Tower bottoms coke catching device
AssigneeMarathon Petroleum Company LP
InventorsGregory A. Cantley, Ross Vail, Kathleen Yaden, Ray Brooks
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A coke catching apparatus for use in hydrocarbon cracking to assist in the removal of coke and the prevention of coke build up in high coking hydrocarbon processing units. The apparatus includes a grid device for preventing large pieces of coke from entering the outlet of the process refining equipment while lowing small pieces of coke to pass through and be disposed of. The coke catching apparatus can be easily disassembled to be removed from the refining process equipment and cleaned.
Claims18
A coke catching apparatus that assists in the removal of coke and prevention of coke build up in a reactor unit used in the refining of petroleum products, the coke catching apparatus comprising:
- a grid device constructed of a bottom plate, a first section of a grid portion positioned proximate the bottom plate, a second section of the grid portion positioned proximate the first section of the grid portion, and a top hat positioned proximate the second section of the grid portion, the grid portion defined by bars interconnected to create openings therebetween,
- the grid device positioned within the reactor unit and proximate to an outlet of the reactor unit, the bottom plate of the grid device fitting over the outlet,
- the openings of the grid portion of the grid device sized to allow small pieces of coke contained in petroleum fluid within the reactor unit to pass through to the outlet while preventing large pieces of coke contained in the petroleum fluid from passing through when the petroleum fluid flows into the grid device and to the outlet.
A coke catching device positioned inside a reactor unit that refines a petroleum fluid, the coke catching device comprising:
- a bottom section having a bottom plate with a plurality of apertures therein, the bottom section positioned inside the reactor unit adjacent an outlet thereof;
- a tubular grid section having a tubular grid constructed of interconnected bars that form openings therebetween, the tubular grid section being connected to the bottom section;
- and
- a top section having a hat portion that is connected to the tubular grid section, each of the top section, the tubular grid section, and the bottom section in combination defining a fluid pathway through one or more of the openings of the tubular grid of the tubular grid section, into an inner portion of the tubular grid, through one or more of the plurality of apertures of the bottom plate of the bottom section and into the outlet of the reactor unit.
A method of catching spalled coke inside a reactor unit that refines a petroleum fluid, the method comprising:
- operating a reactor unit with a coke catching device positioned proximate an outlet of the reactor unit, the coke catching device including a bottom section disposed adjacent the outlet, a tubular grid section connected to the bottom section and constructed of interconnected bars that form openings therebetween, and a top section connected to the tubular grid section, the coke catching device providing a fluid pathway through one or more of the openings in the tubular grid section, into an inner portion of the tubular grid section, through the bottom section, and into the outlet;
- flowing the petroleum fluid having spalled coke therein through at least a portion of the reactor unit and into the coke catching device through the openings in the tubular grid section thereof;
- retaining large coke pieces on an outer side of the tubular grid section, the large coke pieces defined as those coke pieces that do not fit through the openings of the tubular grid section;
- and
- permitting coke pieces that fit through the openings of the tubular grid section to flow with the petroleum fluid along the fluid pathway.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.