Separating flue gas from regenerated cracking catalyst

In a process for stripping hot regenerated catalyst with a fuel gas before passage to a hydrocarbon conversion operation, the improved method of stripping which comprises,

• passing hot regenerated catalyst with entrained CO.sub.2 containing flue gas downwardly as a confined stream into a zone imparting a centrifugal annular catalyst flow to said downwardly flowing confined stream about a centrally positioned zone closed at its upper end but open in the bottom end thereof,
• contacting said annular flowing catalyst stream with fuel gas and displacing CO.sub.2 from the catalyst,
• withdrawing fuel gas with displaced CO.sub.2 into said centrally postioned zone for withdrawal from the stripping operation, and
• withdrawing regenerated catalyst displaced from CO.sub.2 from beneath said centrally positioned zone for transfer to a hydrocarbon conversion zone.