US 6,280,609 B1Granted

Process and apparatus for controlling reaction temperatures

AssigneeUop LLC

InventorsBipin V. Vora, Raymond A. Pogliano

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Abstract

A process and apparatus for contacting reactants with a particulate catalyst while indirectly contacting the reactants with a heat exchange medium performs heat exchange in a first reaction zone and moves catalyst, at least intermittently, through the second reaction zone while the process is operating. The first reaction zone is preferably a fixed bed reaction zone. The use of first reaction zone as a fixed bed reaction zone simplifies the process arrangement by not requiring means for catalyst movement in a reaction zone that performs simultaneous heat exchange. Long periods of operation are possible since the first reaction zone will typically experience a slow rate of catalyst deactivation and need infrequent regeneration. The first reaction zone may also be designed for catalyst movement, but independently controlled from the first reaction zone to facilitate the movement of catalyst therethrough.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A process for catalytically converting a feed comprising at least one reactant in an endothermic or exothermic reaction to a reacted stream comprising conversion products by passing the feed serially through at least two reactors, said process comprising:

passing the feed to a first reactor having a fixed bed of catalyst and contacting the feed with a catalyst at conversion conditions in the first reactor to effect conversion of reactants while simultaneously performing an indirect heat exchange between a heat exchange fluid and the catalyst and reactants to produce a first reactor effluent;
passing the first reactor effluent to a second reactor and contacting the second reactor effluent with a second catalyst comprising catalyst particles at conversion conditions to effect a further conversion of said first effluent steam;
at least periodically withdrawing catalyst from the bottom of said second reactor and adding catalyst to the top of said second reactor while said first reactor effluent passes through said second reactor;
and
withdrawing from the process a product stream comprising conversion products that have passed through said first and second reactors.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.