Continuous conversion and coking of heavy liquid hydrocarbons

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE THERMAL CONVERSION OF A HEAVY HYROCARBON CHARGE STREAM TO PROVIDE MORE DESIRABLE COMPONENTS, WHEREIN SAID CHARGE STREAM CONTINUOUSLY CONTACTS SUBDIVIDED HEAT CARRYING PARTICLES IN A COKING AND CONVERSION ZONE, RESULTING HYDROCARBON VAPORS ARE WITHDRAWN AND PASSED TO A FRACTIONATING ZONE WHILE SAID SUBDIVIDED PARTICLES WITH A COKE DEPOSITION ARE PASSED TO A HEATING AND BURNING ZONE, THE COKED PARTICLES BEING CONTACTED THEREIN WITH A REGULATED STREAM CONTAINING FREE OXYGEN AND AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE COKE DEPOSITION BURNED TO PROVIDE THE HEATING OF THE PARTICLES THEREIN, WITH RESULTING FLUE GASES BEING DISCHARGED FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF THE BURNING AND HEATING ZONE WHILE AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE RESULTING HEATED SUBDIVIDED PARTICLES ARE RETURNED TO THE COKING ZONE TO SUPPLY HEAT FOR EFFECTING THE AFORESAID CONVERSION AND COKING OF THE HEAVY HYDROCARBON CHARGE STREAM, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES, FRACTIONALLY SEPARATING THE HYDROCARBON VAPORS PASSING FROM SAID COKING AND CONVERSION ZONE WITHIN SAID FRACTIONATING ZONE, WITHDRAWING DESIRED HYDROCARBON FRACTIONS FROM SAID ZONE AND PASSING THE RESULTING UNVAPORIZED BOTTOMS FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID FRACTIONATING ZONE TO A SEPARATE CONFINED FLASH ZONE, WITHDRAWING A STREAM OF HOT SUBDIVIDED PARTICLES FROM AT LEAST ONE OF THE AFORESAID PARTICLE CONTACTING ZONES AND CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID PARTICLES TO SAID FLASH ZONE, PARTIALLY VAPORIZING SAID BOTTOMS STREAM IN THE LATTER ZONE AND CONTINUOUSLY DISCHARGING RESULTING VAPORS THEREFROM, CONDENSING THE VAPORS INDEPENDENTLY OF THE VAPORS FROM SAID COKING AND CONVERSION ZONE AND SUBSEQUENTLY PASSING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE RESULTING CONDENSATE TO SAID FRACTIONATING ZONE, AND CONTINUOUSLY DISCHARGING RESULTING UNVAPORIZED HEAVY HYROCARBONS AND COOLED SUBDIVIDED PARTICLES IN A SLURRY STREAM FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID FLASH ZONE.