Apparatus for carbon monoxide hydrogenation

Claim 1

A REACTOR FOR THE HYDROGENATION OF CARBON MONOXIDE BY A CATALYST SUSPENDED IN A LIQUID MEDIUM, COMPRISING: AN UPRIGHT CYLINDER; A PLURALITY OF SHAFT CONDUITS MOUNTED IN SAID CYLINDER TO EXTEND UPRIGHT AXIALLY THEREOF AND ADAPTED TO CONTAIN SAID CATALYST IN THE LIQUID MEDIUM; A GAS INLET TO THE INTERIOR OF THE CYLINDER AT A LEVEL BELOW THE BOTTOMS OF THE SHAFT CONDUITS; SAID SHAFT CONDUITS HAVING THEIR LOWER ENDS TERMINATE IN SAID CYLINDER AT A DISTANCE ABOVE THE GAS INLET THERETO SO AS TO HAVE THE GAS INLET SPACED FROM THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID SHAFT CONDUITS A DISTANCE AT LEAST AS GREAT AS THE DIAMETER OF THE CYLINDER AROUND THE SHAFT CONDUITS AND LEAVE A LOWER REACTION SPACE BETWEEN SAID LOWER ENDS OF THE SHAFT CONDUITS AND THE GAS INLET OF THE SAME DIAMETER AS THE PORTION OF THE CYLINDER AROUND THE SHAFT CONDUITS; AND THE BOTTOM OF SAID LOWER REACTION SPACE BEING TAPERED TO SAID GAS INLET AND SAID GAS INLET ALSO BEING TAPERED TO PROVIDE A SINGLE AXIALLY DIRECTED STREAM OF GAS INTO SAID LOWER REACTION SPACE, WHEREBY SAID STREAM INDUCES CIRCULATION WITHIN SAID LOWER REACTION SPACE TO FEED GAS INTO SAID SHAFT CONDUITS UNIFORMLY.