Separation of finely divided solids from gaseous suspensions thereof

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR REACTING CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING A GASEOUS REACTION MIXTURE COMPRISING CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN WITH A FINELY DIVIDED SOLID CATALYST UNDER SUITABLE REACTION CONDITIONS TO PRODUCE NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS AND OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS, FORMING A DENSE MIXTURE OF THE CATALYST AND REACTION PRODUCTS FLOWING THE DENSE MIXTURE AS A STREAM DOWNWARDLY IN A SINGLE SUBSTANTIALLY ELONGATED CONFINED PATH, THE DENSITY OF THE MIXTURE BEING RELATIVELY GREAT WHEREBY THE PRESSURE IN THE CONFINED PATH INCREASES IN THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF THE MIXTURE, DISCHARGEING THE MIXTURE FROM THE SINGLE CONFINED PATH INTO AN ENLARGED CATALYST DISENGAGING ZONE SEALED FROM THE CONFINED PATH EXCEPT AT THE POINT OF DISCHARGE, FLOWING FROM THE ENGLARGED ZONE AND INTO A SEPARATING ZONE A GAS STREAM CARRYING SUSPENDED CATALYST IN LOW CONCENTRATION, SEPARATING CATALYST FROM THE GAS STREAM IN THE SEPARATING ZONE, AND PASSING THE SEPARATED CATALYST DIRECTLY FROM THE SEPARATING ZONE INTO THE SINGLE ELONGATED CONFINED PATH AT A POINT IN THE PARTH AT WHICH THE PRESSURE IS LOWER THAN THE PRESSURE IN THE ENLARGED ZONE AND ALSO LOWER THAN THE PRESSURE UNDER WHICH THE SEPARATED CATALYST WOULD EXIST JUST BEFORE ENTERING SAID PATH.