Contacting of gases with fluidized solids

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR CONTACTING GASES WITH FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS WHEREIN THE SOLIDS ARE CIRCULATED THROUGH TWO VERTICALLY SPACED AXIALLY ALIGNED REACTION CHAMBERS, MAINTAINED UNDER DIFFERENT GASEOUS PRESSURES AND WHEREIN THE SOLIDS ARE CIRCULATED FROM ONE REACTION CHAMBER TO THE OTHER THROUGH INTERNAL VERTICAL CONDUITS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES MEANS FOR MAINTAINING AN EFFECTIVE SEAL BETWEEN THE TWO CHAMBERS DURING SUCH CIRCULATION, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST WELL SECTION OF SMALLER DIAMETER DEPENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE LOWER REACTION CHAMBER, AN INTERNAL VERTICAL CONDUIT FORMING A STANDPIPE FOR TRANSFERRING SOLIDS FROM THE UPPER CHAMBER TO THE LOWER CHAMBER HAVING ITS LOWER END IN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID WELL SECTION AND ITS UPPER END IN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID UPPER CHAMBER AT A POINT SPACED FROM THE BOTTOM THEREOF, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING AN AERATING GAS INTO THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID WELL AND INTO SAID STANDPIPE IN AMOUNTS CONTROLLED TO MAINTAIN A DENSE FLUIDIZED BODY OF SOLIDS IN SAID WELL AND STANDPIPE CAPABLE OF GENERATING A HYDROSTATIC HEAD OF PRESSURE AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID WELL, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A REACTANT GAS INTO THE LOWER REACTION CHAMBER AT A POINT ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF SAID WELL SECTION FOR A DISTANCE SUCH THAT THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE SEAL BETWEEN THE POINT OF INTRODUCTION OF THE REACTANT GAS AND THE BASE OF SAID WELL SECTION IS AT LEAST 2 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH, A SECOND WELL SECTION DEPENDING FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID LOWER CHAMBER, A SECOND INTERNAL VERTICAL CONDUIT FORMING A RISER FOR TRANSFERRING SOLIDS FROM THE LOWER REACTION CHAMBER TO SAID UPPER REACTION CHAMBER HAVING ITS LOWER END IN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID SECOND WELL SECTION AND ITS UPPER END COMMUNICATING WITH THE UPPER REACTION CHAMBER, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING AN AERATING GAS INTO SAID SECOND WELL IN AMOUNTS CONTROLLED TO MAINTIAN IN A DENSE FLUIDIZED BODY OF SOLIDS IN SAID WELL CAPABLE OF GENERATING A HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE AT THE BASE THEREOF, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A GAS INTO SAID RISER AT A POINT ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF SAID SECOND WELL FOR A DISTANCE SUCH THAT THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE SEAL BETWEEN SUCH POINT AND THE BOTTOM OF SAID SECOND WELL IS AT LEAST 2 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING SAID LAST NAMED GAS INTO SAID RISER IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE THE DENSITY OF SAID FLUIDIZED BODY IN THE UPPER PORTION OF THE RISER SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW THE DENSITY IN SAID STANDPIPE TO THEREBY EFFECT CIRCULATION OF THE SOLIDS IN THE DIRECTION AFORESAID AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE AMOUNT OF GAS INTRODUCED INTO SAID RISER TO REGULATE THE RATE OF FLOW OF THE SOLIDS BETWEEN SAID CHAMBERS.