Fluid coking process

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR COKING A HEAVY HYDROCARBON OIL BY CONTACTING THE OIL COKING CHARGE STOCK AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 900* TO 1600*F. WITH A BODY OF COKE PARTICLES MAINTAINED IN THE FORM OF A DENSE, TURBULENT, FLUIDIZED BED IN A REACTION ZONE, REMOVING PRODUCT VAPORS FROM THE REACTION ZONE, CIRCULATING THE COKE PARTICLES THROUGH AN EXTRANEOUS HEATING ZONE WHEREIN THE PARTICLES ARE HEATED AND BACK TO THE REACTION ZONE TO SUPPLY HEAT THERETO, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF INJECTING THE COKE PARTICLES FROM THE HEATING ZONE UPWARDLY AT A VELOCITY IN THE RANGE OF 0.1 TO 10 FT./SEC. INTO AN UPWARDLY DIVERGING INTERNAL PASSAGEWAY OF RESTRICTED CROSS SECTION WITHIN THE DENSE, TURBULENT, FLUIDIZED BED OF COKE PARTICLES, THE PASSAGEWAY HAVING A TOTAL INCLUDED ANGLE IN THE RANGE OF 3 TO 8*, THE PORTION OF THE FLUID BED WITHIN THE PASSAGEWAY CONTAINING 20 TO 50% OF THE TOTAL DENSE, TURBULENT, FLUIDIZED BED VOLUME AND HAVING A DENSITY OF 30 TO 45 LBS./CU. FT.; INJECTING THE OIL CHARGE STOCK INTO A LOWER PORTION OF SAID PASSAGEWAY WHEREBY THE OIL UNDERGOES CRACKING YIELDING VAPOROUS CONVERSION PRODUCTS; CIRCULATING THE COKE PARTICLES FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF THE PASSAGEWAY DOWNWARDLY AT A VELOCITY IN THE RANGE OF 0.02 TO 6 FT./SEC. THROUGH AN ANNULAR PATH OF INCREASING CROSS SECTIONAL AREA DEFINED BY SAID PASSAGEWAY AND THE CONFINES OF THE REACTION ZONE TO THE LOWER PORTION OF THE PASSAGEWAY, THE FLUIDIZED BED WITHIN THE PATH HAVING A DENSITY OF 40 TO 50 LBS./CU. FT. AND GREATER THAN THAT IN THE PASSAGEWAY; INTRODUCING AN INERT STRIPPING GAS INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID PATH; PASSING THE STRIPPING GAS UPWARDLY THROUGH THE PATH, THE STRIPPING GAS HAVING AN INCREASING VELOCITY AS IT PROCEEDS UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID PATH; WITHDRAWING AT A VELOCITY IN THE RANGE OF 3 TO 10FT./SEC. AND RAPIDLY COOLING THE VAPOROUS CONVERSION PRODUCTS FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF THE BED TO A TEMPERTURE BELOW ABOUT 750*F. WITHIN 3 SECONDS TO SUBSTANTIALLY END THE CONVERSION REACTION BY LIMITING THE FREE VAPOR PASSAGEWAY ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE DENSE, TURBULENT, FLUIDIZED BED.