Processes employing fluent solid particles

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS IN WHICH FLUENT SOLID PARTICLES CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATE THROUGH A SYSTEM COMPRISING A DOWNFLOW PATH FOR SAID PARTICLES AND A CONFINED UPFLOW PATH THROUGH WHICH SAID PARTICLES ARE ELEVATED BY A GASEOUS MEDIUM AND ARE THEREAFTER DISCHARGED THEREFROM INTO A SEPARATOR OF SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA THAN THAT OF SAID UPFLOW PATH COMPRISING A DISENGAGING ZONE IN THE UPPER REGION THEREOF ABOVE THE DISCHARGE LEVEL OF SAID UPFLOW PATH AND A STORAGE ZONE IN THE LOWER REGION THEREOF ABOVE THE DISCHARGE ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A COMPACT NON-TURBULENT BED OF DISENGAGED PARTICLES, AND OF SUFFICIENT VOLUME TO PROVIDE A SURGE CAPACITY FOR SAID SYSTEM WHEN THE CIRCULATION OF SAID PARTICLES IS SUCH AS TO CAUSE A RISE AND FALL OF THE SURFACE LEVEL OF SAID BED, THE METHOD OF DEPOSITING DISENGAGED PARTICLES FROM SAID DISENGAGING ZONE ONTO THE SURFACE OF SAID BED WHICH COMPRISES COLLECTING SAID PARTICLES AT AT LEAST ONE LEVEL WITHIN SAID DISENGAGING ZONE WHILE SAID PARTICLES ARE FALLING FREELY AFTER REVERSAL OF THEIR UPWARD MOVEMENT, AND PASSING SAID COLLECTED PARTICLES DOWNWARDLY ALONG AT LEAST ONE INCLINED PATH TO SAID STORAGE ZONE, SAID INCLINED PATH BEING HORIZONTALLY UNCONFINED ALONG AT LEAST THAT PORTION THEREOF EXTENDING INTO THE REGION OCCUPIED BY SAID RISING AND FALLING BED OF PARTICLES, WHEREBY, WHEN THE LEVEL OF SAID BED RISES ABOVE THE LOWER END OF SAID INCLINED PATH SAID PARTICLES SPILL OVER THE SIDES OF SAID INCLINED PATH ONTO THE SURFACE OF SAID BED.