Method and apparatus for conducting moving contact material hydrocarbon conversion processes

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS WHEREIN A GRANULAR CONTACT MATERIAL IS PASSED CYCLICALLY THROUGH TWO CONTACTING ZONES, ONE BEING A REACTION ZONE WHEREIN IT FLOWS DOWNWARDLY AS A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN WHILE CONTACTING A FLUID HYDROCARBON CHARGE TO EFFECT CONVERSION OF SAID CHARGE TO GASIFORM PRODUCTS AND THE OTHER ZONE BEING A RECONDITIONING ZONE WHEREIN THE CONTACT MATERIAL FLOWS DOWNWARDLY AS A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN WHILE BEING CONTACTED WITH A SUITABLE GAS TO EFFECT ITS RECONDITIONING FOR REUSE IN SAID CONVERSION, THE IMPROVED METHOD FOR EFFECTING TRANSFER OF CONTACT MATERIAL FROM ONE OF SAID CONTACTING ZONES TO THE OTHER WHICH COMPRISES: WITHDRAWING CONTACT MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY FROM THE LOWER SECTION OF ONE OF SAID CONTACTING ZONES LOCATED A SHORT DISTANCE ABOVE GROUND LEVEL AS A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT GRAVITATING STREAM OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH AND SUFFICIENTLY RESTRICTED CROSS SECTION TO PREVENT SUBSTANTIAL ESCAPE OF GAS FROM SAID CONTACTING ZONE, DELIVERING SAID STREAM ONTO THE UPPER END OF A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT SEAL COLUMN OF SAID CONTACT MATERIAL WHICH EXTENDS VERTICALLY DOWNWARD BELOW GROUND LEVEL THROUGHOUT AT LEAST MOST OF ITS LENGTH TO A LOCATION SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW GROUND LEVEL WHERE ITS SUSPENSION IN A SUITABLE LIFT GAS UNDER SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IS EFFECTED, THE VERTICAL LENGTH OF SAID COLUMN BEING SUFFICIENT TO CREATE A HEAD OF CONTACT MATERIAL GREATER THAN THE SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE MAINTAINED AT SAID LOCATION OF SUSPENSION, MAINTAINING THE PRESSURE AT THE UPPER END OF SAID COLUMN SUBSTANTIALLY ATMOSPHERIC BY WITHDRAWING THEREFROM ANY GAS REACHING THE UPPER END OF SAID COLUMN FROM SAID CONTACTING ZONE AND FROM SAID LOCATION OF SUSPENSION, CAUSING THE SUSPENDED CONTACT MATERIAL TO BE LIFTED BY SAID LIFT GAS UPWARDLY AS A CONFINED STREAM TO A LOCATION ABOVE THE OTHER CONTACTING ZONE AND PASSING THE LIFTED CONTACT MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID LAST NAMED LOCATION ONTO THE COLUMN IN SAID OTHER CONTACTING ZONE.