WO2021165830A1

WO2021165830A1 - Systems, devices, and methods of a flow assembly for dehydrogenation processes

Info

Publication number: WO2021165830A1
Application number: PCT/IB2021/051301
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tarek J. JAMALEDDINE; Abdullah Ali ALJEAAN; Faysal BENASKAR
Original assignee: Sabic Global Technologies B.V.
Priority date: 2020-02-20
Filing date: 2021-02-16
Publication date: 2021-08-26

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods for improving efficiency in a chemical process, such as dehydrogenation. In some aspects, a system includes a reactor and a flow assembly disposed within the reactor to improve flow distribution of the system. The flow assembly may include a flow conditioner having a plurality of blades coupled to each other and extending along a longitudinal direction of an inlet pipe and a flow distributor disposed downstream of the flow conditioner, the flow distributor including a non-planar plate defining a plurality of apertures.

Description

SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS OF A FLOW ASSEMBLY FOR DEHYDROGENATION PROCESSES

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of priority of European Patent Application No. 20158564.3, filed February 20, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to a flow assembly, and more specifically, but not by way of limitation, to a flow assembly for a dehydrogenation process.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Dehydrogenation is used in various industries to convert reactants, such as alkanes, into more highly desired products, such as olefins, by introducing the reactants to a catalyst. Conventional dehydrogenation processes can have low conversion and selectivity rates resulting in additional operation cost to form a desired amount of product. Several factors, such as chamber volume, thermal cracking of the reactant gas, and uneven flow distribution, can contribute to the inefficiencies of conventional dehydrogenation processes. Accordingly, a substantial amount of reactant gas (e.g., alkane gas) and catalyst are needed to produce the desired amount of product (e.g., olefin). However, there is limitation on the quantity of reactant gas that can be supplied at a given time due to high vibrational forces associated with the generated supersonic flow of the process. Such vibrational forces are detrimental to the structural integrity of the reactor and thus, other means of process optimization are needed.

SUMMARY

[0004] The present disclosure is generally related to systems, devices, and methods for distributing flow in a chemical process, such as a dehydrogenation process. For example, the system may include a reactor having a reactor body that defines a chamber and an inlet pipe that defines an inlet passage configured to transport one or more fluids to the chamber. A flow assembly that includes a flow conditioner and a flow distributor are disposed within the reactor to increase distribution of the one or more fluids that enter the chamber. For example, the flow conditioner includes a plurality of blades disposed within at least a portion of the inlet passage to alter the direction of travel of the one or more fluids as the fluids enter the chamber. In some implementations, the blades are coupled to each other and extend along a longitudinal direction of the inlet pipe. Additionally, or alternatively, the flow distributor is disposed downstream of the flow conditioner and includes a non-planar plate defining a plurality of apertures to permit a more uniform fluid distribution which results in better utilization of a catalyst disposed within the reactor.

[0005] In some implementations of the present systems, devices, and methods, the flow assembly includes a rod having a first portion and a second portion, a flow conditioner coupled to the first portion of the rod, and a flow distributor coupled to the second portion of the rod. The flow conditioner includes a plurality of blades extending from the rod in a radial direction. The flow distributor includes a conical plate defining a plurality of apertures. In the foregoing implementations, the flow conditioner and the flow distributor cooperate to enable better utilization of a gas feed and feed rates to the reactor with higher conversion and selectivity rates. In some such implementations, a plenum region defined between a first side of a catalyst bed and the reactor body is minimized such that the plenum region accounts for less than 45% of a total volume of the reaction chamber. Such a reduction may reduce thermal cracking of the gas feed in the chamber and enable increased catalytic reaction of the gas feed for increased efficiency of the system.

[0006] Some implementations of the present system include a catalyst bed disposed within the reaction chamber downstream from the flow distributor. Additionally, or alternatively, the flow distributor is disposed within the reaction chamber. For example, an entirety of the flow conditioner is disposed within the inlet passage of the inlet pipe. In some such implementations, the flow conditioner accounts for at least 20 percent of a volume of the inlet passage. The inlet pipe may include a cactus inlet pipe. In some implementations, the flow distributor is disposed vertically below the flow conditioner by a distance that is greater than or equal to 0.2 meters. To illustrate, a distance between the first portion of the rod (e.g., coupled to the flow conditioner) and the second portion of the rod (e.g., coupled to the flow distributor) is greater than or equal to 0.2 meters.

[0007] In some of the foregoing implementations of the present systems, the rod is positioned within the dehydrogenation reactor such that the first portion of the rod is disposed within the inlet pipe and the second portion of the rod is disposed within the reactor body. In some such implementations, a longitudinal axis of the rod is positioned substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of a main passage defined by the inlet pipe.

[0008] In some of the foregoing implementations of the present systems, the non- planar plate includes a conical plate with an inclination angle that is between 5 and 25 degrees. In some such implementations, the conical plate includes an open area ratio between 0.35 and 0.75. Additionally, or alternatively, at least one of the plurality of apertures defined by the conical plate include an elongated slot having a length that is greater than a width

[0009] In some of the foregoing implementations of the present methods (of operating a reactor), the methods include directing, by the plurality of blades of the flow conditioner, one or more fluids to the reaction chamber; directing, by a conical surface of the non-planar plate, a portion of the one or more fluids directed from the flow conditioner; and receiving, at a catalyst bed, the portion of the one or more fluids. In some implementations of the present methods, the one or more fluids comprise an alkane. For example, some of the present methods include a dehydrogenation process.

