Fluidized-bed reactor

Claim 1

IN A REACTOR WHICH INCLUDES WALLS FORMING AN UPRIGHT CHAMBER, A PERFORATE HORIZONTAL PARTITION EXTENDING ACROSS THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CHAMBER FOR SUPPORTING A FLUIDIZED BED OF FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS AND PERMITTING VERTICAL BACK MIXING THEREOF, WHICH BED HAS PREDETERMINED NORMAL, MININMUM AND MAXIMUM OPERATING LEVELS, SAID CHAMBER HAVING A FREEBOARD SPACE ABOVE THE BED WHEN THE BED IS AT ANY OF ITS OPERATING LEVELS, MEANS FOR FEEDING SOLIDS TO THE UPPER PORTION OF THE BED, AND MEANS FOR PASSING UPCURRENTS OF A FLUIDIZING GAS THROUGH SAID PARTITION AND THENCE THROUGH THE BED TO REACT WITH THE SOLIDS THEREIN, SAID CHAMBER HAVING AN OUTLET FOR THE GAS ABOVE THE BED, THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF A DISCHARGE DEVICE COMPRISING TUBULAR MEANS SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID CHAMBER AND HAVING A LOWER END ABOVE SAID PERTITION NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE SPACE OCCUPIED BY THE BED AND AN UPPER END IN SAID FREEBOARD SPACE ABOVE THE MAXIMUM OPERATING LEVEL OF THE BED, BOTH ENDS OF SAID TUBULAR MEANS BEING OPEN ALLOWING SOLIDS FROM THE BOTTOM PORTION OF THE BED TO ENTER DIRECTLY AND ALSO ALLOWING FLUIDIZING GAS TO PASS THERETHROUGH AND CONTINUE ITS REACTION WITH SOLIDS WHICH HAVE ENTERED THE TUBULAR MEANS, THUS CARRYING THE REACTION MORE NEARLY TOWARD COMPLETION, THE DIAMETER AND LENGTH OF SAID TUBULAR MEANS BEING OF A RELATIVE MAGNITUDE TO PERMIT FLUIFIZATION OF SOLIDS THEREIN BUT LIMITING VERTICAL BACK MIXING, AN OVERFLOW FOR SOLIDS CONNETED TO THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID TUBULAR MEANS AND EXTENDING OUTSIDE SAID CHAMBER, THE LEVEL OF THE CONNECTION OF SAID OVERFLOW TO SAID TUBULAR MEANS, DEFINING THE NORMAL OPERATING LEVEL OF THE BED, AND A VALVE ADAPTED TO CLOSE PARTIALLY THE UPPER END OF SAID TUBULAR MEANS FOR RESTRICTING ESCAPE OF GAS THEREFROM AND THUS ADJUSTING THE BED LEVEL UPWARDLY FROM THE NORMAL LEVEL.