Extcaneoos

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING DISTILLATE FRACTIONS FROM HEAVY RESIDUAL HYDROCARBON OILS BY CONTACTING HEAVY RESIDUAL HYDROCARBON OIL AT COKING CONDITIONS WITH A DENSE TURBULENT MASS OF SUBDIVIDED HOT SOLIDS FLUIDIZED BY AN UPWARDLY FLOWING GASIFORM MEDIUM, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING AN ORIGINAL GASIFORM MEDIUM, WHICH IS ONLY A MINOR PART OF THE TOTAL FLUIDIZING MEDIUM REQUIRED, INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE DENSE TURBULENT MASS, SUPPLEMENTING SAID MEDIUM BY PRODUCING A MAJOR PROPORTION OF SAID GASIFORM MEDIUM REQUIREMENTS BY CONTACTING A MINOR PROPORTION OF LIQUID HEAVY RESIDUAL HYDROCARBON OIL FOR A RELATIVELY SHORT TIME WITH A NARROWLY CONFINED FLUIDIZED MASS OF SAID HOT SOLIDS MAINTAINED AT A RELATIVELY HIGH COKING TEMPERATURE AND FLUIDIZED AT A RELATIVELY HIGH LINEAR GAS VELOCITY, SAID MINOR PROPORTION OF LIQUID BEING INTRODUCED ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF SAID MASS AND SEPARATELY FROM THE ORIGINAL GASIFORM MEDIUM SO AS TO COKE AND GASIFY SAID MINOR PROPORTION SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY WITHIN SAID SHORT TIME, PASSING GASES SO PRODUCED INTO A LATERALLY EXPANDED SECOND MASS OF HOT SOLIDS SUPERIMPOSED ON AND IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH SAID FIRST NAMED MASS, THE TWO MASSES CONSTITUTING A SINGLE UNINTERRUPTED FLUIDIZED BED, SO AS TO FLUIDIZE SAID SECOND MASS AT A RELATIVELY LOW LINEAR GAS VELOCITY, SUPPLYING A MAJOR PROPORTION OF THE HEAVY RESIDUAL HYDROCARBON OIL