Hydroforming process and apparatus

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR REFORMING HYDROCARBONS IN CONTACT WITH FINELY DIVIDED REFORMING CATALYST PARTICLES CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A GROUP V1 METAL OXIDE UPON AN ALUMINACONTAINING SUPPORT AT TEMPERATURES OF ABOUT 800* TO 1050* F. AND AT PRESSURES OF FROM 5 TO 500 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FLUIDIZED SOLIDS TECHNIQUE IN WHICH A STREAM OF CATALYST PARTICLES IS CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWN FROM A DENSE FLUIDIZED BED OF CATALYST PARTICLES IN THE REACTOR ZONE AND PASSED TO A SEPARATE REGENERATION ZONE WHERE CARBONACEOUS DEPOSITS ARE BURNED FROM THE CATALYST AT SUBSTANTIALLY AT SAME PRESSURE AS IS MAINTAINED IN THE REACTION ZONE AND AT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN ABOUT 1050 AND 1200* F. PREPARATORY TO RECYCLING THE REGENERATED CATALYST PARTICLES TO THE MAIN REACTOR ZONE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING A STREAM OF HOT, FRESHLY REGENERATED CATALYST PARTICLES TO A PRETREATING ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING REACTOR CATALYST TO THE PRETREATING ZONE TO COOL THE GENERATED CATALYST PARTICLES SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW REGENERATOR TEMPERATURE, SUPPLYING HYDROGEN-RICH GAS TO THE PRETREATING ZONE TO REDUCE BIGHER CATALYTIC METAL OXIDES IN THE REGENERATED CATALYST TO A LOWER, MORE CATALYTICALLY ACTIVE FORM OF CATALYTIC METAL OXIDE AND TO LIFT THE MIXTURE OF REACTOR CATALYST AND REGENERATED CATALYST THROUGH THE PRETREATING ZONE, DISCHARGING THE RESULTANT MIXTURE INTO THE DILUTE PHASE ABOVE THE REACTOR DENSE BED RETURNING THE CATALYST PARTICLES TO THE TOP OF THE DENSE BED IN THE MAIN REACTOR ZONE, COMBINING THE GAS FROM THE PRETREATING ZONE WITH THE REACTION PRODUCT VAPORS AND WITHDRAWING THE RESULTANT MIXTURE OVERHEAD AND MAINTAINING DENSE, FLUIDIZED BED OF REACTOR CATALYST IN CONTACT WITH THE OUTER WALL OF THE PRETREATING ZONE IN ORDER TO TRANSFER HEAT FROM THE PRETREATING CATALYST MIXTURE IN THE ZONE TO THE MAIN CATALYST DENSE BED IN THE REACTOR ZONE BY INDIRECT HEAT TRANSFER.