Process and apparatus for effecting catalytic reactions

Claim 1

IN THE CATALYTIC CONVERSION OF FLUID REACTANTS INTO DIFFERENT CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS WHEREIN A STREAM OF REACTANT FLUIDS IS PASSED UPWARDLY THROUGH A MASS OF CATALYST IN SOLID PARTICLE FORM DISPOSED WITHIN A REACTION ZONE AND WHEREIN THE CATALYST MASS IS SUBJECTED TO MECHANICAL AGITATION IN THE REACTION ZONE, INCLUDING REPEATED PROJECTION OF PARTICLES IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION AT A SUFFICIENT RATE TO MAINTAIN SAID CATALYST PARTICLES IN THE FORM OF A FLUID PHASE WITHIN THE REACTION ZONE WHEREBY A PORTION OF THE CATALYST PARTICLES TEND TO BE PROJECTED CONTINUOUSLY UPWARDLY BEYOND THE UPWARD EXTREMITY OF THE REACTION ZONE WITH THE EFFLUENT PRODUCTS OF REACTION, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES WITHDRAWING THE EFFLUENT PRODUCTS OF REACTION FROM THE UPPER EXTREMITY OF SAID REACTION ZONE CONTAINING SAID UPWARDLY PROJECTED SOLID PARTICLES, SEPARATING THE UPWARDLY PROJECTED PARTICLES FROM THE EFFLUENT STREAM BY CONTINUOUSLY SUBJECTING SAID PARTILCES AT A POINT IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE UPPER EXTREMITY OF SAID REACTION ZONE TO MECHANICAL IMPACT BY AN INCLINED SURFACE MOVING TRANSVERSELY TO THE PATH OF SAID UPWARDLY PROJECTED PARTICLES AND BEING INCLINED UPWARDLY AND FORWARDLY IN ITS DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT SUCH THAT THE IMPINGED PARTICLES ARE CAUSED TO REBOUND DOWNWRDLY AND OUTWARDLY, AND CONTINOUSLY DIRECTING A PREDETERMINED PORTION OF SAID DOWNWARDLY REBOUNDING PARTICLES INTO THE TOP OF SAID REACTION ZONE.