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US 9,694,334 B2Granted
Gas diffusion system and method for introducing a gas stream in an apparatus, in particular a passivating gas stream in a urea plant
AssigneeSaipem S.P.A.
InventorPaolo Minola
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas diffusion system configured to feed a gas stream, in particular a passivating gas stream, into an apparatus, in particular a decomposer, of a urea plant; the system extends along an axis and has a gas feed conduit having an outlet from which the gas flows substantially parallel to the axis, and a diffuser assembly configured to diffuse the gas supply from the conduit; the diffuser assembly is shaped so as to intercept the gas stream flowing axially from the outlet, and divert the gas stream substantially radially with respect to the axis and uniformly about the axis.
Claims32
A urea plant decomposer with a gas diffusion system configured to feed a passivating gas stream into the urea plant decomposer extending along an axis, said urea plant decomposer comprising:
- a bottom holder which defines a chamber, said bottom holder including:
- a bottom portion of a casing,
- a bottom catch portion closed at a bottom end by a bottom wall, and having a substantially cylindrical lateral wall around the axis, and
- a funnel-shaped top diffusion portion which flares upwards, tapers towards the bottom catch portion and is bounded by a truncated-cone-shaped lateral wall around the axis;
- a gas feed conduit including:
- a base pipe transverse to the substantially cylindrical lateral wall and the axis, and
- a fitting which terminates with an opening defining an outlet which is transverse to the axis and from which the passivating gas stream flows substantially parallel to the axis, said outlet being located centrally inside the bottom holder and the defined chamber substantially about the axis, wherein said gas feed conduit projects inside the chamber from an inlet hole formed through the substantially cylindrical lateral wall of the bottom catch portion and said gas feed conduit terminates with said outlet;
- and
- a diffuser assembly including a central diffuser and a peripheral shield which are spaced axially apart along the axis and offset radially with respect to each other, wherein the peripheral shield includes an annular member positioned about the axis and defining a plurality of through peripheral openings, angularly spaced apart from one another and uniformly distributed around the axis, and the diffuser assembly is configured to diffuse the passivating gas stream from the gas feed conduit inside the chamber, said diffuser assembly being shaped to:
- intercept the passivating gas stream flowing axially from the outlet, and
- divert the passivating gas stream substantially radially with respect to the axis and about the axis.
8 more elements
A urea plant decomposer with a gas diffusion system configured to feed a passivating gas stream into the urea plant decomposer extending along an axis, said urea plant decomposer comprising:
- a bottom holder which defines a chamber, said bottom holder including:
- a bottom portion of a casing, a bottom catch portion closed at a bottom end by a bottom wall, and
- having a substantially cylindrical lateral wall around the axis, and
- a funnel-shaped top diffusion portion which flares upwards, tapers towards the bottom catch portion and is bounded by a truncated-cone-shaped lateral wall around the axis;
- a gas feed conduit including:
- a base pipe transverse to the substantially cylindrical lateral wall and the axis, and
- a fitting which terminates with an opening defining an outlet which is transverse to the axis and from which the passivating gas stream flows substantially parallel to the axis, said outlet being located centrally inside the bottom holder and the defined chamber substantially about the axis, wherein said gas feed conduit projects inside the chamber from an inlet hole formed through the substantially cylindrical lateral wall of the bottom catch portion and said gas feed conduit terminates with said outlet;
- and
- a diffuser assembly including a central diffuser located over the outlet of the gas feed conduit, said central diffuser being aligned with the outlet along the axis and defining a plurality of radial gas outlet openings uniformly spaced about the axis, wherein the diffuser assembly is configured to diffuse the passivating gas stream from the gas feed conduit inside the chamber, said diffuser assembly being shaped to:
- intercept the passivating gas stream flowing axially from the outlet, and divert the passivating gas stream substantially radially with respect to the axis and about the axis, wherein the central diffuser is associated with a distributor connected to the gas feed conduit to receive the passivating gas stream from the outlet of the gas feed conduit, said distributor being shaped to distribute at least part of the oncoming passivating gas stream radially to the central diffuser.
7 more elements
A urea plant decomposer with a gas diffusion system configured to feed a passivating gas stream into the urea plant decomposer extending along an axis, said urea plant decomposer comprising:
- a bottom holder which defines a chamber, said bottom holder including:
- a bottom portion of a casing,
- a bottom catch portion closed at a bottom end by a bottom wall, and having a substantially cylindrical lateral wall around the axis, and
- a funnel-shaped top diffusion portion which flares upwards, tapers towards the bottom catch portion and is bounded by a truncated-cone-shaped lateral wall around the axis;
- a gas feed conduit including:
- a base pipe transverse to the substantially cylindrical lateral wall and the axis, and
- a fitting which terminates with an opening defining an outlet which is transverse to the axis and from which the passivating gas stream flows substantially parallel to the axis, said outlet being located centrally inside the bottom holder and the defined chamber substantially about the axis, wherein said gas feed conduit projects inside the chamber from an inlet hole formed through the substantially cylindrical lateral wall of the bottom catch portion and said gas feed conduit terminates with said outlet;
- and
- a diffuser assembly including a radial diffuser extending radially with respect to the axis, wherein the radial diffuser includes a plurality of arms uniformly spaced about the axis and which project radially from a distributor and which each define a plurality of downward-facing bottom gas outlet openings defined by respective slots spaced axially apart along said arm and located on a bottom portion of said arm, wherein said diffuser assembly is configured to diffuse the passivating gas stream from the gas feed conduit inside the chamber, said diffuser assembly being shaped to:
- intercept the passivating gas stream flowing axially from the outlet, and
- divert the passivating gas stream substantially radially with respect to the axis and about the axis.
8 more elements
A urea plant decomposer with a gas diffusion system configured to feed a passivating gas stream into the urea plant decomposer extending along an axis, said urea plant decomposer comprising:
- a bottom holder which defines a chamber, said bottom holder including:
- a bottom portion of a casing,
- a bottom catch portion closed at a bottom end by a bottom wall, and having a substantially cylindrical lateral wall around the axis, and
- a funnel-shaped top diffusion portion which flares upwards, tapers towards the bottom catch portion and is bounded by a truncated-cone-shaped lateral wall around the axis;
- a gas feed conduit including:
- a base pipe transverse to the substantially cylindrical lateral wall and the axis, and
- a fitting which terminates with an opening defining an outlet which is transverse to the axis and from which the passivating gas stream flows substantially parallel to the axis, said outlet being located centrally inside the bottom holder and the defined chamber substantially about the axis, wherein said gas feed conduit projects inside the chamber from an inlet hole formed through the substantially cylindrical lateral wall of the bottom catch portion and said gas feed conduit terminates with said outlet;
- and
- a diffuser assembly including an annular central diffuser ring-shaped about the axis which defines a plurality of downward-facing bottom gas outlet openings uniformly distributed about the axis, wherein the annular central diffuser is connected to a radial distributor and the diffuser assembly is configured to diffuse the passivating gas stream from the gas feed conduit inside the chamber, said diffuser assembly being shaped to:
- intercept the passivating gas stream flowing axially from the outlet, and
- divert the passivating gas stream substantially radially with respect to the axis and about the axis.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.