Method and apparatus for cooling granular contact material

Claim 1

METHOD FOR THE REGENERATION OF A SPENT CATALYST WHICH IS CONTAMINATED WITH A CARBONACEOUS CONTAMINANT FROM A PREVIOUS CONVERSION REACTION WHICH COMPRISES: PASSING THE SPENT CATALYST AS A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN THROUGH A CONFINED VERTICAL REGENERATION ZONE, PASSING AN OXYGENCONTAINING GAS INTO CONTACT WITH THE CASTALYST TO EFFECT REMOVAL OF COKE BY BURNING, PASSING A COOLING FLUID THROUGH A PLURALITY OF STATIC SPACED COOLING CONDUITS ARRANGED ACROSS SAID COLUMN AT AT LEAST ONE LEVEL ALONG ITS LENGTH, SO AS TO REMOVE SUFFICIENT HEAT FROM THE CONTACT MATERIAL TO PREVENT OVERHEATING OF THE CATALYST TO A HEAT-DAMAGING LEVEL, AND CHANGING THE VOLUMETRIC RATE OF CATALYST FLOW IN AT LEAST ONE REGION OF THE COLUMN AT THE LEVEL OF THE COOLING CONDUITS AND CHANGING THE VOLUMETRIC RATE OF FLOW A COMPENSATING AMOUNT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION IN THE OTHER REGIONS OF THE COLUMN CROSS-SECTION, WHILE MAINTAINING AT LEAST SOME FLOW OF CONTACT MATERIAL AT ALL TIMES IN CONTACT WITH ALL OF THE COOLING CONCUITS.