In-situ catalyst replacement
The present invention relates generally to catalysts and, in particular, relates to in-situ replacement of catalyst within a reactor. In an embodiment, the present invention comprises a method for the in-situ replacement of catalyst bodies in a catalytic reactor comprising removing catalyst bodies in-situ from at least one modularized section of a catalytic layer within a catalytic reactor and replacing the removed catalyst bodies in-situ with replacement bodies comprising catalytic function wherein at least 10% of the total catalyst bodies within the layer are replaced.
1. A method for the in-situ replacement of catalyst bodies in a catalytic reactor comprising:
removing catalyst bodies in-situ from at least one modularized section of a catalytic layer within a flue gas catalytic reactor wherein the catalyst bodies are in contact with one another and replacing the removed catalyst bodies in-situ with replacement bodies comprising catalytic function wherein the replacement catalyst bodies are in contact with one another in the modularized section and at least 10% of the total catalyst bodies within the layer are replaced.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the majority of catalyst bodies within the layer are replaced.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein substantially all of the catalyst bodies within the layer are replaced.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising inspecting catalyst bodies prior to removing the catalyst bodies from at least one modularized section of a catalytic layer within a catalytic reactor.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing catalyst bodies from at least one modularized section of a catalytic layer comprises pushing the catalyst bodies out of the modularized section.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing catalyst bodies from at least one modularized section of a catalytic layer comprises pulling the catalyst bodies out of the modularized section.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the catalyst bodies are pulled from the modularized section with an extraction device.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing catalyst bodies from at least one modularized section comprises pushing and pulling the catalyst bodies out of the modularized section.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising installing at least one transporter inside the catalyst reactor operable for transporting removed catalyst bodies and replacement catalyst bodies.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the transporter comprises a roller-bed conveyor.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising covering modularized sections within catalytic layers of the reactor with a protective cover.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein replacing the removed catalyst bodies with replacement catalyst bodies having catalytic function comprises arranging replacement catalyst bodies within the modularized section.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein arranging comprises:
sequentially inserting replacement catalyst bodies into the modularized section beginning along the wall of the modularized section and;
continuing the sequential insertion of replacement catalyst bodies into the modularized section until the modularized section is full of catalyst bodies.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the replacement catalyst bodies are sequentially inserted into the modularized section using at least one insertion device.
15. The method of claim 1 further comprising sealing the periphery of replacement catalyst bodies to minimize bypass of the replacement catalyst bodies by a fluid stream passing through the catalytic reactor.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein sealing comprises wrapping at least one side of at least one replacement catalyst body with a packing material.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the packing material comprises woven fiberglass tape, ceramic blanketing materials, or ceramic fiber materials.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the removed catalyst bodies and the replacement catalyst bodies comprise substantially the same catalyst composition.
19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the removed catalyst bodies and the replacement catalyst bodies comprise substantially different catalyst compositions.
20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the removed catalyst bodies comprise a catalyst composition for the selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides.
21. The method of claim 1 wherein the replacementcatalyst bodies comprise a catalyst composition for the selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides.
22. The method of claim 1 , wherein the removed catalyst bodies comprise a catalyst composition for the oxidation of elemental mercury.
23. The method of claim 1 , wherein the replacement catalyst bodies comprise a catalyst composition for the oxidation of elemental mercury.
24. The method as in any one of the previous claims, wherein the catalyst bodies comprise catalyst elements.
25. A method for the in-situ replacement of catalyst bodies in a catalytic reactor comprising:
removing catalyst bodies in-situ from at least one modularized section of a catalytic layer within a flue gas catalytic reactor wherein the catalyst bodies are in contact with one another; and
replacing the removed catalyst bodies in-situ with replacement bodies comprising catalytic function by sequentially inserting the replacement catalyst bodies into the at least one modularized section along a wall of the modularized section wherein at least 10% of the total catalyst bodies witnin the layer are replaced.