Stuart D Goldstein

US Patent:

20040129605, Jul 8, 2004

Filed:

Oct 22, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/690801

Inventors:

Stuart Goldstein - Fairfax VA, US
John Thurtell - Fairfax VA, US
John Viets - Fairfax VA, US
Tomas Melli - Haymarket VA, US
Jason Vollbracht - Largo FL, US

International Classification:

C10G035/00
C10G035/04

US Classification:

208/134000, 208/133000

Abstract:

A method for converting a fixed-bed catalytic reformer unit to a moving-bed unit. The fixed bed reactor is converted to a moving bed reactor that has continuous or intermittent catalyst feeding facilities to allow continuous or intermittent addition of fresh or regenerated catalyst to the catalyst inlet of the moving-bed reactor and continuous or intermittent removal of spent catalyst from the catalyst outlet of the moving-bed reactor. The spent catalyst removed from the reactor is regenerated in a non-integrated regenerator which may be an offsite regenerator, a centrally located on-site regenerator which serves several reforming units or a regenerator shared with a second moving bed unit. The moving-bed reactor, the catalyst feeding facilities and the catalyst recovery facilities are operatively connected between themselves and to existing facilities from the fixed bed unit, such as piping, compression and reformer charge handling and heating. The converted unit is operated at an effective reactor pressure to improve reformate quality and yield over the reformate product from the fixed-bed unit before the conversion.

US Patent:

20050274648, Dec 15, 2005

Filed:

Apr 1, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/096372

Inventors:

Stuart Goldstein - Fairfax VA, US
John Viets - Fairfax VA, US
Bozena Fiutowska - Toronto, CA
Brian Fojtasek - Manassas VA, US
John Thurtell - Houston TX, US
Greg Marshall - Kingwood TX, US
Tomas Melli - Haymarket VA, US
Larry Iaccino - Seabrook TX, US
Kenneth Graziani - Fairfax VA, US

International Classification:

C10G035/04

US Classification:

208134000

Abstract:

A fixed-bed catalytic reformer unit is converted to moving bed reactor/cyclic regenerator operation by re-using the fixed bed reactors of the original unit as regenerator vessels operated in cyclic regeneration mode in a new catalyst regeneration section. A flow connection, suitably a liftpipe, is provided to convey spent catalyst from the spent catalyst outlet of a new moving bed reactor section to the converted regenerator section, together with a flow connection for regenerated catalyst from the regenerator section to the regenerated catalyst inlet of the new moving bed reactor section. A flow control distributor directs spent catalyst sequentially to each of the regenerator vessels to carry out the regeneration with regeneration gas. Each regenerator vessel is cycled through a fill, regeneration, discharge sequence to maintain a continuous flow of catalyst to and from the reactor section.