Removable Catalyst Screen Grid for Hydroprocessing Reactor Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current catalyst support systems in hydroprocessing reactors are cumbersome and time-consuming to service and replace, leading to high down-time and maintenance costs due to the weight and complexity of the support grids and screens, which are often damaged by coke deposition, handling issues, and corrosion.
Innovation Solution
A catalyst support system with a removable and replaceable screen that can be fixed or detached quickly using hand power, made of woven wire mesh or flat printed patterns, with apertures designed to allow fluid flow while retaining catalyst pellets, and supported by a grid structure that reduces the need for crane assistance during assembly and disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the catalyst support grid is made heavy and robust to ensure structural integrity and catalyst retention, then the reliability of the support system is improved, but the time required for assembly and disassembly increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The catalyst support system is divided into separate functional components: a robust grid structure for structural integrity and a separate screen for catalyst retention. This segmentation allows the grid to remain heavy and reliable while the screen can be quickly removed and replaced without disassembling the entire support structure, thus reducing maintenance time while maintaining support system integrity.
2Reliability
If the screen is made robust to withstand coke deposition and corrosion, then the reliability during operation is improved, but the weight increases making manual replacement difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The screen is extracted as a separate, removable component from the fixed grid structure. This allows the screen to be designed with sufficient robustness to withstand coke deposition and corrosion during operation, while its removable nature enables lightweight construction compared to a permanent integrated structure, making manual replacement feasible.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the support grid is designed as a single integrated unit, then the structural stability is improved, but the ease of repair and maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support grid is segmented into a permanent robust grid structure that maintains structural stability and a separate removable screen for catalyst retention. This segmentation enables the grid to remain structurally stable while the screen can be easily removed and replaced for maintenance or repair without affecting the overall structural integrity of the support system.
4Reliability
If the screen apertures are made small to retain catalyst pellets, then the catalyst retention is improved, but the fluid flow capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The screen is designed with locally optimized aperture sizes that are sufficiently small to retain catalyst pellets while maintaining adequate opening areas to allow efficient fluid flow. The local quality of the aperture distribution balances catalyst retention requirements with fluid flow capabilities, ensuring both reliability and productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A reactor for a catalytic process comprising one or more catalyst beds has catalyst bed supports constructed as a grid comprising a plurality of cassettes (01), which are covered with easily removable screens (02). The down-time and service costs for the reactor are thereby lowered.