Process and apparatus for contacting hydrocarbons with a granular catalyst

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR CONVERTING HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES: PASSING ATOMIZED LIQUID HYDROCARBON DOWNWARDLY THROUGH AN INTRODUCTIN ZONE? DISCHARGING SAID HYDROCARBON FROM SAID ZONE INTO AN EXPANDED ZONE THEREBENEATH AS A SUBSTANTIALLY UNOBSTRUCTED ANNULAR FLUID STREAM, PASSING GRANULAR CONVERSION-SUPPORTING SOLD CONTACT MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY AS A COMPACT MASS THROUGH AN ANNULUS SURROUNDING SAID INTRODUCTION ZONE AND THEN THROUGH AN ANNULAR CONSTRICTED ZONE AND THEREBENEATH AS A FALLING ANNULAR STREAM, PASSING INERT FLUID MATERIAL THROUGH A SECOND INTRODUCTION ZONE TO A POSITION WITHIN SAID FLUID STREAM IN SAID EXPANDED ZONE, SPRAYING SAID INERT FLUID MATERIAL LATERALLY FROM SAID POSITION, THEREBY TO DIRECT LIQUID HYDROCARBON LATERALLY AWAY FROM THE AXIS OF THE FIRST NAMED INTRODUCTION ZONE AND INTO SAID FALLING ANNULAR STREAM, COLLECTING SOLIDS FROM THE FALLING ANNULAR STREAM ON A GRAVITATING COMPACT BED IN A CONVERSION ZONE THEREBENEATH, AND SEPARATELY REMOVING SOLIDS AND FLUID CONVERSION PRODUCTS FROM THE CONVERSION ZONE.