Catalytic reactor

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING CATALYTIC REACTIONS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED PRESSURE-RETAINING METALLIC OUTER VESSEL HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET AT OPPOSITE EXTREMITIES THEREOF, A CATALYST-ENCLOSING INNER VESSEL SPACED ENTIRELY A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE INWARDLY FROM THE UPRIGHT WALLS OF SAID OUTER VESSEL AND HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET AT OPPOSITE EXTREMITIES THEREOF, SAID INNER VESSEL BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN THE INLET AND OUTLET OF SAID OUTER VESSEL, SAID INNER VESSEL BEING COMPOSED OF LINEAR THERMAL EXPANSION MATERIAL HAVING A COEFFICIENT OF LINEAR THERMAL EXPANSION WITHIN ABOUT 25% OF THE COEFFICIENT OF LINEAR THERMAL EXPANSION OF THE GRANULAR CATALYST HEREINAFTER DEFINED, A FLAT METALLIC UP-FACING SUPPORTING SHOULDER ATTACHED TO AND CONJOINING AN ENTIRE HORIZONTAL INNER CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID OUTER VESSEL, SAID SHOULDER OVERLAPPING AND REGISTERING GRAVITY-WISE OVER ITS ENTIRE UP-FACING INNER CIRCUMFERENTIAL AREA WITH THE OUTER PERIPHERAL UNDER-SURFACE OF A DOWNFACING CIRCUMFERENTIAL ELEMENT INTEGRAL TO SAID INNER VESSEL, SAID REGISTERING OF SAID SHOULDER AND SAID DOWN-FACING CIRCUMFERENTIAL ELEMENT: (1) FORMING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLUIDTIGHT, THERMALLY UNRESPONSIVE SEAL BETWEEN SAID TWO VESSELS, AND (2) LATERALY, NON-RIGIDLY SUPPORTING SAID INNER CATALYST BED COMPOSED OF DISJOINED FRANGIBLE GRANULES HAVING A COEFFICIENT OF LINEAR THERMAL EXPANSION BETWEEN ABOUT 2.8 X 10-6 AND 5.3 X 10-6 PER DEGREE F., THE MEAN DIAMETER OF SAID CATALYST BED BEIGN: (1) LESS THAN ABOUT 5 TIMES ITS DEPTH, AND (2) AT LEAST ABOUT 10 TIMES THE AVERAGE DIAMETER OF SAID CATALYSTIC GRANULES.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING CATALYTIC REACTIONS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED PRESSURE-RETAINING METALLIC OUTER VESSEL HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET AT OPPOSITE EXTREMITIES THEREOF, A CATALYST-ENCLOSING INNER VESSEL SPACED ENTIRELY A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE INWARDLY FROM THE UPRIGHT WALLS OF SAID OUTER VESSEL AND HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET AT OPPOSITE EXTREMITIES THEREOF, SAID INNER VESSEL BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN THE INLET AND OUTLET OF SAID OUTER VESSEL, SAID INNER VESSEL BEING COMPOSED OF LINEAR THERMAL EXPANSION MATERIAL HAVING A COEFFICIENT OF LINEAR THERMAL EXPANSION WITHIN ABOUT 25% OF THE COEFFICIENT OF LINEAR THERMAL EXPANSION OF THE GRANULAR CATALYST HEREINAFTER DEFINED, A FLAT METALLIC UP-FACING SUPPORTING SHOULDER ATTACHED TO AND CONJOINING AN ENTIRE HORIZONTAL INNER CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID OUTER VESSEL, SAID SHOULDER OVERLAPPING AND REGISTERING GRAVITY-WISE OVER ITS ENTIRE UP-FACING INNER CIRCUMFERENTIAL AREA WITH THE OUTER PERIPHERAL UNDER-SURFACE OF A DOWNFACING CIRCUMFERENTIAL ELEMENT INTEGRAL TO SAID INNER VESSEL, SAID REGISTERING OF SAID SHOULDER AND SAID DOWN-FACING CIRCUMFERENTIAL ELEMENT: (1) FORMING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLUIDTIGHT, THERMALLY UNRESPONSIVE SEAL BETWEEN SAID TWO VESSELS, AND (2) LATERALY, NON-RIGIDLY SUPPORTING SAID INNER CATALYST BED COMPOSED OF DISJOINED FRANGIBLE GRANULES HAVING A COEFFICIENT OF LINEAR THERMAL EXPANSION BETWEEN ABOUT 2.8 X 10-6 AND 5.3 X 10-6 PER DEGREE F., THE MEAN DIAMETER OF SAID CATALYST BED BEIGN: (1) LESS THAN ABOUT 5 TIMES ITS DEPTH, AND (2) AT LEAST ABOUT 10 TIMES THE AVERAGE DIAMETER OF SAID CATALYSTIC GRANULES.