Using low carbon fuel with a catalyst charge heater

1. A fluidized bed catalytic cracking (FCC) process for treating gaseous hydrocarbons from a cracking catalyst, the process comprising the steps of:

i) regenerating catalyst in a catalyst regenerator; by contact with oxygen containing gas to produce regenerated catalyst; and

ii) recycling the regenerated catalyst to a standpipe for transfer to a cracking zone;

iii) transferring the regenerated catalyst to a riser;

iv) feeding a low carbon fuel and an oxidizing gas to a FCC catalyst heater for maintaining and adjusting unit heat balance in a catalytic cracking unit

v) providing the FCC catalyst heater with a fuel gas/catalyst combustion chamber and structured packing;

vi) using the fuel gas/catalyst combustion chamber with a flowthrough or backmixed catalyst flow configuration;

vii) feeding the low carbon fuel and the oxidizing gas from the fuel gas/catalyst combustion chamber into the catalyst regenerator; and

viii) using the FCC catalyst heater to control the rate of burning by controlling the amounts of oxidizing gas and the low carbon fuel introduced into the catalyst regenerator.

2. A process according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

placing the FCC catalyst heater external to the regenerator.

3. A process according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

placing the FCC catalyst heater internal to the regenerator.

4. A process according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

using the FCC catalyst heater with a multiple nozzle gas distribution configuration.

5. A process according to claim 4 wherein the FCC catalyst heater is an oxygen thermal lance used to burn oxygen as a heat source.

6. A process according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

using the FCC catalyst heater with a gas distributor.

7. A process according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

using the FCC catalyst heater to operate the regenerator at temperatures in the range of about 1000 degree to 1600 degree F.

8. A process according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

using the FCC catalyst heater to achieve adequate combustion while keeping catalyst temperature below those at which significant catalyst degradation can occur.

9. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of using the FCC catalyst heater debottlenecks FCC capacity thereby allowing high feed rates at constant CO2 emissions.

10. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of using the FCC catalyst heater increases the liquid volume yield of transportation fuels.

11. A process according to claim 1 where the low carbon fuel may be natural gas, refinery fuel gas, hydrogen, oxygen, light hydrocarbon or sponge absorber off-gas product from the FCC catalyst heater recycled back to the regenerator.

12. A process according to claim 1 wherein the FCC catalyst heater reduces a coke yield resulting in decrease NOx, SOx and COx emissions.

13. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of using the FCC catalyst heater results in higher circulating catalyst activity due to lower carbon on regenerated catalyst.

14. A process according to claim 1 further comprising the step of using split fuel gas injection and independent air/oxygen/gas injection to control heat flux generation Btu/hr/Ft2 in the regenerator or combustion chamber to limit particle temperatures and deactivation.

15. A process according to claim 1 wherein the FCC catalyst heater is used effectively for independent control of regenerated catalyst temperature to control yield selectivities and feed conversion.

16. The process according to claim 1 wherein the FCC catalyst heater reduces the FCC feed coke yield resulting in increased product yield.