Catalyst recovery process

Claim 1

IN THE CONVERSION OF PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS IN THE PRESENCE OF A FINELY DIVIDED SOLID CATALYST UNDER FLOW CONDITIONS PROVIDING PROGRESSIVE REACTION, THE METHOD WHICH INCLUDES FORMING A SUSPENSION HAVING A DENSITY OF ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 10 POUNDS PER CUBIC FOOT CONSISTING OF THE FINELY DIVIDED CATALYST IN VAPORS OF A PETROLEUM HYDROCARBON RECYCLE STOCK, FLOWING THE SUSPENSION INITIALLY AT AA LINEAR VELOCITY EXCEEDING ABOUT 12 TO 15 FEET PER SECOND UPWARDLY THROUGH AN ELONGATED, VERTICALLT EXTENDED CONFINED REACTION PATH, PASSING THE EFFLUENT FROM THE CONFINED REACTION PATH TO A VAPOR SOLIDS SEPARATION ZONE WHEREIN A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE FINELY DIVIDED CATALYST IS SEPARATED FROM SAID EFFLUENT LEAVING A LESSER BUT SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE CATALYST REMAINING IN SAID EFFLUENT, REGENERATING THE CATALYST SEPARATED FROM SAID EFFLUENT IN SAID SEPARATION ZONE AND RETURNING THE REGENERATED CATALYST TO THE CONFINED REACTION PATH, WITHDRAWING FROM SAID VAPOR-SOLIDS SEPARATION ZONE THE EFFLUENT VAAPORS CONTAINING THE REMAINING PORTION OF SID CATALYST, WASHING THE WITHDRAWN VAPORS AND REMAINING CATALYST BY CONTACT WITH SAID PETROLEUM HYDROCARBON CHARGE STOCK TO BE CONVERTED, WHEREBY SAID REMAINING CATALYST IS REMOVED FROM SAID VAPOR IN SAID LIQUID, WITHDRAWING THE WASHED CONTAINING SAID REMAINING PORTION OF CATALYST FROM SAID WASHING ZONE AND SEPARATELY WITHDRAWING THE WASHED VAPORS FROM SAID WASHING ZONE, SEPARATING THE LIQUID WITHDRAWN FROM SAID WASHING ZONE, INTO A CLARIFIED LIQUID PETROLEUM FRACTION AND OIL SLURRY CONTAINING THE REMAINING PORTION OF SAID CATALYST, PASSING THE WITHDRAWN VAPORS FROM SAID WASHING ZONE AND THE CLARIFIED LIQUID TO A COMMON FRACTIONATING ZONE WHEREIN AN OVERHEAD VAPOR BOLING LOWER THAN SAID CHARGE STOCK IS WITHDRAWN SEPARATELY FROM LIQUIDS BOILING HIGHER THAN SAID CHARGE STOCK, RECYCLING SAID HIGHER BOILING LIQIDS FROM SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE TOGETHER WITH SAID OIL SLURRY CONTAINING SAID CATALYST AS SAID RECYCLE STOCK.