Hydroprocessing Reactor Basket for Pressure Drop Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hydroprocessing reactors face challenges with high contaminant feedstocks, leading to catalyst deactivation, plugging, and pressure drops due to uneven contaminant distribution, which reduces catalyst life and requires frequent replacements, making it economically unsustainable.
Innovation Solution
The design of a reactor with a basket system that distributes liquid reactants over the entire catalyst bed surface, utilizing a cylindrical basket with particulate matter for contaminant removal, ensuring even flow and extended catalyst life by minimizing plugging and pressure drops, suitable for high contaminant feedstocks like petroleum resids and vegetable oils.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional trickle-bed reactors distribute liquid reactant evenly over the catalyst bed surface, then the reactant distribution is improved, but contaminant concentration at the top region causes plugging and pressure drop
Solution Approach 1:
The reactor is divided into multiple zones: an upper contaminant removal zone with a basket containing particulate material, and a lower catalyst bed zone. This segmentation allows contaminants to be removed in the upper zone before reaching the catalyst bed, preventing plugging and extending catalyst life while maintaining even reactant distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
A basket containing particulate material (such as sand, gravel, or ceramic rings) is introduced as an intermediary layer between the liquid reactant distribution system and the catalyst bed. This intermediary layer captures contaminants through filtration and sedimentation, protecting the catalyst bed from direct contact with contaminants and preventing plugging.
2Productivity
If the catalyst bed cross-sectional area is increased to handle high contaminant load, then the processing capacity is improved, but pressure drop increases due to contaminant accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The reactor is segmented into an upper contaminant removal zone and a lower catalyst bed zone. The upper zone handles the bulk contaminant load through its basket structure, allowing the catalyst bed to operate at higher capacities without experiencing the full brunt of contaminant accumulation, thus maintaining lower pressure drops.
Solution Approach 2:
The basket with particulate material acts as an intermediary that intercepts contaminants before they reach the catalyst bed. This protection allows the catalyst bed to maintain higher processing capacity without the pressure drop penalties associated with contaminant accumulation in traditional single-zone reactors.
3Manufacturing precision
If frequent catalyst replacement is implemented to maintain performance, then the product quality is improved, but operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The basket containing particulate material serves as a protective intermediary layer that filters and removes contaminants before they reach the catalyst bed. This significantly extends catalyst life by preventing deactivation from contaminant exposure, reducing the frequency of catalyst replacement and associated operational costs while maintaining consistent product quality.
Solution Approach 2:
Contaminant removal is performed preliminarily in the upper zone before the liquid reactant reaches the catalyst bed. This preliminary action protects the catalyst from contaminants, extending its operational life and reducing the frequency of replacement, thereby lowering operational costs while maintaining product quality.
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 design extends catalyst life, delays plugging, and minimizes pressure drops, allowing for longer process run times and more efficient use of catalysts, reducing the need for frequent replacements and maintaining reactor performance.
Implementation Method 1
the first annular interior space of the basket containing a particulate material for removing contaminants from the feedstock
Implementation Method 2
particulate material for removing contaminants from the feedstock
Implementation Method 3
A distributor assembly is located below and in fluid communication with the inlet for discharging the combined feeds radially outward towards the interior walls of the reactor vessel
Implementation Method 4
a catalyst bed or layer of support material, or grading, or a combination of these materials, for facilitating the hydroprocessing reaction
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A reactor (10, 50, 110, 186) for accommodating high contaminant feedstocks includes a reactor vessel (12, 52, 112) having an inlet (30, 54, 146) for introducing a feedstock containing contaminants (24, 56, 138) into an interior of the reactor vessel (12, 52, 112). A basket (16, 68, 114) is located within the reactor vessel interior and contains a particulate material (20, 78, 126) for removing contaminants from the feedstock to form a purified feedstock that is discharged to a purified feedstock outlet (36, 74, 118). A catalyst (42, 104, 128) is located within the reactor vessel (12, 52, 112) and in fluid communication with the purified feedstock outlet (36, 74, 118) of the basket (16, 68, 114) for contacting the purified feedstock to form a desired product.