Patent ID: 8778292

Claim:
A multi-stage fluidized bed process for synthesizing trichlorosilane comprising: feeding a stream of silicon particles into a first fluidizing zone in a heated reaction vessel at a feed location, the reaction vessel comprising multiple intercommunicating fluidizing zones disposed laterally adjacent one to another; separately feeding a fluidizing gas upwardly through each fluidizing zone to fluidize the silicon particles in each fluidizing zone, wherein the fluidizing gas comprises hydrogen chloride and reacts with the silicon particles to form trichlorosilane; guiding a portion of the stream of silicon particles through the fluidizing zones laterally in sequence from the feed location; reducing the feed rate of the fluidizing gas fed into subsequent fluidizing zones as the average size of the silicon particles is reduced in each subsequent fluidizing zone; and outputting gaseous product comprising trichlorosilane from at least one gas outlet in communication with the reaction vessel to a downstream processing system or storage system.