Method and apparatus for continuously removing fines from a moving bed conversion system

Claim 1

IN A HYDROCARBON CONVERSION PROCESS WHEREIN A GRANULAR CONTACT MATERIAL IS PASSED CYCLICALLY THROUGH A HYDROCARBON CONVERSION ZONE AND A CONTACT MATERIAL REGENERATION ZONE THROUGH WHICH ZONES IT MOVES AS A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN OF SOLID PARTICLES, THE METHOD FOR REMOVING FINES RESULTING FROM ATTRITION OF THE CYCLICALLY FLOWING CONTACT MATERIAL WHICH METHOD COMPRISES: THE STEPS OF GRAVITATING THE CYCLICALLY MOVING STREAM OF CONTACT MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY AS A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN FROM BENEATH ONE OF THE CONTACTING ZONES TO A FEEDING ZONE LOCATED THEREBELOW, CONTACTING THE CONTACT MATERIAL WITH A LIFT GAS IN SAID FEEDING ZONE TO SUSPEND AND TRANSPORT THE MATERIAL UPWARDLY THROUGH AN ELONGATED, LATERALLY-CONFINED PASSAGE, DISCHARGING THE CONTACT MATERIAL FROM THE TOP OF THE PASSAGE ONTO THE SURFACE OF A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT GRAVITATING BED OF THE MATERIAL IN A SETTLING ZONE LOCATED ABOVE THE OTHER CONTACTING ZONE, WITHDRAWING THE MAIN STREAM OF CONTACT MATERIAL FROM BENEATH THE SETTLING ZONE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A PASSAGE IN THE FORM OF A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN, DISCHARGING THE MAIN STREAM OF CONTACT MATERIAL INTO THE TOP OF THE OTHER CONTACTING ZONE, THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE PASSAGE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER THAN HALF THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE SETTLING ZONE, WITHDRAWING SIDE STREAMS OF CONTACT MATERIAL FROM BENEATH THE SETTLING ZONE AT A MULTIPLICITY OF LOCATIONS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED ABOUT THE REMAINING CROSS-SECTION