Fluid coking process and apparatus

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF COOKING HEAVY HYDROCARBON OIL WHICH COMPRISES PREHEATING A MASS OF SOLID PARTICLES OF A SIZE BETWEEN ABOUT 20 AND 400 MICRONS TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO ESTABLISH A MAIN ZONE XOKING TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 900* AND 1150*F. AND FLUIDIZING SAID MASS IN SAID MAIN COKING ZONE, SUPERHEATING A FURTHER MASS OF SAID PARTICLES HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER AS SAID FIRST MASS, ESTABLSHING AA A SECONDARY COKING ZONE HAVING TEMPERATURE 20* TO 200* F. HIGHER THAN SAID FIRST ZONE, SAID SECONDARY ZONE BEING IN THE FORM OF A SHALLOW BED OF FLUIDIZED SUPERHEATED PARTICLES CONTACTING SAID OIL IN LIQUID PHASE FIRST WITH SAID MAIN ZONE COKING MASS TO PRODUCE VAPOR PRODUCTS WHICH PASS OVERHEAD CARRYING ENTRAINED LIQUID AND COKE, AND PASSING SAID VAPOR PRODUCTS WITH ENTRAINED LIQUID RAPIDLY THROUGH SAID SECOND ZONE COMPRISING SAID SHALLOW BED OF SAID SUPERHEATED SOLIDS TO ABSORB AND CRACK THE ENTRAINED LIQUID WHEREBY THE TIME OF CONTACT IN THE SHALLOW BED IS SUFFICIENT SUBSTANTIALLY TO OBSORB THE ENTRAINED LIQUID BUT INSUFFICIENT SUBSTANTIALLY TO ALTER THE VAPOR PRODUCTS.