Isothermal-adiabatic catalytic hydrocarbon conversion

Claim 1

IN THE METHOD OF CATALYTIC HYDROCARBON CONVERSION WHEREIN IN A CLOSED CONTAINER A PLURALITY OF VERTICAL TUBULAR REACTION ZONES ARE ESTABLISHED, WHEREIN IN EACH OF SAID TUBULAR REACTION ZONES A SINGLE COLUMNAR STATIC BED OF PARTICLE-FORM SOLIDS HYDROCARBON CONVERSION CATALYST, HEREINAFTER DESIGNATED CATALYST, IS ESTABLISHED, WHEREIN THE PREPONDERANT PORTION OF EACH OF SAID TUBULAR REACTION ZONES WITHIN SAID CLOSED CONTAINER IS IN DIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE RELATION WITH HEAT TRANSFER MEDIUM, WHEREIN THE TOTAL PERIPHERY OF EACH OF SAID SINGLE COLUMNAR STATIC BEDS OF CATALYST IS IN CONTACT WITH THE WALL OF SAID TUBULAR REACTION ZONE AND THUS EACH SAID SINGLE COLUMNAR STATIC BED OF CATALYST IS IN INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE RELATION THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LENGTH THEREOF WITH SAID HEAT TRANSFER MEDIUM, WHEREIN A SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL VOLUME OF CHARGE MIXTURE COMPRISING VAPOROUS HYDROCARBON REACTANT IS INTRODUCED INTO EACH OF SAID TUBULAR REACTION ZONES, WHEREIN SAID CHARGE MIXTURE FLOWS DOWNWARLDY THROUGH SAID SINGLE COLUMNAR STATIC BED OF CATALYST IN EACH OF SAID REACTION TUBES WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL INDIRECT HEAT TRANSFER RELATION WITH SAID HEAT TRANSFER MEDIUM, AND WHEREIN THE EFFLUENTS OF SAID PLURALITY OF VERTICAL REACTION ZONES ARE COMBINED TO FORM FEED FOR A SINGLE ADIABATIC REACTION ZONE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES IN EACH OF THE AFORESAID VERTICAL REACTION ZONES ESTABLISHING A PLURALITY OF ANNULAR MAJOR STATIC BEDS OF SAID CATALYST COMPRISING A HEAD ANNULAR MAJOR CATALYST BED, AT LEAST ONE INTERMEDIATE ANNULAR MAJOR CATALYST BED, AND A TAIL ANNULAR MAJOR CATALYST BED, THE OUTER PERIPHERIES OF ALL OF SAID ANNULAR MAJOR STATIC CATALYST BEDS BEING SPACED FROM THE INNER PERIPHERIES OF SAID TUBULAR REACTION TUBES TO FORM OUTER VAPOR PATHWAYS BETWEEN THE OUTER PERIPHERIES OF SAID MAJOR CATALYST BEDS AND THE INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID REACTION ZONE FOR VAPOROUS CHARGE MIXTURE, EACH OF SAID ANNULAR MAJOR CATALYST BEDS BEING DIVIDED HORIZONTALLY INTO AN UPPER MINOR ANNULAR CATALYST BED AND A LOWER MINOR ANNULAR CATALYST BED, THE INNER PERIPHERY OF EACH OF SAID ANNULAR MINOR CATALYST BEDS FORMING AN INNER VAPOR PATHWAY FOR VAPOROUS CHARGE MIXTURE, EACH OF SAID MINOR ANNULAR CATALYST BEDS BEING IN VARPOROUS COMMUNICATION WITH CONTIGUOUS MINOR ANNULAR CATALYST BEDS FOR SUBSTANTIALLY LATERAL FLOW OF VAPOROUS CHARGE MIXTURE ALTERNATELY BETWEEN SAID OUTER VAPOR PATHWAY AND SAID INNER VAPOR PATHWAY AND FLOWING SAID CHARGE MIXTURE LATERALLY THROUGH SAID MINOR ANNULAR BEDS OF CATALYST ALTERNATELY IN ONE DIRECTION AND THEN IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, AND HEATING SAID VAPOROUS CHARGE MIXTURE BY INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH SAID HEAT TRANSFER MEDIUM WHILST SAID CHARGE MIXTURE IS FLOWING THROUGH EACH OF SAID OUTER VAPOR PATHWAYS.