Closed cyclone FCC catalyst separation method and apparatus

Claim 1

A method of fluid catalytic cracking of a hydrocarbon feed comprising the steps of: passing a mixture, as a suspension, of said hydrocarbon feed and a catalyst through a riser conversion zone contained within a reactor vessel and cracking said hydrocarbon feed in the riser conversion zone; passing the mixture from the riser conversion zone to a riser cyclone separator positioned within the reactor vessel through a first enclosed conduit, the first enclosed conduit completely separating the mixture from the atmosphere of the reactor vessel; separating at least a portion of the catalyst from the mixture in the riser cyclone separation means; passing a gaseous effluent from the riser cyclone separator to a primary cyclone separator positioned within the reactor vessel through a second conduit; passing the separated catalyst to a catalyst stripping zone positioned within the reactor vessel, said stripping zone using a stripping gas to remove hydrocarbons entrained with the separated catalyst; passing at least a portion of a stripping gas from the catalyst stripping zone directly into a first annular port in the second conduit; passing the cracked hydrocarbons, as an effluent from said primary cyclone separator, to a downstream fractionation apparatus; and passing the separated catalyst from said stripping zone to a regeneration vessel.

Claim 2

A method of fluid catalytic cracking of a hydrocarbon feed comprising the steps of: passing a mixture, as a suspension, of said hydrocarbon feed and a catalyst through a riser conversion zone contained within a reactor vessel and cracking said hydrocarbon feed in the riser conversion zone; passing the mixture from the riser conversion zone to a riser cyclone separator positioned within the reactor vessel through a first enclosed conduit, the first enclosed conduit completely separating the mixture from the atmosphere of the reactor vessel; separating at least a portion of the catalyst from the mixture in the riser cyclone separation means; passing a gaseous effluent from the riser cyclone separator to a primary cyclone separator positioned within the reactor vessel through a second conduit; passing the separated catalyst to a catalyst stripping zone positioned within the reactor vessel, said stripping zone using a stripping gas to remove hydrocarbons entrained with the separated catalyst; passing at least a portion of a stripping gas from the catalyst stripping zone directly into a first annular port in the second conduit; passing the cracked hydrocarbons, as an effluent from said primary cyclone separator, to a downstream fractionation apparatus; and passing the separated catalyst from said stripping zone to a regeneration vessel.

Claim 9

A method of fluid catalytic cracking of a hydrocarbon feed comprising the steps of: passing a mixture, as a suspension, of said hydrocarbon feed and a catalyst through a riser conversion zone contained within a reactor vessel and cracking said hydrocarbon feed in the riser conversion zone; passing the mixture from the riser conversion zone to a riser cyclone separator positioned within the reactor vessel through a first enclosed conduit, the first enclosed conduit completely separating the mixture from the atmosphere of the reactor vessel; separating at least a portion of the catalyst from the mixture in the riser cyclone separator; passing a gaseous effluent from the riser cyclone separator to a primary cyclone separator positioned within the reactor vessel through a second conduit; passing the separated catalyst to a catalyst stripping zone positioned within the reactor vessel, said stripping zone using a stripping gas to remove hydrocarbons entrained with the separated catalyst; passing the catalyst removed from the mixture, by the riser cyclone separator, through a dipleg of said riser cyclone separator to a cyclone dipleg seal which holds catalyst so that it surrounds a dipleg opening, said dipleg seal comprising vertical side walls, a portion of which overlaps a portion of said riser cyclone separator dipleg to form an annular port located above the opening of said riser cyclone separator dipleg, and a bin comprising slanted walls attached to the lower edge of the side walls, the bin having at least one opening at its lower end; passing the cracked hydrocarbons, as an effluent from said primary cyclone separator, to a downstream fractionation apparatus; and passing the separated catalyst from said stripping zone to a regeneration vessel.

Claim 10

A method of fluid catalytic cracking of a hydrocarbon feed comprising the steps of: passing a mixture, as a suspension, of said hydrocarbon feed and a catalyst through a riser conversion zone contained within a reactor vessel and cracking said hydrocarbon feed in the riser conversion zone; passing the mixture from the riser conversion zone to a riser cyclone separator positioned within the reactor vessel through a first enclosed conduit, the first enclosed conduit completely separating the mixture from the atmosphere of the reactor vessel; separating at least a portion of the catalyst from the mixture in the riser cyclone separator; passing a gaseous effluent from the riser cyclone separator to a primary cyclone separator positioned within the reactor vessel through a second conduit; passing the separated catalyst to a catalyst stripping zone positioned within the reactor vessel, said stripping zone using a stripping gas to remove hydrocarbons entrained with the separated catalyst; passing the catalyst removed from the mixture, by the riser cyclone separator, through a dipleg of said riser cyclone separator to a cyclone dipleg seal which holds catalyst so that it surrounds a dipleg opening, said dipleg seal comprising vertical side walls, a portion of which overlaps a portion of said riser cyclone separator dipleg to form an annular port located above the opening of said riser cyclone separator dipleg, and a bin comprising slanted walls attached to the lower edge of the side walls, the bin having at least one opening at its lower end; passing the cracked hydrocarbons, as an effluent from said primary cyclone separator, to a downstream fractionation apparatus; and passing the separated catalyst from said stripping zone to a regeneration vessel.