Process for making olefins

A method for conducting an oxygenate conversion reaction in a fluidized bed reactor comprising:

• providing an oxygenate feedstock, a catalyst that incorporates a SAPO molecular sieve, and a reactor apparatus including at least a reaction zone and a recirculation zone, wherein the temperature in at leapt one point in each of said reaction zone and said recirculation zone is about 250° C. or greater;
• contacting said feedstock with said catalyst in said reaction zone under conditions effective to convert said feedstock to a product including prime olefins, said conditions Including a GSV of greater than about 0.5 m/s at at least one point in said reaction zone;
• recirculating said catalyst through the recirculation zone to establish a temperature differential, and;
• maintaining a ratio of the mass of said catalyst in said reaction zone to that of the sum of the mass of said catalyst in both said reaction zone and said recirculation zone of from 0.30 to 0.99.

A method for conducting an oxygenate conversion reaction in a fluidized bed reactor comprising:

• providing an oxygenate feedstock, a catalyst that incorporates a SAPO molecular sieve, and a reactor apparatus including at least a reaction zone and a recirculation zone, wherein the temperature in at least one point in each of said reaction zone and said recirculation zone is about 250° C. or greater;
• contacting said feedstock with said catalyst in said reaction zone under conditions effective to convert said feedstock to a product including prime olefins, said conditions including a GSV of about 0.1 m/s or greater at at least one point in said reaction zone;
• having an ACFE index in said reactor apparatus of about 1.0 or greater, and;
• having a ratio of the mass of said catalyst in said reaction zone to that of the sum of the mass of said catalyst in both said reaction zone and said recirculation zone of between at least 0.30 to 0.99.