Apparatus and method for conversion of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a bottom portion of said well is provided with fluidizing gas inlet means.

Claim 18

An apparatus for the conversion of hydrocarbons which comprises: an upper vessel; a lower vessel disposed in vertical alignment with said upper vessel; a structure forming an open seal well within said lower vessel and rigidly supported by a bottom portion of said lower vessel; a suspended vertical standpipe in communication with the upper and the lower vessels and extending downwardly into the open seal well; a plug valve located at the outlet from the vertical standpipe for control of flow therethrough; first means for introducing a fluidizing medium into a bottom portion of said well; a confined elongated transfer zone depending from said seal well and partially located outside said lower vessel and having the outlet portion located within said lower vessel in open pressure communication with said seal well; second means for introducing a fluidizing medium into said first portion of the transfer zone; at least one hydrocarbon feed inlet to said transfer zone downstream from said second fluidizing medium inlet means; a solids stripping zone; means for introducing solids from the transfer zone into the stripping zone, and at least one riser conduit for the transfer of solids from the stripping zone to the upper vessel.

Claim 19

A method for the conversion of hydrocarbons comprising: transferring hot, freshly regenerated catalyst of fluidizable particle size from an upper regeneration zone through a standpipe to an open seal well supported by a lower vessel; maintaining said open seal well in open pressure communication with the outlet of a confined elongated transfer zone, said transfer zone depending from said seal well and being located partially outside the lower vessel; maintaining a sealing and pressure-developing dense bed of fluidized, regenerated catalyst in said open seal well; employing the thus developed pressure for transferring catalyst from said open seal wEll through said confined elongated transfer zone; concurrently contacting in said transfer zone said catalyst with hydrocarbon feed under conditions suitable for cracking of said hydrocarbon feed; withdrawing cracked hydrocarbons and spent catalyst from the outlet portion of the transfer zone; stripping spent catalyst of strippable hydrocarbons in a stripping zone; recovering cracked and strippable hydrocarbons in a product recovery zone, and regenerating stripped catalyst in the upper regeneration zone by contact with an oxygen-containing gas at temperatures above those employed in the transfer zone.