Patent ID: 7059818

Claim:
A process for distributing a lumpy bulk material onto an extensive surface, wherein the surface extends within a reactor or vessel used in physical or chemical processing, and the vessel having a vertical longitudinal axis; the process comprising: charging the lumpy material into the vessel via respective chutes at at least two locations of the vessel and the locations being spaced at a distance from the vertical longitudinal axis of the reactor and above the surface, and after the material has been introduced into the chutes and before the material contacts the extensive surface in the vessel, scattering at least a portion of the lumpy bulk material entering via at least one of the chutes for increased scattered distribution of the lumpy material over the surface, the scattering being in at least one of the radial and tangential directions with respect to the surface in the vessel for increasing the cross-sectional area of flow of the lumpy material traveling through each one of the at least one of the chutes, wherein the cross-sectional area of flow is measured perpendicularly to the direction of flow of the lumpy material, and selecting the locations of charging of the bulk material into the vessel so that the scattering process is of sufficient extent that scatter areas on the surface formed by adjacent locations of charging of lumpy material cause partial overlap of the scatter areas of adjacent areas of charging even before the lumpy material reaches the surface in the vessel.