Catalytic conversion of contaminated hydrocarbons

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR REDUCING CATALYST CONTAMINATION RESULTING FROM THE DECOMPOSITION OF OIL SOLUBLE CONTAMINANTS DURING CATALYTIC CRACKING OF HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBON OILS HAVING AN ASH CONTENT OF MORE THAN ABOUT 4 LBS. PER 1000 BARRELS OF OIL AND CONTAINING AN APPRECIABLE AMOUNT OF OIL SOLUBLE ORANGO-METALLIC COMPOUNDS AS A CATALYST POISONING CONTAMINANT, WHICH COMPRISES MIXING FINELY DIVIDED POROUS, SILICIOUS CRACKING CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE ABOUT 900* F. WITH A COOL RELATIVELY CLEAN AND RELATIVELY UNCONTAMINATED LIQUID HYDROCARBON OIL BOILING ABOVE 400* F. TO THEREBY AT LEAST PARTIALLY FILL THE PORES OF SAID CATALYST WITH THE LIQUID HYDROCARBON, THEN QUICKLY ADDING SAID HIGHLY CONTAMINATED HYDROCARBON OIL CONTAINING AN APPRECIABLE AMOUNT OF SAID OIL SOLUBLE ORGANO-METALLIC CATALYST POISONING COMPOUNDS TO SAID CATALYST BEFORE SAID RELATIVELY CLEAN LIQUID HYDROCARBON OIL HAS BECOME COMPLETELY VAPORIZED, THEN VAPORIZING SAID CLEAN AND HIGHLY CONTAMINATED HYDROCARBON OILS IN THE MIXTURE TO FORM A DILUTE SUSPENSION OF FINELY DIVIDED CATALYST IN HYDROCARBON VAPORS, PASSING THE RESULTING SUSPENSION TO A CRACKING ZONE WHERE SAID CATALYST IS MAINTAINED AS A DENSE, FLUIDIZED BED BY UPFLOWING GASIFORM MATERIAL AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE ABOUT 800* F., AND WHREIN THE HYDROCARBON OILS ARE CRACKED INTO LIGHTER PRODUCTS, REMOVING CRACKED HYDROCARBON VAPORS FROM SAID CRACKING ZONE, WITHDRAWING SPENT CATALYST FROM SAID CRACKING ZONE AND PASSING THE WITHDRAWN CATALYST TO A REGENERATION ZONE AFTER MIXING WITH AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS, MAINTAINING SAID CATALYST IN SAID REGENERATION ZONE AS A DENSE, TURBULENT BED AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE ABOUT 1000* F. TO BURN OFF COKE AND TO GRIND OFF METALLIC CATALYST POISONING CONTAMINANTS DEPOSITED ON THE SURFACE OF THE CATALYST PARTICLES AS A RESULT OF CRACKING OIL SOUBLE ORGANO-METALLIC COMPOUNDS IN SAID HIGHLY COMTAMINATED HYDROCARBON OIL, WITHDRAWING A STREAM OF FLUE GAS AND CONTAMINANT-CONTAINING FINES FROM SAID REGENERATION ZONE AND WITHDRAWING REGENERATED CATALYST FROM SAID REGENERATION ZONE FOR MIXING WITH SAID HYDROCARBON OIL FEEDS TO BE CRACKED IN SAID CRACKING ZONE.