[0010] As used herein, various terminology is for the purpose of describing particular implementations only and is not intended to be limiting of implementations. For example, as used herein, an ordinal term (e.g., “first,” “second,” “third,” etc.) used to modify an element, such as a structure, a component, an operation, etc., does not by itself indicate any priority or order of the element with respect to another element, but rather merely distinguishes the element from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term). The term “coupled” is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically; two items that are “coupled” may be unitary with each other. The terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless this disclosure explicitly requires otherwise. The term “substantially” is defined as largely but not necessarily wholly what is specified (and includes what is specified; e.g., substantially 90 degrees includes 90 degrees and substantially parallel includes parallel), as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. In any disclosed implementations, the term “substantially” may be substituted with “within [a percentage] of” what is specified, where the percentage includes .1 , 1 , 5, and 10 percent. [0011] The term “about” as used herein can allow for a degree of variability in a value or range, for example, within 10%, within 5%, or within 1 % of a stated value or of a stated limit of a range and includes the exact stated value or range. The term “substantially” is defined as largely but not necessarily wholly what is specified (and includes what is specified; e.g., substantially 90 degrees includes 90 degrees and substantially parallel includes parallel), as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. In any disclosed implementation, the term “substantially” may be substituted with “within [a percentage] of” what is specified, where the percentage includes .1 , 1 , or 5 percent; and the term “approximately” may be substituted with “within 10 percent of” what is specified. The statement “substantially X to Y” has the same meaning as “substantially X to substantially Y,” unless indicated otherwise. Likewise, the statement “substantially X, Y, or substantially Z” has the same meaning as “substantially X, substantially Y, or substantially Z,” unless indicated otherwise. The phrase “and/or” means and or. To illustrate, A, B, and/or C includes: A alone, B alone, C alone, a combination of A and B, a combination of A and C, a combination of B and C, or a combination of A, B, and C. In other words, “and/or” operates as an inclusive or. Additionally, the phrase “A, B, C, or a combination thereof” or “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” includes: A alone, B alone, C alone, a combination of A and B, a combination of A and C, a combination of B and C, or a combination of A, B, and C. [0012] Throughout this document, values expressed in a range format should be interpreted in a flexible manner to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub range is explicitly recited. For example, a range of “about 0.1 % to about 5%” or “about 0.1 % to 5%” should be interpreted to include not just about 0.1 % to about 5%, but also the individual values (e.g., 1 %, 2%, 3%, and 4%) and the sub-ranges (e.g., 0.1 % to 0.5%, 1.1 % to 2.2%, 3.3% to 4.4%) within the indicated range. The terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has” and “having”), and “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, an apparatus that “comprises,” “has,” or “includes” one or more elements possesses those one or more elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more elements. Likewise, a method that “comprises,” “has,” or “includes” one or more steps possesses those one or more steps, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more steps.

[0013] Any implementation of any of the systems, methods, and article of manufacture can consist of or consist essentially of - rather than comprise/have/include - any of the described steps, elements, and/or features. Thus, in any of the claims, the term “consisting of” or “consisting essentially of” can be substituted for any of the open-ended linking verbs recited above, in order to change the scope of a given claim from what it would otherwise be using the open-ended linking verb. Additionally, the term “wherein” may be used interchangeably with “where”. Further, a device or system that is configured in a certain way is configured in at least that way, but it can also be configured in other ways than those specifically described. The feature or features of one implementation may be applied to other implementations, even though not described or illustrated, unless expressly prohibited by this disclosure or the nature of the implementations. The terms “inhibiting” or “reducing” or “preventing” or “avoiding” or any variation of these terms, when used in the claims and/or the specification, include any measurable decrease or complete inhibition to achieve a desired result. The term “effective,” as that term is used in the specification and/or claims, means adequate to accomplish a desired, expected, or intended result.

[0014] In the context of the present invention, at least 15 embodiments are now described. Embodiment 1 relates to a reactor. The reactor includes a reactor body defining a reaction chamber; an inlet pipe coupled to the reactor body and defining an inlet passage configured to deliver one or more fluids to the reaction chamber; a flow conditioner having a plurality of blades disposed within at least a portion of the inlet passage, the blades coupled to each other and extending along a longitudinal direction of the inlet pipe; and a flow distributor disposed downstream of the flow conditioner, the flow distributor having a non-planar plate defining a plurality of apertures. Embodiment 2 is the reactor of embodiment 1 , wherein the non-planar plate includes a conical plate with an inclination angle that is between 5 and 25 degrees; and optionally, the conical plate includes an open area ratio between 0.35 and 0.75. Embodiment 3 is the reactor of embodiment 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of apertures defined by the conical plate includes an elongated slot having a length that is greater than a width. Embodiment 4 is the reactor of embodiment 1 , wherein the flow distributor is disposed within the reaction chamber; and optionally, wherein the flow distributor is disposed vertically below the flow conditioner by a distance that is greater than or equal to 0.2 meters. Embodiment 5 is the reactor of embodiment 1 , further including a catalyst bed disposed within the reaction chamber downstream from the flow distributor; and wherein the reaction chamber includes a plenum region defined between a first side of the catalyst bed and the reactor body; and a volume of the plenum region is less than 45% of a total volume of the reaction chamber. Embodiment 6 is the reactor of embodiment 1 , wherein an entirety of the flow conditioner is disposed within the inlet passage the inlet pipe; and optionally, wherein the inlet pipe includes a cactus inlet pipe.

