Abstract: A fluid cat cracking process for catalytically cracking a feed containing vanadium into lower boiling products, includes a cat cracker and a regenerator, with the feed entering the catalytic cracking zone preheated by indirect heat exchange with spent, stripped catalyst particles being recycled from the cracking reactor to the regenerator. Operating the regenerator at a temperature no higher than about 1150.degree. F. permits the amount of vanadium in the feed to be substantially increased with no loss of catalytic activity due to vanadium poisoning of the catalyst, when compared to a higher regenerator temperature of 1365.degree. F. Using the stripped, spent catalyst for heating the feed reduces feed coking and heat exchanger fouling, compared to using the hotter regenerated catalyst for feed preheat.

Abstract: A catalytic cracking process and apparatus wherein hot regenerated catalyst particles from the dense phase of the regenerator are passed through a heat exchanger in indirect heat exchange with stripped catalyst particles whereby the former are cooled and the latter are heated. The regenerated catalyst which contacts the feed is thus cooler than it would otherwise be, and there is a reduction in thermal cracking. The stripped catalyst entering the regenerator is hotter than it would otherwise be thereby improving the efficacy of the regeneration step.