Method and apparatus for hydrocarbon conversion

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR THE CONVERSION OF THE HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBONS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A SUBSTANTIALLY UPRIGHT ELONGATED REACTOR ADAPTED FOR PASSAGE OF PARTICLE FORM CONTACT MATERIAL THERETHROUGH AS A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN OF DOWNWARDLY MOVING PARTICLES, LIQUID CHARGE NOZZLES IN THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID REACTOR, INLET CONDUIT MEANS TO SUPPLY LIQUID CHARGE TO SAID NOZZLES, GAS COLLECTORS IN THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID VESSEL AND CONDUIT MEANS COMMUNICATING SAID COLLECTORS FOR WITHDRAWAL OF GASIFORM PRODUCTS, A SUBSTANTIALLY UPRIGHT ELONGATED REGENERATION VESSEL ADAPTED FOR PASSAGE OF CONTACT MATERIAL THERETHROUGH AS A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN OF DOWNWARDLY MOVING PARTICLES, MEANS TO CONDUCT CONTACT MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER END OF SAID REACTOR TO SAID REGENERATION VESSEL, MEANS TO INTRODUCE COMBUSTION SUPPORTING GAS INTO SAID REGENERATION VESSEL AND MEANS TO WITHDRAW REGENERATION GAS FROM SAID VESSEL, MEANS TO CONDUCT REGENERATED CONTACT MATERIAL FROM SAID REGENERATION VESSEL TO SAID REACTOR, HEAT TRANSFER TUBES ARRANGED WITHIN SAID REGENERATOR TO PERMIT CONTROL OF THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID CONTACT MATERIAL BELOW A HEAT DAMAGING LEVEL, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED GROUPS OF HEAT TRANSFER TUBES ARRANGED AT VERTICALLY SPACED INTERVALS WITHIN SAID REACTOR, SAID GROUPS BEING SPACED VERTICALLY SUBSTANTIALLY FURTHER APART THAN THE TUBES WITHIN THE