Patent ID: 7172685

Claim:
A desulfurization process comprising the steps of: (a) contacting a hydrocarbon-containing fluid stream with solid sorbent particulates in a fluidized bed reactor under desulfurization conditions sufficient to produce a desulfurized hydrocarbon-containing fluid and sulfur-loaded sorbent particulates; (b) pressurizing a reactor lockhopper to a fill pressure within 20 percent of the pressure in said fluidized bed reactor, thereby providing a pressurized reactor lockhopper; (c) transporting at least a portion of said sulfur-loaded sorbent particulates from said reactor to said pressurized reactor lockhopper, thereby providing a filled pressurized reactor lockhopper; (d) depressurizing said filled pressurized lockhopper to a drain pressure thereby providing a depressurized filled reactor lockhopper; (e) transporting at least a portion of said sulfur-loaded sorbent particulates from said depressurized filled reactor lockhopper to a fluidized bed regenerator, thereby providing a drained depressurized lockhopper; and (f) contacting at least a portion of said sulfur-loaded sorbent particulates with an oxygen-containing regeneration stream in said regenerator under regeneration conditions sufficient to produce regenerated sorbent particulates, wherein the pressure in said regenerator is within 20 percent of said drain pressure.