Hydrocarbon conversion process and apparatus

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS CONTAMINATED WITH HYDROCARBON DERIVATIVES OF SULFUR COMPRISING RECIRCULATING A STREAM OF SOLID CONTACT MATERIAL THROUGH A HYDROCARBON CONVERSION ZONE AND A SOLIDS REGENERATION ZONE, PASSING THE HYDROCARBON TO BE CONVERTED THROUGH SAID CONVERSION ZONE IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH SAID CONTACT MATERIAL THEREIN, MAINTAINING HYDROCARBON CONVERSION CONDITIONS OF TERPERATURE, PRESSURE AND COMPOSITION THEREIN TO PRODUCE A TREATED HYDROCARBON AS EFFUENT AND LEAVING A SPENT HYDROCARBONACEOUS SULFUROUS CONTACT MATERIAL, PASSING AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING REGENERATION GAS THROUGH SAID REGENERATION ZONE, MAINTAINING SOLIDS REGENERATION CONDITIONS OF PRESSURE, TEMPERATURE AND COMPOSITION THEREIN TO REMOVE THE HYDROCARBONACEOUS AND SULFUROUS MATERIALS AS A FLUE GAS CONTAINING OXIDES OF SULFUR LEAVING AREGENERATED CONTACT MATERIAL, AND RECIRCULATING SAID FLUE GAS ALSO THROUGH COOLING TO RECOVER AT LEAST PART OF THE LIBERATED HEAT OF REGENERATION AND OF RECOMPRESSION TO RETURN SAID GAS AT LEAST IN PART TO SAID REGENERATION ZONE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES PASSING SAID FLUE GAS ALSO THROUGH A TREATING ZONE PRIOR TO ITS RETURN TO SAID REGENERATION ZONE, AND CONTACTING SAID GAS IN SAID TREATING ZONE WITH AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID SPENT HYDROCARBONACEOUS SULFUROUS CONTACT MATERIAL PRIOR TO THE REGENERATION THEREOF, TO THEREBY ABSORB AND REMOVE FROM SAID FLUE GAS THE HIGHER SULFUR OXIDES AND SULFURIC ACID AND FORM A TREATED FLUE GAS HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED DEW POINT PERMITTING SAID GAS TO BE COOLED SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE WATER DEW POINT WITHOUT THE FORMATION OF CORROSIVE SULFURIC ACID CONDENSATES.