Patent ID: 7276639

Claim:
A process for the production of an olef in 1 said process comprising contacting a hydrocarbon feed and a molecular oxygen-containing gas with a catalyst, said catalyst being capable of supporting combustion beyond the fuel rich limit of flammability, wherein partial combustion of the hydrocarbon feed occurs and the heat produced by the combustion reaction drives the cracking of the remainder of the hydrocarbon feed so as to produce an outlet stream comprising an olefin and oxygen, wherein in said process the outlet stream.has an oxygen concentration which is at, near or above the flammable limit and a loss of reaction is detected and used as a signai to activate means for mitigating the risk of explosion downstream of the reaction zone, wherein the means employed for mitigating the risk of explosion is selected from one or more of the group consisting of (i) restricting or stopping the feed of molecular oxygen-containing gas to the catalyst bed, (ii) diluting the outlet stream with a diluent to render the oulet stream non-flammable, (iii) restricting or stopping the flow of the outlet stream and (iv) containing the outlet stream in an area of the plant which can withstand ignition of the outlet stream.