Chemical reactor having means for removing impurities from a fluid stream

Claim 1

A CHEMICAL REACTOR FOR PROCESSING A FLUID STREAM COMPRISING A CHAMBER, A BED OF DISCRETE SOLID PARTICLES CONTAINED WITHIN SAID CHAMBER, ENTRANCE MEANS AND EXIT MEANS FOR SAID FLUID STREAM WITH SAID ENTRANCE MEANS BEING LOCATED ABOVE SAID EXIT MEANS AND SAID REACTOR HAVING MEANS FOR REMOVING PARTICULATE IMPURITIES WHICH MAY BE PRESENT IN SAID FLUID STREAM, SAID MEANS COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE HOLLOW ELONGATED BASKET MEMBER BEING OPEN AT THE UPSTREAM END THEREOF, AND BEING ADAPTED TO BE GENERALLY ALIGNED ALONG THE PRINCIPAL AXIS THEREOF WITH THE DIRECTION OF FLUID FLOW AND TO BE EXTENDED ALONG A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE LENGTH THEREOF INTO SAID BED OF SOLID PARTICLES, SAID BASKET MEMBER BEING DEFINEDD BY IMPERVIOUS UPSTREAM AND PERVIOUS DOWNSTREAM SIDEWALLS AND A PERVIOUS DOWNSTREAM ENDWALL, THE PERVIOUS DOWNSTREAM ENDWALL AND PERVIOUS DOWNSTREAM SIDEWALL ADJACENT SAID PERVIOUS DOWNSTREAM ENDWALL BEING OF OPEN MESH CONSTRUCTION, SAID IMPERVIOUS UPSTREAM SIDEWALL BEING OF LENGTH SUFFICIENT TO EXTEND BELOW THE SURFACE OF SAID BED AND SAID OPEN UPSTREAM END OF SAID BASKET MEMBER CONTAINING FLOW RESTRICTING MEANS ARRANGED AND CONSTRUCTED SO AS TO PROVIDE SAID OPEN UPSTREAM END WITH A CROSS-SECTIONAL FLOW PATH AREA WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE CROSS-SECTIONAL FLOW PATH AREA DEFINED BY SAID IMPERVIOUS UPSTREAM SIDEWALL.