Contacting liquid hydrocarbons in a moving bed hydrocarbon conversion system

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF CONVERTING HIGHER BOILING LIDUID HYDROCARBONS TO PRODUCTS OF LOWER BOILING POINTS IN CONTACT WITH GRANULAR ADSORPTIVE CATALYST, WHICH COMPRISES HEATING AND PARTIALLY VAPORIZING SUCH LIQUID HYDROCARBONS BY CONTACTING THE SAME IN LIQUID STATE WITH HOT CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE CAPABLE OF CAUSING COKING OF SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBONS, SAID CONTACTING BEING EFFECTED BY ENGAGING SAID HOT CATALYST WHILE IN A STATE OF RELATIVELY HIGH CONCENTRATION AND WHILE BEING IMPELLED AND ELEVATED THROUGH AN UNOBSTRUCTED PATH INTO A LATERALLY CONFINED LIFT PATH BUT PRIOR TO ENTRANCE INTO SAID CONFINED LIFT PATH WITH A PERIPHERALLY INTRODUCED STREAM OF SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBONS DIRECTED GENERALLY DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY FROM A LEVEL APPROXIMATELY THE ENTRANCE TO SAID CONFINED LIFT PATH, SAID HOT CATALYST BEING SO IMPELLED AND ELEVATED BY A FLOWING GAS STREAM COMPATIBLE WITH HYDROCARBONS, DISCHARGING SAID CATALYST FROM SAID CONFINED LIFT PATH TO TERMINATE UPWARD MOVEMENT TO SAID CATALYS, THEREAFTER PASSING SAID CATALYST BY GRAVITY AS A COMPACT BED THROUGH A CONVERSION ZONE, AND CONTACTING SAID BED OF CATALYST IN SAID CONVERSION ZONE WITH AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE HYDROCARBON VAPORS FORMED FROM SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBONS TO EFFECT DESIRED CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBON VAPORS UNDER CATALYTIC CONVERSION CONDITIONS.