The invention also relates to a cyclone assembly for separating solids from gaseous-phase suspended flows in equipment used for running a fluidized catalytic process.

The method and assembly according to the invention can be used for treating hydrocarbons in processes used for, e. g., catalytic and thermal cracking, dehydro- genation, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, manufacture of maleic acid anhydride and oxidizing dimerization of methane.

Hydrocarbon conversion processes are run using fixed-bed reactors and fluidized- bed reactors (fluidized catalytic reactors). In the present context, the term "fluidized catalytic process equipment"is used to refer to equipment used in processes having a fine-grained pulverized catalyst suspended, e. g., in a slowly upward rising gas flow, wherein the catalyst promotes desired reactions.

One of the most widely employed fluidized-catalyst reactor systems in the art is the FCC equipment, that is, fluidized-catalyst cracking equipment, comprising chiefly a riser tube operated in the fast-fluidization flow state, a large-volume reactor operated in a diluted suspension phase and a regenerator operated in the fluidized- bed state.

In the FCC unit, the riser tube and the large-volume reactor deliver a solids suspension flow, whose particulate matter and product gas are separated from each other in cyclones utilizing the effect of the centrifugal force. Typically, a number of cyclones must be connected in series along the gas flow in order to improve the overall separation efficacy, because single cyclones of normal construction exhibit inferior separation performance for particles smaller than 15 gm. Herein, a cyclone is rated effective if it can separate these small-diameter particles from the gas flow.

Cyclone separators have either a coiled or spiralled structure in which the particulate matter suspension is directed as a tangential flow into the cylindrical section of the cyclone, whereby the catalyst particles are separated from the gas under the centrifugal force when the flow circulates typically 7-9 revolutions within the cylindrical section of the cyclone and the conical section forming a continuation thereof, whereby the function of the conical section is to maintain the tangential speed of the gas flow so as resist its inherent tendency of slowing down. Also axial cyclones are known in which the gas flowing through a tube is forced into a circulating motion by means of vanes, whereby the solids under the centrifugal force are driven against the tube wall and separated thereon from the gas flow.

GB patents No. 1 592 051 and 1 526 509 discribe axial flow cyclones. According to these patents an axial flow cyclone includes a tubular cyclone chamber having an inlet for the flow to be processed at the first end of said chamber and an outlet for the cleaned gas at the second end of said chamber. According to the patents this kind of cyclones are used in combustion engines, diesel engines, jet engines, turbines and the like, and which require a clean supply of air.

The most common cyclone type is the a spiralled cyclone called the Zenz cyclone, in which the proportions of the different parts of the cyclone are standardized, thus permitting the dimensioning of the cyclone to be based on graphs and computational formulas. The separation efficiency of this cyclone is enhanced by a

large number of flow revolutions in the cyclone chamber, high flow rate at the inlet nozzle, higher density of solids, smaller cross section of the inlet nozzle port and lower viscosity of the gas.

In the preseparation cyclone of a fluidized-catalyst cracking unit, tests have shown the gas residence time to be in the order of 1.0-2.0 s from the riser top to the cyclone outlet, after which the catalyst will further stay in the separation vessel at an elevated temperature for 5-40 s. During this time, valuable compounds will be lost as a consequence of thermal reactions. Resultingly, gasoline products will be converted by thermal cracking into combustible gases, particularly hydrocarbons of the C2 type. Other byproducts of thermal reactions are dienes, such as butadienes, which in the alkylation unit cause a significant increase of acid consumption.

Pentadienes in turn are particularly reactive, whereby their detrimental effect is evidenced as a reduced oxidation resistance of FCC gasoline.

Other problems of conventional FCC units are their poor control of reaction time and erosion of the catalytic particles/circulating solids and reactor structures.

These problems are mostly related to such essential parts of the equipment as the separation units of gases from solids/catalysts, that is, cyclones, which in most cases are implemented as single-port units. To achieve the desired through-flow capacity, a plurality of these units are generally connected in parallel and then two or three in series.

