Hydrocarbon conversion system

Claim 1

IN A HYDROCARBON CONVERSION PROCESS IN WHICH GRANULAR CONTACT MATERIAL GRAVITATES SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH SUPERIMPOSED CONVERSION AND REGENERATING ZONES, AND IS THEREAFTER PNEUMATICALLY ELEVATED THROUGH A LIFT PIPE FOR RETURN TO SAID CONVERSION ZONE, AND IN WHICH THE ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AT WHICH REGENERATED CONTACT MATERIAL IS TO BE INTRODUCED INTO SAID CONVERSION ZONE IS OF SUCH MAGNITUDE AS TO BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE MATERIALS OF CONSTRUCTION USUALLY EMPLOYED IN THE FABRICATION OF LIFT PIPES, THE METHOD OF TRANSPORTING CONTACT MATERIAL FROM SAID REGENERATION ZONE TO SAID CONVERSION ZONE SO THAT ITS TEMPERATURE WHILE BEING PNEUMATICALLY LIFTED IS SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW, AND ITS TEMPERATURE OF INTRODUCTION TO SAID CONVERSION ZONE IS AT, SAID ELEVATED TEMPERATURE WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF: EFFECTING ONLY PARTIAL REGENERATION OF SAID CONTACT MATERIAL IN THE PRESENCE OF OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS WITHIN SAID REGENERATION ZONE; INTRODUCING SAID PARTIALLY REGENERATED CONTACT MATERIAL INTO SAID LIFT PIPE AT A RELATIVELY LOW TEMPERATURE SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW SUCH DETRIMENTAL TEMPERATURE; ELEVATING SAID LOW-TEMPERATURE CONTACT MATERIAL THROUGH SAID LIFT PIPE TO AN ELEVATED LOCATION SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE SAID CONVERSION ZONE BY MEANS OF LIFT GAS COMPRISING GASEOUS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS WITHDRAWN FROM SAID REGENERATION ZONE; SEPARATING SAID PARTIALLY REGENERATED CONTACT MATERIAL FROM SAID LIFT GAS AT SAID ELEVATED LOCATION; PASSING SAID CONTACT MATERIAL BY GRAVITY FLOW THROUGH A SECOND REGENERATION ZONE LOCATED ABOVE SAID CONVERSION ZONE TO COMPLETE THE DESIRED REGENERATION OF SAID CONTACT MATERIAL IN THE PRESENCE OF ADDITIONAL OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS, THEREBY RAISING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID CONTACT MATERIAL SO THAT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE; AND PASSING SAID REGENERATED CONTACT MATERIAL BY GRAVITY FLOW AND WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL REDUCTION IN TEMPERATURE DIRECTLY TO SAID CONVERSION ZONE.