Patent ID: 7576296

Claim:
An apparatus for thermal conversion of one or more reactants to at least one desired end product, the apparatus comprising: an axial reactor having an inlet end, an outlet end, a reaction zone between the inlet end and the outlet end, and a reactor inlet at the inlet end; a torch section configured to produce a heating gas; and an injector section interposed between the torch section and the axial reactor, the injector section including a heating gas inlet and at least one reactant inlet, the heating gas inlet and the at least one reactant inlet configured to provide all of the one or more reactants at a restricted diameter injection line within the injector section, the injector section being sized, located and configured to introduce one or more reactants into the heating gas and to promote substantially thorough mixing of the one or more reactants with the heating gas to produce a stream flowing axially toward the reactor inlet of the axial reactor, wherein the torch section, the injector section and the axial reactor are cooperatively configured such that any gas passing through the axial reactor enters the axial reactor through the inlet of the axial reactor.