Conversion of liquid reactants using finely divided solids

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS CONVERSION OF LIQUID REACTANT WITH FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS TO PRODUCE VALUABLE PRODUCTS IN WHICH SOLIDS MAY, AT LEAST IN PART, BE CONTINUOUSLY RECYLCED THROUGH THE CONVERSION ZONE WITHOUT REACTIVATION, WHICH COMPRISES: FLOWING A CONFINED STREAM OF LIQUID REACTANT INTO THE LOWER SECTION OF A CONFINED CONVERSION ZONE; PASSING FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS INTO SAID STREAM PRIOR TO ITS ENTRY INTO THE CONVERSION ZONE TO FORM A SLURRY OF REACTANT AND SOLIDS; FLOWING SAID SLURRY UPWARDLLY THROUGH SAID CONVERSION ZONE AND EFFECTING CONVERSION OF AT LEAST A PART OF SAID LIQUID REACTANT TO MORE VALUABLE PRODUCTS; FLOWING LIQUID AND SOLIDS FROM THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID CONVERSION ZONE INTO A GAS SEPARATION ZONE MAINTAINED ABOVE THE LOWER END OF SAID CONVERSION ZONE; WITHDRAWING ANY GASEOUS MATERIAL, ACCOMPANYING SAID LIQUID AND SOLIDS, FROM THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID GAS SEPARATION ZONE WHILE LIQUID AND SOLIDS SETTLE TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID GAS SEPARATION ZONE; FLOWING LIQUID AND SOLIDS FROM THE LOWER SECTION OF THE GAS SEPARATION ZONE THROUGH AN UNOBSTRUCTED CONFINED PASSAGE INTO A LIQUID SEPARATION ZONE MAINTAINED ABOVE THE LOWER END OF SAID CONVERSION ZONE AND WITHDRAWING LIQUID FROM THE UPPER SECTION OF