Liquid-solids contacting process and apparatus for the conversion of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR THE TREATMENT OF A HYDROCARBON OIL WITH HYDROGEN AND A HYDROGENATION CATALYST, WHICH COMPRISES: (1) PROVIDING A SLURRY OF SAID CATALYST IN SAID OIL IN A TREATING ZONE, SAID CATALYST BEING IN THE FORM OF PARTICLES OF DIAMETER BETWEEN ABOUT 0.01 AND 40 MICRONS; (2) SUBJECTING SAID SLURRY TO TREATING CONDITIONS INCLUDING TEMPERATURES ABOVE ABOUT 500*F. AND HYDROGEN PRESSURES ABOVE ABOUT 500 P.S.I.G.; (3) AGITATING SAID SLURRY AND MAINTAINING IT SATURATED WITH HYDROGEN BY CONTINUOUSLY BUBBLING HYDROGEN GAS THROUGH THE SLURRY, THUS FORMING AN EBULLIENT THREE-PHASE SYSTEM; (4) WITHDRAWING FROM A LEVEL BENEATH THE SURFACE OF SAID EBULLIENT SYSTEM, THROUGH A LATERALLY LOCATED APERTURE OF MACIMUM WIDTH BETWEEN ABOUT 1/1,000 AND 1/4 INCH IN A CONFINING WALL STRUCTURE AND IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE VERTICAL AXIS OF SAID SYSTEM, A THIN LAMELLIFORM STREAM OF SAID SLURRY ESSENTIALLY FREE OF GAS BUBBLES; (5) FLOWING SAID WITHDRAWN STREAM UPWARDLY IN A CONTIGUOUS SETTLING CHAMBER COMMUNICATING AT ITS LOWER EXTREMITY WITH SAID APERTURE; (6) CONTROLLING THE LINEAR FLUID FLOW RATE UPWARDLY IN SAID SETTLING CHAMBER AT A VALUE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE LINEAR FLUID FLOW RATE THROUGH SAID APERTURE AND LESS THAN THE SETTLING VEOCITY OF SAID SOLID PARTICLES, WHEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE CATALYST PARTICLES IN SAID WITHDRAWN SLURRY STREAM ARE PERMITTED TO SETTLE AND FLOW BY GRAVITY BACK THROUGH SAID APERTURE COUNTERCURRENTLY

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR THE TREATMENT OF A HYDROCARBON OIL WITH HYDROGEN AND A HYDROGENATION CATALYST, WHICH COMPRISES: (1) PROVIDING A SLURRY OF SAID CATALYST IN SAID OIL IN A TREATING ZONE, SAID CATALYST BEING IN THE FORM OF PARTICLES OF DIAMETER BETWEEN ABOUT 0.01 AND 40 MICRONS; (2) SUBJECTING SAID SLURRY TO TREATING CONDITIONS INCLUDING TEMPERATURES ABOVE ABOUT 500*F. AND HYDROGEN PRESSURES ABOVE ABOUT 500 P.S.I.G.; (3) AGITATING SAID SLURRY AND MAINTAINING IT SATURATED WITH HYDROGEN BY CONTINUOUSLY BUBBLING HYDROGEN GAS THROUGH THE SLURRY, THUS FORMING AN EBULLIENT THREE-PHASE SYSTEM; (4) WITHDRAWING FROM A LEVEL BENEATH THE SURFACE OF SAID EBULLIENT SYSTEM, THROUGH A LATERALLY LOCATED APERTURE OF MACIMUM WIDTH BETWEEN ABOUT 1/1,000 AND 1/4 INCH IN A CONFINING WALL STRUCTURE AND IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE VERTICAL AXIS OF SAID SYSTEM, A THIN LAMELLIFORM STREAM OF SAID SLURRY ESSENTIALLY FREE OF GAS BUBBLES; (5) FLOWING SAID WITHDRAWN STREAM UPWARDLY IN A CONTIGUOUS SETTLING CHAMBER COMMUNICATING AT ITS LOWER EXTREMITY WITH SAID APERTURE; (6) CONTROLLING THE LINEAR FLUID FLOW RATE UPWARDLY IN SAID SETTLING CHAMBER AT A VALUE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE LINEAR FLUID FLOW RATE THROUGH SAID APERTURE AND LESS THAN THE SETTLING VEOCITY OF SAID SOLID PARTICLES, WHEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE CATALYST PARTICLES IN SAID WITHDRAWN SLURRY STREAM ARE PERMITTED TO SETTLE AND FLOW BY GRAVITY BACK THROUGH SAID APERTURE COUNTERCURRENTLY