Apparatus for contacting dissimilar phases

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTACTING A FLUID PHASE WITH A SOLID PARTICULATE MATERIAL PHASE COMPRISING (A) A REACTOR FORMING A CONTACTING SPACE FOR BOTH OF SAID PHASES, (B) MEANS FOR INTRODUCING THE FLUID PHASE INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID REACTOR AND THE SOLID PARTICULATE MATERIAL PHASE INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID REACTOR, (C) A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED VELOCITY-MODIFYING MEANS DIVIDING SAID REACTOR INTO A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SEPARATED MIXING ZONES, (D) EACH OF SAID VELOCITY-MODIFYING MEANS CONSISTING OF A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTALLY ALIGNED FLOW DIVIDING MEANS, EACH OF WHICH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF (1) SUPERPOSED UPPER AND LOWER WALL MEANS, (2) ONE OF SAID WALL MEANS HAVING HORIZONTALLY OPPOSED PORTIONS DIVERGING UPWARDLY AND THE OTHER OF SAID WALL MEANS HAVING HORIZONTALLY OPPOSED PORTIONS CONVERGING UPWARDLY, AND (3) SAID FLOW DIVIDING MEANS BEING HORIZONTALLY ALIGNED, WITH THE TOPS OF THE LOWER WALL MEANS THEREOF BEING ALIGNED AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME ELEVATION AND THE BOTTOMS OF THE UPPER WALL MEANS THEREOF BEING ALIGNED AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME ELEVATION SO AS TO FORM A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTALLY ALIGNED AND ALTERNATING FIRST AND SECOND PASSAGEWAYS EXTENDING ACROSS, THE INTERIOR OF SAID REACTOR, WITH ALL OF SAID PASSAGEWAYS HAVING TOP AND BOTTOM OPENINGS PERMITTING GENERALLY VERTICAL FLOW THERETHROUGH, WITH THOSE OF SAID OPENINGS WHICH ARE BELOW MIXING ZONES COMMUNICATING DIRECTLY WITH THE LOWER PORTIONS OF SUCH MIXING ZONES AND THOSE OF SAID OPENINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE MIXING ZONES COMMUNICATING DIRECTLY WITH THE UPPER PORTIONS OF SUCH MIXING ZONES, AND WITH SAID FIRST PASSAGEWAYS BEING DIVERGING AND THEN COVERGING IN A VERTICALLY