Reactors for separating wax products from lightweight gaseous products of a reaction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10035120-B2
Application number	US-201515521357-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2015
Priority date	Oct 31, 2014
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

A reactor for hydrocarbon production that separates wax reaction products from lightweight gaseous reaction products. The reactor has a housing, a catalyst bed, a product recovery zone, and a stripping zone. The catalyst bed can be provided in multi-tubular and other fixed bed configurations. The stripping zone receives light-weight gas reaction products from the product recovery zone, while a gas outlet of the housing receives non-lightweight gaseous hydrocarbon reaction products from the product recovery zone. A wax outlet of the housing receives wax products from the product recovery zone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A reactor for separating wax products from lightweight gaseous products of a chemical reaction, the reactor comprising:
a housing defining a gas feed inlet, a first gas outlet, and a wax product outlet and having a longitudinal axis, an upper end, and an opposed lower end, the gas feed inlet being positioned proximate the upper end of the housing;
a plurality of tubes positioned in fluid communication with the gas feed inlet and configured to receive at least one catalyst;
a plurality of coolant plates circumferentially spaced within the housing, wherein adjacent coolant plates of the plurality of coolant plates cooperate with interior surfaces of the reactor to circumferentially surround at least a portion of at least one tube of the plurality of tubes, wherein each coolant plate defines at least one channel configured to receive at least one coolant;
a product recovery zone positioned within the housing in fluid communication with the plurality of tubes, the product recovery zone being configured to receive at least one reaction product; and
a stripping zone positioned in fluid communication with the product recovery zone and the first gas outlet, the stripping zone extending upwardly from the product recovery zone relative to the longitudinal axis of the housing, the stripping zone being configured to receive light-weight gaseous products from the product recovery zone,
wherein the first gas outlet is configured to receive lightweight gaseous products from the stripping zone, and wherein the wax product outlet is configured to receive wax products from the product recovery zone.

2. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein the housing defines a coolant inlet, wherein the coolant inlet is configured to receive at least one coolant to permit circulation of the at least one coolant within the housing.

3. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein the housing has an outer wall and an inner wall, wherein the plurality of tubes are positioned within a space between the outer wall and the inner wall, and wherein an inner surface of the inner wall defines the stripping zone.

4. The reactor of claim 2 , wherein the housing defines a coolant outlet, and wherein the coolant outlet is spaced from the coolant inlet relative to the longitudinal axis of the housing.

5. The reactor of claim 1 , further comprising a cooling jacket that surrounds at least a portion of the product recovery zone to promote separation of lightweight reaction products from wax products.

6. The reactor of claim 1 , further comprising a heat exchanger/evaporator positioned within the product recovery zone.

7. The reactor of claim 6 , wherein the heat exchanger/evaporator comprises a thin-film evaporator.

8. The reactor of claim 1 , further comprising means for separating the wax products based on weight.

9. The reactor of claim 8 , wherein the means for separating the wax products comprises:
a primary wax product receptacle in fluid communication with the wax product outlet, the primary wax product receptacle defining an upper wax product outlet and a lower wax product outlet; and
a heater configured to heat the primary wax product receptacle and separate the wax products within the primary wax product receptacle into gaseous wax products and non-gaseous wax products,
wherein the upper wax product outlet is configured to receive the gaseous wax products, and wherein the lower wax product outlet is configured to receive the non-gaseous wax products.

10. The reactor of claim 9 , wherein the means for separating the wax products further comprises:
a first secondary wax product receptacle positioned in communication with the upper wax product outlet of the primary wax product receptacle;
a first cooler configured to cool the first secondary wax product receptacle;
a second secondary wax product receptacle positioned in communication with the lower wax product outlet of the primary wax product receptacle; and
a second cooler configured to cool the second secondary wax product receptacle.

11. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein the product recovery zone is positioned below the catalyst bed relative to the longitudinal axis of the housing and configured to receive the at least one reaction product.

12. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein the housing further defines a second gas outlet proximate the lower end of the housing and in fluid communication with the product recovery zone, and wherein the second gas outlet is configured to receive non-lightweight gaseous products from the product recovery zone.

13. A method of separating wax products from non-wax products, comprising:
performing a chemical reaction using a reactor, the reactor comprising:
a housing defining a gas feed inlet, a first gas outlet, and a wax product outlet and having a longitudinal axis, an upper end, and an opposed lower end, the gas feed inlet being positioned proximate the upper end of the housing;
a plurality of tubes positioned in fluid communication with the gas feed inlet;
a plurality of coolant plates circumferentially spaced within the housing, wherein adjacent coolant plates of the plurality of coolant plates cooperate with interior surfaces of the reactor to circumferentially surround at least a portion of at least one tube of the plurality of tubes, wherein each coolant plate defines at least one channel;
a product recovery zone positioned within the housing in fluid communication with the plurality of tubes; and
a stripping zone positioned in fluid communication with the product recovery zone and the first gas outlet, the stripping zone extending upwardly from the product recovery zone relative to the longitudinal axis of the housing;

receiving at least one catalyst within at least one tube of the plurality of tubes;
receiving at least one coolant within the at least one channel of at least one coolant plate of the plurality of coolant plates;
receiving at least one reaction product within the product recovery zone;
receiving lightweight gaseous products from product recovery zone within the stripping zone;
receiving lightweight gaseous products from the stripping zone within the first gas outlet; and
receiving wax products from the product recovery zone within the wax product outlet.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the chemical reaction is a syngas conversion reaction.

15. The reactor of claim 1 , further comprising a scraper positioned within the product recovery zone, wherein the scraper is configured to separate wax products from interior surfaces of the housing.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising separating the wax products based on weight.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein separating the wax products comprises:
receiving the wax products within a primary wax product receptacle in fluid communication with the wax product outlet, the primary wax product receptacle defining an upper wax product outlet and a lower wax product outlet;
heating the primary wax product receptacle to separate the wax products within the primary wax product receptacle into gaseous wax products and non-gaseous wax products;
receiving the gaseous wax products within the upper wax product outlet; and
receiving the non-gaseous wax products within the lower wax product outlet.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein separating the wax products further comprises:
positioning a first secondary wax product receptacle in communication with the upper wax product outlet of the primary wax product receptacle;
cooling the first secondary wax product receptacle;
positioning a second secondary wax

Assignees

• Sabic Global Technologies Bv

Inventors

• Nawaz Zeeshan
• Khuram Shahzada
• Karim Khalid

Classifications

• B01J8/0496 Primary

  Heating or cooling the reactor · CPC title

• B01J8/065 Primary

  Feeding reactive fluids · CPC title

• C10G2/341

  with stationary catalyst bed · CPC title

• B01J2208/00212

  Plates; Jackets; Cylinders · CPC title

• B01J8/067 Primary

  Heating or cooling the reactor (B01J8/062 takes precedence) · CPC title