Abstract: The invention relates to contact-making between a gas phase, at least one liquid phase, and at least one comminuted solid phase.The process uses a cell or compartment provided with at least one deflecting means such as the sloping wall 3 designed to impart an overall circulatory motion to the solid phase and with gas phase distributor 1, supplying this compartment with solid products, supplying this compartment with a liquid phase so as to cover entirely the solid when at rest, and feeding the compartment with the gas phase through the distributor 1 for the purpose of generating in said compartment a periodic pulsing stage consisting of gas-phase decompressions and layer contractions.The invention permits achieving an intimate contact between three distinct phases for the purpose of transfer(s) or of reaction(s) between these phases.

Abstract: A process for fluidizing a particulate solid and wherein the process uses an apparatus having a chamber with a fluid distributor at its base and containing at least one elementary compartment formed by a conduit having a cross-section "S", at least one obstacle at its base arranged symmetrically in relation to the axis of the conduit, each such compartment being fed with a quantity of the particulate product and with an upwardly flowing fluid, the particulate material being of at least 1 mm granulometry, the obstacle or obstacles of each cell being adapted to define an open inlet section "s" at its base for the fluid of a dimension given by 0.12.ltoreq.s/S.ltoreq.0.