Method of controlling exothermic gas reactions

Claim 1

IN EXOTHERMIC CATALYTIC GAS REACTIONS IN WHICH GASEOUS REACTANTS ARE PASSED THROUGH A BED OF SOLID CATALYST AT CONVERSION CONDITIONS, THE METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE WITHIN SAID BED SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT WHICH COMPRISES PASSING THROUGH SAID CATALYST BED COUNTERCURRENTLY TO THE FLOE OF THE INCOMING GASEOUS REACTANTS A HEATED LIQUID COMPONENT AND A SENTIALLY OF A VOLATILE LIQUID COMPONENT AND A RELATIVELY NON-VOLATILE COMPONENT, SAID RALTIVELY NON-VOLATILE COMPONENT HAVING AN INITIAL BOILING POINT SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN THE END BOILING POINT OF THE VOLATILE COMPONENT, REGULATING THE AMOUNT OF VOLATILE LIQUID COMPONENT IN THE MIXTURE SO THAT SAID COMPONENT WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY VAPORIZED DURING ITS PASSAGE THROUGH THE CATALYST BED AND WILL EFFECT THE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE ABSORPTION OF THE EXOTHERMIC HEAT OF REACTION AND REGULATING THE QUANTITY OF NONVOLATILE COMPONENT IN THE MIXTURE TO COMPENSATE FOR THE DECREASING VOLATILITY OF THE VOLATILE LIQUID COMPONENT AS IT PASSES DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE BED AND THE DECREASING VOLUME OF GASEOUS REACTANTS AS THEY PASS UPWARDLY THROUGH THE CATALYST BED THEREBY PREVENTING ANY SUBSTANTIAL TEMPERATURE GRADIENT IN THE CATALYST BED.