Granular solid transfer method and apparatus

Claim 1

IN A CONTINUOUS HYDROCARBON CONVERSION SYSTEM WHEREIN GRANULAR CONTACT MATERIAL IS CONTINUOUSLY CYCLED BETWEEN A CONFINED REACTION ZONE WHEREIN THE CONTACT MATERIAL AS A COMPACT BED CONTACTS FLUID HYDROCARBONS TO EFFECT THEIR CONVERSION AT A HIGH PRESSURE AND A REGENERATION ZONE WHEREIN THE CONTACT MATERIAL IS RECONDITIONED AT A LOWER PRESSURE THAN THAT IN THE REACTION ZONE, THE IMPROVED METHOD OF TRANSFERRING THE CONTACT MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER END OF THE REACTION ZONE TO THE UPPER END OF THE REGENERATION ZONE, WHICH COMPRISES: MAINTAINING A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT BED OF GRANULAR CONTACT MATERIAL WITHIN A CONFINED DISENGAGING ZONE MAINTAINED ABOVE THE REGENERATION ZONE, PASSING GRANULAR CONTACT MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER END OF THE REACTION ZONE UPWARDLY AS A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN, DISCHARGING INTO THE DISENGAGING ZONE AT A LEVEL SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE BED THEREIN, INJECTING AN INERT SEAL GAS AT A PRESSURE SLIGHTLY IN EXCESS OF THE PRESSURE IN THE REACTION ZONE INTO SAID COLUMN AT A POINT ADJACENT ITS HIGH PRESSURE END WHEREBY SAID GAS WILL FLOW UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID COLUMN TOGETHER WITH THE CONTACT MATERIAL, MAINTAINING THE LENGTH OF SAID COLUMN SUCH THAT SEAL GAS ISSUES THEREFROM AT A VELOCITY AT LEAST AROUND THE OUTLET END OF THE COLUMN SUFFICIENT TO DISRUPT THE BED OF CONTACT MATERIAL IN THE DISENGAGING ZONE, PREVENTING SUCH DISRUPTION BY MAINTAINING THE BED BEGINNING AT A LEVEL AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW ITS UPPER SURFACE OF SUFFICIENT CROSS-SECTION TO REDUCE THE VELOCITY OF THE SEAL GAS BELOW THE BED DISRUPTION VELOCITY, REMOVING SEAL GAS FROM THE DISENGAGING ZONE AT A LEVEL ABOVE THE BED, AND REMOVING CONTACT MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER END OF THE DISENGAGING ZONE AND PASSING THE CONTACT MATERIAL SO REMOVED INTO THE REGENERATION ZONE.