Contacting solids and gases

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS WHEREIN GAS CONTACTS A COMPACT MOVING BED OF GRANULAR SOLIDS WITHIN A CONTACT ZONE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF: WITHDRAWING SAID SOLIDS AS A PLURALITY OF CONFINED COMPACT MOVING STREAMS FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID CONTACT ZONE AT POINTS UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED OVER THE HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA THEREOF, THEREBY FORMING CONES OF SOLIDS FLOW AXIALLY ABOVE THE POINTS OF WITHDRAWAL WHICH MERGE AT A HIGHER LEVEL WITHIN THE BOTTOM REGION OF SAID CONTACT ZONE TO PROVIDE THEREABOVE A UNIFORM VELOCITY OF SOLIDS FLOW THROUGHOUT SAID BED, PASSING SAID CONFINED STREAMS OF SOLIDS THROUGH A CONFINED SOLIDS-FREE PLENUM BENEATH SAID CONTACT ZONE, INTRODUCING SAID GAS INTO SAID PLENUM, PASSING SAID GAS UPWARDLY AS A PLURALITY OF CONFINED STREAMS FROM SAID PLENUM INTO THE LOWER REGION OF SAID CONTACT ZONE AND INTRODUCING THE SAME INTO SAID BED AT POINTS UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED BETWEEN SAID COMPACT MOVING STREAMS, THE INITIAL CONTACT BETWEEN SAID GAS AND SAID SOLIDS BEING EFFECTED WITHIN SAID BED AT A LEVEL ADJACENT TO THE LEVEL OF SOLIDS WITHDRAWAL AND SUBSTIALLY ENWITHIN THE PERIPHERAL REGIONS OF SAID CONES OF SOLIDS FLOW.