Ebullated bed process

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR AVOIDING THE LOSS OF FLUIDIZATION OF AN EBULLATED CATALYST BED RESULTING FROM THE FORMATION OF TWO MUTUALLY INSOLUBLE LIQUID PHASES DURING THE CATALYTIC HYDROCONVERSION OF HEAVY ASPHALTENE CONTAINING RESIDUAL OILS WHEREIN THE CATALYST IS OF A SIZE BETWEEN 60 MESH AND ONE-HALF INCH DIAMETER AND THE HYDROCONVERSION IS CARRIED OUT IN A REACTION ZONE AT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 700* AND 900*F, AT PRESSURE BETWEEN 500 AND 3000 PSIG WITH A SPACE VELOCITY OF THE RESIDUAL OIL BETWEEN 0.2 AND 2.0 VOLUMES OF FEED PER HOUR PER VOLUME OF REACTION ZONE AND WHEREIN ONE OF THE LIQUID PHASES HAS THE HEAVIEST AND LARGEST MOLECULES AND IS INSOLUBLE IN THE OTHER LIQUID PHASE, SAID LIQUID PHASE HAVING THE HEAVIEST AND LARGEST MOLECULES BEING A MINOR PORTION OF THE TOTAL LIQUID IN THE REACTION ZONE: A. ADDING A SECOND PARTICULATE SOLID WHICH IS ALUMINA TO SAID EBULLATED BED AT A RATE TO ABSORB THE LIQUID PHASE THAT DEFLUIDIZES THE CATALYST WHEREIN SAID SECOND PARTICULATE SOLID HAS A DIAMETER OF LESS THAN 10 PERCENT OF THE DIAMETER OF SAID CATALYST AND HAS MORE THAN 0.2 CC/GRAM OF ITS PORE VOLUME IN PORES WITH DIAMETERS OF AT LEAST 10,000 ANGSTROMS; AND B. PASSING SAID SECOND SOLID UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID CATALYST AND OUT OF SAID BED WITH THE LIQUID PHASE THAT WOULD DEFLUIDIZE THE EBULLATED CATALYST BED.