Composition and reforming process for the operation of a magnetically

Abstract

A catalytic reforming process for the operation of a magnetically stabilized fluidized bed. The process utilizes catalyst compositions characterized as a particulate material which can be oriented within, and formed into a magnetically stabilized fluidized bed which comprises: (i) particles of average size ranging from about 10 micrometers (.mu.m) to about 4000 .mu.m, each containing a nonferromagnetic component and a catalytically active component composited with a single elongate ferromagnetic component or plurality of parallelly aligned elongate ferromagnetic components. The ferromagnetic component, or components, are multidomain, having dimensions of at least 1 .mu.m in all directions and a length:diameter (L/D) ratio of at least 2 but not more than 17.3, and the ferromagnetic component, or components, is present in the composite particles as inclusions within a nonferromagnetic matrix constituting at least 0.5%, preferably at least 5%, but not more than 3/2(L/D).sup.2 of the total volume of each particle, where the L/D is the ratio of the longest dimension of a ferromagnetic inclusion relative to the shortest dimension. The particles can, in said magnetically stabilized fluidized bed, rotate or turn to line up the long dimensions of the ferromagnetic components parallel to the direction of the field and the short dimensions perpendicular to the direction of the field.