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US 2003/0194356 A1Published application
Desulfurization system with enhanced fluid/solids contacting
OwnerPaul F. Meier, Edward L. Sughrue +4inventors
InventorsPaul F. Meier, Edward L. Sughrue, Jan W. Wells, Douglas W. Hausler, Max W. Thompson, Amos A. Avidan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for removing sulfur from a hydrocarbon-containing fluid stream wherein desulfurization is enhanced by improving the contacting of the hydrocarbon-containing fluid stream and sulfur-sorbing solid particulates in a fluidized bed reactor.
Claims55
A desulfurization unit comprising:
- a fluidized bed reactor defining an elongated upright reaction zone within which finely divided solid sorbent particulates are contacted with a hydrocarbon-containing fluid stream to thereby provide a desulfurized hydrocarbon-containing stream and sulfur-loaded sorbent particulates, wherein said reactor includes a series of vertically spaced contact-enhancing members generally horizontally disposed in said reaction zone, wherein each of said contact-enhancing members includes a plurality of substantially parallelly extending laterally spaced elongated baffles, wherein said elongated baffles of adjacent ones of said contact-enhancing members extend transverse to one another at a cross-hatch angle in the range of from about 60 to about 120 degrees;
- a fluidized bed regenerator for contacting at least a portion of said sulfur-loaded particulates with an oxygen-containing regeneration stream to thereby provide regenerated sorbent particulates;
- and
- a fluidized bed reducer for contacting at least a portion of said regenerated sorbent particulates with a hydrogen-containing reducing stream.
1 more element
A fluidized bed reactor system comprising:
- an elongated upright vessel defining a reaction zone;
- a gaseous hydrocarbon-containing stream flowing upwardly through said reaction zone at a superficial velocity in the range of from about 0.25 to about 5.0 ft/s;
- a fluidized bed of solid particulates substantially disposed in the reaction zone, wherein said solid particulates are fluidized by the flow of said gaseous hydrocarbon-containing stream therethrough;
- and
- a series of vertically spaced contact-enhancing members generally horizontally disposed in said reaction zone, wherein each of said contact-enhancing members includes a plurality of substantially parallelly extending laterally spaced elongated baffles, wherein said elongated baffles of adjacent ones of said contact-enhancing members extend transverse to one another at a cross-hatch angle in the range of from 60 degrees to about 120 degrees.
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A fluidized bed reactor for contacting an upwardly flowing gaseous hydrocarbon-containing stream with solid particulates, said fluidized bed reactor comprising:
- an elongated upright vessel defining a lower reaction zone within which said solid particulates are substantially fluidized by said gaseous hydrocarbon-containing stream and an upper disengagement zone within which said solid particulates are substantially disengaged from said hydrocarbon-containing stream;
- and
- a series of vertically spaced contact-enhancing members generally horizontally disposed in said reaction zone, wherein each of said contact-enhancing members includes a plurality of substantially parallelly extending laterally spaced elongated baffles, wherein said elongated baffles of adjacent ones of said contact-enhancing members extend transverse to one another at a cross-hatch angle in the range of from 60 degrees to about 120 degrees.
A desulfurization process comprising the steps of:
- (a) contacting a hydrocarbon-containing fluid stream with finely divided solid sorbent particulates comprising a reduced-valence promoter metal component and zinc oxide in a fluidized bed reactor vessel under desulfurization conditions sufficient to remove sulfur from said hydrocarbon-containing fluid stream and convert at least a portion of said zinc oxide to zinc sulfide, thereby providing a desulfurized hydrocarbon-containing stream and sulfur-loaded sorbent particulates;
- (b) simultaneously with step (a), contacting at least a portion of said hydrocarbon-containing stream and said sorbent particulates with a series of substantially horizontal, vertically spaced, cross-hatched baffle groups, thereby reducing axial dispersion in said fluidized bed reactor and enhancing sulfur removal from said hydrocarbon-containing fluid stream;
- (c) contacting said sulfur-loaded sorbent particulates with an oxygen-containing regeneration stream in a regenerator vessel under regeneration conditions sufficient to convert at least a portion of said zinc sulfide to zinc oxide, thereby providing regenerated sorbent particulates comprising an unreduced promoter metal component;
- and (d) contacting said regenerated sorbent particulates with a hydrogen-containing reducing stream in a reducer vessel under reducing conditions sufficient to reduce said unreduced promoter metal component, thereby providing reduced sorbent particulates.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.