Cracking apparatus

Claim 1

IN A VERTICALLY DOSPOSED CYLINDRICAL FLUID CATALYST CRACKING REACTOR HAVING AT ITS UPPER END A PORT FOR PRODUCTS DISCHARGE AND AT ITS LOWER END A PORT FOR SPENT CATALYST DISCHARGE, THE COMBINATION WITH A CONDUIT FOR INTRODUCTION OF AN OIL VAPOR-CATALYST MIXTURE INTO A LOWER ZONE OF THE REACTOR, SAID CONDUIT TERMINATING IN AN UPWARDLY ENLARGING, FUNNEL-SHAPED PORTION WITHIN THE REACTOR, THE VERTICAL AXIS OF WHICH CORRESPONDS ESSTENTIALLY TO THE VERTICAL AXIS OF THE REACTOR, AND OF A MAXIMUM DIAMETER SMALLER THAN THAT OF THE REACTOR, A CYLINDRICAL SKIRT EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE UPPER END OF SAID FROM-SHAPED PORTION SO CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED AS TO DELINEATE AN ANNULAR SPACE WITHIN THE REACTOR IN OPEN COMMUNICATION AT ITS LOWER END WITH THE CATALYST DISCHARGE PORT, A PLURALITY OF SERIESD OF PASSAGEWAYS EXTENDING THROUGH THE SKIRT AT DIFFERENT ELEVATIONS CONNECTING THE RESPECTIVE ZONES DELINEATED BY THE SKIRT, CLOSURE MEANS ACTUATABLE FROM WITHOUT THE REACTOR, ADAPTED TO THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE RESPECTIVE PASSAGEWAYS WHEREBY THE DEPTH OF THE CATALYST BED IN THE ZONE ENCLOSED BY THE SKIRT MAY BE REGULATED, AND A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED GRIDS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS THE SAID ZONE AT ELEVATIONS INTERMEDIATE THE RESPECTIVE SERIES OF PASSAGEWAYS.