Cracking with inert and catalytic solids

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF CRACKING VAPORIZED HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A SUSPENSION OF A FINELY DIVIDED CRACKING CATALYST IN SAID VAPORIZED HYDROCARBONS, FORMING AND MAINTAINING A SUBSTANTIALLY STATIC FLOATING BED OF CATALYTICALLY INERT SOLIDS OF A LARGER DIAMETER AND OF GREATER SPECIFIC GRAVITY THAN THAT OF THE CATALYST IN THE LOWER END OF A VERTICAL ELONGATED REACTION ZONE HAVING A LENGTH TO DIAMETER RATIO IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 4:1 TO ABOUT 20:1 AND MAINTAINED UNDER CRACKING CONDITIONS INCLUDING A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 800* TO ABOUT 1100* F. AND A PRESSURE INTHE RANGE FROM ABOUT ATMOSPHERIC TO ABOUT 50 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAUGE, SAID FLOATING BED HAVING A THICKNESS IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 6 INCHES SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE THE PRESSURE ABOUT 2 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAUGE, AND THEN PASSING SAID SUSPENSION THROUGH SAID BED AND THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE AS A DISPERSED PHASE AT A SUPERFICIAL GAS VELOCITY IN THE RANGE BETWEEN ABOUT 8 AND ABOUT 50 FEET PER SECOND AND THEREBY REDUCING CONTACT TIME BETWEEN SAID CATALYST, AND VAPORIZED HYDROCARBON AND LOWERING CARBON YIELD, THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF THE CATALYST BEING IN THE RANGE BETWEEN ABOUT 1.6 AND 2.73 AND THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF THE INERT SOLIDS BEING IN THE RANGE BETWEEN ABOUT 3.0 AND ABOUT 5.0, SAID SOLIDS HAVING PARTICLE DIAMETERS FROM ABOUT 1.0 TO ABOUT 4.0 CM. AND SAID CATALYST HAVING PARTICLE DIAMETERS IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 0 TO ABOUT 100 MICRONS.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF CRACKING VAPORIZED HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A SUSPENSION OF A FINELY DIVIDED CRACKING CATALYST IN SAID VAPORIZED HYDROCARBONS, FORMING AND MAINTAINING A SUBSTANTIALLY STATIC FLOATING BED OF CATALYTICALLY INERT SOLIDS OF A LARGER DIAMETER AND OF GREATER SPECIFIC GRAVITY THAN THAT OF THE CATALYST IN THE LOWER END OF A VERTICAL ELONGATED REACTION ZONE HAVING A LENGTH TO DIAMETER RATIO IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 4:1 TO ABOUT 20:1 AND MAINTAINED UNDER CRACKING CONDITIONS INCLUDING A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 800* TO ABOUT 1100* F. AND A PRESSURE INTHE RANGE FROM ABOUT ATMOSPHERIC TO ABOUT 50 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAUGE, SAID FLOATING BED HAVING A THICKNESS IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 6 INCHES SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE THE PRESSURE ABOUT 2 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAUGE, AND THEN PASSING SAID SUSPENSION THROUGH SAID BED AND THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE AS A DISPERSED PHASE AT A SUPERFICIAL GAS VELOCITY IN THE RANGE BETWEEN ABOUT 8 AND ABOUT 50 FEET PER SECOND AND THEREBY REDUCING CONTACT TIME BETWEEN SAID CATALYST, AND VAPORIZED HYDROCARBON AND LOWERING CARBON YIELD, THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF THE CATALYST BEING IN THE RANGE BETWEEN ABOUT 1.6 AND 2.73 AND THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF THE INERT SOLIDS BEING IN THE RANGE BETWEEN ABOUT 3.0 AND ABOUT 5.0, SAID SOLIDS HAVING PARTICLE DIAMETERS FROM ABOUT 1.0 TO ABOUT 4.0 CM. AND SAID CATALYST HAVING PARTICLE DIAMETERS IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 0 TO ABOUT 100 MICRONS.