Solids-vapor Disengagement Patents (Class 208/168)
  • Patent number: 9097695
    Abstract: Composite sampling of a fluid flowing through a conduit includes collecting, in a vessel coupled to the conduit through which the fluid is flowing, a first discrete sample of fluid from the conduit, the first discrete sample having a first selected volume, and collecting, in the vessel and at a first interval from the first sample, a second discrete sample of the fluid from the conduit, the second discrete sample having a second selected volume, thereby forming a composite sample in the vessel while the vessel is coupled to conduit. The composite sample includes the first discrete sample and the second discrete sample, and may include one or more additional discrete samples. An apparatus for collecting the composite sample includes a gas chromatograph, and is arranged such that the composite sample is provided to the gas chromatograph without removing the composite sample from the apparatus or transporting the composite sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: SGS North America Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne A. Kriel, Sven Lataire
  • Patent number: 8747768
    Abstract: An apparatus for contacting a bed of particulate material with a cross flowing fluid, which maintains the bed of particulate material within a retention volume. The apparatus includes partitions for retaining particles, with apertures disposed within the partitions. The apertures are covered by louvers that extend above the edges of the apertures to prevent solid particles from spilling through inlet apertures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Bryan K. Glover, Guy B. Woodle, Joseph E. Zimmermann, John J. Senetar
  • Patent number: 8702972
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for the separation of solids from gases in a mixture which is most particularly applicable to an FCC apparatus. The mixture of solids and gases are passed through a conduit and exit through a swirl arm that imparts a swirl motion having a first annular direction to centripetally separate the heavier solids from the lighter gases. The mixture then enters a gas recovery conduit in which at least one plate radially extending from an inner wall impedes rotational motion of the mixture. The mixture enters cyclones at the other end of the gas recovery conduit without substantial swirling motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Lawrence A. Lacijan, Hadjira Iddir
  • Patent number: 7914610
    Abstract: In an FCC process in which swirl arms are used to discharge gas and catalyst from a riser, a baffle is used to direct descending catalyst away from a wall of a disengaging vessel proximate a stripping section comprising elongated strips of metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventor: Robert L. Mehlberg
  • Patent number: 7588679
    Abstract: A system for gas-solid separation and for stripping combined into a single so-called separation/stripping zone that is compact and thus contributes to the quality of the yields of the unit. This system can be applied to FCC units and makes it possible to obtain very good separation effectiveness while reducing the contact time between the gas and the solid at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: Institute Francais du Petrole
    Inventors: Thierry Gauthier, Jean-François Le Coz, Régis Andreux
  • Patent number: 6689273
    Abstract: Heavy hydrocarbons are upgraded to higher value distillates in a hydrocarbon conversion process which employs several parallel on-stream reaction zones which each contain both hydrotreating and hydrocracking catalyst beds. The feed and liquid recycled from the bottom of the reaction zone is charged to the top of the uppermost catalyst bed. Hydrogen flow in the reaction zones is countercurrent to the descending liquid, and products are removed as vapor. The flow of feed to one of the reaction zones is periodically stopped to allow sequential on-stream hydrogenative regeneration of the catalysts within the reaction zones. This allows continuous commercial operation at conditions which are otherwise unfeasible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Tom N. Kalnes, Stephen R. Dunne, Vasant P. Thakkar
  • Publication number: 20020094313
    Abstract: A stripper and a stripping process for removing the flue gas carried by regenerated catalyst. A cylindrical stripper mainly comprises a degassing pipe at the longitudinal axis, a horizontal pipe connected with the lower end of the degassing pipe, several sets of inner annular baffles and outer annular baffles arranged in alternative arrangement along the vertical direction. Inner annular baffles are fixed on the degassing pipe, outer annular baffles are fixed on the inner wall of the cylinder. The degassing pipe has holes below each set of the inner annular baffles. The regenerated catalyst enters the stripper from the upper part, comes into a countercurrent and crosscurrent contact with steam from the annular steam conduit, and the stripped regenerated catalyst leaves the stripper from the bottom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2001
    Publication date: July 18, 2002
    Applicant: CHINA PETROLEUM AND CHEMICAL CORP.