[0015] Embodiment 7 is a system for operation of a chemical process. The system includes a flow assembly having a rod having a first portion and a second portion; a flow conditioner coupled to the first portion of the rod, the flow conditioner having a plurality of blades extending from the rod in a radial direction; and a flow distributor coupled to the second portion of the rod, the flow distributor having a conical plate defining a plurality of apertures. Embodiment 8 is the system of embodiment 7, wherein the conical plate includes an inclination angle that is between 5 and 25 degrees. Embodiment 9 is the system of embodiment 8, wherein the conical plate includes an open area ratio between 0.35 and 0.75; and optionally, at least one of the plurality of apertures defined by the conical plate includes an elongated slot having a length that is greater than a width. Embodiment 10 is the system of embodiment 7, wherein a distance between the first portion of the rod and the second portion of the rod is greater than or equal to 0.2 meters. Embodiment 11 is the system of embodiment 7, wherein each of the plurality of blades is arranged circumferentially around the rod and extend along a longitudinal axis of the rod. Embodiment 12 is the system of any of the preceding embodiments, further including a dehydrogenation reactor that includes an inlet pipe; and a reactor body; and wherein the rod is positioned within the dehydrogenation reactor such that the first portion of the rod is disposed within the inlet pipe and the second portion of the rod is disposed within the reactor body. Embodiment 13 is the system of embodiment 12, wherein a longitudinal axis of the rod is positioned substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of a main passage defined by the inlet pipe; and the flow conditioner includes at least 20 percent of a volume of the main passage.

[0016] Embodiment 14 is a method of operating the reactor of embodiment 1. the method includes the steps of directing, by the plurality of blades of the flow conditioner, one or more fluids to the reaction chamber; directing, by a conical surface of the non- planar plate, a portion of the one or more fluids directed from the flow conditioner; and receiving, at a catalyst bed, the portion of the one or more fluids. Embodiment 15 is the method of embodiment 14, wherein the one or more fluids contains an alkane. [0017] Some details associated with the implementations are described above, and others are described below. Other implementations, advantages, and features of the present disclosure will become apparent after review of the entire application, including the following sections: Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description, and the Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The following drawings illustrate by way of example and not limitation. For the sake of brevity and clarity, every feature of a given structure is not always labeled in every figure in which that structure appears. Identical reference numbers do not necessarily indicate an identical structure. Rather, the same reference number may be used to indicate a similar feature or a feature with similar functionality, as may non identical reference numbers.

[0019] FIG. 1A is a partial cross-sectional side view of an illustrative example of a flow distribution system including a flow assembly used in a dehydrogenation system. [0020] FIG. 1B is an enlarged block diagram of the flow assembly used in the dehydrogenation system of FIG. 1A.

[0021] FIG. 2A is an illustrative example of a reactor of the flow distribution system. [0022] FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of an example of the flow assembly used in the reactor of FIG. 2A.

[0023] FIG. 3A is a side view of an example of a flow assembly of the flow distribution system.

[0024] FIG. 3B is a top view of an example of a flow conditioner of the flow assembly of FIG. 3A.

[0025] FIG. 3C is a top view of an example of a flow distributor of the flow assembly of FIG. 3A.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example of a method of operating a reactor of the flow distribution system.

[0027] FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting results of an experimental simulation of a reactor of the flow distribution system and a comparative reactor. [0028] FIGS. 6A, 6B are each illustrative models of a velocity profile of the experimental simulation of FIG. 5 for the reactor of the flow distribution system.

[0029] FIG. 6C is an illustrative model of a temperature profile of the experimental simulation of FIG. 5 for the reactor of the flow distribution system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Referring to FIGS. 1A-AB, illustrative views of a flow distribution system 100 are shown. For example, FIG. 1A shows a partial cross-sectional side view of an illustrative example of flow distribution system 100 and FIG. 1 B shows a block diagram of a flow assembly (e.g., 130) used in the flow distribution system. System 100 may be configured to improve conversion and efficiency of a chemical process, such as a dehydrogenation process. In the depicted implementations, system 100 includes a reactor 102 and a flow assembly 130 configured to uniformly distribute fluid within the reactor to increase conversion of a dehydrogenation process. In some implementations, system 100 includes one or more additional components not shown herein, such component may be one or more pumps, compressors, heaters, gravity separators, turbines, valves, catalysts, a combination thereof, or the like, as illustrative, non-limiting example.

[0031] Reactor 102 may define a body 110 (e.g., reactor body) having a chamber 112 (e.g., reaction chamber) in which a reaction, such a chemical reaction, occurs. Reactor 102 includes one or more inlets 116 and one or more outlets 118 to allow fluids to be transported through chamber 112. As shown and described herein, inlet 116 may include one or more converging pipes (e.g., cactus piping), however in other implementations, inlet 116 may include a single pipe. In some implementations, reactor body 110 defines a port 122 at inlets 116 and/or outlets 118 to allow fluid communication between the inlets and/or outlets and chamber 112, as described herein.

[0032] Inlet 116 may include one or more inlet paths (e.g., 126) configured to each deliver a fluid to chamber 112 of reactor body 110. For example, system 100 may include a first inlet 104, a second inlet 106, and a third inlet 108. Each inlet (e.g., 104, 106, 108) may include a pipe that defines a passageway 126 configured to deliver a separate fluid to reactor body 110. For example, first inlet 104 may transport a hydrocarbon feed, such as propane, n-butane, isobutane, isopentane, or the like, as illustrative, non-limiting examples, second inlet 106 may be configured to transport air, and third inlet 108 may be configured to transport a reduction gas or steam. In some implementations, inlet 116 is arranged in a cactus configuration such that first inlet 104 and third inlet 108 are angularly disposed relative to second inlet 106 to improve mixture of the fluids entering chamber 112. For example, inlets 104, 106, 108 may include one or more pipes that converge at a mixing portion 124 of inlet 116 to mix the one or more fluids within a mixing passage 128 (e.g., main passage) defined by the mixing portion before entering chamber 112. For example, inlet 116 (e.g., 104, 106, 108, 122) may define one or more passages (e.g., 126, 128) that cooperate to deliver a fluid mixture to chamber 112. System 100 may also include one or more outlet paths that transport a fluid away from reactor body 110.

