Process for the simultaneous production of coke and gaseous unsaturated hydrocarbonsand apparatus therefor

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING PREDOMINANT YIELDS OF UNSATURATED C2 AND C3 HYDROCARBONS BY THE THERMAL CONVERSION OF A RESIDUAL HYDROCARBON FEED AND ALSO CONVERTING A PORTION OF SAID FEED TO COKE, WHICH COMPRISES, CONTINUOUSLY MOVING DOWNWARDLY, BY GRAVITY ALONE, A CONTINUOUS GRAVITY-PACKED BED OF HEATED SOLID PARTICLES THROUGH A CONFINED SPACE HAVING A SEPARATE UPPER, SHALLOW HIGH TEMPERATURE CONTACT ZONE, AND A DEEP, LOWER TEMPERATURE CONTACT ZONE; CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING THE RESIDUAL HYDROCARBON FEED IN LIQUID PHASE INTO THE UPPER PART OF THE LOWER TEMPERATURE ZONE; MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID LOWER TEMPERATURE ZONE SUCH AS TO MILDLY CRACK THE LIQUID PORTION OF THE CHARGE, WHEREBY THE UNVAPORIZED PORTION OF THE RESIDUAL HYDROCARBON FEED IS ULTIMATELY CONVERTED TO DRY COKE ON THE BED PARTICLES AND VAPORS; PASSING THE VAPOROUS PORTION OF SAID FEED UPWARDLY THROUGH INCREASING TEMPERATURE LEVELS IN THE PORTION OF THE BED COMPRISING THE UPPER SHALLOW CONTACT ZONE FOR A REACTION TIME BETWEEN SEVERAL SECONDS AND A FRACTION OF A SECOND; MAINTAINING TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS IN SAID UPPER BED PORTION IN THE TEMPERATURE RANGE FO 1100* F. TO 1800*F. SO AS TO YIELD A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF UNSATURATED HYDROCARBONS WITHIN SAID REACTION TIME; QUENCHING THE REACTED VAPORS AND REMOVING SAID QUENCHED VAPORS FROM THE CONFINED SPACE AT A SELECTED ELEVATION WITHIN THE SHALLOW CONTACT ZONE CORRESPONDING TO THE DESIRED AMOUNT OF CRACKING, THE AMOUNT OF CONTACT PARTICLES IN SAID UPPER BED PORTION BEING SUFFICIENTLY SMALL THAT THE TEMPERATURE DROP RESULTING FROM CRACKING IN THE UPPER BED PORTION IS GREAT ENOUGH TO AVOID EXCESSIVE CRACKING IN THE LOWER TEMPERATURE CONTACT ZONE, THE TEMPERATURE DROP OF THE PARTICLES IN SAID LOWER TEMPEATURE CONTACT ZONE REDUCING THE OUTLET TEMPERATURE OF THE PARTICLES TO A SMALL PROPORTION OF THE INLET TEMPERATURE; CONTROLLING THE MOVEMENT OF THE BED THROUGH THE CONFINED SPACE BY THE GRAVITY REMOVAL OF THE PARTICLES FROM THE LOWER PART OF THE CONFINED SPACE AS A FREE-FLOWING STREAM; AND REHEATING SUCH PARTICLES TO A PREDETERMNINED INLET TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 1100*F. TO 1800*F. IN SAID UPPER BED PORTION.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING PREDOMINANT YIELDS OF UNSATURATED C2 AND C3 HYDROCARBONS BY THE THERMAL CONVERSION OF A RESIDUAL HYDROCARBON FEED AND ALSO CONVERTING A PORTION OF SAID FEED TO COKE, WHICH COMPRISES, CONTINUOUSLY MOVING DOWNWARDLY, BY GRAVITY ALONE, A CONTINUOUS GRAVITY-PACKED BED OF HEATED SOLID PARTICLES THROUGH A CONFINED SPACE HAVING A SEPARATE UPPER, SHALLOW HIGH TEMPERATURE CONTACT ZONE, AND A DEEP, LOWER TEMPERATURE CONTACT ZONE; CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING THE RESIDUAL HYDROCARBON FEED IN LIQUID PHASE INTO THE UPPER PART OF THE LOWER TEMPERATURE ZONE; MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID LOWER TEMPERATURE ZONE SUCH AS TO MILDLY CRACK THE LIQUID PORTION OF THE CHARGE, WHEREBY THE UNVAPORIZED PORTION OF THE RESIDUAL HYDROCARBON FEED IS ULTIMATELY CONVERTED TO DRY COKE ON THE BED PARTICLES AND VAPORS; PASSING THE VAPOROUS PORTION OF SAID FEED UPWARDLY THROUGH INCREASING TEMPERATURE LEVELS IN THE PORTION OF THE BED COMPRISING THE UPPER SHALLOW CONTACT ZONE FOR A REACTION TIME BETWEEN SEVERAL SECONDS AND A FRACTION OF A SECOND; MAINTAINING TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS IN SAID UPPER BED PORTION IN THE TEMPERATURE RANGE FO 1100* F. TO 1800*F. SO AS TO YIELD A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF UNSATURATED HYDROCARBONS WITHIN SAID REACTION TIME; QUENCHING THE REACTED VAPORS AND REMOVING SAID QUENCHED VAPORS FROM THE CONFINED SPACE AT A SELECTED ELEVATION WITHIN THE SHALLOW CONTACT ZONE CORRESPONDING TO THE DESIRED AMOUNT OF CRACKING, THE AMOUNT OF CONTACT PARTICLES IN SAID UPPER BED PORTION BEING SUFFICIENTLY SMALL THAT THE TEMPERATURE DROP RESULTING FROM CRACKING IN THE UPPER BED PORTION IS GREAT ENOUGH TO AVOID EXCESSIVE CRACKING IN THE LOWER TEMPERATURE CONTACT ZONE, THE TEMPERATURE DROP OF THE PARTICLES IN SAID LOWER TEMPEATURE CONTACT ZONE REDUCING THE OUTLET TEMPERATURE OF THE PARTICLES TO A SMALL PROPORTION OF THE INLET TEMPERATURE; CONTROLLING THE MOVEMENT OF THE BED THROUGH THE CONFINED SPACE BY THE GRAVITY REMOVAL OF THE PARTICLES FROM THE LOWER PART OF THE CONFINED SPACE AS A FREE-FLOWING STREAM; AND REHEATING SUCH PARTICLES TO A PREDETERMNINED INLET TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 1100*F. TO 1800*F. IN SAID UPPER BED PORTION.