Hydrocarbon conversion process and apparatus useful therefor

Claim 1

IN A CONTINUOUS PROCESS EMPLOYING A MOVING-BED SYSTEM FOR THE CONVERSION OF A HYDROCARBON FEED WHEREIN SAID HYDROCARBON FEED IS CONTACTED IN A REACTION ZONE UNDER CONVERSION CONDITIONS INCLUDING AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE WITH A MASS OF GRANULAR DOWNWARDLY-GRAVITATING SOLIDS, CONVERSION PRODUCT AND SPENT GRANULAR SOLIDS ARE CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWN FROM THE REACTION ZONE, THE SPENT GRANULAR SOLIDS ARE CONTINUOUSLY PASSED FROM THE REACTION ZONE TO A REGENERATION ZONE WHEREIN CARBONACEOUS DEPOSITS FROM THE CONVERSION REACTION ARE COMBUSTIBLY REMOVED WHEREBY THE TEMPERATURE OF THE RESULTING REGENERATED SOLIDS WITHDRAWN FROM THE REGENERATION ZONE VARIES IN THE COURSE OF CARRYING OUT SAID CONTINUOUS PROCESS, THE REGENERATED GRANULAR SOLIDS ARE CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWN FROM THE REGENERATION ZONE AND PASSED TO A PNEUMATIC TRANSPORT ZONE IN WHICH THE SOLIDS ARE COMBINED WITH A LIST GAS WHICH IS HEATED PRIOR TO SUCH USE AND IN WHICH THE SOLIDS ARE PNEUMATICALLY TRANSPORTED BY THE LIFT GAS TO THE REACTION ZONE, A METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE REGENERATED SOLIDS TO ACHIEVE A DESIRED TEMPERATURE OF THE REGENERATED SOLIDS ENTERING THE REACTION ZONE WHICH COMPRISES GENERATING AN INPUT FUNCTION REPRESENTING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE REGENERATED SOLIDS IN SAID SYSTEM AT A POINT FROM AND INCLUDING THE LOWER PORTION OF THE REGENERATION ZONE TO THE PNEUMATIC TRANSPORT ZONE, AND APPLYING SAID INPUT FUNCTION TO AUTOMATICALLY CONTROL THE HEATING OF THE LIFT GAS, PRIOR TO COMBINATION THEREOF WITH THE REGENERATED SOLIDS IN THE PNEUMATIC TRANSPORT ZONE, SO THAT THE HEATED LIFT GAS ENTERS THE PNEUMATIC TRANSPORT ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE WHICH WILL CAUSE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE REGENERATED SOLIDS TO BE ADJUSTED DURING PNEUMATIC TRANSPORT TO ACHIEVE SUBSTANTIALLY SAID DESIRED TEMPERATURE OF THE REGENERATED SOLIDS ENTERING THE REACTION ZONE.