Method and apparatus for converting a hydrocarbon oil stream in the presence of a relatively thin moving particle bed

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS METHOD FOR CATALYTICALLY CONVERTING A HYDROCARBON REACTANT, WHICH COMPRISES, CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SUBDIVIDED CATALYST PARTICLES IN A RELATIVELY THIN UNIFORM BED THEREOF THROUGH A CONFINED REACTION ZONE IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL DIRECTION, INTRODUCING SAID HYDROCARBON REACTANT TO ONE SIDE OF SAID BED AND PASSING THE SAME TRANSVERSELY THROUGH THE BED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL DIRECTION, WITHDRAWING A RESULTING VAPOROUS PRODUCT STREAM FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID BED AND FROM SAID ZONE WHILE CONTINUOUSLY TRANSFERRING THE CONTACTED CATALYST PARTICLES FROM THE REACTION ZONE INTO A CONFINED REGENERATION ZONE, PASSING THE CATALYST PARTICLES THROUGH SAID REGENERATION ZONE AND CONTACTING THEM WITH AN OXYGEN CONTAINING GASEOUS REGENERATING MEDIUM TO EFFECT THE BURNING AND REMOVAL OF CARBONACEOUS CONTAMINATING MATTER FROM SAID PARTICLES, DISCHARGING RESULTING HOT COMBUSTION GASES FROM SAID REGENERATION ZONE WHILE CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING RESULTING REACTIVATED CATALYST PARTICLES FROM THE LAST MENTIONED ZONE AND RETURNING THEM TO SAID REACTION ZONE FOR REUSE THEREIN.