FCC Regenerator Gas-Solid Separation with Radial Chambers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current separation devices in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) units have low efficiency in separating catalysts from combustion gases, typically achieving only 60-70% efficiency, leading to high solid particle concentrations in gaseous effluents and requiring multiple cyclone stages, which increases system complexity and reduces compactness.
Innovation Solution
A separation device with a cylindrical inner envelope and radially distributed separation chambers, featuring baffles and curvilinear walls that facilitate efficient gas/solid separation, achieving at least 90% efficiency and allowing for the potential removal of one cyclone stage downstream, thereby enhancing compactness and reducing solid particle concentration in effluents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If simple disengagement cross devices are used for catalyst-gas separation, then the device structure is simple, but the separation efficiency is low (60-70%)
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the separation process into multiple distinct chambers (first separation chamber, second separation chamber, third separation chamber) with specialized functions. Each chamber handles specific aspects of gas-solid separation, allowing the system to achieve high overall efficiency (≥90%) while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a vertical dimension to the separation process by stacking multiple separation chambers one above another. The gas-solid suspension flows vertically through the chambers in sequence, with each chamber providing an additional separation stage. This vertical arrangement achieves high separation efficiency without requiring a large horizontal footprint.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple cyclone stages are used downstream to achieve high separation efficiency, then the separation efficiency increases, but the system complexity and footprint increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the primary separation function with the cyclone separation stages by integrating the first separation chamber directly with the cyclone inlet. The separation chambers pre-condition the gas-solid flow before it enters the cyclone, allowing the cyclone to operate more efficiently with reduced solid particle loads. This integration reduces the number of separate cyclone stages needed while achieving the required overall separation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The separation chambers perform preliminary separation of solid particles from the gas stream before the mixture enters the cyclone stage. By removing a significant portion of solids upstream, the cyclone receives a less concentrated suspension, improving its operating conditions and reducing the number of cyclone stages required to achieve the target separation efficiency.
3Device complexity
If high solid particle concentration is allowed in gaseous effluents, then fewer separation stages are needed, but the downstream equipment performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The separation chambers perform preliminary separation to reduce solid particle concentration in the gas stream before it reaches downstream equipment. This pre-cleaning action protects downstream equipment from excessive solid particle loads, preventing performance deterioration while still allowing for a streamlined separation system configuration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device achieves a significant increase in separation efficiency to at least 90%, allowing for the elimination of one cyclone stage and improving operational conditions for secondary separation stages, while maintaining a manageable pressure drop.
Implementation Method 1
a gas/solid separation device in which a gas/solid suspension circulates through a set of separation chambers radially distributed around an inner cylindrical envelope
Implementation Method 2
the regeneration zone of FCC units is a zone in the fluidized state, carried out in which is the controlled combustion of the coke deposited at the surface of the catalyst
Implementation Method 3
the regeneration zone of FCC units is a zone in the fluidized state
Data Source
AI summary
A gas/solid separation system that can be applied to any type of FCC unit regenerators, consists of a device for separating solid particles contained in a gas stream coming from the regeneration zone of a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit bounded by an inner envelope (3) of cylindrical shape centered about the vertical axis of the regeneration zone, and an outer envelope (1) that has one approximately horizontal wall (15), followed by one curvilinear wall (16), and one approximately vertical wall (17), the set of said walls (15, 16, 17) covering the inner envelope (3) and forming a set of separation chambers (2) radially distributed around the inner envelope (3) in which the gas/solid suspension to be separated circulates. This system makes it possible to obtain, at the same time, very good separation efficiency while minimizing the pressure drop and only requiring a single downstream cyclone stage.