Patent ID: 6884368

Claim:
Process for the production of a mixture comprising hydrogen and CO, comprising partially oxidizing a hydrocarbon by an oxygenated medium or a medium capable of releasing oxygen, wherein the process is carried out under autothermal conditions, the heat given off by said oxidation being recovered to maintain the endothermic reactions which take place between a nonoxidized fraction of said hydrocarbon and CO 2 and steam produced by said oxidation, wherein a reaction gas mixture comprising the hydrocarbon and the oxygenated medium or medium capable of releasing oxygen, is introduced into a porous medium which has been preheated beforehand, and wherein the introduction of the reaction gas mixture into the porous medium results in heating the reaction gas mixture by heat exchange with the porous medium to a temperature sufficient to initiate a combustion reaction, wherein said preheated porous medium is formed by a first inert porous material and wherein the reaction gas mixture or a product thereof successively encounters said first inert porous material, a catalytic bed and then a second inert porous material within a vertical cylindrical reactor, the ends of which are filled with one or other of said inert porous materials and the central part of which is filled with said catalytic bed, and alternately feeding the reactor with the reaction gas mixture by the following introduction modes (i) and (ii): (i) the reaction gas mixture is introduced to a lower part of the reactor and the mixture comprising, the hydrogen and the CO is collected at an upper part of the reactor, or (ii) the reaction gas mixture is introduced to the upper part of the reactor and the mixture comprising the hydrogen and the CO is collected at the lower part of the reactor, wherein the introduction modes (i) and (ii) alternate as a function of the advance of a combustion front inside the reactor.