Floating catalyst bed contactor

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SUSPENDING MATERIAL PARTICLES IN SUBSTANTIAL FLOW EQUILIBRIUM WITHIN A CIRCULATION VESSEL COMPRISING A VERTICALLY ORIENTED LIQUID FLOW CIRCULATION VESSEL SHELL, A PROTION OF SAID VERTICAL SHELL THEREOF TAPERED DOWNWARDLY IN REDUCING DIAMETER CONICAL FASHION, A VERTICALLY ORIENTED CIRCULATING TUBE POSITIONED WITHIN SAID VESSEL SHELL AND CONFORMING IN SHAPE THEREOF TO THAT OF THE SIDES OF THE VESSEL SHELL IMMEDIATELY CONCENTRIC THERETO WHEREBY TO PROVIDE, INTERIORLY THEREOF, IN A PORTION OF THE HEIGHT THEREOF, AN INVERTED FRUSTO-CONICAL ZONE OF UPWARDLY INCREASING INNER DIAMETER, IMPELLER MEANS POSITIONED IN THE LOWER END OF SAID CIRCULATING TUBE OPERATIVE TO CIRCULATE LIQUID DOWNWARDLY BETWEEN THE CIRCULATING TUBE AND VESSEL SHELL AND UPWARDLY INTERNALLY OF THE CIRCULATING TUBE, A CONCENTRIC CYLINDRICAL SECTION OF TUBE AND SHELL ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THE VESSEL RECEIVING THE IMPELLER, A PARTICLE SCREENING MESH POSITONED ABOVE THE IMPELLER MEANS IN THE CIRCULATING TUBE AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL ZONE, A PARTICLE SCREENING MESH BLOCKING OFF THE TOP OF THE ANNULUS BETWEEN THE CIRCULATING TUBE AND THE VESSEL SHELL, SAID VESSEL LIQUID FULL IN OPERATION TO A LEVEL ABOVE THE TOP OF THE CIRCULATING TUBE.