Decobalting operation in aldehyde synthesis

Claim 1

IN A CONTINUOUS CARBONYLATION PROCESS WHEREIN CARBON COMPOUNDS CONTAINING OLEFINIC DOUBLE BONDS, CARBON MONOSIDE AND HYDROGEN ARE CONTACTED IN AN INITIAL REACTION ZONE WITH AN ACTIVE CARBONYLATION METAL CATALYST UNDER CONDITIONS TO PRODUCE REACTION PRODUCTS COMPRISING OXYGENATED OLEFINIC COMPOUNDS CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE MORE CARBON ATOM THAN SAID CARBON COMPOUNDS AND WHEREIN CATALYST METAL COMPOUNDS ARE DISSOLVED IN SAID REACTION PRODUCTS, AND THE SOLUTION COMPRISING SAID REACTION PRODUCTS AND THE THEREIN DISSOLVED CATALYST METAL COMPOUNDS IS TRANSFERRED TO A CATALYST REMOVAL ZONE WHEREIN SAID DISSOLVED CATALYST METAL COMPOUNDS ARE REMOVED AND CATALYST METAL IS DEPOSITED ON AT LEAST ONE STATIONARY BED OF SOLID CARRIER MATERIAL UNDER CATALYST REMOVAL CONDITIONS FROM SAID REACTION PRODUCTS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES MAINTAINING A PLURALITY OF SPACED ZONES WITHIN THE SINGLE CONFINED SPACE DEFINED RESPECTIVELY BY SAID REACTION AND CATALYST REMOVAL ZONES, MAINTAINING A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 250* TO 400* F. IN SAID REACTION ZONE, AND INJECTING SAID SOLUTION COMPRISING SAID PRODUCTS AND DISSOLVED CATALYST METAL COMPOUNDS AT MORE THAN ONE OF A PLURALITY OF INJECTION POINTS SPACED IN THE DIRECTION OF THE FLOW OF SAID REACTION PRODUCTS THROUGH SAID CATALYST REMOVAL ZONE.