Conversion process

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR CONTACTING GASEOUS REAGENTS WITH FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A STREAM OF GASEOUS REAGENTS UPWARDLY THROUGH A REACTION CHAMBER, INTRODUCING A STREAM OF FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS TO BE CONTACTED INTO SAID REACTION CHAMBER, LIMITING THE VELOCITY OF THE GASES RISING THROUGH SAID CHAMBER TO MAINTAIN A RELATIVELY DENSE TURBULENT LAYER OF FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS IN THE BOTTOM PORTION OF THE REACTION CHAMBER AND SUPERIMPOSED ON SAID LAYER A RELATIVELY DILUTE PHASE OF GASEOUS REACTION PRODUCTS CONTAINING A SMALL AMOUNT OF FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS ENTRAINED THEREIN THE UPPER PORTION OF THE CHAMBER, WITHDRAWING A STREAM OF SAID GASEOUS REACTION PRODUCTS CONTAINING A RELATIVELY SMALL AMOUNT OF ENTRAINED FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS FROM THE UPPER END OF SAID REACTION CHAMBER, SEPARATING ENTRAINED SOLIDS THEREFORM, CONTIUOUSLY SEPARATELY REMOVING FROM THE REACTION CHAMBER A RESTRICTED STEAM OF SOLIDS CONTAINING ENTRAINED GASEOUS REACTION PRODUCTS ONLY FROM A PORTION OF SAID DENSE LAYER WITHIN THE REACTION ZONE SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE BOTTOM THEREOF, PASSING THE LAST-NAMED STREAM INTO A STRIPPING ZONE, SAID STRIPPING ZONE BEING IDEPENDENT OF THE DILUTE PHASE IN THE REACTION CHAMBER, CONTINUOUSLY CONTACTING THE SOLIDS WITHIN SAID STRIPPING ZONE WITH A STRIPPING GAS TO REMOVE GASEOUS REACTANTS ENTRAINED THEREIN, AND SUBSEQUENTLY DISCHARGING THE STRIPPED SOLIDS FROM SAID STRIPPING ZONE.