Bulk catalyst withdrawal system and methods for the use thereof

A method for processing a chemical stream, the method comprising:

• contacting a feed stream with a catalyst in a reactor portion of a reactor system, wherein the reactor system comprises the reactor portion and a catalyst processing portion and the contacting of the feed stream with the catalyst causes a reaction which forms a product stream comprising a product and a spent catalyst;
• passing the spent catalyst to the catalyst processing portion of the reactor system;
• processing the spent catalyst in the catalyst processing portion of the reactor system, wherein the processing of the spent catalyst comprises raising the temperature of the spent catalyst, removing coke deposits from the spent catalyst, contacting the spent catalyst with one or more reactive gases, or combinations of these to produce a combusted catalyst;
• passing at least a portion of the combusted catalyst from the catalyst processing portion of the reactor system into a catalyst withdrawal system comprising a catalyst withdrawal vessel and a transfer line coupling the catalyst withdrawal vessel to the catalyst processing portion, each of the catalyst withdrawal vessel and the transfer line comprising an outer metallic shell and an inner refractory lining;
• cooling the combusted catalyst in the catalyst withdrawal vessel from a temperature of greater than or equal to 680° C. to a temperature of less than or equal to 350° C.;
• and
• withdrawing the combusted catalyst from the catalyst withdrawal vessel after the combusted catalyst has been cooled to the temperature of less than or equal to 350° C., wherein the withdrawing of the combusted catalyst from the catalyst withdrawal vessel removes the combusted catalyst from the reactor system.