Heavy Oil Hydrotreating Reactor Pressure Drop Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heavy oil hydrotreating methods fail to fundamentally address the issue of reactor pressure drop increase, which affects the running period and stability of the apparatus.
Innovation Solution
A heavy oil hydrotreating system with a prehydrotreating reaction zone, a transition reaction zone, and a hydrotreating reaction zone connected in series, where sensor units detect pressure drops and a control unit adjusts material feeding and discharging to switch prehydrotreating reactors from parallel to serial connection when pressure drops reach a predetermined value, thereby controlling pressure drop and maximizing catalyst utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large quantity of guard catalyst is loaded in the first reactor to intercept impurities and scale, then the demetalization capability is improved, but the pressure drop increases quickly and the running period is shortened
Solution Approach 1:
The reaction system is divided into multiple reactors (first reactor, second reactor, third reactor) with different catalyst configurations. The guard catalyst is distributed across multiple reactors rather than concentrated in one, segmenting the demetalization function to reduce pressure drop in any single reactor while maintaining overall demetalization capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between different reactor configurations and operating modes. When pressure drop in the first reactor reaches a predetermined value, the system switches to use the second reactor as the leading reactor, and can further switch to the third reactor. This dynamic switching extends the overall running period while maintaining demetalization performance.
2Reliability
If catalyst activity is increased to improve demetalization performance, then the demetalization capability is improved, but the pressure drop increases quickly and the running period is shortened
Solution Approach 1:
High-activity demetalization catalysts are distributed across multiple reactors rather than concentrated in one reactor. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high overall demetalization performance while reducing the pressure drop burden on any single reactor, thereby extending the running period.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic switching between reactors with different catalyst activities and states. When a reactor's catalyst becomes deactivated or pressure drop becomes excessive, the system switches to another reactor, maintaining high demetalization performance throughout the extended operating period.
3Stress or pressure
If the first guard reactor is maintained in a low reaction activity state to intercept impurities, then the pressure drop is kept low, but the catalyst performance is not fully utilized and a large quantity of demetalization catalyst is needed in follow-up reactors
Solution Approach 1:
The demetalization function is segmented across multiple reactors, allowing each reactor to operate at optimal activity levels without being constrained by the need to maintain low pressure drop in a single leading reactor. This improves overall catalyst utilization efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts which reactor serves as the leading reactor based on pressure drop and catalyst activity conditions. This allows the system to fully utilize catalyst performance in each reactor during its active period while maintaining acceptable pressure drop levels through switching.
4Productivity
If reactors are connected in series to process heavy oil, then the processing capability is improved, but the pressure drop in the leading reactor increases first and at the highest rate, adversely influencing the running period
Solution Approach 1:
The series connection of reactors is segmented into multiple stages with different catalyst types and activities. This segmentation distributes the pressure drop across multiple reactors rather than concentrating it in one leading reactor, extending the overall running period while maintaining processing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between different reactor configurations and leading reactors based on pressure drop conditions. When the pressure drop in one reactor becomes excessive, the system switches to another reactor, maintaining continuous processing capability while extending the overall running period.
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
This approach prolongs the running period of the apparatus, enhances catalyst metal removing/containing capability, improves operational flexibility, and maintains stable operation by controlling pressure drop and optimizing catalyst performance.
Implementation Method 1
sensor units are configured to detect pressure drop in each prehydrotreating reactor in the prehydrotreating reaction zone
Implementation Method 2
the control unit is configured to receive pressure drop signals from the sensor units; in the reaction process, the control unit controls material feeding to and material discharging from each prehydrotreating reactor
Implementation Method 3
a large quantity of guard catalyst has to be loaded in the first reactor to cause the impurities and scale in the raw material to deposit
Implementation Method 4
a great deal of metal is deposited in the demetalization reactor inevitably
Implementation Method 5
The main purpose of heavy oil hydrogenation processes is to greatly decrease the contents of impurities in the residual oil raw material, including sulfur, nitrogen, and metals, etc., through hydro-treatment
Data Source
AI summary
A heavy oil hydrotreating system has a prehydrotreating reaction zone, a transition reaction zone, and a hydrotreating reaction zone that are connected in series successively, sensor units, and a control unit. In the initial reaction stage, the prehydrotreating reaction zone includes at least two prehydrotreating reactors connected in parallel, and the transition reaction zone includes or doesn't include prehydrotreating reactors; in the reaction process, the control unit controls material feeding to and material discharging from each prehydrotreating reactor in the prehydrotreating reaction zone according to pressure drop signals of the sensor units, so that when the pressure drop in any of the prehydrotreating reactors in the prehydrotreating reaction zone reaches a predetermined value, the prehydrotreating reactor in which the pressure drop reaches the predetermined value is switched from the prehydrotreating reaction zone to the transition reaction zone.