Process for preparing impregnated composite catalysts

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A UNIFORMLY IMPREGNATED COMPOSITE CATALYST WHICH COMPRISES MAINTAINING IN AN IMPREGNATION ZONE A DENSE PHASE FLUIDIZED BED OF FINELY DIVIDED CATALYST BASE PARTICLES SUPERIMPOSED BY A DISPERSED PHASE OF SAID CATALYST BASE PARTICLES, SPRAYING INTO SAID CATALYST BASE PARTICLES AN IMPREGNATING SOLUTION CONTAINING A CATALYST COMPONENT AT AN IMPREGNATION TEMPERATURE BELOW THE BOILING POINT OF THE IMPREGNATION SOLUTION, WHEREBY AGGLOMERATION OF SAID CATALYST BASED PARTICLES IS AVOIDED, THE SIZE OF SAID SPRAY BEING SUFFICIENTLY LARGE TO PREVENT FREE TRANSPORT OF THE IMPREGNATION SOLUTION UPWARDLY IN SAID IMPREGNATION ZONE AND SUFFICIENTLY SMALL TO PREVENT THE FORMATION OF LARGE CLUMPS OF WETTED CATALUST BASE PARTICLES WHICH DROP TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID IMPREGNATION ZONE, AND THEN AT LEAST PARTIALLY DRYING THE THUS IMPREGANTED CATALYST.