Device and method for dispensing catalyst pellets
AssigneeExtundo Incorporated
InventorsClifford L. Johns, Munaf Chasmawala, Dennis McAndrews
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device and method for dispensing catalyst pellets from a hopper to a chemical reactor. The hopper receives and holds the catalyst pellets at an elevation above the elevation of the chemical reactor. The flow of the catalyst pellets is controlled so they flow into and through a conduit in a widely spaced-apart arrangement to the chemical reactor. This controlled, spaced-apart flow is created by providing a sieve between a hopper and the conduit having openings small enough that the catalyst pellets form bridges above the openings, and then repeatedly breaking up the bridges in a controlled manner.
Claims19
A method for dispensing catalyst pellets to a chemical reactor, comprising the steps of:
- providing a hopper for holding a plurality of catalyst pellets at an elevation above the chemical reactor;
- loading a plurality of catalyst pellets into the hopper;
- providing a large diameter open conduit through which the catalyst pellets pass in order to flow from the hopper to the chemical reactor, with the diameter of the conduit being at least eight times the largest dimension of the catalyst pellets;
- providing a sieve between the hopper and the conduit defining a plurality of openings that are small enough relative to the size of the catalyst pellets so that the catalyst pellets form bridges above the sieve;
- and
- repeatedly breaking the bridges to allow the catalyst pellets to flow through the openings in a controlled manner to form a flow in which the catalyst pellets are separated from each other in a homogeneous manner and have minimal or no contact with each other as they fall through the open conduit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.