Gas-solid contact in a non-fluidized system

Claim 1

IN THE CONTACTING OF A DOWNWARDLY MOVING NONFLUIDIZED BED OF SOLID PARTICLES WITH AN UPWARDLY FLOWING GAS, THE METHOD OF IMPROVING GAS-SOLID CONTACT WHICH COMPRISES CONFINING THE LOWER PORTION OF THE BED TO A CONE-SHAPED CONFIGURATION, PULSATING THE INLET GAS AND INTRODUCING THE PULSATING GAS IN A PLURALITY OF STREAMS SPACED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY AROUND THE CONE-SHAPED LOWER PORTION OF THE BED AND ARRANGED IN AT LEAST THREE ANNULAR GROUPS AT SPACED ELEVATIONS ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF THE BED, REGULATING THE INTRODUCTION OF GAS AT THE LOWERMOST OF SAID ANNULAR GROUPS SO THAT THE ON-PULSE BED VELOCITY IS FROM ABOUT 90% TO ABOUT 110% OF THE MINIMUM FLUIDIZATION VELOCITY AND SO THAT THE ON-PULSE INLET VELOCITY OF EACH STREAM IS FROM ABOUT 10 TO ABOUT 20 TIMES THE MINIMUM AT THE REMAINDER OF SAID ANNULAR GROUPS SO THAT ABOVE SAID AT THE REMAINDER OF SAID ANNULAR GROUPS SO THAT ABOVE SAID LOWERMOST GROUP THE ON-PULSE BED VELOCITY IS NOT MORE THAN ABOUT 60% OF THE MINIMUM FLUIDIZATION VELOCITY AND THE ON-PULSE INLET VELOCITY OF EACH STREAM IS FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 10 TIMES THE MINIMUM FLUIDIZATION VELOCITY, WHEREBY AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH PULSE A FLATTENED GAS BUBBLE IS FORMED IN THE BED ADJACENT SAID LOWERMOST GROUP WHICH RISES THROUGH THE BED DURING THE PULSE, THE HEIGHT OF SAID BED BEING CORRELATED WITH THE PULSE FREQUENCY SO THAT THE BUBBLE COLLAPSES AT THE TERMINATION OF THE PULSE BEFORE REACHING THE TOP OF THE BED AND THE GAS THEREAFTER PASSES UPWARDLY THROUGH THE TOP OF THE BED.