Method to protect catalyst in a catalyst-containing structure for removal from a reactor
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsOmer Refa Koseoglu, Stanley C. Gustas, III, Rakan Battat
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Abstract
Methods for removal of catalyst-containing structures are provided, wherein the catalyst-containing structures were deployed in a reactor and the catalyst therein has been subject to reaction. The catalyst-containing structures are encapsulated in a C31-C50 paraffin, in certain embodiments a mixture of two or more C31-C50 paraffins, optionally together with one or more light paraffins. The methods facilitate safe handling and transport thereof.
Claims21
A method of removal of a catalyst-containing structure having spent or contaminated catalyst from a reactor comprising, while maintaining the reactor under a nitrogen blanket:
- introducing a receptacle dimensioned and configured to hold the catalyst-containing structure for full submersion via a head space of the reactor and positioning said receptacle about the catalyst-containing structure, wherein:
- the receptacle contains an amount of encapsulating material, in the form of a liquified encapsulating material or a liquified encapsulating material solution, that is sufficient to submerge the catalyst-containing structure, and the receptacle containing the catalyst-containing structure and the encapsulating material is removed as a loaded receptacle;
- or
- the receptacle contains an amount of encapsulating material, in the form of a liquified encapsulating material or a liquified encapsulating material solution, that is less than sufficient to submerge the catalyst-containing structure, additional encapsulating material is added while the under the nitrogen blanket to submerge the catalyst-containing structure, and the receptacle containing the catalyst-containing structure and the encapsulating material is removed as a loaded receptacle.
17-47. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.