Reforming of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF CONTINUOUSLY HYDROFORMING NAPHTHAS IN THE PRESENCE OF A FLUIDIZED HYDROFORMING CATALYST CIRCULATING BETWEEN A FLUID-TYPE HYDROFORMING ZONE AND A FLUID TYPE CATALYST REGENERATION ZONE FOR THE COMBUSTION OF CARBON ON THE CATALYST, WHEREIN THE PRODUCT EFFLUENT OF SAID HYDROFORMING ZONE IS SEPARATED INTO NORMALLY LIQUID PRODUCTS AND A GAS STREAM, A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF SAID GAS STREAM IS BRANCHED OFF AND RECYCLED TO SAID HYDROFORMING ZONE AND THE REMAINING TAIL-GAS PORTION OF SAID GAS STREAM IS SUPPLIED TO A LIGHT ENDS RECOVERY ZONE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES STRIPPING SAID CATALYST CIRCULATING FROM SAID HYDROFORMING ZONE TO SAID REGENERATING ZONE IN A SEPARATE STRIPPING ZONE WITH AN INERT ESSENTIALLY NON-COMBUSTIBLE STRIPPING GAS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF FLUE GAS AND NITROGEN TO REMOVE VOLATILE AND GASEOUS COMBUSTIBLES FROM SAID CATALYST PRIOR TO ITS ENTRY INTO SAID REGENERATION ZONE, WITHDRAWING A MIXTURE OF SAID INERT STRIPPING GAS AND VOLATILE COMBUSTIBLES FROM SAID STRIPPING ZONE AND ADDING SAID MIXTURE TO SAID TAIL-GAS STREAM AT A POINT SUBSEQUENT TO THE BRANCHING-OFF OF SAID RECYCLED GAS PORTION AND PRIOR TO SAID LIGHT ENDS RECOVERY ZONE, WHEREBY SAID RECYCLED GAS STREAM AND SAID HYDROFORMING ZONE ARE KEPT ENTIRELY FREE OF SAID INERT STRIPPING GAS.