Process and device for unloading particulate material from a vessel

{
  "publication_number": "US9446362B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Process and device for unloading particulate material from a vessel",
  "abstract": "The present invention concerns a process for unloading a bed (2) of particulate material from a vessel (1), which comprises inserting a removable and portable extraction pipe (4) into the lower part of said bed, injecting a fluidization gas upwardly into the extraction pipe (4) from the bottom part thereof, along the entire length of the extraction pipe (4), and applying a positive pressure differential between the inlet and the outlet of said extraction pipe. The present invention further concerns a device suitable for implementing such a process.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A process for unloading a bed of particles of solid catalyst from a reactor vessel, the process comprising: inserting a removable and portable extraction pipe into a lower part of said bed; injecting a fluidization gas upwardly into the extraction pipe from a bottom part thereof, along an entire length of the extraction pipe; and applying a positive pressure differential between an inlet and an outlet of said extraction pipe, wherein the fluidization gas is injected at a controlled flow rate such as to create a dense fluidized phase of said particles of solid catalyst inside the extraction pipe, along a length of the extraction pipe, and wherein the extraction pipe is kept horizontal.",
    "2. The process of claim 1, wherein a small pressure differential is applied between the inlet and the outlet of the extraction pipe, so that the pressure remains slightly higher at the inlet of the extraction pipe inside the reactor vessel than at the outlet of the extraction pipe outside the reactor vessel.",
    "3. The process of claim 2, wherein the pressure differential is applied by applying a higher pressure inside the reactor vessel.",
    "4. The process of claim 1, wherein a part or all of the fluidization gas is removed along the length of the extraction pipe, in the upper part thereof.",
    "5. The process of claim 1, wherein the fluidization gas is injected into the extraction pipe in an inclined direction towards the outlet of the extraction pipe, with an inclination angle with regard to the lengthwise axis of said pipe ranging from 0 to 90 degrees.",
    "6. The process of claim 1, wherein the fluidization gas is chosen from air, water vapour, oxygen, hydrogen, inert gases such as nitrogen, and mixtures thereof in any proportions.",
    "7. The process of claim 2, wherein the pressure differential is applied by applying a higher pressure within the bed of particles of solid catalyst, at the inlet of the extraction pipe.",
    "8. The process of claim 1, wherein the fluidization gas is injected into the extraction pipe in an inclined direction towards the outlet of the extraction pipe, with an inclination angle with regard to the lengthwise axis of said pipe of 45 degrees.",
    "9. The process of claim 1, wherein the fluidization gas is chosen from inert gases.",
    "10. The process of claim 1, wherein the fluidization gas is nitrogen."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to a process for removing a particulate material from a vessel containing such material.\n\nThe process of the present invention is particularly suitable for removing particles of spent catalyst from an industrial reactor containing them.\n\nThe present invention further concerns a device suitable for implementing such a process.\n\nMany industrial processes require the use of solid material in the form of small particles. Examples of such material commonly used in the form of small particles are solid catalysts such as those used in chemical, petrochemical and petroleum refining processes.\n\nSuch solid catalysts are often used as one or more bed(s) of particles arranged in a reactor. The reactor can contain one single bed of catalyst particles, or several beds of the same or of different kinds of catalysts. When more than one bed is present in a single reactor vessel, the beds are generally separated in the vertical direction, and with each bed supported on its own support tray.\n\nDuring its use in the reactor, the catalyst becomes progressively de-activated, and the spent catalyst must then be unloaded from the reactor, for disposal or recycling thereof.\n\nThe unloading of catalysts from a single bed reactor, or from the bottom bed in a multi-bed reactor is generally performed using simple gravity flow via dump nozzles which are present in the bottom head of the reactor.\n\nThe unloading of catalyst from the upper beds in multi-bed axial flow reactors can pose additional difficulties.",
  "cpc": [
    "B01J 4/001",
    "B01J 19/24",
    "B01J 2208/00761",
    "B01J 8/004",
    "B01J 8/18",
    "B65G 53/42",
    "Y10T 137/0318",
    "Y10T 137/8593"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B01J 4/00",
    "B01J 8/00",
    "B65G 53/00",
    "B65G 53/42"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Petroval SA"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Adriaan STANDER"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2013-09-09",
  "publication_date": "2016-09-20",
  "grant_date": "2016-09-20",
  "priority_date": "2012-09-10",
  "application_number": "US-201314021191-A",
  "family_id": "47022596",
  "cited_by_count": 3,
  "citations": [
    "US1339977A",
    "FR1371381A",
    "DE1214147B",
    "US3911971A",
    "DE2242855A1",
    "JPS576430A",
    "US4560094A",
    "EP0054340A1",
    "WO1994020396A1",
    "US5474111A",
    "US5464528A",
    "GB2323586A",
    "WO1998002239A1",
    "US6182716B1"
  ]
}