Method and apparatus for the regeneration

Claim 1

IN A CONTINUOUS CYCLIC PROCESS FOR CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS WHEREIN A GRANULAR CONTACT MATERIAL IS PASSED CYCLICALLY THROUGH A CONVERSION ZONE WHEREIN IT IS CONTACTED WITH A FLUID HYDROCARBON TO EFFECT CONVERSION THEREOF TO LOWER BOILING HYDROCARBONS WITH RESULTANT DEPOSITION OF A HYDROCARBONEOUS CONTAMINANT ON THE CONTACT MATERIAL AND THROUGH A REGENERATION ZONE WHEREIN IT IS CONTACTED WITH AN OXYGEN CONTAINING GAS TO BURN OFF THE CONTAMINANT, AND WHEREIN A PORTION OF THE CONTAMINANT DEPOSIT BECOMES VAPORIZED AFTER THE CONTACT MATERIAL HAS BEEN DISCHARGED FROM THE CONVERSION ZONE AND BEFORE IT ENTERS THE REGENERATION ZONE THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES: WITHDRAWING THE USED CONTACT MATERIAL FROM THE CONVERSION ZONE STILL AT A TEMPERATURE SUITABLE FOR INITATING COMBUSTION OF THE CONTAMINANT DEPOSIT AND DELIVERING IT INTO THE UPPER END OF A CONFINED SUPPLY BED OF SAID CONTACT MATERIAL ABOVE THE REGENERATION ZONE, SAID SUPPLY BED BEING CONFINED OUT OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE GASES FROM SAID REGENERATION ZONE EXCEPT THROUGH AT LEAST ONE COMPACT SEAL LEG EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID BED TO A COLUMN OF THE CONTACT MATERIAL IN THE REGENERATION ZONE, SAID SEAL LEG BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY LESS HORIZONTAL CROSS SECTIONAL AREA THAN SAID BED, PASSING THE CONTACT MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID BED AND THROUGH SAID SEAL LEG OF THE REGENERATION ZONE, WHILE A PORTION OF SAID CONTAMINANT DEPOSIT BECOMES VAPORIZED DURING THE TRANSFER OF CONTACT MATERIAL FROM SAID CONVERSION TO SAID REGENERATION ZONE AS AFORESAID, WITHDRAWING THE RESULTING VAPORIZED HYDROCARBON MATERIAL FROM SAID CONFINED SUPPLY ZONE AS A CONFINED STREAM AND DISCHARGING SAID STREAM INTO A BAROMETRIC CONDENSING ZONE, MIXING SAID STREAM WITH A SUITABLE COOLING LIQUID IN SAID CONDENSING ZONE TO EFFECT CONDENSATION OF AT LEAST A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE VAPORIZED MATERIAL, WHEREBY A REDUCED PRESSURE IS MAINTAINED ON SAID BED IN SAID CONFINED SUPPLY ZONE, PASSING AN OXYGEN CONTAINING GAS THROUGH THE COLUMN OF CONTACT MATERIAL IN SAID REGENERTION ZONE TO BURN THE REMAINDER OF THE CONTAMINANT DEPOSIT AND WITHDRAWING THE FLUE GAS RESULTING FROM SAID COMBUSTION FROM THE REGENERATION ZONE SEPARATELY OF SAID VAPORIZED PORTION OF THE CONTAMINANT DEPOSIT.