Reactor for hydrocarbon conversions

Claim 1

A HYDROCARBON DEHYDROGENATION REACTOR COMPRISING A CLOSED VESSEL HAVING A RELATIVELY-SHORT VERTICAL CYLINDRICAL MIDSECTION AND SEMI-ELLIPSOIDAL TOP AND BOTTOM SECTIONS; A PERFORATE HORIZONTAL GRID EXTENDING ACROSS SAID MIDSECTION SO AS TO DIVIDE SAID VESSEL INTO AN UPPER REACTION CHAMBER AND A LOWER GAS-COLLECTING PLENUM, THE REGION WITHIN SAID MIDSECTION AND ABOVE SAID GRID COMPRISING A REACTION ZONE ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A FIXED BED OF GRANULAR MATERIAL INCLUDING CATALYST; A GRADUALLY-DIVERGENT MAIN INLET NOZZLE AT THE TOP OF SAID VESSEL, DISCHARGING CENTRALLY DOWNWARD THEREIN AND PROVIDING THE SOLE INLET FOR GASEOUS MATERIAL INTO SAID REACTION CHAMBER; A PLURALITY OF GRADUALLY-DIVERGENT BRANCH INLET NOZZLES COMMUNICATING WITH SAID MAIN INLET NOAALE THROUGH THE SIDES THEREOF AND DISCHARGING DOWNWARDLY AT AN ACUTE ANGLE TO THE MAIN PATH OF FLOW; MEANS FOR SELCETIVELY INTRODUCING CONTROLLED AMOUNTS OF GASEOUS HYDROCARBON REACTANTS, PURGING GAS, OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS, AND REDUCING GAS INTO SAID REACTION CHAMBER THROUGH SAID MAIN AND BRANCH NOZZLES; A PIER EXTENDING CENTRALLY UPWARD FROM THE SURFACE OF SAID GRID THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE ANDTERMINATING AT A LOCATION DIRECTLY IN THE PATH OF THE GAS STREAM DISCHARGING FROM SAID MAIN NOZZLE AND AT A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE ABOVE THE SURFACE OF SAID BED OF GRANULAR MATERIAL, THE TOP OF SAID PIER HAVING A HORIZONTAL SURFACE WHICH SERVES AS A BAFFLE TO LATERNALLY DEFLECT THE INCOMING GASEOUS MATERIAL SO AS TO DISTRIBUTE THE GAS SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY OVER THE SURFACE OF SAID BED; AND GAS OUTLET MEANS IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID VESSEL, COMMUNICATING WITH SAID PLENUM CHAMBER FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF GASEOUS MATERIAL THEREFROM.