Method for contacting liquid with granular contact material

Claim 1

IN A HYDROCARBON CONVERSION PROCESS WHEREIN LIQUID AND VAPOROUS HYDROCARBONS ARE CONVERTED IN THE PRESENCE OF A COMPACT MOVING BED OF GRANULAR CONTACT MATERIAL WHICH GRAVITATES THROUGH A CONVERSION ZONE AND IS CONTINUOUSLY REPLENISHED BY PARTICLES OF SAID MATERIAL INTRODUCED DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID ZONE AS A ANNULAR CURTAIN OF SOLIDS FALLING FREELY ONTO THE SURFACE OF SAID BED, THE METHOD FOR CONTACTING SAID PARTICLES WITH SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES TE STEPS OF: PASSING A MIXED-PHASE STREAM OF FLUID COMPRISING SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBONS DOWNWARDLY ALONG A STRAIGHT, NON-TAPERED CONFINED PATH WITHIN SAID CONVERSION ZONE, WHICH PATH, EXCEPT FOR AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION SPACED AT LEAST ONE PATH DIAMETER FROM THE LOWER END THEREOF, IS OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM FLOW AREA THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH; FLOWING SAID MIX-PHASE STREAM HELICALLY ALONG SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION TO CAUSE THE LIQUID COMPONENT OF SAID STREAM TO ROTATE ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID PATH, THE CENTRIFUGAL FORCE OF SAID ROTATION CAUSING SAID LIQUID TO FLOW ALONG THE REMAINING LOWER END PORTION OF SAID CONFINED PATH AS A ROTATING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-COMPLETE ANNULAR STREAM HAVING HALLOW SUBSTANTIALLY LIQUID-FREE CENTRAL PORTION FORMING AN UNOBSTRUCTED FLOW PATH FOR THE VAPOROUS PORTION OF SAID MIXED-PHASE STREAM; AND DISCHARGING SAID MIXED-PHASE STREAM OF HYDROCARBONS XIALLY DOWNWARD AT AN UPPER CENTRAL LOCATION WITHIN SAID FALLING CURTAIN OF GRANULAR MATERIAL, WHEREBY SAID DISCHARGED ANNULAR ROTATING STREAM OF LIQUID IS DIRECTED DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY FROM THE LOWER PERIMETER OF SAID CONFINED PATH TOWARD AID ANNULAR CURTAIN AS AN EXPANDING HOLLOW STREAM OF DISPERSED LIQUID DROPLETS WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY INTERCEPTED BY THE FALLING GRANNULAR MATERIAL BEFORE THE LATTER REACHES THE SURFACE OF SAID BED.