Apparatus for hydrocarbon conversion

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR HYDROCARBON CONVERSION IN THE PRESENCE OF A MOVING SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN OF PARTICLE FORM CATALYST, APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING UNIFORM FLOW OF CATALYST ACROSS THE ENTIRE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID COLUMN WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION: MEANS DEFINING A REACTION CHAMBER, MEANS TO SUPPLY PARTICLE FORM CATALYST TO THE UPPER END OF SAID CHAMBER, A DISCHARGE CONDUIT FOR WITHDRAWAL OF CATALYST FROM THE LOWER END OF SAID CHAMBER, SAID DISCHARGE CONDUIT BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY LESS CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA THAN SAID CHAMBER, FLOW THROTTLING MEANS ON SAID DISCHARGE CONDUIT, A PARTITION EXTENDING ACROSS THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER; A PLURALITY OF UNIFORMLY SPACED ORIFICES IN SAID PARTITION ARRANGED TO SUBDIVIDE SAID COLUMN INTO A PLURALITY OF UNIFORMLY SPACED STREAMS, MEANS TO PROPORTIONATELY CONVERGE SAID STREAMS INTO SAID DISCHARGE CONDUIT, A SIEVE POSITIONED ACROSS THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER AT A LEVEL ABOVE THE LEVEL OF CONVERGENCE OF LINES DRAWN UPWARDLY FROM THE NEAREST EDGES OF ADJACENT ORIFICES IN SAID PARTITION AT AN ANGLE WITH THE HORIZONTAL EQUAL TO ABOUT 65-75 DEGREES, SAID SLEEVE HAVING OPENINGS THEREIN WHICH ARE UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE CHAMBER IRRESPECTIVE OF THE POSITIONING OF SAID ORIFICES IN SAID PARTITION AND WHICH ARE SMALLER IN SIZE THAN SAID ORIFICES BUT OF SUFFICIENT SIZE TO PERMIT SUBSTANTIALLY UNRESTRICTED FLOW OF SAID CATALYST THERETHROUGH.