PATENTS

1781.         1781. JOHNSON, W. B. (M. W. Kellogg Co.).  Manufacture of Hydrogen.  United States Patent 2,656,255, Oct. 20, 1953: appl. filed Feb. 2, 1949, Serial No. 74,213; 13 claims (Cl. 23-214).

Claim 1. A process for producing H2, which comprises combusting C containing material with O2-containing gas under conditions suitable for the production of a major proportion of CO and a minor proportion of CO2; passing excess steam upward through an oxidizing zone in the presence of finely divided reduced metalliferous contact material at a velocity effective to suspend the contact material in a pseudoliquid condition at <1,100° F. but sufficiently high such that H2 is produced under endothermic conditions at a desired rate by the reaction of steam with the contact material and the contact material is oxidized; passing oxidized contact material from the oxidizing zone to a 1st reduction zone; passing CO, which is prepared from combusting C containing material in excess, upward through said 1st reduction zone at a velocity effective to suspend the oxidized contact material in a pseudo-liquid condition therein at a temperature significantly < the temperature of said oxidizing zone under exothermic conditions such that the metalliferous contact material is reduced by the CO, which is converted to CO2 and the heat generated therein is sufficient to constitute the principal source of heat for the oxidizing zone; passing a relatively small proportion of contact material from the 1st reduction zone to a second reduction zone, wherein the contact material is further reduced by the unconvertor CO from the 1st reduction zone at <700° F. but sufficiently high to obtain the desired rate of reaction; removing an effluent from the said 2d reduction zone comprising CO2 and substantially free of CO: recycling reduced metalliferous contact material to the said oxidation zone at a temperature and in an amount sufficient to constitute the principal source of heat thereto; at least a portion of the reduced contact material is recycled from the 1st reduction zone; and recovering H2 from the oxidizing zone as the product of the process.