    Inventors: Weimin Lu, Xieqing Wang, Xiaoxiang Zhong, Songnian Li
  • Patent number: 5958222
    Abstract: An arrangement for the controlled production of an essentially linear array of hydrocarbon feed injection jets reduces required clearances and elevation while facilitating modification of the contacting locating a feed distributor containing a linear array of jets at a standpipe junction point to provide choke point for particle flow control. The flow properties of the extended particle layer are controlled by adjusting the density of the particles above the choke point created by the upper part of the standpipe inside diameter and the top of the distributor. Steam or another fluidization medium may be added to the particles directly above the distributor for this purpose. This invention can also modify the particle or feed injection characteristics by changing the projection of the distributor into the standpipe to adjust the flow area over the choke point and by the use of bottom slides or baffles to change the flow area size and configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: William H. Radcliffe, Ismail B. Cetinkaya
  • Patent number: 5820747
    Abstract: A steam cracking process and facility is described which comprises injection of erosive powder to effect at least partial decoking of transfer line exchangers without interrupting the steam cracking stream. The powder, preferably injected just upstream of the transfer line exchangers (TLE) (4), is separated from the cracked gases in primary gas/solid separators (5), temporarily stored in receiving drums at a controlled temperature and evacuated to a common powder storage and/or treatment module by pneumatic transfer by means of a relatively low flow of uncondensable gas. The process and facility can be used to collect solid fragments generated by injection of chemical compounds which are catalysts for the gasification of coke by steam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Assignees: Institut Francais du Petrole, Procedes Petroliers et Petrochimiques, Eric Lenglet
    Inventors: Eric Lenglet, Paul Broutin, Jean-Pierre Burzynski, Herve Cazor, Roland Huin
  • Patent number: 5681450
    Abstract: A cyclone and process for fluidized catalytic cracking of heavy oils is disclosed. Gas and entrained solids are added around a clean gas outlet tube in a cyclone body. Solids and some gas are withdrawn via a solids outlet and discharged into a catch chamber. Some of the gas discharged with the solids into the catch chamber is returned to the interior of the cyclone body via an opening in the cyclone. Chaotic reflux of gas back into the cyclone via the solids outlet is eliminated. The device may be used as an FCC regenerator third stage separator or to improve other gas/solid separations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1997
    Inventors: Girish K. Chitnis, Stephen J. McGovern, Klaus W. Schatz
  • Patent number: 5665949
    Abstract: A process for separating catalyst particles in the catalytic cracking of reacted hydrocarbons includes feeding the reacted hydrobarbons to an unconfined cyclone device made up of a diplegless cyclone opening directly into a large volume separator vessel downwardly through a mouth and upwardly through the annular space between concentric pipes. The concentric pipes are connected to the other components of the system as well as the hydrocarbon fluid catalytic cracking process carried out in the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras
    Inventors: Jose Mozart Fusco, Jose Geraldo Furtado Ramos, Valmor Neves Vieira, Eduardo Cardoso de Melo Guerra
  • Patent number: 5443718
    Abstract: A reactor for refining resid includes an elongated vertical vessel containing a bed of catalyst which is expanded or ebullated by a liquid/gas mixture. The mixture rises in an updraft through the bed and then is recirculated with an increased velocity by an ebullating pump. To reduce gas holdup of the ebullated bed and to promote a more uniform flow, the gas is entrapped by two cascaded stages of baffles which have an internal conical shape to guide, direct, and entrap the gas. One of these two stages has a shape which creates a countercurrent in the flowing liquid to deflect any catalyst particles which might otherwise be elutriated by the increased velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 22, 1995
    Assignee: Amoco Corporation
    Inventors: Robert D. Buttke, John R. Frey
  • Patent number: 5089115
    Abstract: Method for effecting contact of a gas with light particles of solid matter, where the particles are retained within particle retention screens to form a bed of particles and the particles move downward in plug flow by means of gravity. When the particles are light, that is, of relatively small size and low density, the velocity of the gas may be sufficiently high that downward movement of particles is hindered by the horizontal forces exerted on the particles by the flowing gas. This invention provides that gas flows through the bed of particles in a downwardly sloping direction instead of in a horizontal direction, so that the force exerted on a particle has a horizontal component and a downward vertical component. The vertical component of the force resulting from gas flow, along with the gravity force on a particle, is sufficient to overcome the frictional resistance to downward movement of a particle which results from the horizontal component of the flowing gas force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1992
