Combination equalizer and inlet distributor for spherical reactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10005054-B2
Application number	US-201615391435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2016
Priority date	Dec 3, 2015
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to equalizing and distributing reactants more evenly across the interior space of a reactor vessel utilizing a combination equalizer and distributor at the inlet end that initially impedes with uneven flow rates of vapor and then directs the flow of vapor through a series of circumferential nozzles. The nozzles are physical spaced such that the first nozzle provides the reactants into the vessel to spread radially and broadly outwardly into the vessel and each successive circumferential nozzle to deliver reactants in a less broadly distribution or dispersion where the interior space is filled with reactants without broadly diverse velocities that may create hot spots within the catalyst bed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A reactor inlet system arranged to be installed into a reactor vessel and receive vapor from a tubular delivery conduit and distribute the vapor into the reactor vessel for generally even flow through the reactor vessel wherein the reactor inlet system comprises:
a) a generally hollow cylindrical body having an inlet end at a top thereof and an outlet end spaced from the inlet end at a bottom thereof and also including a generally center axis and in interior wall, an equalizer section positioned generally within the generally cylindrical body at the inlet end, and a distributor section positioned near the outlet end of the generally cylindrical body;
b) said equalizer section comprising:
i) a flange equalizer plate positioned generally at the inlet end of the generally cylindrical body and arranged to minimally obstruct vapor entering the reactor inlet at a periphery of the tubular delivery conduit;
ii) a top equalizer plate positioned within the generally hollow cylindrical body and spaced downwardly from the flange equalizer plate and spaced inwardly from the generally hollow cylindrical body and arranged to minimally obstruct vapor moving generally downwardly through the generally hollow cylindrical body nearer to the interior wall than to the generally center axis;
iii) a middle equalizer plate positioned within the generally hollow cylindrical body and spaced downwardly from the top equalizer plate and spaced inwardly from the generally hollow cylindrical body and arranged to minimally obstruct vapor moving generally downwardly through the generally hollow cylindrical body between the interior wall and the generally center axis and closer to the generally center axis than the obstruction created by the top equalizer plate;
iv) a bottom equalizer plate positioned within the generally hollow cylindrical body and spaced downwardly from the middle equalizer plate and spaced inwardly from the generally hollow cylindrical body and arranged to minimally obstruct vapor moving generally downwardly through the generally hollow cylindrical body nearer to the interior wall than to the generally center axis and further away from the generally center axis than the obstruction created by the middle equalizer plate;

c) said distributor section comprising:
i) a first deflector ring with an integrally attached first neck attached to but spaced from the outlet end of the generally cylindrical body such that a circumferential nozzle is defined between the deflector ring and the outlet end of the generally cylindrical body and the neck extends from the first deflector ring away from the generally cylindrical body;
ii) at least one additional deflector ring with an integrally attached additional neck, where the one additional deflector ring is attached to but spaced from the first neck such that an additional circumferential nozzle is defined between the additional deflector ring and the first neck; and
iii) a deflector plate attached to said additional deflector ring, but spaced from said additional neck to define a last circumferential nozzle;

d) wherein the equalizer section of the reactor inlet system dampens asymmetrically distributed velocities of vapor entering the reactor inlet to provide the distributor section with a generally symmetrically balanced velocity profile across the generally cylindrical body and the distributor section distributes the flow of vapor outwardly and downwardly from the outlet end of the inlet system such that vapor flow is generally uniform across the reactor vessel into which vapor is arranged to be delivered.

2. The reactor inlet system set forth in claim 1 wherein the deflector rings include through holes to allow reactants to pass through.

3. The reactor inlet system set forth in claim 1 wherein the deflector plate includes through holes to allow reactants to pass through.

4. The reactor inlet system set forth in claim 1 wherein the necks include through holes to allow reactants to pass through.

5. The reactor inlet system set forth in claim 1 wherein the first circumferential nozzle has a diameter and each successive circumferential nozzle has a smaller diameter than the one closer to the generally cylindrical body where the last circumferential nozzle has the smallest diameter.

6. The reactor inlet system set forth in claim 1 wherein the reactor inlet distributor has an axis and the first deflector ring has a larger diameter than the portion of the generally cylindrical neck nearest the first deflector ring such that the first circumferential nozzle is oriented to direct reactants mostly radially outward away from the axis of the reactor inlet distributor, but also with a small reverse axially oriented component of direction such that reactants turn from the axial flow within the reactor inlet distributor to flowing in a direction slightly more than 90 degrees to the axial flow of the reactor inlet distributor.

7. The reactor inlet system set forth in claim 6 , wherein each successive deflector ring after the first deflector ring has a diameter relative to the neck of the prior deflector ring so as to impose a successively less reverse component of flow at each successive circumferential nozzle wherein at least the last two circumferential nozzles in the series of circumferential nozzles from the first circumferential nozzle to the last circumferential nozzle create a turn of less than 90 degrees to the axial flow of the reactor inlet such that at least the last two include a continuing forward component of flow while having a radially outward component of flow.

8. The reactor inlet system set forth in claim 1 wherein the flange equalizer plate has an outer diameter and an inner diameter such that the inner diameter defines a central hole through the flange equalizer plate and wherein the outer diameter of the flange equalizer plate is at least as large as the internal cross sectional dimension of the generally cylindrical body, the inner diameter of the flange equalizer plate is smaller than the internal cross sectional dimension of the generally cylindrical body and the flange equalizer plate effectively restricts the cross sectional area of the generally cylindrical body by at least 5%.

9. The reactor inlet system set forth in claim 8 wherein the flange equalizer plate restricts the cross sectional area of the body by at least 10%.

10. The reactor inlet system set forth in claim 9 wherein the flange equalizer plate restricts the cross sectional area of the body by at least 15%.

11. The reactor inlet system set forth in claim 8 wherein the top equalizer plate has an outer diameter and an inner diameter such that the inner diameter defines a central hole through the top equalizer plate and wherein the outer diameter of the top equalizer plate is less than the inner diameter of the generally cylindrical body by at least 10% of the inner diameter of the generally cylindrical body and wherein the inner diameter of the top equalizer plate is at least 50% of the diameter of the generally cylindrical body.

12. The reactor inlet system set forth in claim 11 wherein the top equalizer plate has an outer diameter and an inner diameter and wherein the outer diameter of the top equalizer plate is about the same as the diameter of the inner diameter of the flange equalizer plate.

13. The reactor inlet system set forth in claim 12 wherein the outer diameter of the top equalizer plate is less than the inner diameter of the inner wall of the generally cylindrical body by at least 15% of the inner diameter of the inner wall of the generally cylindrical body.

14. The reactor inlet system set forth

Assignees

• Phillips 66 Co

Inventors

• Palmer Brad P

Classifications

• B01J2208/00902

  Nozzle-type feeding elements · CPC title

• B01J8/0221

  in a cylindrical shaped bed (B01J8/0214 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B01J2208/00938

  Flow distribution elements · CPC title

• B01J2208/024

  Particulate material · CPC title

• B01J8/0278 Primary

  Feeding reactive fluids (for solid material B01J8/0015) · CPC title