A process for cracking an olefin-containing hydrocarbon feedstock which is
selective towards light olefins in the effluent, the process comprising
passing a hydrocarbon feedstock containing one or more olefins through a
moving bed reactor containing a crystalline silicate catalyst selected
from an MFI-type crystalline silicate having a silicon/aluminium atomic
ratio of at least 180 and an MEL-type crystalline silicate having a
silicon/aluminium atomic ration of from 150 to 800 which has been
subjected to a steaming step, at an inlet temperature of from 500 to
600.degree. C., at an olefin partial pressure of from 0.1 to 2 bars and
the feedstock being passed over the catalyst at an LHSV of from 5 to 30
h.sup.-1 to produce an effluent with an olefin content of lower molecular
weight than that of the feedstock, intermittently removing a first
fraction of the catalyst from the moving bed reactor, regenerating the
first fraction of the catalyst in a regenerator and intermittently
feeding into the moving bed reactor a second fraction of the catalyst
which has been regenerated in the regenerator, the catalyst regeneration
rate being controlled whereby the propylene purity is maintained constant
at a value corresponding to the average value observed in a fixed bed
reactor using the same feedstock, catalyst and cracking conditions, for
example at least 94 wt %.