Contacting fluid material with granular solids

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF FLUID MATERIAL WITH GRANULATED SOLIDS AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE WHEREIN: (1) GRANULAR SOLIDS ARE PASSED DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A FIRST CONTACTING ZONE AT A FIRST COMPACT MOVING BED OF SOLIDS, (2) FLUID MATERIAL IS PASSED THROUGH SAID COMPACT BE AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE TO EFFECT CONVERSION OF THE FLUID MATERIAL, WHEREBY CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS ARE DEPOSITED ON SAID SOLIDS, (3) SAID SOLIDS CONTAINING CARBONACEOUS DEPOSITS ARE PASSED DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A SECOND CONTACTING ZONE AS A SECOND COMPACT MOVING BED OF SOLIDS, (4) OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS IS PASSED THROUGH SAID SECOND BED AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE TO BURN CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS FROM SAID SOLIDS, (5) THE RESULTING SOLIDS ARE AGAIN PASSED THROUGH SAID FIRST CONTACTING ZONE TO CONTACT ADDITIONAL FLUID MATERIAL, AND (6) THE SOLIDS IN THE LATTER PASSAGE THROUGH THE FIRST CONTACTING ZONE HAVE UNEVEN TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION OVER THE CROSS SECTION OF THE ZONE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES: (A) DURING THE PASSAGE OF GRANULAR SOLIDS FROM ONE OF SAID CONTACTING ZONES TO THE OTHER, PASSING SAID SOLIDS DOWNWARDLY INTO A SUSPENDING ZONE AS A PLURALITY OF COMPACT COLUMNS DISTRIBUTED OVER THE CROSS SECTION OF SAID SUSPENDING ZONE;