Method and apparatus for hydrocarbon conversion

Claim 1

THE METHOD FOR CONVERTING HIGH BOILING LIQUID AND MIXED PHASE HYDROCARBONS TO LOWER BOILING GASEOUS HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES MAINTAINING A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN OF PARTICLE-FORM CONTACT MATERIAL THROUGHOUT A PORTION OF THE LENGTH OF A CONFINED SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL CONVERSION ZONE SO AS TO PROVIDE A GAS SPACE WITHIN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID ZONE, MAINTAINING A CONFINED ACCUMULATION OF PARTICLE-FORM CONTACT MATERIAL ABOVE SAID CONVERSION ZONE, SUPPLYING CONTACT MATERIAL AT A SUITABLE ELEVATED CONVERSION SUPPORTING TEMPERATURE TO SAID CONFINED ACCUMULATION, PASSING A PLURALITY OF CONFINED STREAMS OF SAID CONTACT MATERIAL THROUGH A PLURALITY OF CONFINED PASSAGES EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID ACCUMULATION THROUGH SAID GAS SPACE IN SAID CONVERSION ZONE TO THE SURFACE OF SAID COLUMN OF CONTACT MATERIAL IN SAID CONVERSION ZONE, SAID CONFINED STREAMS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID GAS SPACED ONLY ALONG AS PLURALITY OF UNIFORMLY SPACED LINES NEAR THEPERIPHERY OF SAID CONVERSION ZONE, WITHDRAWING CONTACT MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CONVERSION ZONE AT A CONTROLLED RATE, INTRODUCING A SPRAY OF A HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBON CHARGE AT LEAST PARTIALLY IN THE LIQUID PHASE INTO SAID GAS SPACE IN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID CONVERSION ZONE AT A LOCATION POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY OF THE HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID GAS SPACE, INTRODUCING AT LEAST ONE SEPARATE STREAM OF SAID CONTACT MATERIAL AT A CONTROLLED RATE FROM SAID ACCUMULATION INTO THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID GAS SPACE SUBSTANITALLY CENTRALLY OF ITS HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA, PASSING CONTACT MATERIAL FROM SAID STREAM DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID GAS SPACE AS A DISPERSED, FREELY FALLING SHOWER OF PARTICLES, SO AS TO CONTACT SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBON SPRAY IN SAID GAS SPACE BEFORE FALLING ONTO THE SURFACE OF SAID COLUMN, PASSING THE HYDROCARBON CHARGE THROUGH SAID CONVERSION ZONE CONCURRENTLY WITH THE CONTACT MATERIAL FLOW IN SAID COLUMN WITHDRAWING GASEOUS CONVERSION PRODUCTS FROM SAID COLUMN WITHIN THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID CONVERSION ZONE, AND MAINTAINING AN INERT GASEOUS BLANKET WITHIN SAID CONFINED ACCUMULATION ABOVE SAID CONVERSION ZONE TO PREVENT FLOW OF HYDROCARBONS THEREINTO.

Claim 2

THE METHOD FOR CONVERTING HIGH BOILING LIQUID AND MIXED PHASE HYDROCARBONS TO LOWER BOILING GASEOUS HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES MAINTAINING A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN OF PARTICLE-FORM CONTACT MATERIAL THROUGHOUT A PORTION OF THE LENGTH OF A CONFINED SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL CONVERSION ZONE SO AS TO PROVIDE A GAS SPACE WITHIN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID ZONE, MAINTAINING A CONFINED ACCUMULATION OF PARTICLE-FORM CONTACT MATERIAL ABOVE SAID CONVERSION ZONE, SUPPLYING CONTACT MATERIAL AT A SUITABLE ELEVATED CONVERSION SUPPORTING TEMPERATURE TO SAID CONFINED ACCUMULATION, PASSING A PLURALITY OF CONFINED STREAMS OF SAID CONTACT MATERIAL THROUGH A PLURALITY OF CONFINED PASSAGES EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID ACCUMULATION THROUGH SAID GAS SPACE IN SAID CONVERSION ZONE TO THE SURFACE OF SAID COLUMN OF CONTACT MATERIAL IN SAID CONVERSION ZONE, SAID CONFINED STREAMS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID GAS SPACED ONLY ALONG AS PLURALITY OF UNIFORMLY SPACED LINES NEAR THEPERIPHERY OF SAID CONVERSION ZONE, WITHDRAWING CONTACT MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CONVERSION ZONE AT A CONTROLLED RATE, INTRODUCING A SPRAY OF A HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBON CHARGE AT LEAST PARTIALLY IN THE LIQUID PHASE INTO SAID GAS SPACE IN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID CONVERSION ZONE AT A LOCATION POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY OF THE HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID GAS SPACE, INTRODUCING AT LEAST ONE SEPARATE STREAM OF SAID CONTACT MATERIAL AT A CONTROLLED RATE FROM SAID ACCUMULATION INTO THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID GAS SPACE SUBSTANITALLY CENTRALLY OF ITS HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA, PASSING CONTACT MATERIAL FROM SAID STREAM DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID GAS SPACE AS A DISPERSED, FREELY FALLING SHOWER OF PARTICLES, SO AS TO CONTACT SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBON SPRAY IN SAID GAS SPACE BEFORE FALLING ONTO THE SURFACE OF SAID COLUMN, PASSING THE HYDROCARBON CHARGE THROUGH SAID CONVERSION ZONE CONCURRENTLY WITH THE CONTACT MATERIAL FLOW IN SAID COLUMN WITHDRAWING GASEOUS CONVERSION PRODUCTS FROM SAID COLUMN WITHIN THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID CONVERSION ZONE, AND MAINTAINING AN INERT GASEOUS BLANKET WITHIN SAID CONFINED ACCUMULATION ABOVE SAID CONVERSION ZONE TO PREVENT FLOW OF HYDROCARBONS THEREINTO.