Fluid coking of heavy hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF HEAVY OIL CONTAINING METALLIC IMPURITIES WHICH DEACTIVATE CRACKING CATALYST AND ARE VAPORIZABLE AT CONVERSION TEMPERATURES TO FORM A GAS OIL SUITABLE FOR CATALYTIC CRACKING AND COKE, WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING SAID OIL AT A MULTIPLICITY OF HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL POINTS INTO THE INTERMEDIATE SECTION OF AN ENLARGED COKING ZONE CONTAINING A BODY OF SUBDIVIDED COKE PARTICLES, CIRCULATING A STREAM OF COKE PARTICLES FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE COKING VESSEL THROUGH AN EXTERNAL HEATER WHEREIN SAID PARTICLES ARE HEATED BY DIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE AND BACK TO SAID COKING VESSEL TO MAINTAIN SAID VESSEL AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO CONVERT SAID OIL INTO VAPORS AND COKE, INTRODUCING A STRIPPING GAS INTO THE BOTTOM SECTION OF SAID VESSEL TO REMOVE VAPORIZED OIL FROM THE COKE PASSING TO SAID HEATER, INJECTING STRIPPING GAS AS JETS RANGING FROM 200 TO 3000 FEET PER SECOND SO AS TO BREAK UP LARGE PARTICLES INTO SMALL ONES, MAINTAINING SAID OIL WITHIN SAID COKING VESSEL FOR A PERIOD SUFFICIENT TO CONVERT SAID OIL INTO VAPORS AND COKE, AND PASSING THE STRIPPING GAS AND VAPORS FORMED IN THE PROCESS UPWARDLY THROUGH THE VESSEL AT A VELOCITY CONTROLLED TO MAINTAIN A DENSE TURBULENT FLUIDIZED BED OF SOLIDS IN SAID VESSEL.