Catalytic synthesis of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF EFFECTING THE CONVERSION OF REACTANT GASES COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE INTO HYDROCARBONS, OXYGENATED HYDROCARBONS AND MIXTURES THEREOF BY CONTACT WITH A POWDERED, SOLID PARTICLE, HYDROCARBON SYNTHESIS CATALYST WHEREIN REACTANTS FLOW UPWARDLY THROUGH A VERTICALLY EXTENDING TOWER CONTAINING A DENSE FLUID PHASE OF SAID CATALYST PARTICLES, AND ADDITIONAL REACTANT IS CONTINUOUSLY INJECTED INTO THE FLUID PHASE AT A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED POINTS ALONG THE PATH OF UPWARD FLOW, DISPOSING SAID CATALYST WITHIN A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED REACTION ZONES, ARRANGED VERTICALLY ONE ABOVE THE OTHER IN SAID TOWER, AND EACH BEING SEPARATED FROM VERTICALLY CONTIGUOUS REACTION ZONES BY AN INTERMEDIATE, RESTRICTED FLOW SPACE HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA RELATIVELY SMALL COMPARED WITH THAT OF THE TOWER, INTRODUCING A STREAM OF REACTANT FEED GAS TO THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID TOWER, INTRODUCING ADDITIONAL REACTANT FEED GAS INTO EACH OF SAID RESTRICTED FLOW SPACES, PASSING SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE STEAM OF EFFLUENT REACTANT GASES FROM EACH PRECEDING REACTION ZONE THROUGH THE SUCCEEDING RESTRICTED FLOW SPACE INTO THE FOLLOWING REACTION ZONE, MAINTAINING MOVEMENT OF REACTANT GASES THROUGH EACH RESTRICTED FLOW SPACE IN THE VELOCITY RANGE AT WHICH HIGHLY TURBULENT FLOW PREVAILS WITH RELATIVELY DECREASED FLOW VELOCITY IN EACH REACTION ZONE EFFECTIVE TO MAINTAIN THE INCLUDED CATALYST IN A DENSE FLUID PHASE, WITHDRAWING THE EFFLUENT PRODUCT STREAM FROM THE FINAL REACTION ZONE AND RECOVERING DESIRED PRODUCTS OF REACTION THEREFROM.