Fluid catalytic cracking process

Claim 1

In a process for catalytically cracking in a reaction zone a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock having a distillate portion and a Conradson Carbon Number greater than about 1 and a vanadium and nickel heavy metal content of greater than about 2 ppm in the presence of a fluidizable cracking catalyst containing a heavy metal level comprising vanadium and nickel of greater than about 1000 ppm and which fluidizable cracking catalyst is deactivated by the deposition of coke deposits during said cracking, passed to a regeneration zone for reactivation of said fluidizable cracking catalyst by removal of said coke deposition and recycled after said reactivation to said reaction zone as the only catalyst to contact said feedstock, the improvement which comprises: (a) passing a first portion of said reactivated catalyst in contact with said feedstock at a flow rate sufficient to raise the temperature of said feedstock to a temperature of 850°-1050° F. and thereby vaporize a part of the distillate portion of said feedstock; and (b) passing a second portion of said reactivated catalyst to said reaction zone at a point distinct from said addition of step (a) to contact said first portion of said reactivated catalyst and feedstock containing said vaporized part of the distillate portion of said feedstock to effect the cracking of said feedstock.