Method and apparatus for conducting hydrocarbon conversion reactions

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR RAPIDLY HEATING REACTANTS TO A DESIRED REACTION TEMPERATURE AT WHICH SAID REACTANTS UNDERGO REACTION AND THEN RAPIDLY COOLING THE RESULTING PRODUCTS BELOW REACTION TEMPERATURE WHICH COMPRISES: MAINTAINING A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN OF DOWNWARDLY FLOWING GRANULAR CONTACT MATERIAL IN A CONFINED ZONE, DELIVERING THE TOTAL SOLID MATERIAL SUPPLY TO SAID COLUMN ONTO ITS UPPER END AT A TEMPERATURE SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW THE DESIRED REACTION TEMPERATURE, WITHDRAWING CONTACT MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID COLUMN AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW SAID REACTION TEMPERATURE, ESTABLISHING A HEATED CORE OF CONTACT MATERIAL AT A TEMPERATURE AT LEAST AS HIGH AS THE DESIRED REACTION TEMPERATURE WITHIN COLUMN BELOW THE SURFACE THEREOF AND ABOVE THE LOWER END THEREOF, SAID CORE BEING SURROUNDED BY CONTACT MATERIAL EXISTING SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW THE REACTION TEMPERATURE, INTRODUCING THE RACTANT INTO SAID HEATED CORE TO EFFECT ITS CONVERSION TO GASIFORM PRODUCTS, FLOWING SAID PRODUCTS FROM SAID CORE INTO CONTACT WITH COOLER CONTACT MATERIAL IN SAID COLUMN TO EFFECT ITS QUENCHING TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE REACTION TEMPERATURE AND WITHDRAWING THE QUENCHED PRODUCTS FROM SAID COLUMN.