Reduced gas holdup in an ebullated bed reactor
AssigneeAmoco Corporation
InventorsRobert D. Buttke, Lawrence B. Peck, Christos Nikolaides
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A resid refining reactor has an ebullated catalyst bed. Hydrogen gas is released into the catalyst bed at a point which is far enough above a distributor plate at the bottom of the catalyst bed to form a gas updraft in a committed zone through the bed. This committed updraft causes a reduction in gas holdup which increases the residence time of a liquid phase in the catalyst bed.
Claims8
A process for reducing gas holdup in a three-phase ebullated bed reactor, said three phases being a mixture of oil, catalyst, and gas, said process comprising the following steps:
- (a) ebullating a catalyst bed in a reactor;
- )b) supporting said bed on a distributor plate displaced from a bottom of said reactor in order to form a plenum below the plate and within the reactor;
- (c) introducing oil into the plenum;
- (d) passing a liquid phase of said oil from said plenum through a plurality of riser pipes penetrating said distributor plate into a space above said distributor plate within said reactor which is occupied by said catalyst bed;
- (e) introducing a hydrogen gas phase into said catalyst bed at a height above said distributor plate so that said gas phase enters the catalyst bed without passing through the plenum or the distributor plate, thereby reducing gas holdup of said ebullated bed;
- and
- (f) draining a liquid from said reactor at a level above a top of said ebullated catalyst bed.
A process for reducing gas holdup in a three-phase ebullated bed reactor employing a mixture of oil, catalyst, and gas, said process comprising the steps of:
- (a) ebullating a bed of catalyst supported on a distributor plate;
- (b) introducing a liquid phase into said reactor from a location beneath said distributor plate for passage of said liquid phase upwardly through said distribute plate into said catalyst bed;
- (c) introducing a gas phase into said catalyst bed at a height above the distributor plate so that gas enters the catalyst bed without moving with the liquid phase below said distributor plate;
- and
- (d) channeling the gas phase upwardly through a baffle located at least partially within the ebullated catalyst bed, thereby creating an updraft of gas through the baffle which reduces gas holdup of said ebullated bed, said baffle having a lower end located above the distributor plate and below a top level of the ebullated bed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.