Method for effecting the conversion of fluid reactant streams by contact with a moving bed of solid particles

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY CONTACTING AND CONVERTING A HYDROCARBON REACTANT STREAM WITH SUBDIVIDED SOLID CATALYST PARTICLES, WHICH COMPRISES, MAINTAINING A CONTINUOUSLY DESCENDING BED OF CATALYST PARTICLES THROUGH A LOWER REACTION ZONE AND A SUPERIMPOSED REGENERATION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY PASSING THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID DESCENDING BED OF CATALYST PARTICLES IN FRESHLY HEATED AND REGENERATED STATE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID LOWER REACTION ZONE CONCURRENTLY WITH SAID HYDROCARBON REACTANT STREAM, WITH THE LATTER BEING CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCED INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF THE LATTER ZONE, SEPARATING AND WITHDRAWING A RESULTING FLUID CONVERSION PRODUCT STREAM FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID REACTION ZONE AND CONTINUOUSLY DISCHARGING RESULTING CONTACTED CATALYST PARTICLES FROM THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF, COMMINGLING DISCHARGED CATALYST PARTICLES WITH A REGENERATING GAS STREAM OF CONTROLLED OXYGEN CONTENT AND ELEVATING THEM IN FLUIDIZED PHASE THROUGH A CONFINED PATH EXTENDING THROUGH SAID DESCENDING BED OF CATALYST PARTICLES WITHIN SAID REACTION ZONE AND WITHIN SAID SUPERIMPOSED REGENERATION ZONE TO THE UPPER PORTION OF THE LATTER ZONE, PERMITTING THE CATALYST PARTICLES TO SETTLE TO THE TOP OF SAID DESCENDING BED WHILE REVERSING THE FLOW OF THE FLUIZIDING OXYGENCONTAINING STREAM AND PASSING IT DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID DESCENDING BED OF CATALYST PARTICLES TO AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE BED IN SAID SUPERIMPOSED REGENERATION ZONE IN A MANNER EFFECTING THE OXIDATION AND REMOVAL OF AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE CONTAMINATING MATTER FROM SAID CATALYST PARTICLES, PASSING A SEPARATE PORTION OF REGENERATING GAS OF CONTROLLED OXYGEN CONTENT UPWARDLY THROUGH AND COUNTERCURRENTLY TO THE DESCENDING BED OF PARTICLES WITHIN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID REGENERATION ZONE TO SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION THEREOF, WHEREBY TO EFFECT THE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE OXIDATION AND REMOVAL OF CONTAMINATING MATTER FROM SAID CATALYST, COMMINGLING THE UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY FLOWING STREAMS OF RESULTING COMBUSTION GASES IN AND DISCHARGING THE SAME FROM SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID BED MAINTAINED WITH SAID REGENERATION ZONE, AND CONTINUOUSLY PASSING RESULTING HEATED AND REGENERATED PARTICLES FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID REGENERATION ZONE TO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID LOWER REACTION ZONE FOR CONTACT WITH SAID REACTANT STREAM AS AFORESAID.