Hydrogenation reactor with improved flow distribution

Claim 1

A HYDROGENATION REACTOR FOR CATALYTICALLY HYDROGENATING A REACTANT MIXTURE WITH A CATALYST COMPRISING. A. ELONGATED MEANS FORMING A PLURALITY OF AN EVEN NUMBER AND OF AT LEAST SIX SEPARATE ELONATED VERTICAL CHAMBERS, EACH SAID CHAMBER HAVING UPPR AND LOWER ENDS AND THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREAS OF ALL OF SAID VERTICAL CHAMBERS BEING EQUAL, B. A FIRST FILTER MEANS IN SAID UPPER END OF EACH ELONGATED VERTICAL CHAMBER AND A SECOND FILTER MEANS IN SAID SECOND END OF EACH ELONGATED VERTICAL CHAMBER, EACH SAID SECOND FILTER MEANS COMPRISING A BED OF CERAMIC OF BALLS, FOR PREVENTING CARRYOVER OF THE CATALYSTS, C. A BED OF PARTICULATE CATALYST AT LEAST PARTIALLY FILLING EACH OF SAID CHAMBERS, EACH SAID BED OF CATALYST BEING SUPPORTED ON EACH RESPECTIVE BED OF CREAMIC BALLS WITHIN SAID CHAMBER, D. DETACHABLE FIRST U-SHAPED PASSAGE MEANS SERIALLY INTERCONNECTING SAID UPPER ENDS OF CONSECUTIVE SEPARATE CHAMBERS COMPRISING THE FIRST AND SECOND CHAMBERS, THE THIRD AND FORTH CHAMBERS AND THE FIFTH AND SIXTH CHAMBERS AND SUBSEQUENT ODD-NUMBERED AND ADJACANT DOWNSTREAM EVEN-NUMBERED CHAMBERS FOR PASSING ALL OF THE FLUID REACTANT MIXTURE THROUGH EACH OF SAID SEPARATE CHAMBERS, E. DETACHABLE SECOND U-SHAPED PASSAGE MEANS SERIALLY INTERCONNECTING SAID LOWER ENDS OF CONSTRUCTIVE PAIRS OF SEPARATE CHAMBERS COMPRISING THE SECOND AND THIRD CHAMBERS AND THE FOURTH AND FIFTH CHAMBERS AND SUBSEQUENT EVENNUMBERED AND ADJACENT DOWNSTREAM ODD-NUMBERED CHAMBERS FOR PASSING ALL OF THE FLUID REACTANT MIXTURE THROUGH EACH OF SAID SEPARATE CHAMBERS, F. ALLL OF SAID DETACHABLE U-SHAPED PASSAGE MEANS HAVING CROSS-SECTTIONAL AREAS TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID CHAMBERS, G. INLET MEANS IN THE LOWER END OF THE FIRST OF SAID ELONGATED VERTICAL CHAMBERS FOR INJECTING A FLUID REACTANT MIXTURE INTO SAID REACTOR, SAID INLET MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST CERAMIC BALL BED RETAINING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID BED OF CERAMIC BALLS IN SAID FIRST CHAMBER AND PREVENTING THE PASSAGE OF SAID CREAMIC BALLS AND SAID PARTICULATE CATALYST SUPPOSTED THEREON OUT OF SAID REACTOR AND H. OUTLET MEANS IN THE LOWER END OF THE LAST OF SAID ELONGATED VERTICAL CHAMBERS FOR REMOVING REACTION PRODUCTS FROM SAID REACTOR, SAID OUTLET MEANS INCLUDING A SECOND CERAMIC BALL BED RETAINING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID BED OF CERAMIC BALLS IN SAID LAST OF SAID CHAMBERS AND PREVENTING THE PASSAGE OF SAID CERAMIC BALLS AND SAID PARTICULATE CATALYST SUPPORTED THEREON OUT OF SAID REACTOR. I. WHEREBY SAID SERIALLY INTERCONNECTED CONFIGURATION FORMS AN IMPROVED REACTOR HAVING SIMPLICITY OF CONSTRUCTION, SIMPLICITY OF MAINTENANCE BY EASY REPLACEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL VERTICAL CHAMBERS, EASE OF INCREASING AND DECREASING OF SIZE, EASE OF CATALYST LOADING AND UNLOADING, IMPROVED AND INFINITE CONTACT BETWEEN THE FLUID REACTANT MIXTURE AND THE PARTICULATE CATALYST, AND INSURANCE OF EFFICIENT REVERSE FLOW CAPABILITIES AT ANY TIME WITHOUT LOSS OF CATALYST BY CARRYOVER.