Regeneration of fluidized catalyst

Claim 1

IN THE REGENERATION OF FINELY DIVIDED CATALYST PARTICLES WHICH HAVE BEEN CONTAMINATED WITH A CARBONACEOUS DEPOSIT, THE IMPROVED METHOD OF REGENERATION WHICH COMPRISES CHARGING CONTAMINATED CATALYST TO A REGENERATING ZONE AND MAINTAINING FLUIDIZED BEDS OF SAID CATALYST IN A SERIES OF CONNECTING AND SUPERIMPOSED CONTACTING ZONES, PASSING A REGENERATING GAS STREAM TO THE LOWERMOST OF SAID ZONES, TRANSFERRING CATALYST IN A FLUIDIZED CONDITION SUCCESSIVELY UPWARDLY THROUGH EACH OF SAID CONTACTING ZONES IN A MANNER PRECLUDING ANY DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF CATALYST PARTICLES FROM ONE CONTACTING ZONE, TO ANOTHER AND AT A RELATIVELY HIGH RATE SUCH AS TO MAINTAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM TEMPERATURE THROUGHOUT THE REGENERATING ZONE, ACCUMULATING CATALYST PARTICLES IN AN UPPER ZONE OF SAID SERIES AND RECYCLING THEM IN A RELATIVELY COMPACT DESCENDING COLUMN TO THE LOWERMOST ZONE IN A CONFINED PATH EXTENDING THROUGH THE INTERMEDIATE ZONES OF SAID SERIES TO MAINTAIN A CONTINUOUS CYCLIC FLOW OF THE CATALYST UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID SERIES OF CONTACT ZONES, WITHDRAWING REGENERATED CATALYST PARTICLES SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SAID CARBONACEOUS DEPOSIT FROM SAID REGENERATING ZONE, AND DISCHARGING RESULTING FLUE GASES FROM THE UPPER PORTION THEREOF.