Distribution device

Claim 1

IN A REACTION VESSEL FOR THE CATALYST DEHYDROGENATION OF A GASEOUS STREAM OF OLEFIN HYDROCARBONS, SAID HYDROCARBONS CONTAINING AT LEAST 4 CARBON ATOMS IN THE OLEFIN CHAIN, SAID VESSEL CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A SHELL ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A STATIC BED OF CATALYST, AN INLET MEANS AND OUTLET MEANS; THE COMBINATION WITH SAID INLETS MEANS, OF A DISTRIBUTION DEVICE DESIGNED TO CONVERT A HIGH VELOCITY STREAM OF SAID GASEOUS OLEFINIC HYDROCARBONS HAVING A SMALL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA TO ONE OF LOW VELOCITY AND LARGE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA WITHIN A SHORT DISTANCE BY A STRUCTURE COMPRISING: A FIRST DEFLECTING PLATE COAXIAL WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID INLET MEANS SAID FIRST PLATE BEING ANNULAR, THE PLANE OF SAID PLATE LYING GENERALLY TRANSVERSE TO SAID AXIS DOWNSTREAM OF THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID INLET MEANS, SAID ANNULAR DEFLECTING PLATE PROJECTING INWARDLY INTO PATH OF GAS DISCHARGE FROM A PERIPHERAL AREA OF THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID INLET MEANS, AND TO PROJECT OUTWARDLY BEYOND AN IMAGINARY CONTINUATION OF THE SURFACE OF SUCH DISCHARGE END BY AN AMOUNT AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE THE PLATE IS SPACED FROM THE DISCHARGE END OF THE INLET MEANS, SAID FIRST DEFLECTING PLATE DEFLECTING ONLY THAT AXIALLY MOVING GAS DISCHARGED FROM THE PERIPHERAL AREA OF THE DOWNCOMER AND CONVERTING SAID DEFLECTED GAS TO A RADIALLY MOVING GAS DISCHARGED OND DEFLECTING PLATE COAXIALL WITH AND PARRALLEL TO THE FIRST DEFLECTING PLATE THE SECOND PLATE BEING IMPERFPRATE AND BEING POSITIONED TO DEFLECT THE GAS PASSING THROUGH THE OPENING IN SAID FIRST DEFLECTING PLATE AND TO CONVERT SAID AXIALLY MOVING STREAM OF GAS TO A RADIALLY OUTWARDLY MOVING STREAM OF GAS THE FIRST DEFLECTING PLATE AND THE SECOND DEFLECTING PLATE BEING POSITIONED IN THE DISTRIBUTION DEVICE AND BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER AND FROM THE DISCHARGE END OF THE INLET MEANS BY MEANS OF A SERIES OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED PARTIONS POSITIONED TO EXTEND RADICALLY OUTWARD FROM AN IMAGINARY EXTENSION OF THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE INLET MEANS; AND A CYLINDRICAL PERFORATED ENVELOPE COAXIAL WITH AND SURROUNDING THE OUTLET OF THE INLET MEANS, THE FIRST DEFLECTING PLATE AND THE SECOND DEFLECTING PLATE WHEREBY THE ORIGINAL AXIALLY FLOWING GAS IS CONVERTED ENTIRELY TO STREAMS OF RADIALLY FLOWING GAS WHOSE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA IS GREATER THAN THAT OF THE ORIGINAL GAS STTREAM