Hydrocarbon synthesis process

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES REACTING CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN IN THE PRESENCE OF A FLUIDIZED MASS OF SUBDIVIDED CATALYST COMPRISING ESSENTIALLY A METAL OF THE EIGHTH GROUP OF THE PERIODIC SYSTEM WHICH IS AN ACTIVE CATALYST FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF LIQUID HYDROCARBONS AND PROMOTIONAL AMOUNTS OF A DIFFICULTY REDUCIBLE METAL OXIDE, BOTH CONSTITUENTS BEING ASSOCIATED WITH A CARRIER COMPRISING SILICA GEL, SAID CATALYTIC MASS BEING FORMED BY IMPREGNATING IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION A HYDROUS OXIDE OF SILICON IN JELLY FORM WITH A MAJOR PORTION OF A WATER-SOLUBLE METAL SALT, WHEREIN THE METAL IS AN ACTIVE CATALYST FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF LIQUID HYDROCARBONS AND OF THE EIGHTH GROUP OF THE PERIODIC SYSTEM, AND A MINOR PORTION OF A WATER-SOLUBLE METAL SALT WHEREIN THE METAL FORMS A DIFFICULTY REDUCIBLE METAL OXIDE, SAID SALTS BEING CAPABLE OF THERMAL DECOMPOSITION TO METAL OXIDES, DRAINING AND DRYING THE RESULTANT IMPREGNATED JELLY, HEATING SAID JELLY ONLY SUFFICIENTLY TO CONVERT THE SAID DIFFICULTY REDUCIBLE METAL SALT TO THE CORRESPONDING OXIDE, SIZING THE PRODUCT TO A FLUIDIZABLE PARTICLE SIZE AND THE REDUCING THE METAL OXIDE OF THE EIGHTH GROUP TO THE FREE METAL.