Catalytic reactor

Claim 1

A CATALYTIC REACTOR FOR GASEOUS REACTANTS IN MOTION THERETHROUGH, COMPRISING A LOWER MANIFOLD CHAMBER PROVIDED WITH A REACTOR INLET FOR INTRODUCING THE GASEOUS REACTANTS, AN UPPER MANIFOLD CHAMBER, SAID REACTOR HAVING AN OUTLET BEYOND AND IN GAS-COMMUNICATION WITH SAID UPPER MANIFOLD CHAMBER, A PLURALITY OF UPRIGHT OPEN CATALYTIC TUBES INTERMEDIATE SAID MANIFOLD CHAMBERS, EACH OF SAID UPRIGHT OPEN CATALYTIC TUBES TERMINATING IN A BASAL ORIFICE OF A RELATIVELY SMALLER CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA THAN THE MAIN BODY OF EACH OF SAID UPRIGHT OPEN CATALYTIC TUBES, THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID ORIFICE BEARING SUCH RELATIONSHIP TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE MAIN BODY OF SAID UPRIGHT OPEN CATALYTIC TUBES THAT GASEOUS REACTANTS ENTERING SAID ORIFICE ARE IMPELLED TURBULENTLY UPWARDLY THERETHROUGH AT A VELOCITY GREATER THAN THE INLET VELOCITY THEREOF AND A VELOCITY IN EXCESS OF THAT WHICH CAN MAINTAIN CATALYST PARTICLES HAVING A MESH SIZE SMALLER THAN ABOUT 80 MESH SUSPENDED AS A FLUIDIZED BED, A CALMINGSECTION INTERJACENT SAID ORIFICE AND THE MAIN BODY OF SAID UPRIGHT OPEN CATALYTIC TUBES, SAID CALMING-SECTION HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA INTERMEDIATE THE GREATER CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE MAIN BODY OF SAID UPRIGHT OPEN CATALYTIC TUBES AND THE LESSER CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID BASAL ORIFICE, THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID CALMING-SECTION BEARING SUCH RELATIONSHIP TO THE HEIGHT THEREOF THAT IMPELLED GASEOUS REACTANTS PASSING THERETHROUGH FROM SAID ORIFICE ARE REDUCED TO A LEAN-PHASE VELOCITY SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW THAT OF GASEOUS REACTANTS ISSUING FROM SAID BASAL ORIFICE BUT ABOVE THAT OF GASEOUS REACTANTAS IN THE MAIN BODY OF SAID UPRIGHT OPEN CATALYTIC TUBES AND THE TURBULENCY OF SUCH IMPELLED GASEOUS REACTANTS IS SUBSTANTIALLY ELIMINATED SO THAT A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT LINE FLOW OF SAID GASEOUS REACTANTS IS MAINTAINED THROUGH THE MAIN BODY OF SAID UPRIGHT OPEN CATALYTIC TUBES A DENSE-PHASE VELOCITY.