1825. KEITH, P. C., WARD, J. T., AND WILSON, D. W. (M. W. Kellogg Co.). Changing Light Hydrocarbon Gases Such as Methane Into Liquid Hydrocarbons. United States Patent 2,243,869, June 3, 1941: appl. filed Jan. 26, 1937, Serial No. 122,340; 2 claims (Cl.

PATENTS

1825. KEITH, P. C., WARD, J. T., AND WILSON, D. W. (M. W. Kellogg Co.). Changing Light Hydrocarbon Gases Such as Methane Into Liquid Hydrocarbons. United States Patent 2,243,869, June 3, 1941: appl. filed Jan. 26, 1937, Serial No. 122,340; 2 claims (Cl. 196-10). Chem. Abs., vol. 35, 1941, p. 5508.

Describes arrangement of apparatus and a method that involves subjecting a light hydrocarbon gas to ca catalytic oxidation reaction at temperatures in excess of 1,000° F. to convert it into a mixture of CO and H₂, synthesizing the mixture of CO and H₂ to liquid hydrocarbons in the presence of a catalyst at temperatures of 375°-425° F., separating liquid hydrocarbons from gases, separating the gases into unreacted CO and H₂ and gaseous hydrocarbons, subjecting part of the gaseous hydrocarbons to a pyrolytic conversion step at temperatures of about 1,000° F., fractionating the pyrolytically converted gases in a fractionating zone together with the synthesized liquid hydrocarbons previously separated, withdrawing a portion of the condensate from the fractionating zone as final product desired, withdrawing the heaviest fraction of the condensate form the fractionating zone and subjecting it to pyrolytic conversion, and fractionating the products of the pyrolytic conversion in the fractionating zone.