Manufacture of combustible gas

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMBUSTIBLE GAS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING AIR THROUGH A FIRST ZONE CONTAINING HEATED REFRACTORY MATERIAL WITH VOIDS THEREBETWEEN TO PERMIT THE PASSAGE OF AIR THERETHROUGH THEREBY PREHEATING THE AIR, INTRODUCING THE PREHEATED AIR UPWARDLY INTO A SECOND EMPTY ZONE IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH A COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL WHICH BURNS IN THE PRESENCE OF THE PREHEATED AIR THUS IMPARTING HEAT TO THE WALLS OF THE SECOND ZONE, PASSING THE COMBUSTION GASES RESULTING FROM THE OXIDATION OF THE COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL WITH AIR DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A THIRD ZONE CONTAINING REFRACTORY MATERIAL WITH VOIDS THEREBETWEEN TO PERMIT THE PASSAGE OF GAS THERETHROUGH THEREBY TRANSFERRING HEAT FROM THE COMBUSTION GASES TO THE REFRACTORY MATERIAL, AND DISCHARGING THE COMBUSTION GASES FROM THE THIRD ZONE; PASSING STEAM THROUGH THE FIRST ZONE THEREBY EXPANDING AND SUPERHEATING THE STEAM, ADMIXING A HYDROCARBON CARRIER GAS WITH THE STEAM AND INTRODUCING THE MIXTURE INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE SECOND ZONE, SIMULTANEOUSLY INJECTING HYDROCARBON CHARGING STOCK INTO THE SECOND ZONE COUNTERCURRENT TO THE UPWARD FLOW OF STEAM AND HYDROCARBON CARRIER GAS MAINTAINED AT A VELOCITY SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO PREVENT PASSAGE OF CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY OUT OF THE SECOND ZONE, WITHDRAWING GASEOUS CONSTITUENTS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM SOLID AND LIQUID CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS FROM THE TOP OF THE SECOND ZONE, DIRECTING THEM DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE THIRD ZONE THEREBY FIXING THE GASES, RECYCLING A PORTION OF THE GASEOUS CONSTITUENTS FOR INTRODUCTION INTO THE SECOND ZONE AS THE HYDROCARBON CARRIER GAS AND DISCHARGING THE GASEOUS CONSTITUENTS FROM THE THIRD ZONE.