In addition to being complicated and expensive, conventional cyclone constructions require a large footprint. Furthermore, the interior of the cyclones must be lined with a ceramic compound to prevent erosion.

The goal of the present invention is attained by replacing the conventional cyclones of a fluidized catalytic process with a multi-inlet cyclone (also known as a

multiport cyclone), or alternatively, with a plurality of cyclones connected in series. The separation efficacy of a multiport cyclone can be made higher at low flow speeds and its structure is simpler and cheaper than that of conventional cyclones. Also the footprint required by the multiport cyclone is smaller.

The separation equipment, or cyclones, used in the invention comprise a cyclone chamber having an at least essentially upright aligned center axis and an at least essentially circular cross section of its internal space, whereby the separation chamber is rotationally symmetrical with respect to its center axis. To the separation chamber is connected an infeed nozzle of process gases. In a preferred embodiment said infeed nozzle has an essentially circular cross section centered about the center axis of the chamber. Further, the separation chamber includes a center tube arranged therein for removal of gases and a downward return leg (dipleg) for the recovery of solids separated from the gas phase. The separation chamber is equipped with a set of guide vanes forming a louver which forces the gas to be treated into a gas flow circulating close to the inner wall of the cyclone chamber, thus effecting the separation of solids from the gas phase under the effect of the centrifugal force.

Deviating from the axial flow cyclones discribed in GB patents No. 1 592 051 and 1 526 509 the invention relates to a separation assembly in fluidized catalytic process equipment, which is connected to a reactor or a regenerator via a gas infeed nozzle and which is assembled essentially upright in said process equipment.

In a separation assembly like this the material flow to be cleaned is fed into the separation chamber in the upper part of the chamber and the solids separated from the flow are let to fall into a dipleg extending from the lower part of the separation chamber. The cyclones according to our invention deviate from the axial flow cyclones also in that the cleaned gas flow to be exhausted from the cyclone is exhausted through a center tube connected preferrably to the upper part of said separation chamber. In addition to that, there is nothing in GB patents No. 1 592

051 and 1 526 509 to anticipate the use of multi-inlet axial flow cyclones, even less other types of multi-inlet cyclones, in a fluidized catalytic process.

The present invention provides significant benefits. Accordingly, the equipment construction according to the invention, which is based on the use of the multi-inlet cyclone, gives significant advantages in flow dynamics and process engineering over conventional arrangements and generally used single-port cyclones. This is because of the fact that in conventional single-port cyclones, the solids flow impinges on the cyclone inner wall as a homogeneous gas-suspended jet of high flow velocity which in primary cyclones is typically in the range 20-25 m/s, in secondary cyclones about 35 m/s, and in tertiary cyclones about 40 m/s. The flow rate of the impinging jet must be high, because the cyclone inlet nozzle width (jet width) is generally, e. g., in standardized Zenz cyclones about one-fourth of the cyclone diameter, and the particulate matter must be brought over the entire width of the impinging jet close to the cyclone inner wall in order to achieve separation of the solids from the gas flow. In this type of cyclone, the point most susceptible to erosion is the area of the cyclone inner wall receiving the jet impact of the suspended catalyst particles. By contrast, in the construction according to the invention, erosion problems are eliminated by improved flow dynamics: the single large-volume inlet flow is replaced by a plurality of smaller-volume mass flows impinging on the internal wall of the multiport cyclone, whereby the erosive effect is distributed over a larger area. By virtue of the multiport construction, the cyclone inlet ports can be made narrow, whereby the catalyst layer becomes shallow, and the flow velocity at the inlet port may be essentially smaller than in conventional single-port cyclones in which reduction of the inlet port width would require an increased channel height, resulting in a higher cyclone and making the communicating channel longer and clumsy in shape. The possibility of using a reduced cyclone inlet flow velocity contributes to a further lowered erosion rate, which according to published references is dependent on the flow velocity by a power of 4 to 5.

