Relating to thermocouples for tubular reactors
A method of installing a thermocouple in a reactor tube of a tubular reactor, comprising lowering a weighted tow line through a stack of catalyst carriers and using a tow line to pull the thermocouple down the reactor tube through inner channels of the stack of catalyst carriers into a desired installation position.
1 . A method of installing a thermocouple in a reactor tube of a tubular reactor, the method comprising the steps of:
i) providing a stack of catalyst carriers within the reactor tube of the tubular reactor, each catalyst carrier comprising an inner channel that extends from a top to a bottom of the catalyst carrier;
ii) providing a weighted tow line comprising a weight and a tow line that trails from the weight;
iii) inserting the weight into a top of the reactor tube and into the inner channel of an uppermost catalyst carrier of the stack;
iv) lowering the weighted tow line under gravity through the inner channel of the uppermost catalyst carrier and thereafter through the inner channels of each of the remaining catalyst carriers of the stack until the weighted tow line emerges from a bottom of the reactor tube;
v) attaching a thermocouple to a trailing end of the tow line;
vi) engaging the thermocouple into the top of the reactor tube within the inner channel of the uppermost catalyst carrier of the stack; and
vii) pulling on the tow line from below the reactor tube to pull the thermocouple down the reactor tube through the inner channels of the stack of catalyst carriers into a desired installation position of the thermocouple.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein in step iv) the weighted tow line passes through a drain hole of each of the catalyst carriers, optionally wherein the drain holes of the catalyst carriers are sized to simultaneously function as a conduit for the thermocouple and a drain for the stack of catalyst carriers.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the weight is configured to have a length greater than a length of one catalyst carrier; and in step iii) the weight is inserted into the inner channel of the uppermost catalyst carrier.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermocouple is configured to have a tip portion having a length greater than a length of one catalyst carrier; and in step vi) the tip portion of the thermocouple is fed into the inner channel of the uppermost catalyst carrier.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the tip portion comprises a tapered tip and a straight section.
6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the thermocouple is attached to the trailing end of the tow line by joining the trailing end to the tip portion of the thermocouple, optionally wherein the tip portion comprises a tubular part and the trailing end of the tow line is attached into the tubular part.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein in step v) the thermocouple is attached to the trailing end of the tow line before the weighted tow line is inserted into the reactor tube or after the weighted tow line emerges from the bottom of the reactor tube.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein after the weighted tow line emerges from the bottom of the reactor tube the weight is detached from the tow line, or wherein after the thermocouple reaches its desired installation position the tow line is detached from the thermocouple.