Uop Lcc

Jeffrey E Burgard

Gary A Schulz

Michael Jerome Vetter

Arthur R Greenwood

Roger L Throndson

Todd P Mitchell

A radial flow reactor design is presented. The reactor has individual and interchangeable screens that are arrayed circumferentially around the inside of the reactor. The reactor includes a plurality of screens held out from the reactor wall to form a circumferential screen, with channels defined between the reactor wall and the circumferential screen.

Segmented outer catalyst retention screen for stacked radial flow reactors

An injector of a type routinely used in an FCC unit for dispersing a feed into a fluidized stream of catalyst particles is given additional versatility and maintainability through the use of internal connections of a low profile type. The injector apparatus has at least one connection that is positioned inside a retaining sleeve and connects the discharge tip of the injector to the piping that extends outside the sleeve and delivers the feed to the injector. The connection can join materials that are not amenable to welding in a space that is too confined for a flange connection. The connection combines the ductile properties of the carbon steel or stainless steel for the feed piping with an abrasion resistant but brittle material that will extend the life of the nozzle tip. Such relatively brittle materials include ceramics. The injector will also routinely incorporate an internal sleeve for separating two different fluids that enter the injector independently and undergo mixing therein. An additional internal connection may be added to the internal tube to facilitate the addition of mixing devices at the end of the tube.

Feed injector with internal connections

A low profile pipe connection improves process performance or substantially reduces reload time for partitioned beds of particulate material separated by distribution/collection grids. This invention is a multi-sectored grid arrangement that connects piping from an intermediate point on each grid sector with a central or peripheral fluid distribution point through the use of a low profile connection. The reduction in diameter of the low profile connection over the usual flanged connection is substantial.

Sorption vessel with improved grid piping

Conduits for a radial flow reactor to provide fluid/solid contacting are improved structurally in terms of possessing good flexibility and a high resistance to vertical buckling when subjected to radially and axially directed stresses. The desired conduit characteristics are obtained using connection flaps to flexibly join a curved profile wire front side to a flatter back side that is proximate to the reactor vessel wall. The rigid profile wire section is maintained at some distance from the vessel wall so that the conduit can flex without permanent damage in an environment where stresses are imparted due to either temperature or thermal expansion differences within the reactor environment. The radial flow reactor of this invention is especially suited for processes such as catalytic reforming where thermally-induced stresses result from both transient and discontinuous operation.

Scallop design for radial flow reactor internals

The assembly of a connection that uses cooperating grooved surfaces to provide an easily disassembled and assembled connection is improved by a tool that clamps separate brackets onto the two ends of the pipe connection and radially and axially aligns pipe ends as a bolt draws the two brackets together. Drawing the brackets together causes contact between alignment surfaces that provide radial and axial alignment of the separate connection halves for installation of pipe connection links. No additional clamping means is needed to provide any necessary force to keep the connector faces of the connection ends sufficiently close together for placement of the links and the addition of the locking ring or other retaining means. The tool prevents disengagement of the link members from engagement with the grooves on either connection end before the locking sleeve is placed over the links. The tool also provides a recess for retaining the locking ring until needed for holding the links in place. The tool is particularly for the compact installations where low profile connections are most useful and may fit on the connection ends of a pipe without requiring large amounts of radial clearance around the pipe ends.

Connection tool for low profile connections

The assembly of a connection that uses cooperating grooved surfaces to provide an easily disassembled and assembled connection is improved by the use of a centered lip and cooperating groove on the contact faces of the connection halves that engage the faces of complementary connection ends to prevent lateral misalignment while the pipe ends are brought together for axial alignment. The lip extends into the groove to trap a gasket retained within the groove and inhibit extrusion of the gasket between the contact faces under high pressure conditions. The centering device may be used with a clamping mechanism to provide single person assembly of this type of connection despite normal field misalignments. The trapping cavity formed by the faces of the connection ends particularly enhances the pressure capacity of elastomeric gasket applications.

Self-centering low profile connection with trapped gasket

The assembly of a connection that uses cooperating grooved surfaces to provide an easily disassembled and assembled connection is improved by the use of a centering surface and cooperating lip that engages the faces of the connection end to prevent lateral misalignment while the pipe ends are brought together for axial alignment. The centering device may be used with a clamping mechanism to provide single person assembly of this type of connection despite normal field misalignments. The centering surface in the face of the connection ends may use any type of gasketing surface to provide the desired amount of seal strength.

Self-centering low profile connection

An improved multiple stage reactor system for effecting radial flow contact of a reactant stream with catalyst particles movable as an annular-form bed through said system by gravity flow. The improved multiple stage reactor system may be advantageously employed in the catalytic conversion of hydrocarbons and in particular in the catalytic reforming of a naphtha boiling range charge stock.

Growing community of inventors

Lombard, IL, United States of America

Jeffrey E Burgard