Particle transporting method and apparatus for use in the catalytic conversion of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A CATALYTIC PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES TREATING HYDROCARBONS WHICH FRANGIBLE COARSE CATALYST PARTICLES RANGING IN SIZE FROM ABOUT 2 TO 12 MESH IN A REACTOR, REMOVING DEACTIVATED CATALYST PARTICALES FROM THE REACTOR AND PASSING THEM DOWNWARDLY TO A REGENERATOR WHEREIN THE CATALYST IS RESTORED TO SUBSTANTIALLY ITS ORIGINAL ACTIVITY, THEN PASSING THE REACTIVATED CATALYST UPWARDLY BY MEANS OF A GAS THROUGH A CONDUIT, DISPERSING CATALYST FINES IN AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO ABOUT 25 TO 50 PERCENT BY VOLUME OF THE TOTAL VOLUME OCCUPIED BY THE CATALYST PARTICLES WHEN THEY ARE AT REST AMONG THE UPWARDLY MOVING CATALYST PARTICLES PRIOR TO THEIR ENTRANCE INTO THE CONDUIT, SEPARATING THE CATALYST PARTICLES FROM THE CATALYST FINES AT THE TOP OF SAID CONDUIT, TRANSFERRING THE CATALYST PARTICLES TO THE CATALYTIC REACTOR, RETURNING CATALYST FINES TO THE BASE OF SAID CONDUIT, FORMING A GAS-CATALYST FINES SEAL AROUND THE BASE OF SAID CONDUIT SO THAT THE PRESSURE OF CATALYST FINES AND GAS AROUND THE BASE OF THE CONDUIT IS GREATER THAN THAT WITHIN THE CONDUIT AND THEREFORE PREVENTS THE UPWARD FLOW OF CATALYST PARTICLES EXCEPT THROUGH SAID CONDUIT, AGAIN DISPERSING A SIMILAR VOLUME RATIO OF CATALYST FINES AMONG ADDITIONAL CATALYST PARTICLES, AND UPWARDLY PASSING THE COMBINED MIXTURE OF CATALYST PARTICLES AND CATALYST FINES THROUGH THE CONDUIT BY MEANS OF GAS PRESSURE.