Process and means of promoting chemical reactions

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PROMOTING CHEMICAL REACTIONS IN A FLUID STREAM WHILE IT PASSES UPWARDLY THROUGH A MASS OF COARSE GRANULAR SOLIDS CONFINED SUBMERGED IN A LIQUID, COMPRISING, PASSING SAID FLUID STREAM INITIALLY COMPRISING BOTH A LIQUID AND AT LEAST ONE GASIFORM REACTANT MATERIAL ADAPTED TO REACT CHEMICALLY AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES, UPWARDLY THROUGH A COMON DEEP BED OF SAID GRANULAR SOLIDS OF DIVERSE SIZES AND DIFFERENT BUOYANCIES IN CONTACT WITH SAID SOLIDS WHILE THEY ARE CONFINED IN A REACTOR AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE FAVORABLE FOR SAID MATERIAL TO REACT CHEMICALLY, AT SUCH A VELOCITY THAT THE LARGEST SOLID ARE DENSELY FLUIDIZED IN SAID FLUID STREAM IN A BOTTOM STRATUM OF SAID BED AND THE SMALLER SIZE SOLIDS ARE LESS DENSELY FLUIDIZED LARGELY IN AN UPPER ZONE OF SAID BED, THEREBY CAUSING SAID MATERIAL TO REACT CHEMICALLY IN SAID STREAM AS IT PASSES UPWARDLY THROUGH THE STRATIFIED BED SERIALLY CONTACTING THE LARGE AND SMALLER SIZE SUBMERGED SOLIDS, DISCHARGING GASIFORM PRODUCTS OF REACTION FROM ABOVE SAID BED, SEPARATELY DISCHARGING SOME OF THE LIQUID PORITON OF SAID STREAM FROM ADJACENT THE TOP OF SAID BED AT A RATE ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT LEVEL OF THE LATTER LIQUID IN SAID REACTOR ABOVE SAID BED AND MEANWHILE MAINTAINING THE DESIRED DIFFERENCE IN DENSITIES OF THE BOTTOM AND TOP STRATA OF SAID BED BY DISCHARGING A RELATIVELY SMALL AMOUNT OF THE LIQUID PORTION OF SAID STREAM FROM A ZONE OF SAID BED BETWEEN THE TOP AND BOTTOM STRATA THEREOF AT A CONTROLLED RATE.