UOP Propane Dehydrogenation Reactor Net Hoisting Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Propane dehydrogenation reactors, particularly UOP propane dehydrogenation apparatus, face safety and operational challenges during maintenance due to the displacement and deformation of inner and outer nets during hoisting, which complicates the process and poses risks to workers due to narrow spaces and unfavorable gases.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a reactor with a reduction cylinder and catalytic cylinder connected by a sealing flange, featuring a conical distributor with inner and outer nets on the same axis, connected via bolt gaskets, and an expansion joint structure that allows for axial and transverse displacement compensation, along with anti-deformation rods and a central purging pipe, facilitating safe lifting and preventing deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the inner net and outer net are dismantled separately for maintenance, then the maintenance access is improved, but the safety of hoisting is greatly reduced due to displacement of the inner net and outer net
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the inner net and outer net into a single hoisting unit by providing a hoisting hole through both nets and connecting them with a hoisting rod. This merging allows both nets to be lifted together as one assembly, preventing displacement during hoisting while maintaining maintenance accessibility. The integrated hoisting mechanism ensures that the inner net and outer net move synchronously, eliminating the safety risks associated with separate hoisting operations.
2Ease of repair
If workers enter the reactor for maintenance, then the inspection and repair work can be performed, but the risk to workers increases due to narrow spaces and unfavorable gases at the bottom of the reactor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the inner net and outer net from the reactor by providing a hoisting hole that allows these critical components to be removed entirely during maintenance. This extraction eliminates the need for workers to enter the narrow, hazardous interior space of the reactor. By removing the nets through the hoisting hole, maintenance personnel can perform inspection and repair work from the exterior, thereby eliminating exposure to harmful gases and confined space risks while still enabling necessary maintenance activities.
3Device complexity
If the inner net and outer net are hoisted separately, then the maintenance operation is simplified, but the deformation and displacement of the nets occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the inner net and outer net into a single hoisting assembly by providing corresponding hoisting holes in both nets and connecting them with a hoisting rod. This integration ensures that both nets are lifted and moved together as one unit, preventing relative displacement and deformation that would occur if hoisted separately. The combined hoisting mechanism maintains the spatial relationship between the inner and outer nets while simplifying the maintenance operation to a single coordinated action.
4Ease of manufacture
If the reactor is designed with fixed structure, then the manufacturing is simplified, but the thermal stress and displacement during operation cannot be compensated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic compensation capabilities to the reactor structure by providing expansion joints at strategic locations. These expansion joints allow the reactor components to move and adjust their positions in response to thermal stress and expansion during operation. The dynamic joints maintain the structural integrity of the reactor while enabling necessary movements to accommodate thermal effects, preventing stress concentration and maintaining compositional stability under varying operating conditions.
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 enables safe and efficient lifting of the inner and outer nets as a whole, preventing deformation and injury, while the expansion joint structure compensates for thermal stress, ensuring stable reinstallation and reducing the risk of personnel injury during maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
an expansion joint structure that allows for axial and transverse displacement compensation
Implementation Method 2
expansion joint structure compensates for thermal stress
Data Source
AI summary
The application belongs to the technical field of reactor of dehydrogenation apparatus, in particular to reactor of UOP propane dehydrogenation apparatus and maintenance method thereof. The reactor includes a reduction cylinder and a catalytic cylinder connected end to end, and a feeding elbow located at a lower end of the catalytic cylinder. Inside the catalytic cylinder there is a conical distributor, an inner net and an outer net located on a same axis and arranged in sequence from inside to outside. Upper ends of the conical distributor, the inner net and the outer net are all connected with an upper cover plate through bolt gaskets. Through the integral design of the inner net, the outer net and the lower cover plate, it is convenient to lift out as a whole, and workers may be prevented from being dispatched to go down into the narrow reactor to dismantle the bolts.