Liquid-solids contact system

Claim 1

IN A HYDROCARBON CONVERSION PROCESS WHEREIN A HYDROCARBON FEED IS CONTACTED AT LEAST PARTIALLY IN THE LIQUID PHASE WITH A GRANULAR SOLID CONTACT MATERIAL UNDER CONVERSION CONDITIONS, THE IMPROVED METHOD FOR OBTAINING UNIFORM CONTACT OF LIQUID FEED WITH SAID SOLID CONTACT MATERIAL, WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING THE HOT LIQUID FEED TO BE CONTACT AS A SOLID CONE SPRAY DIRECTED DOWNWARDLY FROM A CENTRAL POINT WITHIN A CONTACTING ZONE, INTRODUCING A FREELY FALLING STREAM OF GRANULAR SOLID CONTACT MATERIAL INTO A DEFLECTION ZONE SURROUNDING SAID CENTAL POINT, DEFLECTING SAID SOLIDS FIRST DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY AT AN INCLUDED ANGLE OF DIVERGENCE BETWEEN ABOUT 60* AND 120* AROUND SAID CENTRAL POINT BY IMPACT WITH A BAFFLE SURFACE IN THE ABSENCE OF A SOLIDS BED, AND THEN REDEFLECTING SAID SOILDS DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY AT AN INCLUDED ANGLE OF CONVERGENCE EQUAL TO 180* MINUS SAID ANGLE OF DIVERGENCE MINUS BETWEEN ABOUT 5* AND 30* BY IMPACT AGAINST A LOWER SECOND BAFFLE SURFACE IN THE ABSENCE OF A SOLIDS BED SO AS TO CREATE A DISPERSED SHOWER OF SOLIDS MOVING LATERALLY INTO AND THROUGH SAID SPRAY, AND COLLECTING SAID SOLIDS IN SAID CONTACTING ZXONE BELOW SAID SECOND BAFFLE SURFACE AS A DOWNWARDLY MOVING BED WHICH HAS A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT UPPER SURFACE FORMED BY PASSAGE OF SAID SOLIDS THROUGH SAID DEFLECTION ZONE, SAID FLAT UPPER SURFACE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE IN AREA WITH THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID CONTACTING ZONE AND AGAINST SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE AREA OF WHICH SAID SPRAY IMPINGES, ALL THE SOLIDS ADMITTED TO SAID CONTACTING ZONE BEING INTRODUCED VIA THE DEFLECTION MEANS SOECIFIED IN THIS CLAIM.