Catalyst transfer pipe plug detection
AssigneeUop LLC
InventorsMahesh Kumar Gellaboina, Louis A Lattanzio
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatuses and methods are disclosed for detecting catalyst transfer pipe plugging in a chemical plant or petrochemical plant or refinery. The catalyst transfer pipe may extend from a reactor to a catalyst collector and enable the flow of catalyst from the reactor to the catalyst collector. Specifically, one or more sensors affixed to a catalyst transfer pipe may collect sensor data for analysis. Based on one or more detected changes in the sensor data outside a range, a data collection platform may send one or more alerts and/or send one or more signals to a control platform to adjust a flow rate, a pressure differential, or perform another action to clear a developing catalyst buildup and thereby attempt to avoid a catalyst transfer pipe from becoming plugged.
Claims20
A system for preventing catalyst-transfer-pipe plugging, the system comprising:
- a reactor configured for a dehydrogenation process, wherein the reactor is configured for use with a solid catalyst;
- a catalyst collector comprising a control valve, the catalyst collector configured to collect the solid catalyst;
- a plurality of catalyst transfer pipes extending from the reactor to the catalyst collector, the plurality of catalyst transfer pipes configured to enable flow of the solid catalyst from the reactor to the catalyst collector;
- one or more sensors affixed to an outside of a catalyst transfer pipe of the plurality of catalyst transfer pipes;
- a data collection platform comprising:
- one or more processors of the data collection platform;
- a first communication interface in communication with the one or more sensors affixed to the catalyst transfer pipe;
- and
- non-transitory computer-readable memory of the data collection platform storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the data collection platform to:
- receive sensor data from the one or more sensors affixed to the catalyst transfer pipe, the sensor data comprising a plurality of data points;
- and
- transmit the sensor data;
- a data analysis platform comprising:
- one or more processors of the data analysis platform;
- a second communication interface;
- and
- non-transitory computer-readable memory of the data analysis platform storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
- receive the sensor data from the data collection platform;
- analyze the sensor data to determine a flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe of the plurality of catalyst transfer pipes;
- and
- based on analyzing the sensor data to determine the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe, transmit a command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe;
- and
- a control platform comprising:
- one or more processors of the control platform;
- a third communication interface;
- and
- non-transitory computer-readable memory of the control platform storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the control platform to:
- receive the command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe of the plurality of catalyst transfer pipes;
- and
- send a command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe of the plurality of catalyst transfer pipes by adjusting the control valve of the catalyst collector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.