[0033] Reactor 102 may include a catalyst 114 (e.g., catalyst bed) that is configured to cause a chemical reaction (e.g., catalytic cracking) to fluids (e.g., gas feed) travelling through the catalyst. Catalyst bed 114 extends horizontally along chamber 112 and may include a first side 115 (e.g., top side, in the orientation of FIG. 1A) and a second side 117 (e.g., bottom side, in the orientation of FIG. 1A) that opposes the first side. In this way, reactor 102 defines at least a partial flow path of system 100 from inlet 116 to chamber 112, through catalyst bed 114 (from first side 115 to second side 117), and to outlet 118. Fluid may be mixed within a plenum 120 (e.g., plenum region) of chamber 112 before reaching catalyst 114 to increase efficiency of reactor 102. To illustrate, flow distribution of the fluid within plenum 120 may impact both conversion rates (percentage of reactants converted to products) and selectivity rates (how much desired product was formed in ratio to the undesired products). Plenum 120 corresponds to a portion of chamber 112 defined between first side 115 of catalyst bed 114, port 122, and reactor body 110. In some implementations, a volume of plenum 120 may be minimized to decrease thermal cracking of the fluid entering chamber 112. To illustrate, a volume of plenum 120 may be less than 60% of a total volume of chamber 112 (e.g., reaction chamber). In some implementations, a volume of plenum 120 may be less than or equal to a total volume of chamber 112. For example, volume of plenum 120 may be one of or between any two of the following: 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, or 20% (e.g., approximately 30.8%) of a total volume of chamber 112. Consequently, the reduced plenum volume (e.g., 120) may assist in achieving increased conversion and selectivity rates of system 100.

[0034] Flow assembly 130 may be positioned within reactor body 110 to increase flow distribution of a fluid (e.g., gas feed) in plenum 120. As shown, flow assembly 130 may be coupled to reactor body 110 near inlet 116. Flow assembly 130 may be in contact with, mounted on, and/or secured to reactor body 110 to increase flow distribution of the fluids entering chamber 112 during operation (e.g., dehydrogenation process). In some implementations, flow assembly 130 may be disposed within mixing passage 128 of inlet 116, chamber 112, or both to better distribute fluid (e.g., gas feed) downstream to catalyst bed 114. For example, during operation of reactor 102, flow assembly 130 may enable a more uniform flow within plenum 120 to direct the fluid evenly to a wider area of catalyst bed 114. In this manner and others, flow assembly 130 may increase efficiency during a process cycle of the operation, specifically, regeneration (increased heat distribution in catalyst bed 114) and dehydrogenation (increased conversion and selectivity rates) cycles.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1 B, flow assembly 130 includes a flow conditioner 140 and a flow distributor 160. In some implementations, flow assembly 130 may include a member 170. Member 170 may be configured to couple flow distributor 160 to one or more other components of system 100, such as flow conditioner 140, reactor body 110, and/or inlet 116. Flow conditioner 140 and flow distributor 160 are each positioned upstream of catalyst bed 114 to more uniformly distribute the fluid to first side 115 of the catalyst bed. For example, flow conditioner 140 may be disposed upstream of flow distributor 160.

[0036] Flow conditioner 140 (e.g., flow straightener) may include a plurality of blades 142 spaced relative to one another to alter the direction of travel of fluid introduced into chamber 112. To illustrate, blades 142 may extend along a longitudinal axis 101 (e.g., vertical direction) of mixing passage 128 to align fluids entering mixing portion 124 (e.g., from inlets 104, 106, 108) toward a direction that is parallel to the longitudinal axis. In some implementations, flow conditioner 140 may be disposed within reactor 102 such that the plurality of blades 142 are disposed within at least a portion of mixing passage 128. In some implementations, blades 142 extend along a longitudinal direction of mixing passage 128 (e.g., a length of each blade is positioned substantially parallel to longitudinal axis 101 ), while in other implementations, the blades may extend in one or more other directions and can be straight or curved (e.g., helical) to direct the fluid into chamber 112 in a desired manner. Flow conditioner 140 (e.g., blades 142) can be internally attached to inlet 116 (e.g., at mixing portion 124) via fasteners (e.g., screws, nuts, bolts, etc.), welding, and/or the like such that blades 142 are rigid and secured within mixing passage 128. [0037] Flow distributor 160 may include a first side 162, a second side 164, and may define a plurality of apertures 166. As shown in FIG. 1 B, first side 162 opposes second side 164. In some implementations, apertures 166 extend from first side 162 to second side 164 so that fluid may travel through flow distributor 160. In some implementations, flow distributor 160 may include and/or correspond to a non-planar plate defining a plurality of apertures (e.g., 166). In the depicted implementation, flow distributor 160 is disposed downstream of flow conditioner 140 such that fluid travelling through the flow conditioner is received by first side 162 of the flow distributor. In such implementations, fluid may travel through flow distributor 160 (via apertures 166) and/or around first side 162 of the flow distributor. In this way and others, flow distributor 160 and/or flow conditioner 140 may direct fluid into plenum 120 of chamber 112 in a uniform manner to increase efficiency of a chemical process (e.g., dehydrogenation process).

[0038] In some implementations, a member 170 may couple flow distributor 160 to one or more other components of system 100 to evenly distribute fluid within chamber 112. Member 170 may be coupled to flow distributor 160 and other components of system 100 in any suitable manner such as using one or more fasteners (e.g., bolts, screws, rivets, or the like), welding, friction, other intervening parts, or the like. As depicted in FIG. 1 B, member 170 (e.g., rod) includes a first portion 172 coupled to flow conditioner 140 and a second portion 174 coupled to flow distributor 160. First and second portions 172, 174 may, but need not, correspond to first and second ends of member 170. Additionally, or alternatively, first portion 172 of member 170 may be in contact with, mounted on, and/or secured to reactor body 110 to secure flow distributor 160 within reactor 102. In other implementations, member 170 may couple flow distributor 160 to reactor body 110 and/or inlet 116. In an illustrative, non-limiting example, member 170 may include multiple elements extending from a perimeter of flow distributor 160 to reactor body 110 to secure flow distributor 160 within reactor 102.

