Reactor apparatus

• US 20050002837A1
• Filed: 05/07/2004
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ineos USA LLC (Ineos AG)
• Original Assignee: Ineos USA LLC (Ineos AG)
• Inventors: Wagner, David R., Gustaferro, Robert A., Norenberg, Gregory A., Trott, Louis R., Hepfer, Robert P., Keckler, Kenneth P., Rowe, Steven J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,442,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/233
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/00132 Tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/00141 Coils
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/0015 Plates; Cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/00203 Coils
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/00221 comprising baffles for guiding the flow of the heat exchange medium
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/00884 Means for supporting the bed of particles, e.g. grids, bars, perforated plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00245 Avoiding undesirable reactions or side-effects
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/0055 using cyclones
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/006 by filtration
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/1818 Feeding of the fluidising gas B01J8/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/1827 the fluidising gas being a reactant
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/1836 Heating and cooling the reactor B01J8/42 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/386 internally, i.e. the particles rotate within the vessel
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/44 Fluidisation grids
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 253/24 by ammoxidation of hydrocarbons or substituted hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 255/08 Acrylonitrile; Methacrylonitrile
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/582 Recycling of unreacted starting or intermediate materials

Abstract

A new reactor apparatus that can be used to carry out chemical reactions in a fluidized catalyst bed at high temperatures with reduced afterburning or other undesirable downstream side reactions.

Claims

1. A reactor apparatus comprising a reactor vessel comprising a first zone, at least a second zone, and a catalyst separator apparatus, the first zone comprising at least one inlet for a reactant and the second zone comprising a gas cooler located at least partially within the reactor vessel suitable for cooling gases passing through the gas cooler.

2. A reactor apparatus comprising a reactor vessel comprising a first, second and third zone, a gas cooler located at least partially within the reactor vessel, and a catalyst separator apparatus, the first zone comprising a plate for supporting catalyst particles and a reactant gas distribution system positioned within the first zone and above the plate.

3. The reactor apparatus of claim 2 wherein the horizontal cross-section of the reactor vessel is circular.

4. The reactor vessel of claim 3 wherein the second zone is greater in diameter than the first zone.

5. The reactor apparatus of claim 2 wherein the gas cooler is a shell-and-tube gas cooler.

6. The reactor apparatus of claim 5 wherein the gas cooler is selected from the group consisting of a single-pass, upflow shell-and-tube gas cooler, a single-pass, downflow shell-and-tube gas cooler, a two-pass shell-and-tube gas cooler or any combination thereof.

7. The reactor apparatus of claim 2 wherein the catalyst separator apparatus is selected from the group consisting of a filter, membrane, screen, cyclone or any combination thereof.

8. The reactor apparatus of claim 2 wherein the catalyst separator apparatus comprises a cyclone.

9. The reactor apparatus of claim 2 wherein the catalyst separation apparatus comprises at least one group of series-arranged cyclones located within the reactor vessel.

10. The reactor apparatus of claim 2 wherein the plate is a grid comprising a plurality of holes through the grid.

11. The reactor apparatus of claim 10 wherein the grid comprises a layer of insulating material.

12. The reactor apparatus of claim 2 wherein the gas distribution system comprises at least one manifold tube, a plurality of distribution tubes connected to at least one manifold tube and a plurality of delivery tubes connected to each distribution tubes wherein a gas directed into a manifold tube will flow to the distribution tubes and then to and exit from the delivery tubes.

13. The reactor apparatus of claim 12 wherein the at least one manifold tube is insulated.

14. The reactor apparatus of claim 10 wherein the reactant gas distribution system comprises at least one manifold tube, a plurality of distribution tubes connected to the at least one manifold tube and a plurality of delivery tubes connected to each distribution tube, wherein a gas directed into the manifold tube will flow to the distribution tubes and then to and exit from the delivery tubes, the delivery tubes having a first end attached to a distribution tube and a second, opposite end, wherein at least a portion of the second ends of the delivery tubes are located above a hole in the grid, and at least a portion of the second ends of the delivery tubes are located away from a hole in the grid.

15. The reactor apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a space within the reactor vessel and located below the grid, and a gas inlet for supplying a gas to the space.

16. A process for reacting in a reactor vessel at least one reactant gas phase component in the presence of a solid, particulate catalytic material to form at least one product gas phase component comprising contacting at least one reactant gas phase component in the presence of the catalytic material under conditions which form a fluidized bed of catalyst material and at least one product gas phase component, directing a mixture comprising at least a portion of the product gas phase component and particulate catalyst from the fluidized bed suspended therein to a gas cooler located at least partially within the reactor vessel, cooling the mixture in the gas cooler, separating suspended catalyst from the mixture after cooling to form separated catalyst and a gas-phase comprising at least one product gas phase component, and returning at least a portion of the separated catalyst to the fluidized bed.

17. The process of claim 16 further comprising disengaging a portion of the particulate catalyst from the mixture prior to cooling.

18. The process of claim 17 wherein after the disengaging the mixture comprises at least about 5 weight percent particulate catalyst.

19. The process of claim 18 wherein after the disengaging the mixture comprises about 5 to about 67 weight percent particulate catalyst.

20. The process of claim 17 wherein the disengaging is accomplished by permitting the portion of the particulate catalyst to return to the fluidized catalyst bed by gravity.

