Fluid catalytic process and apparatus

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS WHEREIN A CARBONIZABLE REACTANT IS CATALYTICALLY CONVERTED IN A REACTION ZONE BY CONTACT WITH A FLUIDIZED CATALYST AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND AT LOW VAPOR VELOCITY, THE IMPROVED METHOD OF INTRODUCING REACTANT INTO THE REACTION ZONE, COMPRISING ESTABLISHING A MAIN REACTANT STREAM HAVING A VELOCITY SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THAT IN THE REACTION ZONE, DIVIDING SAID MAIN REACTANT STREAM INTO A PLURALITY OF SMALLER STREAMS WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL INTERMEDIATE REDUCTION IN REACTANT VELOCITY, DIRECTING SAID SMALLER STREAMS WITHOUT PREVIOUS EXPANSION UPWARDLY AND ADJACENTLY INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF THE REACTION ZONE, DILATING EACH OF SAID SMALLER STREAMS THROUGH AN INCLUDED ANGLE OF NOT GREATER THAN ABOUT 22* UPON INITIAL CONTACT WITH CATALYST, CONTINUING DILATION OF SAID STREAMS UNTIL THE DILATED STREAMS OCCUPY SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE CROSS-SECTION OF THE REACTION ZONE, THEN PASSING THE DILATED STREAMS UPWARDLY INTO THE MAIN PORTION OF THE REACTION ZONE, IN A SUBSTANTIALLY UNOBSTRUCTED PATH, AND FINALLY SEPARATING REACTION PRODUCTS FROM CATALYST.