Vikram J Singh

US Patent:

20090101546, Apr 23, 2009

Filed:

Sep 30, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/285155

Inventors:

Theodore Sideropoulos - New York NY, US
Andrew P. Sullivan - Ashburn VA, US
Arun K. Sharma - Missouri City TX, US
Berne K. Stober - Chonburi, TH
Vikram Singh - Naperville IL, US
Brian A. Albert - Fairfax VA, US

Assignee:

ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company - Annandale NJ

International Classification:

B01D 3/10
B01D 3/14
B01D 3/32
C10G 7/06

US Classification:

208366, 202158, 203 40

Abstract:

A combination of differently sized structured packings in the wash zone of distillation towers is provides advantages at high vapor rates. The use of a large crimp structured packing below a smaller crimp size structured packing is advantageous for vacuum crude unit service where fouling resistance is desirable and liquid entrainment into the wash zone is a problem at high vapor rates. The tower may be operated at high vapor flux rates or C 0.4 ft/sec or higher (0.12 m/sec). An unexpected characteristic of the combinations is that the entrainment increases only slowly with increasing vapor flux rate up to Cs values of at least 0.55 ft/sec (0.17 m.sec), as compared to other packings such as random packing, grid packing and combinations of grid packing with structured packing which allow entrainment to increase sharply at high vapor rates.

US Patent:

20140061024, Mar 6, 2014

Filed:

Jul 25, 2013

Appl. No.:

13/950870

Inventors:

Vikram SINGH - Fairfax VA, US
Brian D. ALBERT - Fairfax VA, US
Berne K. STOBER - Esmont VA, US

Assignee:

EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANY - Annandale NJ

International Classification:

B01D 3/00
B01D 3/06

US Classification:

203 39, 202262, 202176

Abstract:

A feed device for a distillation tower or column with a flash zone, wash zone and stripping zone has an annular, open-bottomed channel located around the periphery of the feed zone of the tower with an inner wall spaced from the inner curved wall of the tower and a top covering the channel to confer a generally inverted-U shape to the cross section of the channel. One or more tangential feed inlets are provided to admit a heated, mixed phase feed to the tower and direct the feed into and along the channel. One or more vapor scoops are provided for each feed inlet with the scoop(s) located on the inner wall of the channel, each at a sufficient distance along the channel from the inlet to permit cyclonic separation of vapor and liquid to take place before the vapor in the feed from the inlet enters the scoop(s) and passes through a vapor exit port into the central core of the tower. The tower is preferably used with a radial louvre baffle at the top of the stripping zone.