Catalytic conversion of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CATALYTIC CRACKING OF HEAVY RESIDUAL OILS CONTAINING A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF CONSTITUENTS UNVAPORIZABLE WITHOUT DECOPOSITION TO FORM LOWER BOILING HYDROCARBONS IN THE MOTOR FUEL BOILING RANGE WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A STREAM OF SAID RESIDUAL OIL UPWARD THROUGH A CRACKING ZONE AT A VELOCITY LIMITED TO FORM A DENSE TURBULENT BED OF CATALYTIC MATERIAL, INTORDUCING A STREAM OF HOT REGENERATED CATALYST WHILE SAID CATALYST IS AT SUBSTANTIALLY REGENERATING TEMPERATURE INTO SAID STREAM OF OIL WHILE SAID OIL IS AT AN ACTIVE CRACKING TEMPERATURE BUT WHICH IS IN THAT ABOUT 900* F. AND A PORTION OF WHICH IS IN THE LIQUID PHASE, THE AMOUNT AND TEMPERATURE OF THE CATALYST SO INTRODUCED BEING SUFFICIENT TO HEAT SAID OIL ABOVE 900* F. AND PARTIALLY DECOMPOSE THE UNVAPORIZABLE CONSTITUENTS CONTAINED THEREIN TO THEREBY FORM A RELATIVELY DRY SUSPENSION OF OIL VAPORS AND CATALYST, MAINTAINING THE OIL VAPORS IN CONTACT WITH THE CATALYST THUS SUSPENDED THERERIN WITH SAID CRACKING ZONE FOR A PERIOD SUFFICIENT TO CRACK A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION THEREOF INTO MOTOR FUEL CONSTITUENTS, CONTINUOUSLY SEPARATING A STREAM OF FINELY-DIVIDED CATALYST CONTAINING SOLID COMBUSTIBLE DEPOSITS FROM THE OIL VAPORS BY WITHDRAWING DIRECTLY FROM SAID DENSE BED OF CATALYTIC MATERIAL, THEREAFTER FRACTIONATING THE OIL VAPORS TO SEGREGATE A MOTOR FUEL FRACTION THEREFROM, CONTINUOUSLY PASSING A STREAM OF SAID CATALYST SEPARATED FROM SAID OIL VAPORS INTO A REGENERATING ZONE, PASSING A STREAM OF OXIDIZING GAS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID ZONE AT A VELOCITY LIMITED TO FORM A DENSE, TURBULENT BED OF CATALYST MATERIAL AND OXIDIZING GAS IN THE BOTTOM SECTION OF SAID REGENERATING ZONE, BURNING COMBUSTIBLE DEPOSITS FROM THE FINELY-DIVIDED CATALYST WITHIN SAID REGENERATING ZONE TO THEREBY HEAT SAID CATALYST TO A TEMPERATUREABOVE THE TEMPERATURE MAINTAINED IN SAID CRACKING ZONE BUT BELOW THE DEACTIVATION TEMPERATURE OF SAID CATALYST, THE DENSITY AND TURBULENCE OF THE CATALYTIC MATERIAL WITHIN SAID REGENERATING ZONE BEING SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM TEMPERATURE THROUGHOUT THE REGENERATING ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING A STREAM OF REGENERATED CATALYST DIRECTLY FROM SAID DENSE BED OF CATALYST MATERIAL OF THE REGENERATING ZONE AND CONTINUOUSLY RETURNING SAID CATALYST TO SAID OIL STREAM WHILE AT SUBSTANTIALLY ITS REGENERATING TEMPERATURE.