Passivation of metal contaminants on cracking catalyst

Claim 1

A process for passivating a metal on fluidized cracking catalyst which has been contaminated with said metal due to the use of said catalyst in a fluidized cracking system, and wherein said catalyst is cycled between a cracking zone, in which said catalyst is contacted at an elevated temperature with a hydrocarbon feedstock containing said metal which deposits on said catalyst, and a regeneration zone, in which carbon is oxidized and thereby removed from said catalyst, said metal being included in the group comprising nickel, vanadium, cobalt or iron, which process comprises contacting said catalyst, prior to the cycling of said catalyst to said cracking zone, with a gas or mixture of gases comprising hydrocarbons selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons containing one, two and three carbon atoms at passivation reaction conditions, including a temperature of above 1300° F., selected so as to first effect substantially complete reduction of said metal to its metallic state and then deactivation of said metal in its metallic state by carbonization.