21. The process of claim 17 wherein the disengaging is accomplished using a catalyst separation apparatus selected from the group consisting of a filter, membrane screen, cyclone or any combination thereof.

22. The process of claim 21 wherein the catalyst separation apparatus comprises at least one rough-cut cyclone.

23. The process of claim 16 wherein the reactant gas phase component comprises a mixture comprising propane, ammonia and a gas comprising molecular oxygen and the product gas phase component comprises acrylonitrile.

24. The process of claim 23 wherein the mixture is cooled to a temperature of no more than about 350°

C.

25. A reactor apparatus comprising:

a reactor vessel,

a dense bed zone within the reactor vessel and comprising a fluidized bed of particulate catalyst, a grid below the fluidized catalyst bed and a gas distribution system positioned over the grid,

a catalyst disengaging zone within the reactor vessel and positioned above the dense bed zone,

a dilute phase zone within the reactor vessel and positioned above the disengaging zone,

a gas cooler positioned at least partially within the dilute phase zone,

a catalyst separation apparatus within the reactor vessel,

a means for returning catalyst separated in the catalyst separation apparatus to the dense bed zone,

at least one gas inlet for a reactant gas positioned below the grid,

at least one gas inlet for supplying a reactant gas to the at least one gas distribution system, and

at least one gas outlet for at least one product gas.

26. The reactor apparatus of claim 25 wherein the dense bed zone and fluidized catalyst bed therein, grid, gas distribution system, disengaging zone, dilute phase zone, gas cooler, catalyst separation apparatus, gas inlet below the grid, and gas outlet are arranged within the reactor vessel so that a gas comprising at least one reactant gas entering the reactor vessel from a location underneath the grid can pass up through holes in the grid to cause fluidization of the catalyst bed, a gas comprising at least one reactant gas component entering the reactor vessel through the gas distribution system can cause fluidization of the catalyst bed, a first mixture comprising at least one product gas component and entrained catalyst particles formed in the fluidized bed can move upwards out of the fluidized bed and into the disengaging zone where part of the entrained catalyst particles in the mixture can return to the fluidized bed thereby forming a second mixture comprising at least one product gas component and entrained catalyst in an amount less than in the first mixture, the second mixture can pass through the gas cooler to cool the second mixture to a lower temperature, the second mixture can then pass to the catalyst separation apparatus to where entrained catalyst can be separated for return to the fluidized catalyst bed and thereby form a third mixture comprising at least one product gas, and the third mixture can pass out of the reactor apparatus through the gas outlet.

27. A reactor apparatus comprising a reactor vessel comprising a first zone, at least a second zone, a catalyst separator apparatus, the first zone comprising at least one inlet for a reactant gas, and the second zone comprising a two-pass gas cooler.

28. An apparatus suitable for conducting a gas phase reaction in a fluidized catalyst bed comprising:

a reactor vessel,

grid,

at least one inlet for a reactant,

gas cooler located at least partially within the reactor vessel,

catalyst separator apparatus, and

outlet for a product material.

29. A grid suitable for introducing a gas into a fluidized catalyst bed comprising:

a plate comprising a plurality of holes,

a layer of insulating material positioned over the plate having a plurality of holes over holes in the plate.

30. A process for the manufacture of acrylonitrile comprising reacting a mixture comprising propane, ammonia and a source of molecular oxygen in a fluidized bed of solid particulate catalyst to form a gaseous mixture comprising acrylonitrile and entrained solid particulate catalyst, cooling the gaseous mixture comprising acrylonitrile and entrained solid particulate catalyst to form a cooled mixture, separating solid particulate catalyst from the cooled mixture, and returning solid particulate catalyst separated from the cooled mixture to the fluidized bed of solid particulate catalyst.

31. The process of claim 30 conducted in a reactor apparatus where the cooling of the gaseous mixture is in a gas cooler located external to the reactor vessel of the reactor apparatus.

32. The process of claim 31 wherein the gas cooler is a shell-and-tube gas cooler.

33. The process of claim 31 wherein the gas mixture comprising acrylonitrile and entrained particulate catalyst is cooled to a temperature up to about 350°

C.

34. The process of claim 31 wherein the mixture comprising acrylonitrile and entrained particulate catalyst comprises up to about 67 weight percent particulate catalyst.

35. The process of claim 30 wherein prior to cooling the gaseous mixture at least a portion of the entrained solid particulate catalyst is disengaged from the mixture and returned to the fluidized bed.

36. A gas distribution system comprising at least one manifold tube, a plurality of distribution tubes connected to at least one manifold tube and a plurality of delivery tubes connected to each distribution tubes wherein a gas directed into a manifold tube will flow to the distribution tubes and then to and exit from the delivery tubes.

37. An apparatus comprising a gas distribution system and a grid comprising holes, wherein the gas distribution system comprises at least one manifold tube, a plurality of distribution tubes connected to the at least one manifold tube and a plurality of delivery tubes connected to each distribution tube, wherein a gas directed into the manifold tube will flow to the distribution tubes and then to and exit from the delivery tubes, the delivery tubes having a first end connected to a distribution tube and a second, opposite end, and wherein at least a portion of the second ends of the delivery tubes are located above a hole in the grid, and at least a portion of the second ends of the delivery tubes are located away from a hole in the grid.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the delivery tubes having second ends located above a hole, and the delivery tubes having second ends located away form a hole, are connected to separate distribution tubes.

39. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the separate distribution tubes are connected to separate manifold tubes.