Process and apparatus for reacting gaseous media in the presence of hot contact material

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS WHEREIN A GASEOUS MEDIUM UNDERGOES REACTION IN THE PRESENCE OF HOT CONTACT MATERIAL, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING SAID CONTACT MATERIAL UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE UPPER PORTION OF A CONTACT ZONE AS A CONTINUOUS NON-TURBULENT SOLID BED, CAUSING THE CONTACT MATERIAL, IN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CONTACT ZONE, TO FORM A PLURALITY OF APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL PORTIONS OF GRAVITATING CONTACT MATERIAL WHICH, FIRST, DIVERGE FROM AND THEN CONVERGE TOWARD THE RESPECTIVE VERTICAL AXES OF SAID PORTIONS WITH THE RESULTANT FORMATION IN EACH PORTION OF A ZONE THAT IS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM CONTACT MATERIAL AND WHICH, SECOND, AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY COMPLETE AROUND EACH ZONE, THE VERTICAL AXES OF SAID PLURALITY OF SAID DIVERGING AND CONVERGING PORTIONS OF GRAVITATING CONTACT MATERIAL BEING SPACED DIFFERENT DISTANCES FROM THE VERTICAL AXIS OF SAID CONTACT ZONE, AND PASSING A GASEOUS MEDIUM VERTICALLY THROUGH SAID CONTACT ZONE BY WAY OF A PATH INCLUDING SAID ZONES SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF CONTACT MATERIAL AND THE BED OF CONTACT MATERIAL, SAID GASEOUS MEDIUM UNDERGOING REACTION PRINCIPALLY IN THE CONTINUOUS BED IN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID CONTACT ZONE, THROUGH WHICH BED THE GASEOUS MEDIUM TRAVELS IN A STRAIGHT VERTICAL DIRECTION THROUGHOUT THE VERTICAL EXTENT OF SAID BED.

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION OF FLUID HYDROCARBONS IN THE PRESENCE OF A PARTILCE-FORM CONTACT MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION: MEANS DEFINING A CONVERSION VESSEL ADAPTED TO CONFINE GASEOUS MATERIAL AND A COLUMN OF CONTACT MATERIAL; MEANS TO INTRODUCE PARTICLEFORM CONTACT MATERIAL INTO THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID VESSEL; MEANS TO WITHDRAW CONTACT MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER SECTION THEREOF; MEANS TO INTRODUCE FLUID HYDROCARBONS INTO THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID VESSEL; A PLURALITY OF INVERTED CUP-SHAPED GAS COLLECTING MEMBERS POSITIONED WITHIN THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID VESSEL, SAID COLLECTING MEMBERS BEING ARRANGED AT A PLURALITY OF LEVELS THEREIN AND BEING DISPOSED IN VERTICALLY STAGGERED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO LATERALLY-ADJACENT COLLECTING MEMBERS, GAS WITHDRAWAL TUBES REGISTERING WITH THE UNDER SIDES OF SAID COLLECTING MEMBERS SAID TUBES HAVING ORIFICES THEREIN ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE TUBES AND THE COLLECTING MEMBERS AT THE POINT OF REGISTRY, SAID ORIFICES BEING PROGRESSIVELY LARGER FOR COLLECTING MEMBERS AT SUCCESSIVELY LOWER LEVELS.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION OF FLUID HYDROCARBONS IN THE PRESENCE OF A PARTILCE-FORM CONTACT MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION: MEANS DEFINING A CONVERSION VESSEL ADAPTED TO CONFINE GASEOUS MATERIAL AND A COLUMN OF CONTACT MATERIAL; MEANS TO INTRODUCE PARTICLEFORM CONTACT MATERIAL INTO THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID VESSEL; MEANS TO WITHDRAW CONTACT MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER SECTION THEREOF; MEANS TO INTRODUCE FLUID HYDROCARBONS INTO THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID VESSEL; A PLURALITY OF INVERTED CUP-SHAPED GAS COLLECTING MEMBERS POSITIONED WITHIN THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID VESSEL, SAID COLLECTING MEMBERS BEING ARRANGED AT A PLURALITY OF LEVELS THEREIN AND BEING DISPOSED IN VERTICALLY STAGGERED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO LATERALLY-ADJACENT COLLECTING MEMBERS, GAS WITHDRAWAL TUBES REGISTERING WITH THE UNDER SIDES OF SAID COLLECTING MEMBERS SAID TUBES HAVING ORIFICES THEREIN ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE TUBES AND THE COLLECTING MEMBERS AT THE POINT OF REGISTRY, SAID ORIFICES BEING PROGRESSIVELY LARGER FOR COLLECTING MEMBERS AT SUCCESSIVELY LOWER LEVELS.