High velocity process for synthesis of organic compounds

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE HYDROGENATION OF AN OXIDE OF CARBON TO PRODUCE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS HAVING MORE THAN ONE CARBON ATOM PER MOLECULE WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING A FINELY-DIVIDED METAL HYDROGENATING CATALYST COMPRISING IRON AND A GASEOUS MIXTURE COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND AN OXIDE OF CARBON INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF AN ELONGATED REACTION ZONE, PASSING GASES UPWARD THROUGH SAID ELONGATED REACTION ZONE AT A LINEAR VELOCITY OF AT LEAST ABOUT 5 FEET PER SECOND TO SUSPEND SAID CATALYST IN THE GASES SUCH THAT THE CONCENTRATION OF CATALYST IN GASES IS SMALLER THAN THE CONCENTRATION OF THE SAME CATALYST WHEN UTILIZED UNDER OPEATING CONDITIONS TO OBTAIN A DENSE PHASE CATALYST BED AND SUCH THAT FINELY-DIVIDED METAL CATALYST MOVES IN THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF THE GASES THROUGH SAID ELONGATED REACTION ZONE, MAINTAINING SUITABLE CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE AND RESIDENCE TIME FOR THE CONVERSION OF A MAJOR PROPORTION OF SAID OXIDE OF CARBON IN SAID ELONGATED REACTION ZONE, MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID REACTION ZONE AT AT LEAST 550* F. AND WITHIN A RELATIVELY NARROW RANGE OF NOT GREATER THAN 100* F. BY INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH A COOLING MEDIUM WHICH IS AT A TEMPERATURE SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN THE TEMPERATURE OF REACTION, PASSING FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID ELONGATED REACTION ZONE A GASEOUS EFFLUENT CONTAINING FINELY-DIVIDED METAL HYDROGENATING CATALYST THROUGH A CONFINED PASSAGEWAY TO A SEPARATION ZONE IN WHICH FINELYDIVIDED CATALYST IS SEPARATED FROM GASES, MAINTAINING THE PRESSURE DROP IN THE CONFINED PASSAGEWAY BETWEEN SAID REACTION ZONE AND SAID SEPARATION ZONE NOT GREATER THAN ABOUT 80 INCHES OF WATER, RECOVERING FROM SAID EFFLUENT ORGANIC COMPOUNDS HAVING MORE THAN ONE CARBON ATOM PER MOLECULE AS PRODUCTS OF THE PROCESS, WITHDRAWING CATALYST FROM SAID SEPARATION ZONE, AND PASSING CATALYST THUS SEPARATED TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID ELONGATED REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN ABOUT 20* F. OF THE REACTION TEMPERATURE THROUGH A CONFINED PASSAGEWAY.