Texaco Inc.

Rich Walter Barkley

James R Stoy

John P MacLean

Henry B Jones

Michael M Dach

Dale Williams

Randlow Smith

Jordan Loftus

James Lindsey Schrodt

Ken C Leung

Jon Andrew Branson

In a hydrotreating process a two phase flow splitter is used in combination with parallel heat exchanger trains for heat transfer stability. Flow maldistribution of liquid and vapor between heat exchanger trains is thereby avoided without more complex feedback control. The two phase flow splitter is inherently phase volume ratio stable. Prior methods of flow splitting were only phase volume ratio metastable. Improved heat recovery at lower equipment cost is thereby achieved.

Hydrotreating process with two phase flow splitting and heat recovery

A skin thermocouple assembly is formed by a mounting block profiled to be mounted on the device to be monitored and to receive an end of the thermocouple therein. A heat shield is received over the block to prevent it from becoming a fin for heat exchange causing an error in the reading of the thermocouple.

Heater tube skin thermocouple

An air distribution apparatus for delivering an oxygen-carrying gas such as air to a zone of spent catalyst in a regenerator for the purpose of combusting air with the spent catalyst in order to rejuvenate the catalyst. A header support assembly is adapted for mounting in a regenerator which receives the spent catalyst. A hollow header ring is mounted onto the header support assembly and includes a plurality of openings each having a nozzle mounted therein. Air is supplied to the header support assembly and thus to the hollow header ring at a pressure sufficiently high to effect a maximum desired pressure differential between header pressure and pressure in the zone of spent catalyst to cause maximum uniform air distribution. The nozzles mounted in the openings in the header ring decrease air velocity between nozzle inlet and nozzle outlet in order to provide for maximum uniform air distribution without destruction of the catalyst.

Air distribution apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Rich Walter Barkley