Process for carrying out endothermic and exothermic reactions

Claim 1

IN AN ENDOTHERMIC PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS IN THE PRESENCE OF A DENSE PHASE FLUIDIZED BED OF CATALYST, SAID CATALYST BEING CHARACTERIZED BY LOSS OF ACTIVITY UPON HEATING TO AN ELEVATED DEACTIVATION TEMPERATURE, THE IMPROVEMENT IN SUPPLYING HEAT TO THE CONVERSION ZONE WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING TO THE CONVERSION ZONE SAID COMMINUTED CATALYST AND A PARTICULATE INERT SOLID THERMOPHORE WHICH IS HIGH IN SPECIFIC HEAT, SPECIFIC GRAVITY, AND THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY AND WHICH HAS A RESPONSE TO A NON-GRAVITATIONAL FIELD OF FORCE DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF SAID CATALYST, FLUIDIZING A MIXTURE OF SAID CATALYST AND SAID THERMOPHORE TOGETHER IN THE REACTION ZONE AS A DENSE PHASE FLUIDIZED BED BY PASSING A HYDROCARBON STREAM IN GASEOUS FORM THROUGH SAID MIXTURE INTO CONTACT WITH THE CATALYST TO EFFECT CONVERSION OF SAID HYDROCARBONS, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING A MIXTURE OF SAID CATALYST AND SAID THERMOPLORE FROM SAID COMVERSION ZONE, SEPARATING SAID THERMOPHORE FROM SAID CATALYST IN SAID MIXTURE BY SUBJECTING SAID MIXTURE TO THE ACTION OF A FIELD OF FORCE OTHER THAN GRAVITATION TO WHICH THE SOLIDS HAVE DIFFERENT RESPONSE, REGENERATING SAID SEPARATED CATALYST AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE BELOW THE DEACTIVATION TEMPERATURE OF SAID CATALYST, HEATING SAID SEPARATED THERMOPHORE TO A TEMPERATURE ABOVE SAID DEACTIVATION TEMPERATURE OF SAID CATALYST BY COMBUSTION OF AN EXTRANEOUS FUEL, AND REINTRODUCING THE THUS HEATED THERMOPHORE TOGETHER WITH THE REGENERATED CATALYST INTO THE CONVERSION ZONE.