Continuous high-pressure contacting of

Claim 1

IN A MOVING BED CONVERSION PROCESS IN WHICH A GRANULAR CONTACT MATERIAL IS GRAVITATED AS A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN THROUGH AT LEAST ONE CONTACTING ZONE WHERE THE SOLIDS ARE CONTACTED WITH A REACTANT FLUID AT HIGH TEMPERATURE, THE IMPROVED METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE FLOW RATE OF THE GRAVITATING CONTACT MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES: GRAVITATING SOLIDS FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID CONTACTING ZONE THROUGH A LATERALLY-CONFINED PASSAGE, DISCHARGING THE SOLIDS FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID PASSAGE INTO A CONFINED ZONE, TO FORM A PILE OF SOLIDS ON THE FLOOR OF SAID ZONE EXTENDING UPWARDLY TO COVER AT LEAST THE LOWER PORTION OF THE SIDEWALL OF SAID ZONE AND AT LEAST PARTIALLY BLOCK THE FLOW OF SOLIDS FROM SAID PASSAGE, DISCHARGING SOLIDS FROM SAID PILE THROUGH A PORTION OF AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL SLOT IN THE SIDE WALL OF SAID CONFINED ZONE ONTO THE TOP OF A PILE OF SOLIDS IN A SURGE ZONE, THE SURFACE OF THE PILE OF SOLIDS IN SAID SURGE ZONE BEING FAR ENOUGH BELOW THE CONFINED ZONE TO PERMIT THE SOLIDS TO FLOW FREELY THROUGH SAID SLOT, GRAVITATING CONTACT MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID SURGE ZONE, AND VARYING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BOTTOM OF SAID PASSAGE AND THE BOTTOM OF SAID CONFINED ZONE, IN ORDER TO ADJUST THE FLOW RATE OF SOLIDS THROUGH SAID SLOT TO THE DESIRED FLOW RATE IN SAID CONTACTING ZONE.