Catalytic petroleum conversion process

Claim 2

The process of claim 1 wherein the oxygen-containing regeneration gas comprises air.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 wherein the petroleum feedstock is converted in the presence of a conversion catalyst comprising silica and a refractory inorganic oxide selected from the class consisting of alumina, magnesia and zirconia.

Claim 4

The process of claim 1 wherein the petroleum feedstock is converted in the presence of a conversion catalyst comprising silica and alumina.

Claim 5

The process of claim 5 wherein the regenerated conversion catalyst contains 0.01 to 0.25 weight percent carbon.

Claim 6

The process of claim 5 wherein the conversion catalyst additionally comprises a crystalline aluminosilicate.

Claim 7

The process of claim 7 wherein the regenerated conversion catalyst contains less than 0.1 weight per cent carbon.

Claim 8

A process for the catalytic cracking of a petroleum gas oil in a vertical elongated transport reactor in the presence of a fluidizable, regenerable catalyst comprising silica and a refractory inorganic oxide selected from the class consisting of alumina, magnesia and zirconia, which process comprises the steps of: a. introducing the gas oil together with recycle gas oil and dispersion steam into a bottom section of the transfer-line reactor; b. introducing the catalyst, from a first standpipe and fluidizing steam into the bottom section of the transport reactor; c. passing a mixture of catalyst and gas oil in fluidized dispersion upwardly through a series of sections having successively greater cross-sectional areas under conditions suitable to effect about 45 to 95 percent conversion of gas oil; d. discharging the reaction mixture from a top section of the transport reactor, through an exit line disposed substantially horizontally, directly into a cyclone separator, contained within a stripping vessel and having a dip leg extending below the surface of a dense-phase, baffled, fluidized-bed stripping zone; e. discharging stripping steam and vaporized stripped reaction components from the stripping zone into the cyclone separator concomitantly with the reaction mixture; f. separating spent catalyst from vaporized components and passing the catalyst downward through the dip leg into the stripping zone and stripping with steam; g. passing stripped spent catalyst downward through a second standpipe into a regenerator vessel, comPrising an upper dilute-phase stage and at least one lower dense-phase stage; h. regenerating the catalyst as it is moved in downward flow countercurrent to an oxygen-containing regeneration gas stream, the gas stream entering at the bottom of the lowermost dense-phase stage in the regenerator vessel; i. flowing regenerated catalyst downward into the first standpipe; j. fractionating the separated vaporized components into valuable cracked petroleum fractions and a recycle gas oil; and k. introducing the regenerated catalyst, and recycle gas oil, together with additional petroleum gas oil, into the bottom section of the vertical transfer-line reactor.

Claim 9

The process of claim 9 wherein the catalyst additionally comprises a crystalline aluminosilicate component.

Claim 10

The process of claim 9 wherein the ratio of length to average diameter of the vertical transfer line is at least 25, the bottom section mixing temperature is about 1000*F and the top section exit line temperature is about 950*F, the fluidized dispersion has a density of 1 to 5 pounds per cubic foot, and the upward velocity of the fluidized dispersion is in the range from about 20 to about 60 feet per second.

Claim 11

The process of claim 9 wherein the exit line is positioned substantially horizontally at a distance of about one foot downward from a top blind closure on the top vertical reactor section, providing an area containing a cushioning plug of spent catalyst.

Claim 12

The process of claim 9 wherein stripped catalyst, at a temperature of about 950*F, is introduced into and maintained in a dilute-phase fluidized stage, being the uppermost regeneration stage, with a partially depleted oxygen-containing regeneration gas, the regeneration gas entering the stage at a temperature of about 1250*F and having an upward velocity of about 15 feet per second.

Claim 13

The process of claim 9 wherein the ratio of recycle gas oil to fresh gas oil feed is in the range from 0.0 to 1.0 and the weight ratio of catalyst to oil in the reactor is in the range from about 2 to about 10.

Claim 14

The process of claim 9 wherein the exit line of the reactor has a cross-sectional area no greater than about two-thirds the cross-sectional area of the top section of the transfer-line reactor.

Claim 15

A process for the rapid separation of spent catalyst from petroleum vapors in the effluent of an elongated fluid-bed catalytic petroleum conversion reactor, comprising the steps of: a. passing reactor effluent into a reactor exit line, having an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of the reactor and a cross-sectional area less than the cross-sectioned area of the reactor; b. transferring reactor effluent from the reactor exit line into a cyclone separator, contained within a stripper vessel and having a flared receiving throat and a dip-leg, the receiving throat having a cross-sectional area greater than the cross-sectional area of the exit line and adapted to receive the exit line; c. passing an inert stripping gas and associated stripped petroleum vapors into the cyclone separator through an annular opening described by the receiving throat and the exit line; d. disengaging the spent catalyst; and e. discharging the spent catalyst downwardly through the dip-leg.

Claim 16

The process of claim 16 wherein the inert stripping gas comprises steam.

Claim 17

The process of claim 16 wherein the axis of the elongated conversion reactor lies in a vertical plane and the reactor exit line is disposed substantially horizontally from the reactor.