US2516973A - - Google Patents

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF PREPARING SYNTHESIS GAS COMPRISING ESSENTIALLY HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE WHEREIN HYDROCARBON IS REACTED WITH WATER VAPOR WITHIN A REACTION ZONE AT AN ELEVATED REACTION TEMPERATURE ABOVE ABOUT 1400*F., THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING SAID REACTANTS TO THE REACTION ZONE IN RELATIVE PROPORTIONS AT WHICH THE REACTION PRODUCT COMPRISES PREDOMINANTLY HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE, EFFECTING SAID REACTION ADJACENT A SURFACE OF A DIFFUSION BARRIER SELECTIVELY PERMEABLE TO THE DIFFUSION OF HYDROGEN AND RESISTANT TO THE DIFFUSION OF HIGHER MOLECULAR WEIGHT GASES, SELECTIVELY SEPARATING HYDROGEN FROM THE REACTANTS IN SAID REACTION ZONE BY CAUSING PRODUCT HYDROGEN TO DIFFUSE PREFERENTIALLY THROUGH SAID BARRIER, CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING A STREAM OF FREE OXYGEN TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID BARRIER, SUBJECTING SAID DIFFUSED HYDROGEN AT SAID EXTERIOR SURFACE TO COMBUSTION WITH SAID FREE OXYGEN, THEREBY HEATING SAID BARRIER TO A TEMPERATURE ABOVE SAID ELEVATED REACTION TEMPERATURE AND STRIPPING EFFLUENT HYDROGEN THEREFROM, CONTINUOUSLY TRANSFERRING HEAT FROM SAID BARRIER TO THE REACTION ZONE, EFFECTING A SUBSTANTIAL REACTION OF SAID REACTANTS BY HEAT THUS TRANSFERRED AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING FROM THE REACTION ZONE THE RESIDUAL GASEOUS REACTION PRODUCTS COMPRISING PREDOMINANTLY HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE.