Reactor for the catalytic conversion of hydrocarbons with a gas containing oxygen to form a fuel gas

Claim 1

In a reactor for the generation of a gas by the catalytic conversion of hydrocarbons with a gas containing oxygen at elevated temperatures, said reactor having a reaction chamber filled with a catalyst charge with an inlet for raw materials and an outlet for the product gas, the improvement comprising: a. a closed housing for said reactor; b. an enclosed intermediate wall disposed within said housing and spaced therefrom so as to form a first space between itself and said housing, said intermediate wall being made of a non-metallic, heat resistant material which will not catalyze the formation of undesired reaction products; c. an enclosed inner wall disposed within said intermediate wall and spaced therefrom with a second space formed between said intermediate wall and said inner wall, said inner wall defining the reaction chamber, said inner wall also being of a non-metallic, heat resistant material which will not catalyze the formation of undesired reaction products; d. means for coupling the inlet for raw materials directly into one end of said reaction chamber and; e. at least one first opening in said intermediate wall at the portion thereof closest to said one end of said reaction chamber so as to permit said first and second spaces on opposite sides thereof to be in communication with each other; f. means for coupling the outlet for the gas to said first space; g. at least one second opening in said inner wall permitting communication between said reaction chamber and said second space at the other end of said reaction chamber, whereby raw materials will flow through said reaction chamber and product gas will flow out of said second opening into said second space, through said second space to said first opening and then to said first space, after which it will flow to said outlet for the product gas whereby the flow of said product gas exiting said reaction chamber along said inner wall will be in a heat exchanging relationship with the raw material gas flowing through said chamber to aid in the reaction, with said product gas being cooled at the same time.