Filtration Device for Down-Flow Hydroprocessing Reactor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Down-flow hydroprocessing reactors face issues with fouling due to contaminants in the feedstream, leading to increased pressure drops, reduced reactor performance, and unnecessary maintenance, as existing solutions like grading beds and feed filters either reduce active catalyst volume or fail to prevent fouling on the top distributor tray.
Innovation Solution
A filtration device is designed to effectively remove contaminants from the liquid feedstream while minimizing pressure drop, featuring a top and base plate structure with a separator and filtration media, allowing for efficient contaminant removal without additional pressure drop even when the media is fouled, and can be retrofitted or used in new reactor designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If grading beds are installed in the first catalyst bed for feed contamination removal, then contaminant removal is improved, but active catalyst volume is reduced thereby reducing operating runtime and online performance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the filtration function from the catalyst bed by installing a separate filtration device at the reactor inlet. This removes contaminants before they enter the catalyst bed, preventing fouling without sacrificing active catalyst volume. The filtration media is contained in a separate housing with bypass channels, allowing continuous operation without reducing catalyst inventory.
Solution Approach 2:
The filtration device acts as an intermediary component between the feedstream and the catalyst bed. It includes a filtration media layer that captures contaminants and a bypass system that allows clean feed to reach the catalyst bed efficiently. This intermediary structure protects the catalyst bed without requiring displacement of catalyst material.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If feed filters are installed before the reactor inlet, then contaminant removal is improved, but additional organic deposits such as gum are formed during heating after the filter
Solution Approach 1:
The filtration device performs preliminary filtration of the feedstream at reactor conditions (temperature and pressure) before the feed enters the catalyst bed. By filtering at these elevated conditions, the feed is already clean when it enters the heated zone, preventing gum formation during subsequent heating. The filtration occurs upstream of the furnace heating section.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If filtration media is used to remove contaminants, then fouling prevention is improved, but pressure drop through the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filtration device segments the flow path into multiple channels: a filtration channel through the media and bypass channels around the media. This segmentation allows unfiltered feed to bypass the pressure-resistant filtration media, reducing overall pressure drop while still capturing contaminants through the media channel. The bypass channels provide a low-resistance alternative path.
Solution Approach 2:
The device applies filtration locally at specific points where contaminants would cause damage, rather than filtering the entire feedstream uniformly. The bypass channels allow most feed to flow with minimal resistance, while only the necessary portion passes through the filtration media. This localized approach minimizes pressure drop while maintaining fouling protection.
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 filtration device prevents fouling of catalyst beds and reactor internals, maintains reactor performance, and reduces the need for grading material, allowing for extended reactor operation with minimized pressure drop and maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
filtration media contained within the device and on top of the base plate
Implementation Method 2
The separator is generally a thin, porous material that is parallel to both the top plate and the bottom plate. The separator contains the filter media within the filtration media volume, and allows liquid to flow into the filtration media volume.
Data Source
AI summary
A filtration device for a down-flow catalytic hydroprocessing reactor is disclosed. The filtration device may be used in the petroleum and chemical processing industries in catalytic reactions of hydrocarbonaceous feedstocks in the presence of hydrogen, at an elevated temperature and pressure, to remove contaminants from mixed gas and liquid feedstreams to reactor catalyst beds. The filtration device may be provided as a horizontal tray installation at the top of a reactor, whereby feedstream liquid is passed through a filtration media in a radially inward direction from the wall of the reactor to the center of the filtration device and thereafter to the reactor catalyst bed. Among the benefits provided are the minimization of scale and small/fine particulates that reach the catalyst bed below the device, reduced pressure drop through the reactor, even when the filter is completely fouled, and the potential for added catalyst volume due to the reduced need to use catalyst grading materials.