THE 3-LEVELS-OF-POROSITY REACTOR - A NOVEL REACTOR FOR COUNTERCURRENTTRICKLE-FLOW PROCESSES

A novel three-phase reactor concept featuring countercurrent trickle f low, the three-levels-of-porosity (TLP) Reactor, is introduced. A lab- scale TLP reactor is described. On the basis of visual observation and typical pressure drop and liquid holdup measurements using air and wa ter, it can be concluded that, in the reactor packing, gas and liquid flow through separate pathways with the possibility of periodic contac t. The reactor features very low pressure drop compared to randomly pa cked fixed-bed reactors. It can be operated countercurrently with gas and liquid flowrates well above those currently used in commercial coc urrent hydrotreaters and is therefore a promising alternative to the r andomly packed fixed-bed trickle-flow reactor for hydroprocessing of h eavy oils. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.