In an FCC apparatus in which swirl arms are used to discharge gas and catalyst from a riser, the swirling movement of the catalyst particles is inhibited while impeding the catalyst particles and gaseous products from exiting the disengaging chamber and entering a reactor annulus. The catalyst particles and gaseous products pass through a tunnel comprising a vertical wall to enter the reactor annulus. The vertical wall presents a face that is opposed to the angular direction in which the catalyst particles and gaseous products swirl. A baffle may be located at the intersection between the reactor annulus and the disengaging chamber to deflect catalyst laterally in a stripping section after exiting the reactor annulus. The baffle may be equipped with openings to fluidize the large proportion of catalyst passing over this region to effectively pre-strip this catalyst before it enters a stripping section.

A fluidized catalytic reactor utilizes an ascending temperature profile. The apparatus and process deliver cooler spent catalyst to a first catalyst distributor and a hotter regenerated catalyst to a second catalyst distributor that are spaced apart from each other. The reactant stream first encounters the first stream of catalyst and then encounters the second stream of catalyst. The process and apparatus stage the addition of hot catalyst to the reactant stream. The process and apparatus may be particularly advantageous in an endothermic reaction because the hotter catalyst will encounter reactants that have cooled due to the progression of endothermic reactions.

Process for the preparation of a catalyst and a catalyst comprising the use of more than one silica source is provided herein. Thus, in one embodiment, the invention provides a particulate FCC catalyst comprising about 5 to about 60 wt % one or more zeolites, about 15 to about 35 wt % quasicrystalline boehmite (QCB), about 0 to about 35 wt % microcrystalline boehmite (MCB), greater than about 0 to about 15 wt % silica from sodium stabilized basic colloidal silica, greater than about 0 to about 30 wt % silica from acidic colloidal silica or polysilicic acid, and the balance clay and the process for making the same. This process results in attrition resistant catalysts with a good accessibility.

Process for the preparation of a catalyst and a catalyst comprising the use of more than one silica source is provided herein. Thus, in one embodiment, the invention provides a particulate FCC catalyst comprising about 5 to about 60 wt % one or more zeolites, about 15 to about 35 wt % quasicrystalline boehmite (QCB), about 0 to about 35 wt % microcrystalline boehmite (MCB), greater than about 0 to about 15 wt % silica from sodium stabilized basic colloidal silica, greater than about 0 to about 30 wt % silica from acidic colloidal silica or polysilicic acid, and the balance clay and the process for making the same. This process results in attrition resistant catalysts with a good accessibility.

A process and apparatus is for recycling LCO and/or HCO to an FCC unit to recover additional distillate. Spent catalyst recycle in the FCC unit may be used to improve distillate yield. A hydroprocessing zone may saturate cycle oil aromatics for cracking in an FCC unit. The recycle cracked stream may be recycled to a downstream hydroprocessing zone to avoid a first hydroprocessing zone for hydrotreating feed to the FCC unit. Additional recovery of cycle oil for recycle is obtained by heating slurry oil prior to vacuum separation.

A process and apparatus is for recycling LCO and/or HCO to an FCC unit to recover additional distillate. Spent catalyst recycle in the FCC unit may be used to improve distillate yield. A hydroprocessing zone may saturate cycle oil aromatics for cracking in an FCC unit. The recycle cracked stream may be recycled to a downstream hydroprocessing zone to avoid a first hydroprocessing zone for hydrotreating feed to the FCC unit. Additional recovery of cycle oil for recycle is obtained by heating slurry oil prior to vacuum separation.

Apparatus and processes herein provide for converting hydrocarbon feeds to light olefins and other hydrocarbons. The processes and apparatus include, in some embodiments, feeding a hydrocarbon, a first catalyst and a second catalyst to a reactor, wherein the first catalyst has a smaller average particle size and is less dense than the second catalyst. A first portion of the second catalyst may be recovered as a bottoms product from the reactor, and a cracked hydrocarbon effluent, a second portion of the second catalyst, and the first catalyst may be recovered as an overhead product from the reactor. The second portion of the second catalyst may be separated from the overhead product, providing a first stream comprising the first catalyst and the hydrocarbon effluent and a second stream comprising the separated second catalyst, allowing return of the separated second catalyst in the second stream to the reactor.

The present disclosure discloses a fluidized bed cooler with regional coordination enhancement, comprising a shell, a catalyst inlet, an interior of the shell is divided into a catalyst inlet influence region, a dilute phase region, a dense phase region and a gas distributor influence region; a catalyst inlet inclined tube is provided obliquely upward at the catalyst inlet, and a regional particle distributor is provided at the catalyst inlet; the dense phase region is provided with a plurality of dense phase baffle plates, and the dilute phase region is provided with a plurality of dilute phase baffle plates; and the gas distributor influence region is provided with double gas distributors. The fluidized bed cooler simultaneously well solves the low internal stability and the low heat exchange efficiency of the fluidized bed cooler, thereby realizing the stable and efficient operation of the fluidized bed cooler.

Provided is a process capable of converting the cokes on spent catalysts in a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process into synthesis gas. The produced synthesis gas contains high concentrations of CO and H.sub.2 and may be utilized in many downstream applications such as syngas fermentation for alcohol production, hydrogen production and synthesis of chemical intermediates. A reducer/regenerator reactor for a fluid catalytic process comprising a chemical looping system to produce synthesis gas is also described.

Provided is a process capable of converting the cokes on spent catalysts in a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process into synthesis gas. The produced synthesis gas contains high concentrations of CO and H.sub.2 and may be utilized in many downstream applications such as syngas fermentation for alcohol production, hydrogen production and synthesis of chemical intermediates. A reducer/regenerator reactor for a fluid catalytic process comprising a chemical looping system to produce synthesis gas is also described.