[0039] In some implementations, reactor 102 includes a reactor body 110 defining a reaction chamber 112 and an inlet pipe (e.g., 116) coupled to the reactor body and defining an inlet passage (e.g., 128) configured to deliver one or more fluids to the reaction chamber. Reactor 102 includes a flow conditioner 140 having a plurality of blades 142 disposed within at least a portion of the inlet passage (e.g., 128) and a flow distributor 160 disposed downstream of the flow conditioner. The flow distributor includes a non-planar plate defining a plurality of apertures 166. In some implementations, the plurality of blades 142 are coupled to each other and extend along a longitudinal direction of the inlet pipe (e.g., 106).

[0040] In some implementations, system 100 is used for operation of a dehydrogenation reactor (e.g., 102). System 100 includes a rod (e.g., 170) having a first portion 172 and a second portion 174, a flow conditioner 140 coupled to the first portion of the rod, and a flow distributor 160 coupled to the second portion of the rod. In some such implementations, the flow conditioner 140 includes a plurality of blades 142 extending from the rod in a radial direction. Additionally, or alternatively, the flow distributor 160 includes a conical plate defining a plurality of apertures 166.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 2A-2B, an example of a reactor 202 of a flow distribution system 200 including a flow assembly 230 is shown. For example, FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a side-cross-section of reactor 202 and FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of flow assembly 230 of FIG. 2A. Reactor 202 may include or correspond to reactor 102. For example, reactor 202 includes an inlet 216, a reactor body 210 that defines a chamber 212, and a catalyst bed 214 that include or correspond to inlet 116, reactor body 110, and catalyst 114, respectively. Chamber 212 may include a plenum 220 that is defined by the volume of chamber 212 between a top side 215 of catalyst bed 214 and inlet 216.

[0042] Inlet 216 (e.g., inlet pipe) includes one or more pipes coupled together to define a passageway that is in fluid communication with chamber 212. Inlet 216 may include or correspond to a cactus inlet pipe. For example, inlet 216 may include a first pipe section 204, a second pipe section 206, and a third pipe section 208 that converge at a mixing portion 224. In this manner, several different fluids from inlet 216 may be proportionally delivered to, and mixed within, a mixing passage 228 defined by mixing portion 224 before being delivered to chamber 212.

[0043] As shown, flow assembly 230 includes a flow conditioner 240 and a flow distributor 260 that may include or correspond to flow conditioner 140 and flow distributor 160, respectively. Flow conditioner 240 is disposed upstream of flow distributor 260 to alter a flow direction of the fluid. For example, flow conditioner 240 may be configured to convey fluid toward flow distributor 260 in a direction that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis 201 of mixing passage 228. Flow assembly 230 may be positioned within at least a portion of mixing passage 228 to increase distribution of fluid entering chamber 212. Additionally, or alternatively, flow distributor 260 may be positioned within chamber 212. To illustrate, an entirety of flow conditioner 240 may disposed within mixing passage 228 of inlet 216 and flow distributor 260 may be disposed outside of the mixing passage 228, within chamber 212.

[0044] Flow conditioner 240 includes a plurality of blades 242 positioned relative to each other to alter the flow of a fluid within mixing passage 228. As shown in FIG. 2B, at least a portion of blades 242 are positioned with mixing passage 228 and extend along a longitudinal direction (e.g., 201 ) of inlet 216. For example, a length D1 of blades 242 may be aligned with longitudinal axis 201 to direct fluid passing through the blades toward a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction. In some implementations, length D1 may be greater than or equal to 0.5 meters (m) to adequately alter the flow of fluid travelling through mixing passage 228. For example, length D1 may be greater than equal to, or between any two of: 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1 , 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.75, or 2.0 m (e.g., 1.17 m). Additionally, or alternatively, flow conditioner 240 may include any suitable number of blades (e.g., 242) to alter the flow of fluid travelling through mixing passage 228. As shown, flow conditioner 240 includes 9 blades, however, flow conditioner 240 may include more or less than 9 blades. In some implementations, flow conditioner 240 (e.g., blades 242) comprises at least 15 percent (e.g., 25%) of a volume of mixing passage 228. Flow conditioner 240 may be internally coupled to inlet 216 via fastener(s) (e.g., screw, nut, bolts, flange, or the like), welding, or other suitable manner so the blades 242 can be easily accessed from within a bottom opening (e.g., port) of the mixing portion for easy adjustment, positioning and maintenance. For example, blades 242 may be coupled to and extend from a sidewall of mixing portion 224 of the inlet pipe (e.g., 216).

[0045] Flow distributor 260 includes a plate 268 having a first side 262, a second side 264, and defining a plurality of apertures 266 extending from the first side to the second side of the plate. Plate 268 may be non-planar (e.g., conical) and positioned substantially orthogonal to the flow of fluid through the mixing passage 228, as described further herein with reference to FIGS. 3A-3C. Fluid travelling from flow conditioner 240 may contact plate 268 at first side such that a portion of the fluid travels through apertures 266 and another portion of the fluid is directed toward a perimeter of the plate. In this way and others, plate 268 may distribute fluid within plenum 220 of chamber 212. In some implementations, as shown in FIG. 2B, each of the apertures 266 defined by plate 268 are elongated such that a length (e.g., D4) of the aperture is greater than a width (e.g., D5) of the aperture. In some such implementations, the length of apertures 266 may be oriented radially from a center of plate 268 such that the apertures are arranged concentrically around the plate. In other embodiments, the apertures may define another shape, such as, a circle or otherwise curved shape, a polygonal shape, a combination thereof, or the like and can be arranged in any suitable manner as required during operation of reactor 202.

