Circulating fluid bed reactor with improved circulation

1. A fluid coking reactor which comprises a dense bed reaction section of circular horizontal cross-section about a vertical axis and confined by a reactor wall in which bed a heavy oil feed is thermally cracked to form solid coke and vaporous cracking products, the reactor having:

a base region at which fluidizing gas is injected to fluidize a bed of finely-divided solid coke particles in the dense bed reaction section,

a plurality of heavy oil inlet rings located around the periphery of the reactor wall in the reaction section and at multiple elevations above the base region,

a top region at which gas and finely divided particulate coke solids exit the reaction section,

a plurality of the frusto-conical baffles located at multiple elevations in the dense bed reactor section above the base region of the reactor, each baffle being located between a successive pair of the heavy oil inlets rings and depending from an upper edge at the reactor wall to extend downwards and radially inwards from the reactor wall to a lower, inner edge defining a central aperture.

2. A reactor according to claim 1 in which each baffle depends from the reactor wall at an angle from 30° to 60° from the horizontal.

3. A reactor according to claim 1 in which each baffle depends from the reactor wall at an angle from 40° to 50° from the horizontal.

4. A reactor according to claim 1 in which each baffle covers an annular flow area of between 10% and 70% of the total reactor cross section at the average elevation in the reactor between the upper and lower edges of the baffle.

5. A reactor according to claim 4 in which each baffle covers an annular flow area of from 20% to 60% of the total reactor cross section at the average elevation in the reactor between the upper and lower edges of the baffle.

6. A reactor according to claim 5 in which each baffle covers an annular flow area from 25% to 40% of the total reactor cross section at the average elevation in the reactor between the upper and lower edges of the baffle.

7. A reactor according to claim 1 in which the dense bed reactor section has a frusto-conical configuration with its major cross-section uppermost.

8. A reactor according to claim 1 in which each baffle has a plurality of apertures in it to permit downward flow of particulate solids and upward flow of gas.

9. A reactor according to claim 1 in which each baffle includes a plurality of downcomers to permit downward flow of particulate solids and upward flow of gas, the downcomers being arranged uniformly around the baffle.

10. A reactor according to claim 1 which comprises a plurality of cyclones at the top region each having (i) a cyclone inlet for the flow of exiting gas and coke particles, (ii) a cyclone gas outlet in an isolated plenum above the reaction section and (iii) a cyclone dipleg for returning coke particles separated from the gas in the cyclone.

11. A reactor according to claim 1 which comprises a stripping section in the base region of the reactor, the stripping section comprising stripper sheds and spargers for stripping steam.

12. A reactor according to claim 1 in which each baffle has an inwardly extending lip at its inner edge of the baffle.

13. A fluid coking reactor which comprises:

(i) a dense bed reaction section confined by a reactor wall of circular horizontal cross-section about a vertical axis and a frusto-conical configuration with its major cross-section uppermost, in which a heavy oil feed is thermally cracked to form solid coke and vaporous cracking products,

(ii) a base region below the dense bed reaction section at which fluidizing gas is injected to fluidize a bed of finely-divided solid coke particles in the dense bed reaction section,

(iii) a plurality of heavy oil inlet rings located around the periphery of the reactor wall in the dense bed reaction section and at multiple elevations above the base region,

(iv) a plenum above the dense bed reaction section and separated from the dense bed reaction section,

(v) a plurality of cyclones at the top of the reactor, each cyclone having a cyclone inlet for the flow of gas and coke particles exiting the reaction section, a cyclone gas outlet exhausting into the plenum above the reaction section, and a cyclone dipleg for returning coke particles separated from the gas in the cyclone into the dense bed reaction section,

(vi) a stripping section at the base region of the reactor comprising stripper sheds and spargers for stripping steam,

(vii) a plurality of frusto-conical baffles located at multiple elevations in the dense bed reactor section above the base region of the reactor, with each baffle located between a successive pair of the heavy oil inlet rings, each baffle having a central aperture and depending from its upper edge at the reactor wall to extend downwards and radially inwards from the reactor wall to a lower, inner edge defining the central aperture.

14. A reactor according to claim 13 in which each baffle depends from the reactor wall at an angle from 30° to 60° from the horizontal.

15. A reactor according to claim 13 in which each baffle covers an annular flow area of between 10% and 70% of the total reactor cross section at the average elevation in the reactor between the upper and lower edges of the baffle.

16. A reactor according to claim 13 in which each baffle includes a plurality of downcomers to permit downward flow of particulate solids and upward flow of gas, the downcomers being arranged uniformly around the baffle.

17. A reactor according to claim 13 in which each baffle has an inwardly extending lip at its inner edge of the baffle.