Apparatus and process for minimizing catalyst residence time in a reactor vessel

An apparatus for separating solid particles from a stream comprising a mixture of gaseous fluids and solid particles, said apparatus comprising:

• an elongated reactor conduit in which hydrocarbon feed is contacted with solid particles to produce a gaseous product, said reactor conduit including an outlet;
• a disengaging chamber containing said outlet of said reactor conduit, an exit of said disengaging chamber being contiguous with an entrance to a separator;
• and
• a reactor vessel containing said separator having an gaseous product outlet and a solids conduit, said solids conduit having at least one section extending from said separator to an opening in a wall of said disengaging chamber.

A process for contacting hydrocarbon feed with solid catalyst particles and separating said solid catalyst particles from a product stream comprising a mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons and solid catalyst particles, said process comprising:

• contacting hydrocarbon feed with solid catalyst particles in a reaction conduit;
• urging gaseous hydrocarbon product and solid catalyst particles from said reaction conduit into a disengaging chamber;
• disengaging gaseous hydrocarbon product from solid catalyst particles in said disengaging chamber;
• passing substantially all of said gaseous hydrocarbon product disengaged from said solid catalyst particles to a separator;
• further separating gaseous hydrocarbon product from said solid catalyst particles in said separator;
• delivering said solid catalyst particles through an opening in a wall that separates a volume in the reactor vessel from a volume in said disengaging chamber;
• and
• preventing said solid catalyst particles from becoming entrained in said volume in the reactor vessel.