Hydrocarbon conversion method and apparatus

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF FLUID REACTANTS IN THE PRESENCE OF A DOWNWARDLY GRAVITATING, SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN OF GRANULAR CONTACT MATERIAL, WHICH COMPRISES: MAINTAINING SAID COLUMN WITHIN THE LOWER SECTION OF A CONFINED CONVERSION ZONE, MAINTAINING A GAS PLENUM SPACE ABOVE SAID COLUMN WITHIN THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID ZONE, PASSING AT LEAST ONE CONFINED SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT FREE STREAM OF CONTACT MATERIAL OF SUBSTANTIALLY LESS HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA THAN THE HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID COLUMN INTO THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID ZONE, PASSING CONTACT MATERIAL FROM SAID STREAM ONTO THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID COLUMN THROUGH A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTALLY SPACED-APART CONFINED PASSAGES EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY FROM SAID FEED STREAM, THE SIDES AND TOP OF SAID PASSAGES MAKING ANGLES WITH THE HORIZONTAL GREATER THAN THE ANGLE OF REPOSE OF THE CONTACT MATERIAL AND THE BOTTOMS OF SAID PASSAGES BEING OPEN FROM THE POINT OF DIVISION FROM SAID FEED STREAM SO AS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID COLUMN AND SAID PASSAGES BEING OF SUCH A SIZE AND SO SPACED THAT THE MAXIMUM DISTANCE CENTERTO-CENTER FROM ANY ONE STREAM TO THE NEXT ADJACENT STREAM WILL BE NOT GREATER THAN 16 INCHES, SUPPLYING A FLUID REACTANT TO SAID PLENUM SPACE ABOVE SAID COLUMN, PASSING FLUID REACTANT FROM SAID PLENUM SPACE BETWEEN SAID PASSAGES INTO THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID COLUMN AND DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID COLUMN TO EFFECT THE DESIRED CONVERSION, REMOVING PRODUCTS OF CONVERSION FROM THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID ZONE SEPARATELY OF CONTACT MATERIAL AND REMOVING CONTACT MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID COLUMN.