Movement of fluidized catalyst in a standpipe

Claim 1

IN A HYDROCARBON CONVERSION PROCESS WHEREIN A HYDROCARBON FEED MATERIAL IS PASSED IN CONTACT WITH A FLUIDIZED BED OF CATALYST TO CONVERT SAID HYDROCARBON FEED INTO DESIRED PRODUCTS THEREBY CONTAMINATING THE CATALYST AND THE CONTAMINATED CATALYST IS STRIPPED OF VOLATILE REACTION PRODUCTS INA STRIPPING ZONE AND THE STRIPPED CATALYST IS REMOVED FROM SAID STRIPPING ZONE AS A DOWNWARDLY MOVING ELONGATED CONFINED STREAM OF CATALYST FOR TRANSFER TO A REGENERATION ZONE WHEREIN CATALYST CONTAMINANTS ARE REMOVED FROM THE CATALYST BY BURNING IN THE PRESENCE OF AN OXYGEN CONTAINING GAS TO REGENERATE THE CATALYST AND THE REGENERATED CATALYST IS RETURNED TO THE CONVERSION ZONE, THE IMPROVED METHOD OF OPERATION TO MAINTAIN A RELATIVELY DENSE FLUIDIZED BED OF CATALYST MOVING CONTINUOUSLY DOWNWARDLY AS AN ELONGATED CONFINED STREAM WHICH COMPRISED VENTING THE LOWER PORTION OF THE ELONGATED CONFINED STREAM WITH SAID CONVERSION ZONE FOR THE SEPARATE FLOW OF ACCUMULATED GASEOUS MATERIAL FROM WITHIN THE LOWER PORTION OF THE ELONGATED CONFINED STREAM TO SAID CONVERSION ZONE.