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Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUSLY RECIRCULATING FRANULAR SOLIDS SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH CONTACTING ZONES OF SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT PRESSURE WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID SOLIDS IN A FIRST CONTACTING ZONE WITH THE HIGHER PRESSURE FLUID PASSING SAID SOLIDS FROM SAID FIRST CONTACTING ZONE TO A FIRST INDUCTION ZONE, INTRODUCING A FIRST CONVEYANCE FLUID THEREINTO UNDER A RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE, DEPRESSURING A FLOW OF SAID CONVEYANCE FLUID THEREFROM THROUGH AN ELONGATED FIRST CONVEYANCE ZONE FROM SAID RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE TO A RELATIVELY LOW PRESSURE CONCURRENTLY WITH AND AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO CONVEY SAID SOLIDS, MAINTAINING SAID SOLIDS IN SAID FIRST CONVEYANCE ZONE AT A BULK DENSITY SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE STATIC BULK DENSITY OF SAID SOLIDS WHEN AT REST THEREBY PERMITTING THE MAINTENANCE OF SUBSTANTIAL PRESSURE DIFFERENTIALS BETWEEN THE INLET AND OUTLET THEREOF, FLOWING CONVEYED SOLIDS FROM SAID CONVEYANCE ZONE OUTLET AT SAID RELATIVELY LOW PRESSURE INTO A SECOND CONTACTING ZONE, CONTACTING SAID SOLIDS THEREIN WITH A RELATIVELY LOW PRESSURE FLUID, FLOWING SAID SOLIDS BY GRAVITY AS A DOWNWARDLY MOVING BED FROM SAID SECOND CONTACTING ZONE THROUGH A SEALING ZONE, INTRODUCING A SEALING FLUID AT A RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE INTO A SEAL FLUID ENGAGING ZONE IN SOLIDS-RECEIVING RELATION TO SAID SEALING ZONE THEREBY DEPRESSURING A COUNTERCURRENT FLOW OF SEALING FLUID FROM A RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE TO SAID RELATIVELY LOW PRESSURE THERETHROUGH AT A RATE INSUFFICIENT TO STOP THE SOLIDS FLOW, FLOWING SAID SOLIDS FORM SAID SEALING ZONE INTO A SECOND INDUCTION ZONE, INTRODUCING A SECOND CONVEYANCE FLUID THEREINTO AT A HIGH PRESSURE GREATER THAN SAID RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE, DEPRESSURING A FLOW O SAID CONVEYANCE FLUID THEREFROM THROUGH AN ELONGATED SECOND CONVEYANCE ZONE FROM SAID HIGH PRESSURE TO SAID RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE CONCURRENTLY WITH AND AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO CONVEY SAID SOLIDS, MAINTAINING SAID SOLIDS IN SAID SECOND CONVEYANCE ZONE AT A BULK DENSITY SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE STATIC BULK DENSITY OF SAID SOLIDS WHEN AT REST, AND DISCHARGING SAID SOLIDS THEREFROM SUBSTANTIALLY AT SAID RELATIVELY HIGH PRESSURE INTO SAID FIRST CONTACTING ZONE FOR REPASSAGE THERETHROUGH.