Hydrogenation reactors with improved flow distribution

Claim 2

A HYDROGENATION REACTOR HAVING A LIQUID PASSING THROUGH A CATALYST COMPRISING, A. A VERTICAL ELONGATED CLOSED CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER HAVING UPPER AND LOWER ENDS FOR CONTAINING A CATALYST THEREIN, B. A SMALLER IMPERFORATE CYLINDER MOUNTED COAXIALY INTERNALLY OF SAID ELONGATED CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER FORMING A CLOSED ANNULUS AROUND SAID SMALLER CYLINDER, SAID SMALLER CYLINDER FORMING A CENTRALLY LOCATED CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER, C. AN ODD NUMBER OF AND AT LEAST SEVEN IMPERFORATE VERTICAL WALLS EXTENDING RADIALLY BETWEEN AND INTERCONNECTING SAID TWO COAXIAL CYLINDERS FOR DIVIDING THE ELONGATED CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER INTO A PLURALITY AND AN ODD NUMBER OF AT LEAST SEVEN PERPHERAL ELONGATED VERTICAL CHAMBERS CIRCUMSCRIBING THE CENTER CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER TO FORM AN ANNULUS OF CHAMBERS AROUND THE CENTER CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER, EACH CHAMBER HAVING UPPER AND LOWER ENDS, D. EACH OF SAID CHAMBERS HAVING A RETAINING MEANS IN THE BOTTOM THEREOF AND BEING AT LEAST PARTIALLY FILLED WITH A CATALYST, SAID RETAINING MEANS PREVENTING THE MOVEMENT OF THE CATALYST OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF EACH CHAMBER, E. AN INLET IN ONE SIDE OF THE CONTAINER ADJACENT SAID CONTAINER LOWER END IN THE FIRST OF SAID ELONGATED VERTICAL CHAMBERS FOR PROVIDING A FLOWING STREAM OF THE LIQUID INTO THE BOTTOM OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER, F. AN OUTLET IN SAID LOWER END OF THE CENTER CYLINDRICAL ELONGATED VERTICAL CHAMBER FOR PROVIDING AN EXIT OF THE LIQUID AFTER PASSING THROUGH THE CATALYST, AND G. PASSAGE MEANS COMPRISING OPENINGS IN THE TOPS OF THE FIRST, AND FIFTH AND SUBSEQUENT ODD-NUMBERED, EXCLUDING THE LAST SUCH ODD-NUMBER, VERTICAL WALLS, OPEN

Claim 3

A hydrogenation reactor having a fluid reactant mixture with a catalyst comprising, a. an upright closed cylindrical housing, b. a smaller imperforate cylinder mounted coaxially internally of said cylindrical housing forming a closed annulus around said smaller cylinder, said smaller cylinder forming a centrally located cylindrical enclosure, c. an odd number and at least seven imperforate vertical walls extending radially between and interconnecting said two coaxial cylinders for forming a plurality and an even number of at least eight elongated vertical enclosures, each enclosure having upper and lower ends, d. said enclosures consisting of an odd number of at least seven peripheral enclosures encircling the center cylindrical enclosure to form an annulus of enclosures around the last and center cylindrical enclosure, e. each of said enclosures having a filtering means in the bottom thereof and being at least partially filled with a catalyst, said filtering means likewise forming catalyst retainers for preventing the movement of the catalyst out of the bottom of each enclosure, f. an inlet nozzle connected to the bottom of a first of said peripheral enclosures for supplying the fluid reactant mixture to the bottom of said first enclosure and an exit nozzle connected to the bottom of said center cylindrical enclosure for exit of the fluid reactant, and g. passage means comprising openings in the tops of the first, third, and fifth and subsequent odd-numbered, excluding the last such odd-numbered, vertical walls, openings in the bottoms of the second, fourth, and sixth and subsequent even-numbered vertical walls, and an opening in the top of the smAll cylinder between the vertical walls forming the last peripheral enclosure for serially interconnecting all of said vertical peripheral enclosures in series with said center cylindrical enclosure for forming an improved reactor having improved contact between the fluid reactant mixture and the catalyst by providing a multiple pass reactor with greater hydrogenation efficiency for a given volume of catalyst, with less channeling, and with less carryover of catalyst from one enclosure to another during both normal operation and reverse flow.

