Contacting process and apparatus

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS CATALYST DESULFURIZATION OF HYDROCARBONS IN THE PRESENCE OF A MOVING BED OF SOLID GRANULAR HYDROCARBON DESULFURIZATION CATALYST WHICH COMPRISES ESTABLISHING A VERTICALLY DISPOSED ELONGATED HYDROCARBON DESULFURIZATION ZONE COMMUNICATING AT ITS LOWER INLET OPENING WITH AN INDUCTION ZONE AND AT ITS UPPER OUTLET OPENING WITH AN EFFLUENT DISENGAGING ZONE DISPOSED AT A RELATIVELY HIGH POINT, INTRODUCING INTO SAID INDUCTION ZONE A STREAM OF SAID DESULFURIZATION CATALYST TO FORM AND MAINTAIN THEREIN A DOWNWARDLY MOVING DENSE ACCUMULATION OF SAID CATALYST WHICH SUBMERGES SAID LOWER INLET OPENING OF SAID DESULFURIZATION ZONE, INTRODUCING THE HYDROCARBON TO BE DESULFURIZED INTO SAID INDUCTION ZONE WHEREBY IT FLOWS DOWNWARDLY THROUGH AT LEAST PART OF SAID ACCUMULATION AND INTO SAID INLET OPENING AND UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID DESULFURIZATION ZONE CONCERRENTLY WITH A CONTINUOUS COMPACT FLUID-PERMEABLE MOVING MASS OF SAID CATALYST THROUGH SAID DESULFURIZATION ZONE AND INTO SAID EFFLUENT DISENGAGING ZONE, MAINTAINING THE CATALYST AND THE HYDROCARBON WITHIN SAID DESULFURIZATION ZONE AT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN ABAOUT 650*F. AND ABOUT 900*F. AND AT PRESSURES BETWEEN AOUT 500 P.S.I.G. AND ABOUT 2500 P.S.I.G. TO EFFECT A SUBSTANTIAL DEGREE OF HYDROCARBON DESULFURIZATION FORMING A DESULFURIZED HYDROCARBON EFFLUENT AND A SPENT CATALYST THEREIN AND SIMULTANEOUSLY DELIVERING SAID SPENT CATALYST TO SAID RELATIVELY HIGH POINT, APPLYING A CATALYST SOLIDS FLOW RESTRICTING FORCE AGAINST THE DENSE MASS OF SPENT CATALYST DISCHARGING FROM SAID UPPER OUTLET OPENING OF SAID DESULFURIZATION ZONE WITHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY RESTRICTING THE FLOW OF SAID HYDROCARBON EFFLUENT TO MAINTAIN SAID CATALYST AT ALL POINTS WITHIN SAID DESULFURIZATION ZONE AS A DENSE MOVING MASS HAVING A BULK DENSITY SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE CATALYST SOLIDS STATIC BULK DENSITY, MAINTAINING A RATE OF SAID HYDROCARBON FLOW THROUGH SAID DESULFURIZATION ZONE TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN A PRESSURE GRADIENT THROUGHOUT SAID ZONE AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO EXCESS DP/DL GIVEN BY: