Continuous hydrocarbon conversion process and apparatus

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR CONVERGING HEAVY RESIDUE HYDROCARBON INTO MAXIMUM YIELDS OF MORE VALUABLE LIQUID PRODUCTS AND MINIMUM YIELDS OF COKE WHICH CONSISTS IN PREHEATING THE CHARGE RESIDUUM TO 700-900* F., THEN CONTACTING IT WITH MATERIAL SO QUANTITY OF PREHEATED SOLID CONTACT MATERIAL SO THAT PRIMARY VAPORIZATION EVOLVES VAPORS OF GAS OIL BOILING RANGE AND THE UNVAPORIZED LIQUID PORTION OF THE CHARGE IS APPLIED TO THE PARTICLES OF CONTACT MATERIAL, CAUSING THE CONTACT MATERIAL PARTICLES THUS WETTED TO FLOW DOWNWARD AS A COMPACT GRAVITY PACKED BED IN A SEALED REACTION ZONE WITHOUT FURTHER ADDITION OF HEAT FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO CONVERT THE LIQUID HYDROCARBON CARRIED BY THE PARTICLES INTO LOWER BOILING VAPORS AND A VERY HEAVY RESIDUUM AMOUNTING TO ONE AND A HALF TO FOUR TIMES THE CARBON RESIDUE CONTENT OF THE ORIGINAL CHARGE, BUT NOT SUFICIENT FOR COMPLETE CONVERSION TO DRY PETROLEUM COKE; REMOVING THE WET COKE FROM THE REACTION ZONE AND PASSING IT THROUGH A GAS SEALED ZONE, REMOVING THE LOWER BOILING VAPORS FROM THE UPPER AND END OF THE REACTION ZONE, INTRODUCING THE CONTACT PARTICLES CARRYING THE VERY HEAVY RESIDUUM INTO A SECOND SEALED ZONE, SUBJECTING SAID PARTICLES TO RAPID HEATING