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US 4,048,284 AGranted
Method and system for ion-exchanging particles
AssigneeEngelhard Minerals & Chemicals Corporation
InventorsNorman H. Horton, John L. Smith
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AssigneeEngelhard Minerals & Chemicals Corporation
InventorsNorman H. Horton, John L. Smith
Estimating the term…
Disclosed are a method and system for ion-exchanging cations in zeolitic particles of a size useful in fluidized bed processes; for example, zeolitic microspheres of the type employed in fluidized bed hydrocarbon conversion processes. The zeolitic particles are ion-exchanged by a stagewise countercurrent contact with ion-exchange liquid as they are moved in series over a continuously moving horizontal vacuum belt filter in the form of a thin porous cake, then into an agitated tank where the cake is formed into a slurry, and to another continuously moving vacuum belt filter where the microspheres are again formed into a thin porous cake. The latter cake is contacted with incoming ion-exchange liquid that percolates through the cake, passes to the agitated tank and is charged to the cake on the first belt filter.
A method for ion-exchanging zeolitic particles of a size suitable for use in fluidized bed processes with an ion-exchange solution containing cations capable of replacing cations in the zeolitic particles which comprises carrying out the ion-exchange reaction in stages by continuously passing the zeolitic particles, in series, over a continuously moving horizontal vacuum belt filter where the particles are in the form of a thin porous cake, into an agitated vessel to form a slurry and then over another continuously moving horizontal vacuum belt filter where the zeolitic particles are again in the form of a thin porous cake, while continuously contacting the zeolitic particles during such passage countercurrently with ion-exchange liquid, and washing the ion-exchanged zeolitic particles with water only after discharge from the last belt filter inthe series.
A system useful for ion-exchanging catalyst precursor microspheres comprising a first slurrying tank, a first horizontal vacuum belt filter with a subdivided vacuum box, a second slurrying tank and a second horizontal belt filter, means for charging microspheres serially on a continuous basis to said first tank, then to said first filter, to said second slurrying tank and to said second belt filter, means on both of said belts for forming microspheres into the thin porous cakes, means for percolating ion-exchange liquid through said cakes on said belts, means for charing an ion-exchange solution to said second belt filter, means for circulating said liquid countercurrently to the path of travel of said microspheres, means for washing ion-exchanged microspheres on the second belt with water and for draining ion-exchange liquid from ion-exchanged microspheres on the first belt without washing them and means for washing the underside of the belts with water and means for recirculating the resulting washings with incoming ion-exchange liquid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.