    Assignee: UOP
    Inventor: William J. Koves
  • Patent number: 4859315
    Abstract: A continuous fluidized process for upgrading a heavy liquid hydrocarbon charge-stock containing solid or solid-forming contaminants, e.g., inorganic solids, metals and asphaltenes. The charge is atomized to provide a stream of liquid particles introduced horizontally into a horizontal contacting zone to contact a vertical curtain of fluidized hot solid particles so as to vaporize hydrocarbons in the charge without substantial cracking, the solid particles being solely derived from the contaminants in the charge. The mixture of hydrocarbon vapors and solid particles are rapidly separated, carbon is burned from the separated particles, and the resulting hot solid particles are recycled to the contacting zone. The hydrocarbon vapors are condensed and there is recovered a liquid product having a substantially reduced content of contaminants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1987
    Date of Patent: August 22, 1989
    Inventor: David B. Bartholic
  • Patent number: 4753907
    Abstract: Solids e.g. catalysts are separated from suspensions in gases e.g. products from catalytic cracking of crude oil fractions a discharging of suspensions against a surface positioned above the outlet of a riser conduit through which the suspensions are flowing and collecting the displaced gases for passage to cyclones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1988
    Assignee: Ashland Oil, Inc.
    Inventors: Oliver J. Zandona, Paul W. Walters, Roger M. Benslay
  • Patent number: 4693808
    Abstract: This invention discloses an integral hydrocarbon conversion apparatus and process having a downflow hydrocarbon reactor, an upflow riser regenerator and a horizontal cyclone separator to permit the conversion of hydrocarbonaceous materials to hydrocarbonaceous products of lower molecular weight in a near zero pressure drop environment. A leg seal is provided surmounted to the downflow reactor to insure that the pressure is at least 0.5 psi higher than the upper portion of the downflow reactor (higher than the loop seal valve) vis-a-vis the pressure in the lower portion of the downflow reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1987
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventor: Thomas S. Dewitz
  • Patent number: 4664782
    Abstract: The particulate solid is maintained in a bed in contact with a liquid within a high pressure vessel. The particulate solid is supported in the vessel in a cone-like configuration. A discharge tube is provided communicating with the particulate solid running from the bottom of the cone externally of said vessel and pressure on the supported particulate is produced to discharge said particulate out of said vessel via the discharge tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1986
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1987
    Assignee: Intevep, S.A.
    Inventors: Roberto E. Galiasso, Jose I. Belandria, Pasquale L. Caprioli
  • Patent number: 4591428
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a continuous process for the catalytic treatment of a hydrocarbon oil and an apparatus for carrying out such process, by passing said oil through one or more catalyst beds within a reactor wherein catalyst is withdrawn from the bottom of the reactor and fresh catalyst is supplied to the top thereof, said catalyst being withdrawn through a discharge funnel contained in the bottom of said reactor, which funnel allows for separation of product from the catalyst via a first main screen located in the funnel upstream of the exit end of said funnel, the withdrawal of product being effected via a product outlet, in which process use is made of a second screen forming part of the discharge funnel system, located between the main screen of the funnel and the product outlet and having a larger mesh size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1986
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventor: Gerrit J. Pronk
  • Patent number: 4578370
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for regenerating particulate catalyst used in a hydrocarbon conversion process such as catalytic reforming. The method is especially applicable to moving bed reactor systems. The catalyst being regenerated slowly moves downward as a dense bed which is contacted with different gas streams at different elevations within the regeneration zone. The invention involves employing a portion of relatively hot combustion gas as a heating gas stream, with the remainder of the combustion gas being cooled and recycled to the combustion zone. This eliminates the need to employ a heater to provide a suitable heating gas stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 25, 1986
    Assignee: UOP Inc.
