Patent ID: 7279019

Claim:
A process for carrying out an endothermic reaction including the steps of initiating in an exothermic reaction region an exothermic reaction by combusting a preheated fuel in the presence of a preheated combustion-sustaining medium thereby to generate heat to produce a combustion gas stream, causing a feedstock stream to undergo an endothermic reaction in an endothermic reaction region adjacent to the exothermic reaction region, transferring heat substantially convectively from the combustion gas stream to the feedstock stream thereby to produce a process gas stream, the combustion gas stream and the feedstock streams being in co-current flow relationship, passing the combustion gas stream and the process gas stream co-currently into a heat recovery zone downstream of the exothermic reaction zone wherein heat from the process gas stream is convectively transferred to the combustion gas stream, and simultaneously heat is recovered by passing the combustion gas stream in convective heat exchange relation with the combustion-sustaining medium and with the process feedstock and with the fuel thereby to control the temperature of the process gas and combustion gas streams, the process gas stream being fed directly and continuously through the heat recovery zone, and the combustion gas stream and the process gas stream being discharged from the process at a temperature level whereby the overall efficiency of the process is optimised.