Selective oxidation with suspended catalyst

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF CATALYTICALLY PARTIALLY OXIDIZING AN AROMATIC COMPOUND TO PHTHALIC ANHYDRIDE WHICH COMPRISES FLOWING THE AROMATIC COMPOUND IN VAPOR PHASE AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW 550* F. INTO THE INLET OF A REACTION ZONE, CONTACTING SAID VAPOR WITH AN OXIDIZATION CATALYST SUSPENDED IN AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS ENTERING THE REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 800* AND 1100* F., PASSING THE SUSPENDED CATALYST UNIFORMLY AND SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE SAME VELOCITY AS THE REACTANT VAPOR THROUGH THE REACTION ZONE FOR A CONTACT PERIOD OF LESS THAN 1 SECOND THEREIN, DISCHARGING RESULTING VAPOR PRODUCTS WITH THE SUSPENDED CATALYST FROM THE END OF THE REACTION ZONE INTO A SEPARATION ZONE, COOLING METAL SURFACES THAT CONTACT WITH THE REACTION PRODUCTS AND SUSPENDED CATALYST TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW 800* F., STRIPPING VAPOR FROM THE CATALYST AS IT IS DISENGAGED FROM THE VAPOR PRODUCTS AT ABOVE 800* F. IN SAID SEPARATION ZONE, PASSING THE STRIPPED CATALYST INTO A REACTIVATION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 800* F. TO 1100* F., REACTIVATING THE STRIPPED CATALYST WITH AN OXYGEN CONTAINING GAS IN SAID REACTIVATION ZONE, SEPARATELY REMOVING SPENT REACTIVATION GASES FROM SAID REACTIVATION ZONE, AND SUSPEND-