Process of converting hydrocarbon material

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS WHEREIN HYDROCARBON MATERIAL UNDERGOES CONVERSION IN THE PRESENCE OF A BED OF PARTICLES OF CONTACT MATERIAL IN A CONFINED ZONE, WHICH BED GRAVITATES DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A CONVERSION ZONE; THE METHOD OF CONTACTING HYDROCARBON MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID LIQUID PHASE WITH SAID CONTACT MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES FEEDING SAID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL TO AN ATOMIZING ZONE LOCATED WITHIN SAID CONFINED ZONE ABOVE SAID BED, SPRAYING ATOMIZED LIQUID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID ATOMIZING ZONE AS A BODY OF SPRAY WHOSE HORIZONTAL CROSS SECTIONAL AREA CONTINUOUSLY EXPANDS AND PRODUCES A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS AREA OF HORIZONTALLY UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED SPRAY AT THE BASE OF SAID BODY, MAINTAINING THE SURFACE OF SAID BED AT A LEVEL WHERE SAID SURFACE IS SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID AREA, AND CONTACTING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE SURFACE OF SAID BED WITH SAID SPRAY OF ATOMIZED LIQUID WHEREBY UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF SAID ATOMIZED LIQUID ON THE PARTICLES OF CONTACT MATERIAL IS EFFECTED.