Atomizing feed for cracking unit

In a fluidized catalytic cracking process, an improved method of injecting an oil feed stream into a hot fluidized bed of cracking catalyst particles in a reactor comprises the following steps:

• maintaining oil cracking conditions in the reactor;
• introducing the oil feed stream and an atomizing gas stream into the reactor through a nozzle extending inside the reactor, the nozzle having a first and a second flow path and corresponding first and second outlets, wherein the second flow path is an annular flow path surrounding the first flow path;
• providing a protective sheating positioned around the portion of the nozzle extending inside the reactor;
• flowing the atomizing gas feed stream in the first flow path and flowing the oil feed stream in the second flow path;
• forming the oil feed stream into at least one sheet discharged from the second outlet, and forming the atomizing gas stream into at least one sheet discharged from the first outlet;
• breaking down the at least one sheet of oil by shearing the at least one sheet of oil with the at least one sheet of atomizing gas so as to form a mixture of oil droplets dispersed in the atomizing gas;
• and
• directing the mixture of oil droplets dispersed in the atomizing gas into the hot fluidized bed of cracking catalyst in the reactor.