Art of producing hydrocarbon vapors

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL BY CONTACTING SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL WITH A GRANULAR CONTACT MASS UNDER CONVERSION CONDITIONS, THE METHOD OF CONTACTING SAID CONTACT MASS WITH ATOMIZED PARTICLES OF SAID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL UNIFORMLY SUSPENDED IN A STREAM OF VAPOR WHICH COMPRISES FLOWING SAID STREAM OF VAPORS INTO A VAPORLIQUID MIXING ZONE LOCATE DIRECTLY ABOVE THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID CONTACT MASS AND SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY COEXTENSIVE THEREWITH PAST AN OBSTRUCTION TO FLOW OF SUBSTANTIAL CONTINUOUS HORIZONTAL EXTENT LOCATED DIRECTLY ABOVE SAID VAPOR-LIQUID MIXING ZONE AND THEREBY CREATING A TURBULENT SWIRLING MASS OF SAID VAPOR IMMEDIATELY BENEATH AND CONTIGUOUS TO SAID OBSTRUCTION TO FLOW, INJECTING ATOMIZE LIQUID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL UPWARDLY INTO SAID TURBULENT SWIRLING MASS OF VAPOR SO AS TO FORM A SUSPENSION OF ATOMIZED PARTICLES OF SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT SAID TURBULENT MASS OF VAPOR, PASSING SAID SUSPENSION DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID CONTRACT MASS AND REMOVING VAPOR COMPRISING VAPOROUS CONVERSION PRODUCTS OF SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL FROM SAID CONTACT MASS.