[0046] In some implementations, flow conditioner 240 and flow distributor 260 are coupled together via a rod 270. As shown in FIG. 2B, rod 270 is positioned within reactor 202 such that a first portion 272 of the rod is disposed within mixing passage 228 and a second portion 274 of the rod is disposed within chamber 212 of reactor body 210. In some implementations, flow conditioner 240 is coupled to first portion 272 of rod 270 and flow distributor 260 is coupled to second portion 274 of the rod. For example, one or more (up to and including all) blades 242 of flow conditioner 240 are coupled to rod 270 (e.g., at first portion 272). In such implementations, blades 242 may extend from rod 270 in a radial direction. For example, each blade may extend from rod 270 to the sidewall of mixing portion 224. In some implementations, each of the plurality of blades 242 is arranged circumferentially around rod 270 and extend along a longitudinal axis (e.g., 201 ) of the rod. To illustrate, the longitudinal axis of rod 270 may be substantially parallel (e.g., aligned with) longitudinal axis 201 of inlet 216. [0047] Referring to FIG. 3A-3C, an example of a flow assembly 330 is shown. For example, FIG. 3A is a side view of flow assembly 330 that includes flow conditioner 240 coupled to flow distributor 260 via rod 270, FIG. 3B is a top view of flow conditioner 240, and FIG. 3C is a top view of flow distributor 260.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 3A, flow distributor 260 is disposed vertically below (e.g., along longitudinal axis 201 ) the flow conditioner 240 by a first distance D2 that is measured from a lower surface of blades 242 to first side 262 of plate 268. First distance D2 may be spaced to improve fluid distribution within chamber 212. For example, first distance D2 may be greater than or equal to 0.1 meters (m), such as greater than, equal to, or between any two of: 0.1 , 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, or 0.75 m (e.g., 0.405 m). Additionally, or alternatively, plate 268 may define a conical body (e.g., cone or frustoconical) to cooperate with flow conditioner 240 to uniformly distribute fluid. In some implementations, plate 268 includes an inclination angle D3 measured between a lateral plane and first side 262 of the plate. To illustrate, inclination angle D3 is greater than, equal to, or between any two of: 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25 degrees (e.g., approximately 10-15 degrees). In this way and others, flow conditioner 240 and flow distributor 260 may distribute fluid within plenum 220 to increase selectivity and conversion rates of a dehydrogenation process.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 3B, flow conditioner 240 includes a plurality of blades 242 that extend radially away from rod 270. Blades 242 may be arranged symmetrically (e.g., extending radially away at substantially equiangular spaces) about rod 270 and/or longitudinal axis 201 . In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3B, flow conditioner 240 includes four blades; however, in other embodiments, the flow conditioner may include 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 , 12, 13, 14, 15, or more blades.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 3C, flow distributor 260 includes a plate 268 that defines a plurality of apertures 266 through which fluid may travel. Apertures 266 include a length D4 and a width D5 that is measured substantially perpendicular to the length. Length D4 and width D5 are each a distance measured between outer edges of the aperture (e.g., 266) along a straight line; the length can be, but need not be, greater than the width to define an elongated slot. In some implementations, at least one of the plurality of apertures (e.g., 266) defines an elongated slot. In the depicted implementations, apertures are arranged concentrically about rod 270. In other implementations, apertures 266 may be arranged in a grid pattern (e.g., row and column), helical pattern, circular pattern, random pattern or combination thereof. Additionally, or alternatively, apertures 266 may define any suitable shape (e.g., having cross-sections that are circular, elliptical, and/or otherwise rounded, triangular, square, rectangular, and/or otherwise polygonal, and/or the like) to enable a portion of fluid to travel through the apertures and another portion to flow around the plate. For example, plate 268 may include an open area ratio between 0.35 and 0.9 (e.g., greater than, equal to, or between any two of: 0.4, 0.5, 0.55, 0.6, 0.65, 0.7, 0.75, 0.80, or 0.85). The open area ratio corresponds to a ratio of the total surface area of apertures 266 to the total area of first side 262 of plate 268 (e.g., area bounded between a perimeter of plate that includes the surface area of the apertures). The foregoing implementations may maximize the flow distribution in the plenum region (e.g., 120, 220) above the top surface (e.g., 215) of the catalyst bed (e.g., 114, 214), thus, maximizing reactor operation while maintaining the same input characteristics for chemical processes (e.g., dehydrogenation).

[0051] In some implementations, reactor 202 includes a reactor body 210 defining a reaction chamber 212 and an inlet pipe (e.g., 216, 224) coupled to the reactor body and defining an inlet passage (e.g., 228) configured to deliver one or more fluids to the reaction chamber. Reactor 202 includes a flow conditioner 240 having a plurality of blades 242 disposed within at least a portion of the inlet passage (e.g., 228) and a flow distributor 260 disposed downstream of the flow conditioner. The flow distributor includes a non-planar plate 268 defining a plurality of apertures 266. The non-planar plate 268 may define a conical plate having an inclination angle D3 that is between 5 and 25 degrees. In some such implementations, the conical plate (e.g., 268) includes an open area ratio between 0.35 and 0.8. Additionally, or alternatively, at least one of the plurality of apertures 266 defined by the conical plate (e.g., 268) comprises an elongated slot having a length that is greater than a width. In some implementations, the plurality of blades 242 are coupled to each other and extend along a longitudinal direction of the inlet pipe (e.g., 201 ).