In tests carried out at room temperature, a cyclone of 465 mm diameter with full- area inlet ports and straight vanes, the separation efficiency was 99.99 % at 5.6 m/s inlet flow velocity when the cross-sectional mass flow rate of the catalyst according to differential pressure measurements was over 200 kg/m2s. In a conven- tional Zenz cyclone with compatible dimensions and flow rates, the separation efficiency was 99.10 % computed by particle size fractions. A comparison of these separation efficiencies makes it clear that the novel cyclone with multiple narrow inlet ports according to the invention offers a superior efficiency when the design goal is to avoid high flow velocities leading to erosion.

In the construction according to the invention having the reactor riser tube (hereafter, shortly a riser) connected directly to the cyclone inlet tube, an accurately controllable residence time is achieved, because the catalyst is made to enter the cyclone from each point of its infeed tube simultaneously. A cyclone according to the invention may have its height reduced to half the volume of a standard cyclone (resulting in halved residence time), because the novel cyclone due to its improved flow dynamics can be dimensioned to have a shorter height.

According to a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the multi-inlet cyclone is used for separating catalyst from the product gases of a fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) process. The multi-inlet cyclone may also be employed in the re- generator equipment of an FCC unit for separating the regenerated catalyst from the coke combustion gases.

Other suitable fluidized catalytic processes are, among others: catalytic reforming, oxidizing dimerization of phthalic acid anhydride, maleic acid anhydride or me- thane, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, chlorination and bromination of methane, ethane and other hydrocarbons, and conversion of methanol into olefines or gasoline.

By contrast, the scope of the invention does cover fluidized-bed processes run in circulating fluidized bed in which the removal of the catalyst from the reaction zone occurs so rapidly that generally this type of fast-flowing fluidized layers can be maintained only by circulating the removed catalyst via cyclones.

Separation of solids is carried out using a plurality (e. g., 2-10, most appropriately 2-5) cyclones in a cascade. By virtue of their structure, the multiport cyclones used in the invention can be fitted concentrically inside one another so that, e. g., the downward return leg or dipleg of the next cyclone in the cyclone cascade is fitted inside the dipleg of the preceding cyclone. Owing to their longitudinally stacked and coaxial placing within the pressure shell, a significant volume reduction is attained with respect to conventional cyclone constructions requiring side-by-side placement of the cyclones. A multiport cyclone can be made with a larger diameter than a conventional cyclone; the diameter of multiport cyclones can be over one meter, even up to several meters, whereas the diameter of a conventional cyclone is generally limited to 1 m maximum. Yet, the diameter of the reaction vessel need not be increased in the embodiment according to the invention, but instead, may even be made smaller.

The cyclone infeed nozzle has preferably an annular cross-section in particular when the gas flow comes from outside of the reactor. This annular cross-section of the nozzle can be formed from the intershell space remaining between two concentrically adapted cylindrical or partially conical envelope surfaces, whereby said annular space may be divided in the direction of its longitudinal axis into parallel flow segments by means of baffles. The parallel flow segments can be implemented by mounting longitudinally aligned baffles radially between the two coaxial, cylindrical envelope surfaces. Almost an equivalent result is obtained by constructing the infeed nozzle from a set of parallel infeed tubes mounted equidistantly spaced in a circular fashion.

The guide vanes of the cyclone are adapted in a circularly louvered fashion about the perimeter of the cyclone chamber interior wall, partially or entirely inside the riser channel so as to form a louver comprising a plurality of parallel inlet channels for the entering gas flow.

The cyclone (s) according to the invention either is/are connected directly to the riser channel (shortly, riser) of a fluidized catalytic process reactor, which is a preferred embodiment of the invention, or alternatively, the infeed nozzle (s) of the cyclone (s) is/are adapted to communicate with the gas space of a fluidized catalytic process reactor, as is the case with conventional arrangements.

Next, the invention will be examined closer with the help of a detailed description by making reference to the appended drawings in which: Figure 1A shows a schematic layout of a conventional cyclone construction and Figure 1B shows a schematic layout of a cyclone construction according to the invention having two series-connected cyclones (a primary cyclone and a secondary cyclone) directly adapted to the riser tube of an FCC reactor; and Figures 2A and 2B show a schematic layout of a conventional cyclone and, respec- tively, a cyclone construction according to the invention having two series- connected cyclones (a primary cyclone and a secondary cyclone) directly adapted into an FCC regenerator.