    Inventor: Arthur R. Greenwood
  • Patent number: 4167553
    Abstract: A catalytic reaction chamber for contacting a reactant stream with catalyst particles which are disposed as an annular-form bed and are downwardly movable therethrough via gravity-flow. The annular catalyst bed is spaced between a catalyst-retaining screen and a scalloped, perforated centerpipe. A plurality of vertically-positioned catalyst-transfer, or withdrawal, conduits are circumferentially-disposed substantially adjacent the outer surface of the scalloped centerpipe and extend the entire length of the catalyst bed. These contain a first plurality of apertures which face into the bed of catalyst particles and which are sized to permit catalyst particles to flow therethrough. A second plurality of apertures is disposed opposite the first plurality of apertures, and sized to inhibit the flow of catalyst particles therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1978
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1979
    Assignee: UOP Inc.
    Inventors: Paul J. Persico, Robert F. Millar, Robert H. Jensen
  • Patent number: 4155877
    Abstract: Catalyst regeneration process and apparatus wherein air introduced to a midsection of a downwardly-moving mass of catalyst particles is taken off at the top and at the bottom of said bed through provided outlets and a third outlet is provided at the bottom portion of the said bed adapted to be controlled responsive to change in the flows through the top outlet and first mentioned bottom outlet to maintain substantially constant the total upward and downward flows through said bed. In an embodiment in which coke laydown on a hydrocarbon treated catalyst is burned off flue gases flow upwardly and out from the bed, e.g., through a carbon monoxide or flue gas burning boiler while downwardly flowing flue gas is taken off through a pressure control outlet or opening on which suction is taken by a blower passing flue gases to a boiler, a third outlet also flow controlled is operated responsive to change in the desired upward and downward flows of the flue gases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1978
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1979
    Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company
    Inventor: Joe Van Pool
  • Patent number: 4141690
    Abstract: A catalytic reaction chamber for contacting a reactant stream with catalyst particles which are disposed as an annular-form bed and are downwardly movable therethrough via gravity-flow. The annular bed is spaced between a catalyst-retaining screen and a perforated centerpipe. A plurality of vertically-positioned catalyst-transfer, or withdrawal, conduits are circumferentially-disposed substantially adjacent the outer surface of the centerpipe and extend the entire length of the catalyst bed. These contain a first plurality of apertures which face into the bed of catalyst particles and which are sized to permit catalyst particles to flow therethrough. A second plurality of apertures is disposed substantially 180.degree. opposite the first plurality of apertures, and sized to inhibit the flow of catalyst particles therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1977
    Date of Patent: February 27, 1979
    Assignee: UOP Inc.
    Inventors: Paul J. Persico, Robert F. Millar, Robert H. Jensen
  • Patent number: 4135886
    Abstract: A catalytic reaction chamber for contacting a reactant stream with catalyst particles which are disposed as an annular-form bed and are downwardly movable therethrough via gravity-flow. The annular bed is formed between a catalyst-retaining screen and a perforated center-pipe. A plurality of vertically-positioned catalyst-transfer, or withdrawal, conduits are circumferentially-disposed substantially adjacent the outer surface of the centerpipe and extend the entire length of the catalyst bed. These contain a plurality of apertures which face into the bed of catalyst particles and which are sized to permit catalyst particles to flow therethrough. The use of these perforated catalyst-transfer conduits serves to alleviate the problems associated with the occurrence of stagnant catalyst areas which result from catalyst particles being "pinned" against the perforated centerpipe within the reaction zone, and unable to assume a downward flow pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 23, 1979
    Assignee: UOP Inc.
    Inventor: Paul J. Kuchar