Steam reforming device

Claim 1

A STEAM REFORMING DEVICE COMPRISING: A CASING STRUCTURE HAVING A STEAM INLET, A STEAM OUTLET AND CONSECUTIVE PASSAGEWAYS THEREBETWEEN, PRESSURE REDUCING VALVE MEANS IN AN INTERMEDIATE PART OF SAID STEAM PASSAGEWAYS AND OPERATING TO REDUCE THE PRESSURE OF SUPERHEATED STEAM FLOWING AT HIGH TEMPERATURE AND HIGH PREESURE INTO SAID PASSAGEWAYS THROUG SAID STEAM INLET TO A PREDETERMINED PRESSURE VALUE, AND TEMPERATURE REDUCING MEANS WITHIN THE STEAM PASSAGEWAYS DOWNSTEAM FROM SAID PRESSURE REDUCING VALVE MEANS AND CONSTITUTED AS A SEPARATE STRUCTURE THEREFROM AND OPERATING TO DISCHARGE WATER AS A SPRAY INTO THE HIGH-TEMPERATURE, LOW-PRESSURE STEAM THUS REDUCED IN PRESSURE BY THE PRESSURE REDUCING VALVE MEANS AND THEREBY TO REDUCE THE TEMPERATURE OF THIS STEAM TO A PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE VALUE, SAID TEMPERATURE REDUCING MEANS COMPRISING AN ORIFICE-FORMING MEMBER FORMING SAID PASSAGEWAY THROUGH WHICH THE STEAM REDUCED IN PRESSURE BY SAID PRESSURE REDUCING VALVE MEANS FLOWS AND, MOREOVER, FORMING AN ANNULAR HOLLOW SPACE AND AN ANNULAR ORIFICE OF SLIT-FORM IN THE WALL SURFACE OF THE ORIFICE-FORMING MEMBER, A HOLLOW SLEEVE DISPOSED WITHIN SAID ANNULAR HOLLOW SPACE IN THE ORIFICE-FORMING MEMBER AND HAVING A SLIT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID ORIFICE, SAID SLEEVE HAVING AN OUTER PERPHERAL SHAPE CONFORMING TO SAID ANNULAR HOLLOW SPACE AND BEING SUPPORTED ALL AROUND THE PERIPHERY THEREIN AND PROJECTION AND GROOVE MEANS BETWEEN SAID SLEEVE AND SAID ANNULAR HOLLOW SPACE FOR MINIZING THE AREA OF CONTACT THEREBETWEEN AND FOR MAINTAINING TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIAL THEREBETWEEN AND A WATER SUPPLY PIPE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CASING STRUTURE INTO COMMUNICATION WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE SLEEVE, SAID ORIFICE AND SAID PASSAGEWAY BEING SO CONSTRUCTED THAT THE FLOW OF THE STREAM THROUGH THE PASSAGEWAY CAUSES WATER TO BE EJECTED AS A SPRAY THROUGH THE ORIFICE AND INTO THE PASSAGEWAY.