Conversion process and apparatus therefor

Claim 1

A CATALYTIC CRACKING PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING UNDER CONVERSION CONDITIONS A HYDROCARBON REACTANT FIRST WITH A HIGH VELOCITY AND THEN A LOWER VELOCITY UPWARDLY FLOWING FLUIDIZED BED OF CRACKING CARALYST IN A REACTION ZONE THEREBY CONTAMINATING THE CATALYST, WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF CONTAMINATED CATALYST FROM THE TOP OF THE BED OF CATALYST IN SAID REACTION ZONE AND PASSING SAID WITHDRAWIN CATALYST DOWNWARDLY AS AN ELONGATED CONFINED STREAM THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE IN A STRIPPING ZONE IN CONTACT WITH A STRIPPING GAS, WITHDRAWING STRIPPED CATALYST FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE STRIPPING ZONE AND PASSING THE SAME TO THE BOTTOM OF A REGENRATION ZONE, PASSING THE STRIPPED CATALYST UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID REGENERATION ZONE AS A SUSPENSION IN A REGENERATION GAS UNDER REGENERATING CONDITIONS, WITHDRAWING REGENERATED CATALYST AND REGENERATION GASES FROM THE TOP OF SAID REGENERATION ZONE, SEPARATING WITHDRAWIN REGENERATED CATALYST INTO AT LEAST TWO SEPARABLE CONFINED STREAMS, PASSING ONE OF SAID REGENRATED CATALYST STREAMS TO THE UPPER PORTION OF THE BED OF CATALYST IN SAID REACTION ZONE AND PASSING ANOTHER OF SAID REGENERATED CATALYST STREAMS TO THE LOWER PORTION OF THE CATALYST BED IN SAID REACTION ZONE.