Catalyst regeneration

Claim 1

PROCESS OF REGENERATING CATALYST BY BURNING OF CARBONACEOUS DEPOSIT THEREFROM IN CONTACT WITH OXYGEN-CONTAINING REGENERATING GAS, WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING HOT COKECONTAINING CATALYST DIRECTLY FROM A PRECEDING HYDROCARBON CONVERSION REACTION INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF A CONFINED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENSIVE ZONE TO FORM A COMPACT DOWNWARDLY MOVING BED THEREIN, CONTINUOUSLY DISCHARGING REGENERATED CATALYST AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID CONFINED ZONE FOR RETURN TO SAID HYDROCARBON CONVERSION REACTION, INTRODUCING COOL REGENERATING GAS AT A SINGLE INLET LEVEL BETWEEN THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF SAID BED, SAID REGENERATING GAS BEING INTRODUCED IN QUANTITY SUFFICIENT TO EFFECT COMBUSTION OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE QUANTITY OF COKE IN SAID CATALYST FROM SAID PRECEDING HYDROCARBON CONVERSION REACTION DISTRIBUTING THE GAS SO INTRODUCED SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY OVER THE CROSSSECTION OF THE BED, FLOWING A PORTION OF THE INTRODUCED REGENERATING GAS UPWARDLY AND COUNTER-CURRENTLY THROUGH THE BED OF CATALYST ABOVE THE GAS INLET LEVEL AND FLOWING THE REMAINDER OF THE GAS INLET LEVEL AND FLOWING THE REMAINDER OF THE BED OF CATALYST BELOW SAID LEVEL, SEPARATELY DISCHARGING GAS INCLUDING VAPOROUS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS FORMED IN REGENERATION OF THE CATALYST RESPECTIVELY ABOVE AND BELOW SAID GAS INLET LEVEL, THE BED OF CATALYST IN SAID CONFINED ZONE MOVING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH AN UNOBSTRUCTED PATH OF CONSIDERABLE LONGITUDINAL EXTENT ABOVE SAID GAS INLET LEVEL AND ALSO THROUGH AN UNOBSTRUCTED PATH OF CONSIDERABLE LONGITUDINAL EXTENT BELOW SAID INLET LEVEL, THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID COOL REGENERATING GAS AS INTRODUCED BEING CONSIDERABLY BELOW THAT OF THE CATALYST AT SAID GAS INLET LEVEL SO THAT SUBSTANTIALLY COOLING OF THE CATALYST IS THEREBY EFFECTED BY DIRECT CONTRACT OF SAID COOL GAS WITH SAID CATALYST, THEREBY INCREASING THE CAPACITY OF THE CATALYST FOR FURTHER HEATING AND PERMITTING UNHINDERED COMBUSTION OF COKE FROM THE CATALYST AT RAPID RATES ABOVE AND BELOW SAID GAS INLET LEVEL WHILE MAINTAINING A MIXIMUM REGENERATION TEMPERATURE BELOW THAT DETRIMENTAL TO THE CATALYST.