Process of promoting reactions in a fluidized bed comprising a plurality of catalysts

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR PROMOTING CHEMICAL REACTIONS IN A REACTION CHAMBER, COMPRISING, PASSING AN AERIFORM FLUID UPARDLY THROUGH A FLUIDIZED STRATIFIED MASS OF SUBDIVIDED SMALL-SIZE SOLIDS CONFINED IN SAID CHAMBER SUBSTANTIALLY FROM BENEATH SAID MASS WHILE SAID SOLIDS ARE AT A TEMPERATURE SUITABLE FOR PROMOTING CHEMICAL REACTIONS, SAID MASS OF SOLIDS COMPRISING PARTICLES HAVING DIFFERENT PHYSICAL AND CATALYTIC CHARACTERISTICS, INTRODUCING A VOLATILIZABLE LIQUID INTO ONE OF THE LAYERS OF SAID STRATIFIED MASS ABOVE THE BOTTOM THEREOF, CAUSING SAID LIQUID TO SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY VAPORIZE IN SAID MASS THE VAPORS FORMING WITH SAID AERIFORM FLUID A COMBINED STREAM HAVING SUFFICIENT VELOCITY TO MAINTAIN SAID SOLIDS IN A FLUIDIZED CONDITION IN SAID CHAMBER, PROMOTING CHEMICAL REACTION IN SAID STREAM WHILE PASSING THROUGH SAID CHAMBER IN CONTACT WITH SAID SOLIDS, AT LEAST ONE OF THE COMPONENTS OF SAID COMBINED STREAM ENTERING SAID REACTION, AND DISCHARING THE STREAM CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE VALUABLE REACTION PRODUCT AND RECOVERING IT, SAID FLUIDIZED MASS OF SOLIDS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT LAYERS THE PARTICLES OF ONE LAYER COMPRISING LARGELY DIFFERENT CATALYST FROM THOSE OF AN ADJACENT LAYER.

Claim 3

IN THE PROCESS OF PROMOTING CHEMICAL REACTIONS IN A FLUIDIZED MASS OF SMALL-SIZE SOLID PARTICLES WHICH MASS COMPRISES TWO DIFFERENT CATALYSTS OF DIFFERENT PARTICLE SIZE AND DENSITY BY PASSING A FLUID STREAM INITIALLY CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE REACTANT MATERIAL UPWARDLY INTO AND THROUGH SAID MASS WHILE SAID MASS IS CONFINED IN A REACTION CHAMBER WHILE ITS PARTICLES ARE AT A TEMPERATURE FAVORABLE FOR SAID CHEMICAL REACTIONS TO OCCUR AND REMOVING THE REACTION PRODUCT FROM ABOVE SAID MASS, THE STEPS COMPRISING, FLUIDIZING A BED OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF SMALL-SIZE SOLID PARTICLES WHICH BED COMPRISES PARTICLES HAVING DIFFERENT PHYSICAL AND CATALYTIC CHARACTERISTICS, BY PASSING A FLUID STREAM INITIALLY CONTAINING REACTANT MATETRIAL UPWARDLY THERETHROUGH AT A FLUIDIZING VELOCITY, SO SELECTING THE SAID DIFFERENT KINDS OF PARTICLES AS TO THEIR DENSITIES AND SIZE THAT THEY FORM DIFFERENT STRATIFIED LAYERS IN THE FLUIDIZED BED, PARTICLES DISPOSED IN ONE OF SAID LAYERS HAVING DIFFERENT CATALYTIC ACTIVITY ON THE REACTION OF SAID MATERIAL THAN THOSE DISPOSED IN AN ADJACENT LAYER, WHEREBY THE STREAM INITIALLY CONTAINING SAID REACTANT MATERIAL PASSES SERIALLY THROUGH THE THUS STRATIFIED LAYERS, AND AT LEAST PARTLY COOLING THE STREAM CONTAINING THE REACTION PRODUCTS BEFORE IT LEAVES SAID CHAMBER.

Claim 4

IN THE PROCESS OF PROMOTING CHEMICAL REACTIONS IN A FLUIDIZED MASS OF SMALL-SIZE SOLID PARTICLES WHICH MASS COMPRISES TWO DIFFERENT CATALYSTS OF DIFFERENT PARTICLE SIZE AND DENSITY BY PASSING A FLUID STREAM INITIALLY CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE REACTANT MATERIAL UPWARDLY INTO AND THROUGH SAID MASS WHILE SAID MASS IS CONFINED IN A REACTION CHAMBER WHILE ITS PARTICLES ARE AT A TEMPERATURE FAVORABLE FOR SAID CHEMICAL REACTIONS TO OCCUR AND REMOVING THE REACTION PRODUCT FROM ABOVE SAID MASS, THE STEPS COMPRISING, FLUIDIZING A BED OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF SMALL-SIZE SOLID PARTICLES WHICH BED COMPRISES PARTICLES HAVING DIFFERENT PHYSICAL AND CATALYTIC CHARACTERISTICS, BY PASSING A FLUID STREAM INITIALLY CONTAINING REACTANT MATETRIAL UPWARDLY THERETHROUGH AT A FLUIDIZING VELOCITY, SO SELECTING THE SAID DIFFERENT KINDS OF PARTICLES AS TO THEIR DENSITIES AND SIZE THAT THEY FORM DIFFERENT STRATIFIED LAYERS IN THE FLUIDIZED BED, PARTICLES DISPOSED IN ONE OF SAID LAYERS HAVING DIFFERENT CATALYTIC ACTIVITY ON THE REACTION OF SAID MATERIAL THAN THOSE DISPOSED IN AN ADJACENT LAYER, WHEREBY THE STREAM INITIALLY CONTAINING SAID REACTANT MATERIAL PASSES SERIALLY THROUGH THE THUS STRATIFIED LAYERS, AND AT LEAST PARTLY COOLING THE STREAM CONTAINING THE REACTION PRODUCTS BEFORE IT LEAVES SAID CHAMBER.