Catalytic conversion with a fluidized solid catalyst

Claim 1

IN THE CATALYTIC CONVERSION OF THE REACTANTS HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE INTO COMPOUNDS OF HIGHER MOLECULAR WEIGHT BY CONTACT WITH A SOLID PARTICLE CATALYST, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES EFFECTING SAID CONTACT BY PASSING A STREAM OF SAID REACTANTS UPWARDLY THROUGH A REACTION ZONE COMPRISING A RELATIVELY CONTRICTED, VERTICALLY EXTENDING PASSAGEWAY HAVING AN HYDRAULIC RADIUS NOT GREATER THAN ABOUT ONE INCH AND OCCUPIED BY A RELATIVELY COARSE DISPERSING FRACTION, CONSISTING OF SUBSTANTIALLY INERT SOLID PARTICLES, OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DIAMETER WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 0.05 TO 0.35 TIMES THE DIAMETER OF A TUBE HAVING AN HYDRAULIC RADIUS RADIUS EQUAL TO THAT OF SAID REACTION ZONE, AND A RELATIVELY FINE CATALYTIC FRACTION, CONSISTING OF CATALYST PARTICLES NOT GREATER THAN ABOUT 0.001 TIMES THE DIAMETER OF THE PARTICLES OF SAID DISPERSING FRACTION, WITHDRAWING THE STREAM OF EFFLUENT REACTION PRODUCTS, SEPARATING CTLYST PARTICLES THEREFROM, AND CONDUCTING SAID REACTANT STREAM UPWARDLY THROUGH THE REACTION ZONE WITH SUFFICIENT OF SAID FINE CATALYST PARTICLES SUSPENDED THEREIN AND AT A LINEAR VELOCITY SUCH THAT SAID COARSE DISPERSING PARTICLES ARE MAINTAINED IN VIBRATORY MOTION EFFECTIVE TO INTERRUPT DISCONTINUITY OF CONTACT BETWEEN THE REACTANTS AND THE FINE CATALYST PARTICLES IN THE REACTION ZONE AND MAINTAIN THE CATALYST IN A STATE OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM FLUIDIZATION AT HIGH BED DENSITYTHROUGHOUT THE VERTICAL EXTENT THEREOF WITH THE REACTANTS DISPERSED THROUGHOUT THE PARTICLE MASS.