Patent ID: 8480965

Claim:
A process of cracking a hydrocarbon feedstock, such as a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process, the process comprising: contacting hot regenerated catalyst particles from a catalyst regenerator with a hydrocarbon feed in a riser reactor to form an effluent comprising a cracked hydrocarbon product and a spent catalyst; separating the spent catalyst from the cracked hydrocarbon product in a separation vessel via a stripping medium fed through a first gas distribution apparatus to recover an overheads hydrocarbon fraction and a spent catalyst fraction; regenerating the spent catalyst fraction in a regeneration vessel via contact with a regeneration gas fed through a second gas distribution apparatus to recover the hot regenerated catalyst particles; wherein at least one of the first gas distribution apparatus and the second gas distribution apparatus comprises: a distribution manifold in fluid communication with a gas source and a plurality of injection nozzles; each of the plurality of injection nozzles comprising a tube having a fluid inlet disposed within the distribution manifold and a fluid outlet; and wherein the fluid inlet comprises a plurality of radial flow restriction orifices distributed circumferentially through the tube, wherein the plurality of radial flow restriction orifices are disposed through the tube a length L from an axial end of the tube proximate the inlet, wherein the length L is less than 2 tube inner diameters.