Distributing fluids into fluidized beds

Claim 1

A fluidized bed apparatus comprising: (a) a vessel having an interior space defined by vertical wall means; (b) a bed of particulate material contained within said vessel; (c) means for supporting said bed of particulate material within said interior of said vessel, said support means being provided with a plurality of openings for introduction of a fluidizing fluid into the bed, said support means spanning said vertical wall means in a generally horizontal plane; (d) nozzles mounted on and extending vertically from the upper surface of said support means, each of said nozzles communicating with one of said openings to provide a flow passage for the fluidizing fluid, a first plurality of said nozzles having outlets in a horizontal plane above said upper surface of said support means and above a horizontal plane defined by the outlets of a second plurality of nozzles and laterally spaced therefrom, said nozzles cooperating to fluidize the particulate material above the outlets of said nozzles along a continuous contoured interface between the fluidized particulate material and unfluidized particulate material or non-fluidizable material forming part of said support means, said contoured interface having a plurality of structurally noncommunicating, separate and distinct depressions laterally spaced in a horizontal plane; and (e) at least one conduit for introducing a second fluid, said conduit extending generally horizontally within the interior of the vessel, the length of said conduit running above the outlets of said second plurality of nozzles, above the support means and below the outlets of said first plurality of nozzles, the terminus of said conduit being located at a position laterally spaced between the vertical walls spanned by said bed support means and between nozzles of said first and second pluralities and protruding into a depression normally occupied by fluidized material.