1219.    GORDON, A. S.  Uncatalyzed Reaction of Natural Gas and Steam.  Ind. Eng. Chem., vol. 38, 1946, pp. 718-720; Chem. Abs., vol. 40, 1946, p. 5545.

       Uncatalyzed reaction of natural gas with steam has been studied 1,225°-1,516° with steam : natural gas ratios of 1.5:5, and time of contact 0.21-4.6 sec.  Even at high temperatures, long contact times, and steam : natural gas ratio of 5 there is some carbonization of the natural gas.  The extent of carbonization is shown to be a function of the ratio of steam to natural gas, and to vary erratically with temperature and time of contact.  As the temperature is increased, the % of natural gas undecomposed in a single pass through the furnace becomes less dependent on contact time (in the range of contact times studied), until at about 1500° there is little or no effect.  At any temperature the % of undecomposed gas shows little if any dependence on the ratio of steam to natural gas.  The application of this reaction to the production of a mixture of H₂ and CO for synthesis gas is pointed out.