Hydrocarbon conversion process and apparatus therefor

Claim 1

IN A REFORMING PROCESS IN WHICH A GRANULAR REFORMING CATALYST IS GRAVITATED AS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMNS THROUGH REACTION AND RECONDITIONING ZONES IN A CYCLIC FLOW PATH AND THE CATALYST IS CONVEYED UPWARDLY FROM BENEATH THE RECONDITIONING ZONE TO A LOCATION UPWARDLY THE COLUMN IN THE REACTION ZONE IN A STREAM OF LIFT GAS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES: GRAVITATING THE CONTACT CATALYST DOWNWARDLY FROM THE RECONDITIONING ZONE AS A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN OF RESTRICTED CROSSSECTION INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF A SEPARATE FEEDING ZONE, THE LENGTH OF THE COLUMN BEING SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT THE FLOW OF ANY SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF GAS BETWEEN THE RECONDITIONING ZONE AND THE FEEDING ZONE, SAID COLUMN BEING VENTED TO THE ATMOSPHERE AT A LEVEL INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF, INTRODUCING NAPHTHA FEED INTO THE UPPER END OF SAID FEEDING ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THAT OF THE CONTACT MATERIAL, PASSING THE GAS DOWNWARDLY IN THE FEEDING ZONE AT A FLOW RATE SUBSTANTIALLY IN EXCESS OF THAT REQUIRED FOR LIFTING THE SOLID MATERIAL, SO AS TO RAISE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE CATALYST TO A LEVEL SOMEWHAT ABOVE THAT REQUIRED FOR REACTION IN THE ZONE, WITHDRAWING AT LEAST A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF THE NAPHTHA FROM THE FEEDING ZONE AT A LEVEL A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF SAID ZONE, SUBSTANTIALLY IMMEDIATELY REINTRODUCING A PORTION OF SAID WITHDRAWN NAPHTHA INTO SAID FEEDING ZONE AS SECONDARY LIFT GAS AT A LEVEL NEAR THE BOTTOM OF SAID ZONE, SO AS TO TRAVEL THROUGH A SUBSTANTIAL THICKNESS OF THE BED OF CONTACT MATERIAL LATERALLY CONFINED THE LOWER END OF AN UPWARDLY DIRECTED LATERALLY CONFINED LIFT PASSAGE WHICH IS TERMINATED NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE FEEDING ZONE, SUBSTANTIALLY IMMEDIATELY REINTRODUCING A SECOND PORTION OF THE WITHDRAWN NAPHTHA INTO SAID FEEDING ZONE AS PRIMARY LIFT GAS, SO AS TO PASS DIRECTLY INTO THE LOWER END OF THE LIFT PASSAGE WITHOUT AGAIN PASSING THROUGH ANY SUBSTANTIALLY THICKNESS OF CONTENT MATERIAL IN THE FEEDING ZONE, WHEREBY THE CONTACT MATERIAL IS CONVEYED UPWARDLY TO A SEPARATING ZONE ABOVE THE REACTION ZONE FOR SUBSEQUENT TRANSFER INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF THE REACTION ZONE.