Fluidized bed catalyst process and apparatus for reaction of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A CATALYTIC PROCESS COMPRISING PASSING REACTANT TO BE CATALYTICALLY CONVERTED THROUGH A DENSE PHASE OF FLUIDIZED CATALYST POSITIONED INSIDE A CLOSED REACTOR AT ELEVATED PRESSURE, REMOVING REACTION PRODUCTS FROM THE TOP OF THE DENSE PHASE OF CATALYST, CONTINUING SAID PASSAGE THROUGH THE SAME CATALYST PARTICLES UNTIL SAID PARTICLES HAVE BECOME SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED IN ACTIVITY, FILLING A FIRST CLOSED CHAMBER WITH REGENERATED CATALYST IN AN AMOUNT WHICH IS A SUBSTANTIAL FRACTION OF THE CATALYST IN THE REACTOR, RAPIDLY INTRODUCING THE CATALYST IN THE FIRST CLOSED CHAMBER INTO THE BODY OF DENSE PHASE OF CATALYST IN THE REACTOR TO THEREBY DISPLACE USED DENSE PHASE CATALYST WITH REGENERATED CATALYST AND TO CAUSE THE USED AND DISPLACED CATALYST TO OVERFLOW INTO A WITHDRAWAL SPACE ADJACENT TO THE BODY OF DENSE PHASE OF CATALYST, WHICH WITHDRAWAL SPACE IS POSITIONED WITHIN THE REACTOR AND IS EXPOSED TO THE ELEVATED PRESSURE THEREIN, MAINTAINING THE DISPLACED CATALYST IN THE WITHDRAWAL SPACE SEPARATE FROM THE INTRODUCED REGENERATED CATALYST, WITHDRAWING THE DISPLACED CATALYST FROM THE WITHDRAWAL SPACE INTO A SECOND CLOSED CHAMBER, WHICH SECOND CHAMBER IS AT ELEVATED PRESSURE, REMOVING THE CATALYST FROM THE SECOND CLOSED CHAMBER, REGENERATING THIS REMOVED CATALYST AT A SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER PRESSURE AND INTRODUCING REGENERATED CATALYST INTO THE FIRST CLOSED CHAMBER, ALL OF SAID OPERATIONS BEING CARRIED OUT WHILE CONTINUING PASSAGE OF REACTANT THROUGH THE DENSE PHASE OF CATALYST IN THE REACTOR.