Hydrocarbon synthesis catalyst slurry rejuvenation with gas disengagement

A process for rejuvenating a particulate, reversibly deactivated hydrocarbon synthesis catalyst in a slurry comprising said catalyst and gas bubbles in a hydrocarbon slurry liquid which comprises hydrocarbon synthesis products which are liquid at said synthesis conditions, said process comprising (i) passing a portion of said slurry from a slurry body through an upward opening, hollow gas disengaging zone immersed in said body to disengage and remove at least a portion of said gas bubbles from said slurry to form a gas reduced slurry, (ii) passing said gas reduced slurry through a rejuvenation zone in which it contacts a catalyst rejuvenating gas comprising hydrogen to rejuvenate said catalyst and form a rejuvenated catalyst slurry which passes out of said rejuvenation zone, said rejuvenation zone comprising an elongated, hollow conduit having an outer wall, a slurry exit outside of said slurry body, and a slurry entrance immersed in said slurry which opens into said gas disengaging zone and wherein said outer wall proximate said entrance is peripherally surrounded by said gas disengaging zone, followed by (iii) passing said rejuvenated slurry back into said slurry body.

A means for rejuvenating a reversibly deactivated, particulate catalyst in a slurry which comprises said catalyst particles and gas bubbles in a slurry liquid, said means comprising a substantially vertical, hollow fluid conduit open at the top and bottom which respectfully comprise a slurry exit and entrance, having gas disengaging means and means for injecting a catalyst rejuvenating gas into its interior, wherein said entrance opens into said gas disengaging means which comprises an upwardly open, hollow, generally cup-shaped baffle having a vertical outer wall surrounding, and laterally spaced apart from, the outer surface at the bottom of said conduit to provide an annular gas disengaging zone surrounding the bottom of said conduit upstream of said entrance, so that slurry first enters said gas disengaging zone to disengage at least a portion of said gas bubbles and form a gas reduced slurry which is passed into said conduit entrance.