With reference to Fig. lu in a conventional FCC cyclone construction, the mixture of the prefluidization gas and the evaporated phase of reacted and still reacting hydrocarbon travels in a gaseous phase upward along a riser tube 12, whereby the gas flow with the suspended catalyst travels into a primary cyclone 13 adapted to the interior of a reactor vessel 15. The particulates of the flow are separated from the gaseous phase by impinging on the interior wall of the separation chamber 13

and falling therefrom into the downward return leg of the primary cyclone. From the return leg, the catalyst travels further into the hydrocarbon separation section and the regenerator. The gas flow entering the primary cyclone leaves the cyclone via the center tube passing into the secondary cyclone 14. The particles are separated from the gaseous phase by impinging on the interior wall of the cyclone chamber and falling therefrom into the downward return leg of the secondary cyclone. From the secondary cyclone, the gas flow passes further into a possible buffer chamber and finally leaves the reactor via an outlet nozzle 16.

The reactor 12 shown in Fig. 1B includes a primary cyclone, a secondary cyclone, a riser tube 1 for leading the mixture to the primary cyclone and an outlet tube 11 for exhausting the gas flow from the secondary cyclone and from the reactor 12.

The primary cyclone includes a space 2, which is located at the end of a riser tube 1 and inside the reactor 12, a guide vane louver 3 fitted to the upper part of the space 2, a chamber 4 under the guide vane louver 3 for forcing the mixture passing through the guide vane louver 3 to flow rotationally along the interior wall of the chamber 4 and a return leg 5 connected to the lower edge of the chamber 4.

The secondary cyclone is placed above the primary cyclone and it includes a center tube 6, the upper part of which forms a channel 7 for guiding the gas flow fed into the primary cyclone from the primary cyclone to the secondary cyclone, a guide vane louver 8 connected to the channel 7 formed by the center tube 6 and a chamber 9 connected to the guide vane louver 8, with the help of which elements the gas flow fed into the secondary cyclone can be forced into a motion rotating along the interior wall of the chamber 9. The secondary cyclone further includes a return leg 10 extending downwards from the chamber 9 and which is placed preferrably concentrically inside the downward return leg 5 of the primary cyclone.

In the embodiment of Fig. 1B the space 2 and the channel 7 are both having an annular cross-section. The annular shape of the space 2 and the channel 7 is good

for guiding the mixture and the gas flow but it is possible to use guideparts with different shape, too.

In an embodiment according to the invention, the mixture of the prefluidization gas and the evaporated phase of reacted and still reacting hydrocarbon travels in a gaseous phase upward along a riser tube 1, whereby the gas flow with the sus- pended catalyst travels into a space 2 formed in the interior of a reactor 12, wherefrom the flow further rises into a guide vane louver 3 of the primary cyclone.

The function of the louver 3 is to induce a vorticous flow in which the particles are separated from the gaseous phase by impinging under the centrifugal force on the interior wall 4 of the chamber and falling therefrom into the downward return leg 5 of the primary cyclone. From the return leg, the catalyst travels further into the hydrocarbon separation section and the regenerator. The gas flow entering the primary cyclone leaves the cyclone via the center tube 6, wherefrom the flow rises further along the channel 7 of prefarably annular cross section into the guide vane louver 8 of the secondary cyclone. The particles are separated from the gaseous phase by impinging on the interior wall 9 of the cyclone chamber and falling therefrom into the downward return leg 10 of the secondary cyclone. The return leg 10 of the secondary cyclone is advantageously adapted into the interior of the primary cyclone return leg 5. From the secondary cyclone, the gas flow leaves the cyclone and the reactor via an outlet tube 11.

Now referring to Figs. 2A and 2B, therein are illustrated both a conventional cyclone construction and a cyclone construction according to the invention, respectively, both configurations having two cyclones (a primary cyclone and a secondary cyclone) connected in series in the interior of an FCC regenerator. The number of series-connected cyclones may be varied so as to be either greater or smaller than the two cyclones shown series-connected in the diagram. Since a conventional cyclone can have a diameter of about 1 m maximum, generally more than one of such cyclones must be connected in parallel.

