Hydrocarbon conversion

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR TRANSFERRING SOLID MATERIAL OF PALPABLE PARTICULATE FORM FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER THE METHOD COMPRISING: MAINTAINING A SUPPLY OF THE SOLID MATERIAL IN A SUPPLY ZONE, PASSING THE SOLID MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY FROM THE SUPPLY ZONE THROUGH A CONFINED PASSAGE AS A COMPACT GRAVITATING COLUMN INTO A PRESSURING ZONE LOCATED THEREBELOW, PERIODICALLY REMOVING SOLID MATERIAL FROM SAID PRESSURING ZONE WHILE PLACING SAID PRESSURING ZONE UNDER AN ADVANCED GASEOUS PRESSURE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY VIBRATING THE SOLID MATERIAL IN THE CONFINED PASSAGE TO COMPACT THE MATERIAL IN SAID PASSAGE, PREVENTING DISRUPTION OF THE COMPACTNESS OF THE COLUMN AND UPWARD DISCHARGE OF THE SOLID MATERIAL FROM SAID PASSAGE BY MAINTAINING ON TOP OF SAID COLUMN OF COMPACTED MATERIAL IN SAID SUPPLY ZONE A COMPACT BED OF SAID SOILD MATERIAL OF SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA THAN SAID COLUMN IN WHICH GAS ESCAPING FROM SIAD COLUMN DECELERATES, SAID BED BEING OF SUFFICIENT HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND VERTICAL DEPTH TO EFFECT DECELERATION OF THE GAS TO A LINEAR VELOCITY BELOW THAT WHICH WOULD DISRUPT THE COMPACTNESS OF SAID BED SUBSTANTIALLY BEFORE IT REACHES THE SURFACE OF THE BED, WHEREBY A SEAL IS MAINTAINED BY VIRTUE OF THE COMPACTED COLUMN OF SOLID MATERIAL PREVENTING THE ESCAPE OF ANY SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF GAS FROM SAID PRESSURING ZONE.