Patent ID: 8534904

Claim:
An improved a gas-solids contactor, said gas solids contactor having an interior space being substantially filed with a multiplicity of solid particles having a defined diameter or range of diameters, said solid particles being fluidized in the interior space by a gas stream fed to said gas-solids contactor through one or more inlets, said one or more inlets having a diameter larger than the defined diameter or range of diameters of the solid particles, said improvement comprising: a plenum positioned between said one or more gas inlets and the interior space in the gas-solids contactor, one or more chambers positioned within said plenum and between the plenum and the interior space, the one or more chambers having a wall with a multiplicity of passageways there through and an interior volume to receive solid particles from said interior space when the source of gas to the plenum is interrupted, each of the multiplicity of passageways in the chamber wall having diameters less than the majority of the solid particles, the sum of the cross section areas of the multiplicity of passageways being at least equal to the sum of the cross section areas of the one or more inlets, wherein all of the gas entering the plenum from the gas inlets must pass through the passageways comprising the multiplicity of passageways in the chamber walls to enter the interior of the contactor.