Apparatus and method for producing carbon black

An apparatus for producing carbon black comprising:

• a reactor defining a chamber including a combustion compartment, a reaction compartment and a quench compartment;
• first inlet means opening into said chamber and operable for introducing fed hydrocarbon into said chamber;
• second inlet means opening into said combustion compartment and operable for introducing combustion gases into said combustion compartment;
• third inlet means opening into said quench compartment operable for introducing quench fluid into said quench compartment;
• indirect heat exchange means connected in flow communication with said chamber and operable for receiving and cooling effluent from said quench compartment of said chamber;
• separator means connected to flow communication with said indirect heat exchange means for receiving effluent therefrom and operable for separating said effluent into a gas portion and a carbon black portion;
• and
• control means including temperature sensing means operably associated with said indirect heat exchange means for producing a signal representative of the rate of heat transfer from the effluent in said indirect heat exchange means, said control means being operably associated with said first inlet means for intervallicly terminating introduction of feed hydrocarbon into the chamber in response to said heat transfer rate being below a predetermined level indicating a relatively low level of heat transfer in the indirect heat exchange means and restarting the flow of feed hydrocarbon when the heat transfer rate once again reaches said predetermined level.