Hydrocarbon treatment process

A continuous process for treating a hydrocarbon material in the presence of a molten salt wherein the improvement comprises the sequential steps of:

• introducing a molten salt containing carbon into a heat generation zone located in a lower portion of an upwardly extending, elongated reactor, said reactor comprising a single continuous chamber;
• introducing a source of oxygen into said lower portion of said reactor in an amount sufficient to react with said carbon and heat said molten salt to a temperature of at least 700.degree. C. while forming gaseous combustion products;
• flowing the resulting mixture of gaseous combustion products and heated molten salt upwardly through said reactor with a gas phase velocity of at least 1.5 meters per second to a hydrocarbon material reaction zone located above said heat generation zone;
• introducing the hydrocarbon material to be treated into said reaction zone to produce gaseous reaction products and unreacted carbon entrained in said flowing molten salt;
• reducing the temperature of said molten salt to less than about 650.degree. C.;
• withdrawing said molten salt from said reaction zone and said reactor, and introducing it into a gas removal zone and separating gaseous reaction product therefrom;
• withdrawing molten salt containing unreacted entrained carbon from said gas removal zone and returning it to said heat generation zone.