Hydrocarbon conversion process and apparatus

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF REFORMING HYDROCARBON FRACTIONS BOILING WITHIN THE NAPHTHA RANGE IN CONTACT WITH A MIXTURE OF MAJOR PROPORTION OF FINELY DIVIDED HYDROFORMING CATALYST PARTICLES AND A MINOR PROPORTIONS OF INERT HEAT TRANSFER SOLID PARTICLES OR SHOT IN A DENSE, FLUIDIZED BED, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES CONTROLLING GAS VELOCITIES THROUGH THE BED SO THAT THE SHOT PASSES DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE DENSE, FLUIDIZED BED, COLLECTING THE SHOT IN A SETTLING ZONE BENEATH THE DENSE FLUIDIZED BED, PASSING RECYCLE GAS THROUGH THE SETTLING ZONE TO CONTROL THE COMPOSITION OF A STREAM OF SOLIDS WITHDRAWING FROM THE SETTLING ZONE FOR CIRCULATION TO THE REGENERATION ZONE THE SELLING ZONE FOR CIRCULATION TO THE REGENERATION ZONE SO THAT THE WITHDRAWN STREAM WILL CONTAIN A MAJOR PROPORTION OF SHOT AND A MINOR PROPORTION ZONE, BURNING CARBONACEOUS DEPOSITS FROM THE CIRCULATING SOLIDS AND RETURNING THE FRESHLY REGENERATED CATALYST AND HOT SHOT TO THE REACTION ZONE, MAINTAINING A SEPARATE RESERVOIR OF SHOT IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE SETTLING ZONE, MEASURING THE RATIO OF SHOT TO CATALYST IN THE CIRCULATION STREAM PASSING FROM THE SETLING ZONE TO THE REGENERATING ZONE, ADJUSTING THE PRESSURE IN THE RESERVIOR IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MEASURED RATIO OF SHOT AND CATALYST, AND THEREBY MAINTAINING A CONSTANT RATIO OF SHOT TO CATALYST BY FORCING SHOT FROM THE RESERVIOR TO THE SETTLING ZONE BY AN INCREASE IN PRESSURE AND WITHDRAWING SHOT FROM THE SETTLING ZONE TO THE RESERVIOR BY A SECREASE IN PRESSSURE.