Process for removing foulants from reactor internal spaces
AssigneeUop LLC
InventorsMichael Jerome Vetter, Bryan James Egolf, Louis A. Lattanzio, Clayton Colin Sadler, Mohamed Sami Elganiny
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for cleaning a reactor, the reactor comprising a shell including catalyst for selectively converting hydrocarbons. The process includes removing catalyst from the reactor and deploying a robot into the reactor. A cleaner from the robot is applied onto a surface within the shell of the reactor that includes a foulant. The cleaner is adapted to remove the foulant from the surface within the shell of the reactor. The cleaner may be one of light radiation, heat radiation, ultra-high pressure fluid, and liquid nitrogen.
Claims19
A process for cleaning a reactor, the reactor comprising a shell and one or more screens disposed within the shell forming an annular space between the one or more screens and the shell for selectively converting hydrocarbons and the process comprising:
- removing a catalyst from the reactor, wherein the annular space includes the catalyst, and wherein the one or more screens provide a barrier to solid particles while allowing any fluid to flow through the one or more screens;
- deploying a robot into the reactor;
- and,
- applying a cleaner from the robot onto a surface within the shell of the reactor, wherein the surface within the shell of the reactor includes a foulant, and wherein the cleaner is adapted to remove the foulant from the surface within the shell of the reactor, wherein the cleaner is selected from a group consisting of light radiation, heat radiation, ultra-high pressure fluid, and liquid nitrogen.
A process for cleaning a reactor, the process comprising:
- removing an access panel from a port of a reactor, the reactor configured to be operated under conditions for the selective conversion of hydrocarbons, wherein the reactor comprises a shell and one or more screens disposed within the shell forming an annular space between the one or more screens and the shell, and wherein the annular space includes a catalyst which has been removed, and wherein the one or more screens provide a barrier to solid particles while allowing any fluid to flow through the one or more screens;
- deploying a robot into the annular space of the reactor through the port of the reactor;
- and,
- applying a cleaner selected from a group consisting of light radiation, heat radiation, ultra-high pressure fluid, and liquid nitrogen from the robot onto a surface in the annular space that includes a foulant, wherein the cleaner is adapted to remove the foulant from the surface in the annular space, and wherein the one or more screens are within the shell while the cleaner is applied.
A process for cleaning a reactor used to selectively convert hydrocarbons that has become fouled, the process comprising:
- selectively converting hydrocarbons from a feed stream within a reactor comprising a shell and one or more screens disposed within the shell forming an annular space between the one or more screens and the shell, the annular space including a catalyst configured to selectively convert the hydrocarbons from the feed stream, wherein the one or more screens provide a barrier to solid particles while allowing any fluid to flow through the one or more screens, and wherein the selective conversion creates one or more foulants on a surface inside of the reactor;
- stopping a flow of the feed stream to the reactor;
- removing the catalyst from the reactor;
- deploying a robot into the reactor;
- supplying a purge gas into the reactor;
- and,
- applying a cleaner selected from a group consisting of light radiation, and heat radiation, from the robot onto the surface inside of the reactor,
- wherein the cleaner is adapted to remove the foulant from the surface within the reactor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.