Apparatus and process for hydrofining hydrocarbons

Claim 2

THE PROCESS FOR TREATING A HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBON WHICH CONTAINS SULFUR COMPOUNDS AND HAS AN API GRAVITY OF BELOW ABOUT 20 WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING THE HIGHT BOILING HYDROCARBON WHILE SUBSTANTIALLY IN LIQUID PHASE AND A GRANULAR HYDROGENATION CATALYST INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF A HIGH PRESSURE REACTOR, MAINTAINING THE CATALYST PARTICLES IN THE FORM OF A COMPACT BODY IN THE REACTOR, MAINTAINING THE REACTOR UNDER MILD CONVERSION CONDITIONS RESULTING IN NOT MORE THAN ABOUT AN API GRAVITY INCREASE OF 25, SAID CONDITIONS COMPRISING A PRESSURE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 100 AND 2000 P.S.I., A TEMPERATURE BETWEEEN ABOUT 750* AND 850*F., A SPACE VELOCITY BETWEEN ABOUT 0.3 AND 2 AND A CATALYST TO OIL RATIO BETWEEN ABOUT 0.1:1 AND 5:1, CAUSIN THE HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBON LIQUID AND THE CATALYST GRANULES TO FLOW DOWNWARDLY BY GRAVITY THROUGH THE HIGH PRESSURE REACTOR, SIMULTANEOUSLY INTRODUCING HYDROGEN INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF THE REACTOR WHEREBY THE HYDROGEN FLOWS INWARDLY COUNTERCURRENTLY TO THE DOWNWARDLY FLOWING COLUMN OF CATALYST GRANULES AND HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBON LIQUID, REMOVING HYDROGEN AND HYDROCARBON VAPORS FROM THE UPPER PART OF THE REACTOR, DRAINING THE UNCONVERTED LIQUID HYDROCARBON FROM THE CATALYST GRANULES IN THE LOWER PORTION OF THE REACTOR, WITHDRAWING THE DRAINED AND SEPARATED UNCONVERTED LIQUID FROM THE HIGH PRESSURE REACTOR, CONTACTING THE DRAINED CATALYST GRANULES WITH THE FRESH CURRENT OF HYDROGEN PRIOR

Claim 3

APPARATUS FOR HYDROGEN TREATMENT OF A HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBON WHICH CONTAINS SULFUR COMPOUNDS AND RESIDUAL MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION A HIGH PRESSURE REACTOR FORMING AN UPPER REACTION ZONE, A LOWER DRYING ZONE AND A DRAINING ZONE POSITIONED INTERMEDIATE THE REACTION AND DRYING ZONE, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING GRANULAR CATALYST INTO THE UPPER PART OF THE REACTION ZONE, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBON CHARGE STOCK INTO THE UPPER PART OF THE REACTION ZONE, MEANS FOR DRAINING LIQUID FROM THE CATALYST GRANULES WHICH MEANS IS POSITIONED CONCENTRICALLY WITH THE REACTOR WALLS IN SAID DRAINING ZONE AND IS POSITIONED A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE BELOW THE MEANS FOR INTRODUCING CATALYST AND CHARGE STOCK INTO THE REACTOR, MEANS FOR COLLECTING DRAINED LIQUID, SAID DRAINING MEANS COMPRISING AN UPPER PERFORATED TRUNCATED CONICAL MEMBER AND A LOWER INVERTED PERFORATED CONE OF SMALLER DIAMETER THE APEX OF WHICH IS POSITIONED CENTRALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE TRUNCATED PORTION OF THE UPPER TRUNCATED CONE, MEANS FOR COLLECTING LIQUID WHICH DURING OPERATION DRAINS THROUGH THE PERFORATIONS IN EACH OF SAID CON ICAL DRAINING MEANS, SAID COLLECTING MEANS COMPRISING A PAN POSITIONED BELOW EACH OF THE CONICAL DRAINING MEANS, A CONDUIT CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID PANS FOR REMOVING LIQUID COLLECTED THEREON, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING GAS INTO THE DRYING ZONE AND INTO INTIMATE CONTACT WITH GRANULAR CATALYST PRESENT THEREIN DURING OPERATION, MEANS POSITIONED IN THE LOWER PORTION OF THE DRYING ZONE FOR REMOVING GRANULAR CATALYST FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE DRYING ZONE, MEANS FOR REGENERATING AT LEAST PART OF THE REMOVED GRANULAR CATALYST GRANULES, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING REGENERATED CATALYST GRANULES INTO THE UPPER PART OF THE HIGH PRESSURE REACTOR AND MEANS FOR REMOVING GAS AND VAPOROUS REACTION PRODUCTS FROM THE UPPER PART OF THE REACTOR.

Claim 4

APPARATUS FOR HYDROGEN TREATMENT OF A HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBON WHICH CONTAINS SULFUR COMPOUNDS AND RESIDUAL MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION A HIGH PRESSURE REACTOR FORMING AN UPPER REACTION ZONE, A LOWER DRYING ZONE AND A DRAINING ZONE POSITIONED INTERMEDIATE THE REACTION AND DRYING ZONE, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING GRANULAR CATALYST INTO THE UPPER PART OF THE REACTION ZONE, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBON CHARGE STOCK INTO THE UPPER PART OF THE REACTION ZONE, MEANS FOR DRAINING LIQUID FROM THE CATALYST GRANULES WHICH MEANS IS POSITIONED CONCENTRICALLY WITH THE REACTOR WALLS IN SAID DRAINING ZONE AND IS POSITIONED A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE BELOW THE MEANS FOR INTRODUCING CATALYST AND CHARGE STOCK INTO THE REACTOR, MEANS FOR COLLECTING DRAINED LIQUID, SAID DRAINING MEANS COMPRISING AN UPPER PERFORATED TRUNCATED CONICAL MEMBER AND A LOWER INVERTED PERFORATED CONE OF SMALLER DIAMETER THE APEX OF WHICH IS POSITIONED CENTRALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE TRUNCATED PORTION OF THE UPPER TRUNCATED CONE, MEANS FOR COLLECTING LIQUID WHICH DURING OPERATION DRAINS THROUGH THE PERFORATIONS IN EACH OF SAID CON ICAL DRAINING MEANS, SAID COLLECTING MEANS COMPRISING A PAN POSITIONED BELOW EACH OF THE CONICAL DRAINING MEANS, A CONDUIT CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID PANS FOR REMOVING LIQUID COLLECTED THEREON, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING GAS INTO THE DRYING ZONE AND INTO INTIMATE CONTACT WITH GRANULAR CATALYST PRESENT THEREIN DURING OPERATION, MEANS POSITIONED IN THE LOWER PORTION OF THE DRYING ZONE FOR REMOVING GRANULAR CATALYST FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE DRYING ZONE, MEANS FOR REGENERATING AT LEAST PART OF THE REMOVED GRANULAR CATALYST GRANULES, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING REGENERATED CATALYST GRANULES INTO THE UPPER PART OF THE HIGH PRESSURE REACTOR AND MEANS FOR REMOVING GAS AND VAPOROUS REACTION PRODUCTS FROM THE UPPER PART OF THE REACTOR.