Method for solids-withdrawal and transport from a superatmospheric pressure system

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR WITHDRAWING AND TRANSPORTING A RELATIVELY UNIFORM QUANTITY OF HYDROCARBON CONVERSION CATALYST PARTICLES, SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM HYDROCARRBONS, FROM A REACTION ZONE CONTAINING A BED OF SAID PARTICLES MOVABLE THERETHROUGH BY GRAVITY-FLOW, WHICH METHOD CMPRISES THE STEPS OF: A. WITHDRAWING CATALYST PARTICLES FROM SAID OZNE, THROUGH A PLURALITY OF CONDUCITS (I) IN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID BED, AND (II) SUBSTATIALLY EQUALLY SPACED THROUGH-OUT THE CROSS-SECTION AREA THEREOF; B. INTRODUCING SAID CATALYST PARTICLES, VIA SAID CONDUITS, INTO AN UPPER PORTION O A WITHDRAWAL AND TRANSPORT VESSEL HAVING A PLURALITY FO VERTICAL, PERIPHERAL CATALYST-HOLDING SECTION (I) OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL VOLUME, AND (II) EQUAL IN NUMBER TO SAID CONDUITS, ONE CONDUIT DISCHARGING CATALYST PARTICLES INTO ONE OF SAID SECTIONS; C. SIMULTANEOUSLY AND CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING A FIRST FLUID PURGE STREAM INTO SID VESSEL, AND FLOWING SAID PURGE STREAM COUNTERCURRENTLY THROUGH SAID CONDUITS, AT A LINEAR VELOCITY BELOW THAT WHICH EFFECTS FLUIDIZATION OF SAID CATALYST PARTICLES, TO STRIP HYDROCARBONS THEREFROM WHILE PERMITTING FREE GRAVITY-FLOW OF THE PARTICLES THROUGH SAID CONDUITS; D. WHEN TGE QUNTITY OF CATALYST PARTICLES IN EAC CATALYSTHOLDING SECTION CONTACTS THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF EACH CONDUIT, AUTOMATICALLY TERMINATING THE FLOW OF PARTICLES INTO EACH SECTION, INTRODUCING A SECOND FLUID LIFT STREAM DOWNWARDLY INTO AN ANNULUS FORMED BY IMPERFOARATE, CNCENTRIC FIRST AND SECONC CENTERPIPES, AT A VELOCITY SUFFICIENT TO LIFT SAID CATALYST PARTICLES FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID VESSEL UPWARDLY THROUGH THE INNER CONCENTRIC CENTERPIPE, AND REMOVING SAID CATALYST PARTICLES AND GASEOUS LIFT STREAM FROM SAID VESSEL; E. SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF SAID FLUID LIFT STREAM. AND THE REMOVAL OF SAID PARTICLES, INCREASING THE VELOCITY OF SAID PURGE STREAM TO A LVEL INHIBITING THE FLOW SAID INCREASED LEVEL BEING BELOW THAT CAUSING A REVERSAL OF SAID INCREASED LEVEL BEING BELOW THAT CAUSING A REVERSAL OF CATALYST FLOW IN SAID CONDUITS; AND, F. AFTER SAID CATALYST PARTICLES HVE BEEN REMOVED FROM SAID VESSEL, TERMINATING THE FLOW OF SAID FLUID LIFT STREAM AND DECREASING THE VELOCITY OF SAID FLUID PURGE STREAM TO A LEVEL PERMITTING THE FLOW OF CATALYST PARTICLES THROUGH SAID CONDUITS

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR WITHDRAWING AND TRANSPORTING A RELATIVELY UNIFORM QUANTITY OF HYDROCARBON CONVERSION CATALYST PARTICLES, SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM HYDROCARRBONS, FROM A REACTION ZONE CONTAINING A BED OF SAID PARTICLES MOVABLE THERETHROUGH BY GRAVITY-FLOW, WHICH METHOD CMPRISES THE STEPS OF: A. WITHDRAWING CATALYST PARTICLES FROM SAID OZNE, THROUGH A PLURALITY OF CONDUCITS (I) IN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID BED, AND (II) SUBSTATIALLY EQUALLY SPACED THROUGH-OUT THE CROSS-SECTION AREA THEREOF; B. INTRODUCING SAID CATALYST PARTICLES, VIA SAID CONDUITS, INTO AN UPPER PORTION O A WITHDRAWAL AND TRANSPORT VESSEL HAVING A PLURALITY FO VERTICAL, PERIPHERAL CATALYST-HOLDING SECTION (I) OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL VOLUME, AND (II) EQUAL IN NUMBER TO SAID CONDUITS, ONE CONDUIT DISCHARGING CATALYST PARTICLES INTO ONE OF SAID SECTIONS; C. SIMULTANEOUSLY AND CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING A FIRST FLUID PURGE STREAM INTO SID VESSEL, AND FLOWING SAID PURGE STREAM COUNTERCURRENTLY THROUGH SAID CONDUITS, AT A LINEAR VELOCITY BELOW THAT WHICH EFFECTS FLUIDIZATION OF SAID CATALYST PARTICLES, TO STRIP HYDROCARBONS THEREFROM WHILE PERMITTING FREE GRAVITY-FLOW OF THE PARTICLES THROUGH SAID CONDUITS; D. WHEN TGE QUNTITY OF CATALYST PARTICLES IN EAC CATALYSTHOLDING SECTION CONTACTS THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF EACH CONDUIT, AUTOMATICALLY TERMINATING THE FLOW OF PARTICLES INTO EACH SECTION, INTRODUCING A SECOND FLUID LIFT STREAM DOWNWARDLY INTO AN ANNULUS FORMED BY IMPERFOARATE, CNCENTRIC FIRST AND SECONC CENTERPIPES, AT A VELOCITY SUFFICIENT TO LIFT SAID CATALYST PARTICLES FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID VESSEL UPWARDLY THROUGH THE INNER CONCENTRIC CENTERPIPE, AND REMOVING SAID CATALYST PARTICLES AND GASEOUS LIFT STREAM FROM SAID VESSEL; E. SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF SAID FLUID LIFT STREAM. AND THE REMOVAL OF SAID PARTICLES, INCREASING THE VELOCITY OF SAID PURGE STREAM TO A LVEL INHIBITING THE FLOW SAID INCREASED LEVEL BEING BELOW THAT CAUSING A REVERSAL OF SAID INCREASED LEVEL BEING BELOW THAT CAUSING A REVERSAL OF CATALYST FLOW IN SAID CONDUITS; AND, F. AFTER SAID CATALYST PARTICLES HVE BEEN REMOVED FROM SAID VESSEL, TERMINATING THE FLOW OF SAID FLUID LIFT STREAM AND DECREASING THE VELOCITY OF SAID FLUID PURGE STREAM TO A LEVEL PERMITTING THE FLOW OF CATALYST PARTICLES THROUGH SAID CONDUITS