Method and apparatus for hydrocarbon conversion

Claim 1

IN A CYCLIC PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS WHEREIN A PARTICLE-FORM SOLID CONTACT MATERIALS IS PASSED CYCLICALLY THROUGH A FIRST REACTION ZONE WHEREIN IT MOVES DOWNWARDLY AS A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN WHILE BEING CONTACTED WITH HYDROCARBON REACTANTS TO EFFECT THE CONVERSION THEREOF AND THROUGH A SECOND REACTION ZONE WHEREIN IT MOVES DOWNWARDLY ASA SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN WHILE BEING CONTACTED WITH A COMBUSTION SUPPORTING GAS TO BURN OFF THE CONTACT MATERIAL THE CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL DEPOSITED THEREON IN THE FIRST REACTION ZONE, THE METHOD OF UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTING THE CONTACT MATERIAL ONTO THE COLUMN THEREOF IN ONE OF SAID ZONES WHICH COMPRISES: PASSING A SINGLE STREAM OF SAID CONTACT MATERIAL IN WHICH THE PARTICLES ARE SEGREGATED AT LEAST PARTIALLY IN LAYERS ACCORDING TO SIZE INTO SAID REACTION ZONE ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE COLUMN THEREIN, SPLITTING SAID STREAM ACROSS THE LAYERS OF SEGREGATION THEREBY FORMING A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE COMPONENTS EACH HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DISTRIBUTION OF SIZES OF PARTICLES AS SAID SINGLE STREAM, RECOMBINING SAID COMPONENTS TO FORM A SINGLE STREAM BY CAUSING THEM TO TURBULENTLY CONVERGE TOGETHER, FLOWING SAID SINGLE STREAM DOWNWARDLY AND DIVIDING IT VERTICALLY INTO A PLURALITY OF CONFINED STREAMS OF CONTACT MATERIAL EACH HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DISTRIBUTION OF PARTICLE SIZES AND FLOWING SAID LAST NAMED CONFINED STREAMS TO A PLURALITY OF SPACED LOCATIONS UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED OVER THE HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID REACTION ZONE AND PASSING THE CONTACT MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID LOCATIONS ONTO THE SURFACE OF SAID COLUMN.