Claim 4

A hydrogenation reactor having a fluid reactant mixture with a catalyst comprising, a. an upright closed cylindrical housing, b. a smaller imperforate cylinder mounted coaxially internally of said cylindrical housing forming a closed annulus around said smaller cylinder, said smaller cylinder forming a centrally located cylindrical enclosure, c. an odd number and at least seven imperforate vertical walls extending radially between and interconnecting said two coaxial cylinders for forming a plurality and an even number of at least eight elongated vertical enclosures, each enclosure having upper and lower ends, d. said enclosures consisting of an odd number of at least seven peripheral enclosures encircling the center cylindrical enclosure to form an annulus of enclosures around the last and center cylindrical enclosure, e. each of said enclosures having a filtering means in the bottom thereof and being at least partially filled with a catalyst, said filtering means likewise forming catalyst retainers for preventing the movement of the catalyst out of the bottom of each enclosure, f. an inlet nozzle connected to the bottom of a first of said peripheral enclosures for supplying the fluid reactant mixture to the bottom of said first enclosure and an exit nozzle connected to the bottom of said center cylindrical enclosure for exit of the fluid reactant, and g. passage means comprising openings in the tops of the first, third, and fifth and subsequent odd-numbered, excluding the last such odd-numbered, vertical walls, openings in the bottoms of the second, fourth, and sixth and subsequent even-numbered vertical walls, and an opening in the top of the smAll cylinder between the vertical walls forming the last peripheral enclosure for serially interconnecting all of said vertical peripheral enclosures in series with said center cylindrical enclosure for forming an improved reactor having improved contact between the fluid reactant mixture and the catalyst by providing a multiple pass reactor with greater hydrogenation efficiency for a given volume of catalyst, with less channeling, and with less carryover of catalyst from one enclosure to another during both normal operation and reverse flow.

Claim 5

A hydrogenation reactor having a fluid reactant mixture with a solid catalyst comprising, a. an upright closed cylindrical housing, b. a small imperforate cylinder mounted coaxially internally of said cylindrical housing forming a closed annulus around said smaller cylinder, said smaller cylinder forming a centrally located cylindrical chamber, c. an odd number of and at least seven imperforate vertical walls extending radially between and interconnecting said two coaxial cylinders for forming a plurality and an odd number of at least seven elongated vertical peripheral chambers circumscribing the cylindrical chamber, each chamber having upper and lower ends, d. said chambers consisting of an odd number of at least seven peripheral chambers encircling the center cylindrical chamber to form an annulus of chambers around the center cylindrical chamber, e. each of said chambers having a retaining means in the bottom thereof and being at least partially filled with a catalyst, said retaining means preventing the movement of the catalyst out of the bottom of each chamber, f. an inlet in the lower end of the first of said elongated vertical peripheral chambers for supplying the fluid reactant mixture to the bottom of said first chamber, g. an outlet nozzle in the lower end of the center cylindrical elongated vertical chamber, and h. passage means comprising openings in the tops of the first, third, and fifth and subsequent odd-numbered, excluding the last such odd-numbered, vertical walls, openings in the bottoms of the second, fourth, and sixth and subsequent even-numbered vertical walls, and an opening in the top of the small cylinder between the vertical walls forming the last peripheral chamber for serially interconnecting all of said chambers for forming an efficient reactor that efficaciously provides improved contact between said fluid reactant mixture and said catalyst by providing a multiple pass reactor with greater hydrogenation efficiency for a given volume of catalyst, with less channeling, and with less carryover of catalyst from one chamber to the next during both normal operation and reverse flow.

Claim 6

A hydrogenation reactor having a fluid reactant mixture with a solid catalyst comprising, a. an upright closed cylindrical housing, b. a small imperforate cylinder mounted coaxially internally of said cylindrical housing forming a closed annulus around said smaller cylinder, said smaller cylinder forming a centrally located cylindrical chamber, c. an odd number of and at least seven imperforate vertical walls extending radially between and interconnecting said two coaxial cylinders for forming a plurality and an odd number of at least seven elongated vertical peripheral chambers circumscribing the cylindrical chamber, each chamber having upper and lower ends, d. said chambers consisting of an odd number of at least seven peripheral chambers encircling the center cylindrical chamber to form an annulus of chambers around the center cylindrical chamber, e. each of said chambers having a retaining means in the bottom thereof and being at least partially filled with a catalyst, said retaining means preventing the movement of the catalyst out of the bottom of each chamber, f. an inlet in the lower end of the first of said elongated vertical peripheral chambers for supplying the fluid reactant mixture to the bottom of said first chamber, g. an outlet nozzle in the lower end of the center cylindrical elongated vertical chamber, and h. passage means comprising openings in the tops of the first, third, and fifth and subsequent odd-numbered, excluding the last such odd-numbered, vertical walls, openings in the bottoms of the second, fourth, and sixth and subsequent even-numbered vertical walls, and an opening in the top of the small cylinder between the vertical walls forming the last peripheral chamber for serially interconnecting all of said chambers for forming an efficient reactor that efficaciously provides improved contact between said fluid reactant mixture and said catalyst by providing a multiple pass reactor with greater hydrogenation efficiency for a given volume of catalyst, with less channeling, and with less carryover of catalyst from one chamber to the next during both normal operation and reverse flow.