Apparatuses and methods for gas-solid separations using cyclones

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9370783-B2
Application number	US-201414228698-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2014
Priority date	Mar 28, 2014
Publication date	Jun 21, 2016
Grant date	Jun 21, 2016

Abstract

Cyclones for gas-solid separators are provided, which are especially applicable for use in a downflowing third stage separator (TSS) for the removal of dust particles, such as solid catalyst fines, from the flue gas streams exiting the catalyst regenerator in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) processes. A cyclone has a barrel having an interior, and a central hub disposed within the interior of the barrel. A plurality of concentric annular sections are disposed radially between the barrel and the central hub. Swirl vanes extend radially into at least one of the annular sections to define a swirl chamber within said at least one of the plurality of annular sections. At least one solid particle outlet is disposed at a lower end of the barrel. A gas outlet is in fluid communication with the interior of the barrel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cyclone for a gas-solid separator, the cyclone comprising:
a barrel having an interior;
a central hub disposed within the interior of the barrel;
a plurality of concentric annular sections disposed radially between the barrel and the central hub, each of the plurality of annular sections being concentric with the barrel and the central hub;
swirl vanes extending radially into at least one of the plurality of annular sections to define a swirl chamber within said at least one of the plurality of annular sections;
at least one solid particle outlet disposed at a lower end of the barrel;
a gas outlet in fluid communication with the interior of the barrel; and
at least one cylindrical partition disposed radially between an outer diameter of the central hub and an inner diameter of the barrel.

2. The cyclone of claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of annular sections comprises an inner annular section defined radially between an outer diameter of the central hub and one of the at least one cylindrical partition, and at least one additional annular section defined radially between the one of the at least one cylindrical partition and the inner diameter of the barrel.

3. The cyclone of claim 2 , wherein an axial height of the one of the at least one cylindrical partition is greater than an axial height of the central hub.

4. The cyclone of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of cylindrical partitions disposed radially between an outer diameter of the central hub and an inner diameter of the barrel;
wherein the plurality of annular sections comprises an inner annular section defined radially between an outer diameter of the central hub and an inner cylindrical partition, at least one intermediate annular section defined radially between the inner cylindrical partition and an outer cylindrical partition, and an outer annular section defined radially between the outer cylindrical partition and the inner diameter of the barrel.

5. The cyclone of claim 4 , wherein an axial height of the inner cylindrical partition is greater than an axial height of the central hub; and
wherein an axial height of the outer cylindrical partition is greater than the axial height of the inner cylindrical partition.

6. The cyclone of claim 4 , wherein an axial height of the inner cylindrical partition is greater than an axial height of a cylindrical section of the central hub; and
wherein the axial height of the outer cylindrical partition is greater than the axial height of the inner cylindrical partition.

7. The cyclone of claim 4 , wherein for each of the plurality of annular sections, the bottom of the annular section is disposed axially below a bottom of the swirl vanes disposed in the annular section.

8. The cyclone of claim 1 wherein, in each of the annular sections, axial upper portions of the annular sections split an incoming gas stream into multiple streams axially above the swirl vanes.

9. A gas-solid separator comprising an upper tube sheet, a lower tube sheet, and at least one cyclone extending through the tube sheets, the cyclone comprising an impure gas inlet at an upper end of a barrel above the upper tube sheet, wherein the cyclone further comprises:
a barrel having an interior;
a central hub disposed within the interior of the barrel;
a plurality of annular sections disposed radially between the barrel and the central hub, each of the plurality of annular sections being concentric with the barrel and the central hub;
swirl vanes extending radially into at least one of the plurality of annular sections to define a swirl chamber within said at least one of the plurality of annular sections;
at least one solid particle outlet disposed at a lower end of the barrel between the upper tube sheet and the lower tube sheet;
a gas outlet below the lower tube sheet and in fluid communication with the interior of the barrel; and
at least one cylindrical partition disposed radially between an outer diameter of the central hub and an inner diameter of the barrel.

10. The gas-solid separator of claim 9 , comprising a plurality of cyclones, each comprising an impure gas inlet at an upper end of a barrel above the upper tube sheet, each cyclone further comprising:
a barrel having an interior;
a central hub disposed within the interior of the barrel;
a plurality of annular sections disposed radially between the barrel and the central hub, each of the plurality of annular sections being concentric with the barrel and the central hub;
swirl vanes extending radially into at least one of the plurality of annular sections to define a swirl chamber within said at least one of the plurality of annular sections;
at least one solid particle outlet disposed at a lower end of the barrel between the upper tube sheet and the lower tube sheet; and
a gas outlet below the lower tube sheet and in fluid communication with the interior of the barrel.

11. The gas-solid separator of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of cyclones number from about 5 to about 300 cyclones.

12. The gas-solid separator of claim 11 , further comprising a process gas inlet in communication with the impure gas inlets of the plurality of cyclones.

13. The gas-solid separator of claim 12 , further comprising a particle-rich gas outlet in communication with the solid particle outlets of the plurality of cyclones.

14. The gas-solid separator of claim 13 , further comprising a particle-lean gas outlet in communication with the gas outlets of the plurality of cyclones.

15. A process for purifying a gas stream contaminated with solid particles, the process comprising:
feeding the gas stream to a process gas inlet of a gas-solid separator, wherein the gas-solid separator further comprises a plurality of cyclones, each cyclone comprising a barrel having an interior, an impure gas inlet at an upper end of the barrel, a central hub disposed within the interior of the barrel, a plurality of annular sections disposed radially between the barrel and the central hub, each of the plurality of annular sections being concentric with the barrel and the central hub, swirl vanes extending radially into at least one of the plurality of annular sections to define a swirl chamber within said at least one of the plurality of annular sections, at least one solid particle outlet disposed at a lower end of the barrel, a gas outlet in fluid communication with the interior of the barrel, wherein the process gas inlet is in communication with the impure gas inlets of the plurality of cyclones; and at least one cylindrical partition disposed radially between an outer diameter of the central hub and an inner diameter of the barrel;
withdrawing an underflow gas stream from a particle-rich gas outlet in communication with the solid particle outlets of the plurality of cyclones; and
withdrawing a clean gas stream from a particle-lean gas outlet in communication with the gas outlets of the plurality of cyclones.

16. The process of claim 15 , wherein, in each of the plurality of cyclones, the swirl vanes in each of the annular sections impart a helical or spiral motion to the gas stream;
wherein a plurality of swirling streams are provided within each of the plurality of cyclones.

17. The process of claim 16 , wherein, in each of the plurality of cyclones, the plurality of swirling streams recombine within the barrel, axially below the annular sections.

18. The process of claim 17 , wherein solid particles in the recombined plurality of swirling streams are forced toward a wall of the barrel.

1

Assignees

• Uop Llc

Inventors

• Krishnamurthy Sujay R

Classifications

• B04C3/06 Primary

  Construction of inlets or outlets to the vortex chamber · CPC title

• B04C3/04

  Multiple arrangement thereof {(combined with types according to other groups, B04C7/00)} · CPC title

• B01D45/12

  by centrifugal forces (centrifuges B04B; cyclones B04C) · CPC title

• B04C2003/006

  Construction of elements by which the vortex flow is generated or degenerated · CPC title