[0052] In some implementations, an entirety of the flow conditioner 240 is disposed within the inlet passage (e.g., 228) of inlet pipe 216. In some implementations, the flow distributor 260 is disposed within the reaction chamber 212. For example, the flow distributor 260 may be disposed vertically below the flow conditioner by a distance D2 that is greater than or equal to 0.2 meters. In some implementations, a catalyst bed 214 is disposed within the reaction chamber 212 downstream from the flow distributor 260. The reaction chamber 212 includes a plenum region 220, defined between a first side 215 of the catalyst bed 214 and the reactor body 210, the volume of which is less than 45% of a total volume of the reaction chamber 212.

[0053] In some of the foregoing implementations, system 200 is used for operation of a dehydrogenation reactor (e.g., 202). System 200 includes a rod 270 having a first portion 272 and a second portion 274, a flow conditioner 240 coupled to the first portion of the rod, and a flow distributor 260 coupled to the second portion of the rod. A distance D2 between the first portion 272 of the rod 270 and the second portion 274 of the rod may be greater than or equal to 0.2 meters. In some such implementations, the flow conditioner 240 includes a plurality of blades 242 extending from the rod in a radial direction. In some implementations, each of the plurality of blades 242 is arranged circumferentially around the rod 270 and extend along a longitudinal axis (e.g., 201 ) of the rod. Additionally, or alternatively, the flow distributor 260 includes a conical plate defining a plurality of apertures 266. The conical plate 268 may include an inclination angle D3 that is between 5 and 25 degrees. In some such implementations, the conical plate (e.g., 268) includes an open area ratio between 0.35 and 0.8. Additionally, or alternatively, at least one of the plurality of apertures 266 defined by the conical plate (e.g., 268) comprises an elongated slot having a length that is greater than a width.

[0054] In some implementations, system 200 includes a dehydrogenation reactor 202 having an inlet pipe 216 and a reactor body 210. In such implementations, the rod 270 is positioned within the dehydrogenation reactor 202 such that the first portion 272 of the rod is disposed within the inlet pipe (e.g., 216, 224) and the second portion 274 of the rod is disposed within the reactor body (e.g., 210, 212). In some implementation, a longitudinal axis (e.g., 201 ) of the rod 270 is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis 201 of a mixing passage 228 defined by the inlet pipe 216. While the flow conditioner 240 is disposed within mixing passage 228, the flow conditioner includes at least 20 percent of a volume of the main passage.

[0055] Referring now to FIG. 4, a method 400 of operating a reactor (e.g., dehydrogenation reactor) is shown. Method 400 may be performed at, by, or with flow distribution system 100, 200 (e.g., one or more components thereof). For example, method 400 may include operating a system having flow assembly 130, 230, 330. [0056] Method 400 includes directing, by the plurality of blades of the flow conditioner, one or more fluids to the chamber, at 402. The flow conditioner may include or correspond to flow conditioner 140, 240. Method 400 also includes directing, by a conical surface of a non-planar plate, a portion of the one or more fluids directed from the flow conditioner, at 404. The non-planar plate may include or correspond to flow distributor 160, 260 (e.g., plate 268). In some implementations, the non-planar plate may direct a first portion of the fluid through a plurality of apertures and direct a second portion of fluid over a side edge (e.g., perimeter) of the plate. [0057] Method 400 includes receiving, at a catalyst bed, the portion of the one or more fluids, at 406. The catalyst bed may include or correspond to catalyst bed 114, 214. For example, one or more chemical reactions may occur as the catalyst bed receives the portion of the one or more fluids. In some implementations, the one or more fluids includes an alkane and method 400 is used to convert the alkane to an alkene (e.g., olefin), as described herein, with greater efficiency that conventional methods.

[0058] As part of the present disclosure, specific examples are included below. The examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize parameters that can be changed or modified to yield essentially the same results. EXAMPLES

Comparative Analysis of the Present Reactor and a Comparative Reactor

[0059] An Experimental Analysis was performed to compare the performance of the present reactors (e.g., 102, 202) and a comparative reactor during a dehydrogenation process. Referring to FIG. 5, a line chart of the result of the experimental analysis is shown. In the depicted example, a isobutane feed (e.g., isobutane gas mixture) was introduced into the same reaction chamber at identical conditions (e.g., temperature and pressure). In the present reactor, a flow assembly (e.g., 130, 230, 330) having a flow conditioner (e.g., 140, 240) and a flow distributor (e.g., 160, 260) was disposed within the reactor having a reduced plenum (e.g., 120) volume that was 30.80% of the total reaction chamber volume. On the other hand, the comparative reactor included horizontal flow baffles and a flat perforated plate disposed within the reactor having a plenum volume that was 46.10% of the total reaction chamber volume.

[0060] In FIG. 5, a selectivity curve 502, a conversion curve 506, and a yield curve 510 are shown for the present reactor. Likewise, a selectivity curve 504, a conversion curve 508, and a yield curve 512 are shown for the comparative reactor. As shown, the present reactor includes increased selectivity, conversion and yield percentages as compared to the comparative reactor. For example, selectivity curve 502 is approximately 90% after 500 seconds of operation, which is 2.91 % greater than selectivity curve 504 of the comparative reactor. Similarly, yield curve 510 is greater than yield curve 512 of the comparative reactor for the entire time period measured in the experimental analysis. To illustrate, yield curve 510 is 1.54% greater than yield curve 512. Further, conversion percentage of the present reactor is greater than the comparative reactor as conversion curve 506 is greater than conversion curve 508 for the entire time period measured in the experimental analysis. Consequently, less amount of reactant gas (e.g., isobutane gas) and catalyst are needed in the present reactors to produce the same amount of product as the comparative reactor.

