NOVELTY - Initiating and maintaining continuous partial oxidation in a homogeneous feed gas mixture involves feeding a homogeneous gas mixture comprising oxygen and hydrocarbons through the burner at an internal velocity; initiating oxidation reactions in an ignition zone which, at initiation, contains the homogeneous feed gas mixture in a stationary manner; creating the front of the reaction by the ignition of propagates; and establishing stationary reaction front within the burner.    USE - For initiating and maintaining partial oxidation of hydrocarbons (claimed) selected from methane, ethane, propane, butane; and for processing of natural gas, and heavier feedstock such as light naphtha.    ADVANTAGE - The method prevents undesirable side reactions leading to the formation of soot and methane; is carried out at low temperature, thus prevents occurring syngas reactions; minimizes the lighting energy at the initiation of the process operation; and increases capacity of system.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Initiating and maintaining continuous partial oxidation in a homogeneous feed gas mixture comprising oxygen and hydrocarbons, where the initiation and oxidation process takes place at lower than 900 (preferably lower than 627, especially lower than 500) degrees C, where the continuous partial oxidation, once started up, takes place in and on a burner, the burner is located within a reactor space, involves feeding a homogeneous gas mixture comprising oxygen and hydrocarbons through the burner at an internal velocity which is higher than the velocity of the reaction front to be initiated as defined below, but which has a superficial velocity relative to the total burner exit area which is lower than the velocity of the reaction front to be initiated as defined below; initiating oxidation reactions in an ignition zone which, at initiation, contains the homogeneous feed gas mixture in a stationary manner, the ignition zone being, during initiation of the reactions, in open connection with the reactor space, and in which initiation is carried out by using a low energy, high temperature ignition device, according to combustion research practice, to create a reaction at cool flame temperature conditions; creating the front of the reaction by the ignition of propagates itself through the ignition zone and connected reactor space towards the burner; and establishing stationary reaction front within the burner, where the stationary reaction front being located where the reaction front initiated at ignition in the ignition zone encounters the homogeneous feed gas mixture flowing through the burner, at equal velocity and in the opposite direction to the final, stationary position of the reaction front. The homogeneous gas mixture comprises oxygen and light hydrocarbons (preferentially natural gas).