Catalytic conversion of gaseous reactants

Claim 1

IN THE CATALYTIC SYNTHESIS OF HYDROCARBONS WHEREIN A SYNTHESIS GAS COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE IS PASSED, UNDER REACTION CONDITIONS, IN CONTACT WITH A FIXED BED SOLID PARTICLE HYDROCARBON SYNTHESIS CATALYST IN A REACTION ZONE CONTAINING COOLING SURFACES SUBJECT TO CONTINUOUS TEMPERATURE CONTROL, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES DISPOSING SAID FIXED BED OF CATALYST IN THE REACTION ZONE ABOUT SAID COOLING SURFACES IN THE FORM OF RELATIVELY COARSE, SOLID PARTICLES HAVING INTERSTITIAL COMMUNICATING VOIDS THEREBETWEEN, OCCUPYING SAID INTERSTITIAL VOIDS WITH A DENSE FLUID PHASE OF RELATIVELY FINELY DIVIDED SOLID PARTICLES SUBSTANTIALLY INERT AND NON-ADSORPTIVE UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF SAID REACTION ZONE, SAID INERT DENSE PHASE FORMING, IN SAID INTERSTITIAL VOIDS, PATHS OF HIGH HEAT CONDUCTIVITY BETWEEN THE COOLING SURFACES AND SURFACES OF THE CATALYST SPACED THEREFROM, AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING HEAT FROM THE REACTION ZONE SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELIY THROUGH SAID COOLING SURFACES AT A CONTROLLED RATE EFFECTIVE TO MAINTAIN THE CATALYST AT A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM PREDETERMINED REACTION TEMPERATURE WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL LOCALIZED VARIATION.