Countercurrent catalytic contact of a reactant stream in a multiple-stage process and the apparatus therefor

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR EFFECTING THE MULTIPLE-STAGE, COUNTERCURRENT CONTACT AND CONVERSION OF A HYDROCARBON REACTANT STREAM WITH HYDROCARBON CONVERSION CATALYST PARTICLES MOVABLE THROUGH SAID STAGES VIA GRAVITY-FLOW, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES THE STEPS OF A. INTRODUCING A FIRST PORTION OF SAID REACANT STREAM INTO A REACTION CHAMBER, CONTAINING AT LEAST TOW VERTICALLY-DISPOSED REACTION ZONES, AT A LOCUS INTERMEDIATE SAID REACTION ZONES, B. PASSING SAID FIRST PORTION DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE LOWER OF SAID REACTION ZONES AND FLOWING SAID PORTION LATERALLY, IN RADIAL FLOW, THROUGH A FIRST ANNULAR-FORM CATALYST BED, IN WHICH THE CATALYST PARTICLES ARE MOVABLE VIA GRAVITYFLOW, INTO A CENTER REACTANT CONDUIT, C. INTRODUCING A SECOND PORTION OF SAID REACTANT STREAM INTO THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF SAID CENTER REACANT CONDUIT, WITHIN SAID LOWER REACTION ZONE, D. INTRODUCING THE RESULTING MIXTURE OF SAID SECOND REACTANT STREAM PORTION AND THE REACTION PRODUCT OF SAID FIRST REACTANT STREAM PORTION INTO A CENTER REACTANT CONDUIT WITHIN THE UPPER OF SAID REACTION ZONES, E. PASSING SAID MIXTURE UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID UPPER REACTION ZONE AND FLOWING SAID MIXTURE LATERALLY, IN RADIAL FLOW, THROUGH A SECOND ANNULAR-FORM CATALYST BED, IN WHICH THE CATALYST PARTICLES ARE MOVABLE VIA GRAVITY-FLOW, INTO AN OUTER ANNULAR-FORM VOID VOLUME, AND, F. WITHDRAWING THE RESULTING CONVERTED REACTANT STREAM FROM AN UPPER PORTION OF SAID SECOND ANNULAR-FORM CATALYST BED.