In a conventional cyclone construction, the inlet air which is passed through a bottom grate 29 fluidizes the catalyst contained in the regenerator 30 in a bubbling- bed condition and simultaneously imports oxygen to the coke combustion reaction.

The gas with the suspended catalyst particles pass next into a primary cyclone 31 adapted to the interior of a regenerator 30. The particulates of the flow are separated from the gaseous phase by impinging on the interior wall of the separation chamber and falling therefrom into the downward return leg of the primary cyclone. From the return leg, the catalyst travels further back into fluidized bed. The gas flow entering the primary cyclone leaves the cyclone via the center tube passing into the secondary cyclone 32. The particles are separated from the gaseous phase by impinging on the interior wall of the cyclone chamber and falling therefrom into the downward return leg of the secondary cyclone. From the secondary cyclone, the gas flow passes further into a buffer chamber and finally leaves the reactor via an outlet tube 33.

The regenerator 18 shown in Fig. 2B includes a primary cyclone, a secondary cyclone, a bottom grate 17 for leading the mixture to the regenerator 18 and an outlet tube 28 for exhausting the gas flow from the secondary cyclone and thus from the regenerator 18. The primary cyclone includes a space 19, which is located inside the regenerator 18 in the upper part the chamber, a guide vane louver 20 connected to the space 19 and a chamber 21 under the guide vane louver 20 the gas flow being led with the aid of the guide vane louver 20 into a rotational flowing movement along the interior wall of the chamber 21. The primary cyclone further includes a return leg 22 connected to the lower edge of the chamber 21.

The secondary cyclone is placed above the primary cyclone and it includes a center tube 23, the upper part of which forms a channel 24 for guiding the gas flow fed into the primary cyclone from the primary cyclone to the secondary cyclone, a guide vane louver 25 connected to the channel 24 formed by the center tube 23 and a chamber 26 connected to the guide vane louver 25, with the help of which

elements the gas flow fed into the secondary cyclone can be forced into a motion rotating along the interior wall of the chamber 26. The secondary cyclone further includes a return leg 27 extending downwards from the chamber 26 and which is placed preferrably concentrically inside the downward return leg 22 of the primary cyclone. In the embodiment of Fig. 2B the space 19 and the channel 24 are both having an annular cross-section. The annular shape of the space 19 and the channel 24 is good for guiding the mixture and the gas flow but it is possible to use guideparts with different shape, too.

In the arrangement according to the invention, the inlet air passed through a bottom grate 17 fluidizes the catalyst contained in the regenerator 18 in a bubbling-bed condition and simultaneously imports oxygen to the coke combustion reaction. In the preferred embodiment depicted in Figure 2, the gas flow with the suspended catalyst particles rises into a space 19 formed in the interior of the cyclone, wherefrom the flow further rises into a guide vane louver 20 of the primary cyclone. The annular cross-section of the riser represents a particularly preferred embodiment, but in the configuration shown in Figure 2, wherein the gas flow containing solids comes from the inside of the reactor, the riser can also have some other cross-section (e. g. circular). The function of the louver 20 is to induce a vorticous flow in which the particles are separated from the gaseous phase by impinging under the centrifugal force on the interior wall 21 of the chamber and falling therefrom into the downward return leg 22 of the primary cyclone. From the return leg, the catalyst travels further back into fluidized bed. The gas flow entering the primary cyclone leaves the cyclone via the center tube 23, wherefrom the flow rises further along the channel 24 of preferably annular cross section into the guide vane louver 25 of the secondary cyclone. The particles are separated from the gaseous phase by impinging on the interior wall 26 of the cyclone chamber and falling therefrom into the downward return leg 27 of the secondary cyclone. The return leg 27 of the secondary cyclone is advantageously adapted into the interior of the primary cyclone return leg 22. From the secondary cyclone, the gas flow leaves the cyclone and the reactor via an outlet tube 28.