# US 11,998,963 B2 · Reactor cleaning apparatus and reactor cleaning method

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- Number: US 11,998,963 B2
- Document ID: US11998963B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/296,906
- Filed: 2020-08-07
- Published: 2022-02-24
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-12-09
- Assignees: LG Chem, Ltd.
- Applicants: LG Chem, Ltd.
- Inventors: Moon Sub Hwang; Jeong Seok Lee; Jong Hun Song; You Na Kim; Hong Min Lee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11998963B2

## CPC

- B08B 9/093: by the force of jets or sprays ({B08B9/0813} , B08B9/20 take precedence)
- B01J 19/00: Chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general; Their relevant apparatus
- B01J 19/24: Stationary reactors without moving elements inside (B01J19/08, B01J19/26 take precedence; with stationary particles B01J8/02)
- B08B 9/087: by methods involving the use of tools, e.g. brushes, scrapers ({B08B9/0808} , B08B9/20 take precedence)
- B08B 9/34: Arrangements of conduits or nozzles
- B01J 2219/00247: Fouling of the reactor or the process equipment
- B01J 2219/00252: Formation of deposits other than coke
- B08B 2209/08: Details of machines or methods for cleaning containers, e.g. tanks
- B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS

## Abstract

The present disclosure provides a reactor cleaning apparatus including: a fixing part having a partial region inserted into a hole formed in an upper portion of a reactor to be coupled to the reactor and fixing a pipe; the pipe inserted into a hole formed in the fixing part, protruding downward from the fixing part, and having a length adjustable in a vertical direction; a spray nozzle provided at a lower end of the pipe; and a screener provided on a lower side surface of the pipe, and a reactor cleaning method using the same.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A reactor cleaning apparatus, comprising:
a fixing part having a partial region inserted into a hole formed in an upper portion of a reactor to be coupled to the reactor and fixing a pipe;
the pipe inserted into a hole formed in the fixing part, protruding downward from the fixing part, and having a length adjustable in a vertical direction;
a control part including a knob that vertically adjust the length of the pipe;
a spray nozzle provided at a lower end of the pipe; and
a scraper provided on a lower side surface of the pipe,
wherein the scraper is formed of a metal material,
wherein the scraper is provided at a position higher than the lower end of the pipe at which the spray nozzle is formed,
wherein the pipe is a winding-up type pipe having multiple-stage pipes overlapped in a layer form and is configured to move only vertically,
wherein the reactor is an ethylene oligomerization reactor selected from the group consisting of a continuous stirred-tank reactor, a plug flow reactor, and a bubble column reactor,
wherein the scraper protrudes toward an inner wall of the reactor from the pipe,
wherein an outer peripheral surface of a region of the scraper protruding toward the inner wall of the reactor has a curve corresponding to a curve of the inner wall of the reactor,
wherein the scraper is configured to dislodge a contaminant accumulated on the inner wall of the reactor by the region of the scraper when the length of the pipe is adjusted by the control part to move the scraper vertically from an upper portion to a lower portion of the reactor, and
wherein the spray nozzle is directed to spray a solvent toward the inner wall of the reactor.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The reactor cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein a spray angle of a solvent sprayed through the spray nozzle is 90° or less.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A reactor cleaning method comprising:
inserting the partial region of the fixing of the reactor cleaning apparatus of claim 1 into the hole formed in the upper portion of the reactor to couple the reactor and the reactor cleaning apparatus to each other;
spraying the solvent toward the contaminant accumulated on the inner wall of the reactor using the spray nozzle provided at the lower end of the pipe inserted into the hole formed in the fixing part of the reactor cleaning apparatus;
dislodging the contaminant accumulated on the inner wall of the reactor using the scraper provided on the lower side surface of the pipe while vertically moving the pipe from the upper portion to the lower portion of the reactor by adjusting the length of the pipe of the reactor cleaning apparatus; and
removing the dislodged contaminant from the reactor.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The reactor cleaning method of claim 3, wherein a pressure of the solvent sprayed through the spray nozzle is 10 bar·g to 100 bar·g.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The reactor cleaning method of claim 3, wherein the solvent includes one or more selected from the group consisting of n-pentane, n-hexane, n-heptane, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, octane, cyclooctane, decane, dodecane, benzene, xylene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, and trichlorobenzene.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The reactor cleaning method of claim 3, wherein the reactor cleaning method is performed in a state where the reactor is closed.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The reactor cleaning method of claim 3, wherein the spraying step and the dislodging step are performed at the same time.