTIONALLY IN THE PRESENCE OF A TEMPERATURE MODERATING GAS A GASEOUS MIXTURE COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE IS PRODUCED SAID BURNER COMPRISING A CENTRAL TUBULAR CONDUCT AND CENTRAL NOZZLE EXTENDING THEREFROM DISPOSED ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID BURNER THROUGH WHICH A FIRST STREAM IS ASSED, SAID CENTRAL NOZZLE TERMINATING IN A SINGLE UNOBSTRUCTED CIRCULAR ORIFICE, AN OUTER COAXIAL CONCENTRIC CONDUIT AND OUTER CONVERGING FRUSTO-CONICALLY SHAPED NOZZLE EXTENDING THEREFROM RADIALLY DISPOSED FROM SAID CENTRAL CONDUIT AND CENTRAL NOZZLE ALONG THEIR LENGTH FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY INTRODUCING A SECOND STREAM INTO SAID REACTION ZONE, SAID OUTER NOZZLE TERMINATING IN A SINGLE UNOBSTRUCTED CIRCULAR ORIFICE LOCATED AT THE OUTER MOST FACE OF THE BURNER, AN ANNULAR COOLING CHAMBER CONTAINING NO INTERNAL BAFFLES ENCIRCULING THE DOWNSTREAM TIP OF SAID BURNER AND HAVING AN INSIDE WALL IN COMMON WITH SAID OUTER NOZZLE AND AN OUTSIDE WALL COMPRISING A TUBULAR RING OF APPROXIMATELY SEMICIRCULAR CROSS SECTION HAVING AN OUTERMOST TIP PORTION AT THE BURNER FACE WITH A WALL THICKNESS IN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 1 TO 5 MM, AND WHEREIN SAID INSIDE WALL COMPRISES BACK AND FRONT SUBSTANTIALLY CONVERGING FRUSTO-CONICALLY SHAPED TAPERED SECTIONS WITH THE REAR END OF SAID BACK SECTION BEING WELDED TO THE DOWNSTREAM END OF SAID OUTER COAXIAL CONCENTRIC CONDUIT AND THE FORWARD A END OF SAID BACK SECTION BEING WELDED TO THE REAR END OF SAID FRONT SECTION WITH PORTIONS OF EACH OF SAID WELDS FACING THE OUTSIDE SURFACES OF SAID INNER TUBE AND CENTRAL NOZZLE AND BEING RECESSED FROM THE BURNER FACE TO PREVENT DIRECT RADIATION FROM SAID REACTION ZONE, AND INLET AND OUTLET MEANS JOINED TO THE PERIPHERY OF THE COOLING CHAMBER ON OPPOSITE SIDES NEAR THE DOWNSTREAM FACE OF SAID BURNER FOR CIRCULATING COOLANT THROUGH SAID COOLING CHAMBER.