Velocity and Temperature Profile of the Present Reactor

[0061] Referring now to FIGS. 6A-6B, a velocity profile of the isobutane feed is depicted along a first plane 610 (e.g., first horizontal plane) and a second plane 620 (e.g., second horizontal plane), respectively. First plane 610 is immediately downstream of flow distributor (e.g., 160, 260) and second plane 620 is positioned further downstream between first plane 610 and the catalyst bed (e.g., 114, 214). As shown, the velocity profiles during dehydrogenation for both the first and second planes 610, 620 have very little deviation across the internal portion of the chamber with a slight increase in velocity at the reactor walls. This illustrates a uniform flow distribution, which results in the increased selectivity and conversion rates as shown in FIG. 5. Referring to FIG. 6C, a temperature profile of the isobutane feed of the present reactor is shown. The temperature profile illustrates temperature distribution within the reactor at nine minutes after the dehydrogenation process was initiated. The temperature profile is divided between several distinct layers that are typical of fluids with uniform fluid flow characteristics. Further, the temperature profile of the present reactor (e.g., FIG. 6C) is similar to that of the conventional reactor. In this manner, operational characteristics (e.g., pressure drop, process cycles) of the present reactor may be the same as the conventional reactor and no additional calculations or set up time are needed to maximize reactor operation at the same input as currently adopted in a dehydrogenation plant. Consequently, the present reactors allow for more efficient dehydrogenation processes having higher conversion and selectivity rates.

[0062] Although aspects of the present application and their advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular implementations of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the above disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding implementations described herein may be utilized. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.

[0063] The above specification provides a complete description of the structure and use of illustrative configurations. Although certain configurations have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual configurations, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed configurations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. As such, the various illustrative configurations of the methods and systems are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, they include all modifications and alternatives falling within the scope of the claims, and configurations other than the one shown may include some or all of the features of the depicted configurations. For example, elements may be omitted or combined as a unitary structure, connections may be substituted, or both. Further, where appropriate, aspects of any of the examples described above may be combined with aspects of any of the other examples described to form further examples having comparable or different properties and/or functions, and addressing the same or different problems. Similarly, it will be understood that the benefits and advantages described above may relate to one configuration or may relate to several configurations. Accordingly, no single implementation described herein should be construed as limiting and implementations of the disclosure may be suitably combined without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.

[0064] The previous description of the disclosed implementations is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed implementations. Various modifications to these implementations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope possible consistent with the principles and novel features as defined by the following claims. The claims are not intended to include, and should not be interpreted to include, means-plus- or step-plus-function limitations, unless such a limitation is explicitly recited in a given claim using the phrase(s) “means for” or “step for,” respectively.

Claims

1 . A reactor comprising: a reactor body defining a reaction chamber; an inlet pipe coupled to the reactor body and defining an inlet passage configured to deliver one or more fluids to the reaction chamber; a flow conditioner comprising a plurality of blades disposed within at least a portion of the inlet passage, the blades coupled to each other and extending along a longitudinal direction of the inlet pipe; and a flow distributor disposed downstream of the flow conditioner, the flow distributor comprising a non-planar plate defining a plurality of apertures.

2. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein the non-planar plate comprises a conical plate with an inclination angle that is between 5 and 25 degrees; and optionally, the conical plate includes an open area ratio between 0.35 and 0.75.

3. The reactor of claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of apertures defined by the conical plate comprises an elongated slot having a length that is greater than a width.

4. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein the flow distributor is disposed within the reaction chamber; and optionally, wherein the flow distributor is disposed vertically below the flow conditioner by a distance that is greater than or equal to 0.2 meters.

5. The reactor of claim 1 , further comprising: a catalyst bed disposed within the reaction chamber downstream from the flow distributor; and wherein: the reaction chamber comprises a plenum region defined between a first side of the catalyst bed and the reactor body; and a volume of the plenum region is less than 45% of a total volume of the reaction chamber.

6. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein an entirety of the flow conditioner is disposed within the inlet passage the inlet pipe; and optionally, wherein the inlet pipe comprises a cactus inlet pipe.

7. A system for operation of a chemical process, the system comprising: a flow assembly comprising: a rod comprising a first portion and a second portion; a flow conditioner coupled to the first portion of the rod, the flow conditioner comprising a plurality of blades extending from the rod in a radial direction; and a flow distributor coupled to the second portion of the rod, the flow distributor comprising a conical plate defining a plurality of apertures.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the conical plate includes an inclination angle that is between 5 and 25 degrees.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein: the conical plate includes an open area ratio between 0.35 and 0.75; and optionally, at least one of the plurality of apertures defined by the conical plate comprises an elongated slot having a length that is greater than a width.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein a distance between the first portion of the rod and the second portion of the rod is greater than or equal to 0.2 meters.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of blades is arranged circumferentially around the rod and extend along a longitudinal axis of the rod.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising: a dehydrogenation reactor that includes: an inlet pipe; and a reactor body; and wherein the rod is positioned within the dehydrogenation reactor such that the first portion of the rod is disposed within the inlet pipe and the second portion of the rod is disposed within the reactor body.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein: a longitudinal axis of the rod is positioned substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of a main passage defined by the inlet pipe; and the flow conditioner comprises at least 20 percent of a volume of the main passage.

14. A method of operating the reactor of claim 1 , the method comprising: directing, by the plurality of blades of the flow conditioner, one or more fluids to the reaction chamber; directing, by a conical surface of the non-planar plate, a portion of the one or more fluids directed from the flow conditioner; and receiving, at a catalyst bed, the portion of the one or more fluids.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more fluids comprise an alkane.