Continuous paraffin dehydrogenation process

Claim 1

A catalytic dehydrogenation process which comprises the steps of: a. passing a feed stream comprising saturated normal paraffins into a reaction zone maintained at dehydrogenation conditions including a temperature in excess of 1000°F. and a subatmospheric pressure, contacting the feed stream with a bed of dehydrogenation catalyst and effecting the formation of a reaction zone effluent stream comprising olefinic hydrocarbons and hydrogen; b. intermittently removing a quantity of used catalyst from the bottom of the bed of dehydrogenation catalyst, and intermittently adding a quantity of active catalyst to the top of the catalyst bed, and effecting a gradual movement of catalyst downward through the reaction zone; c. passing catalyst removed from the reaction zone into a regeneration zone operated at regeneration conditions which include the presence of an oxygen-containing gas stream and a superatmospheric pressure and effecting the production of regenerated catalyst; and, d. passing regenerated catalyst into a reducing zone operated at reduction conditions which include the presence of a reducing gas and effecting the production of active catalyst which is added to the catalyst bed.