FIELD

The field is processes and apparatuses for quenching hot reactor effluent streams typically in the vapor phase and particularly effluents from a reactor that operates with a fluidized catalyst.

BACKGROUND

Fluidized catalytic reactions are conducted at elevated temperatures with fluidized catalyst that is free to move out of the reactor. Hot vaporous effluent exiting the fluidized catalytic, reactor caries a loading of catalyst fines despite equipment designed to retain catalyst in the reactor or remove it from reactor effluent. Downstream equipment is necessary to cool the reactor effluent and to remove catalyst therefrom. Fluidized catalytic processes include fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), methanol-to-olefins (MTO), toluene methylation and paraffin dehydrogenation.

The conversion of oxygenates to olefins such as in a WO process takes place at a relatively high temperature, generally higher than about 250° C., and preferably higher than about 300° C. In the conversion of oxygenates to olefins, a significant amount heat is released in the highly exothermic reaction. Because the reactor effluent typically is at a higher temperature than the temperature of feedstock, many methods and schemes have been proposed to manage the heat of reaction generated from the process.

In a conventional MTO process, a quench tower is utilized to cool hot reactor vaporous effluent by contact with water. MTO quench towers operate with vaporous effluent entering the bottom of the quench tower and quenching water added to the top of the tower and counter current contact therebetween.

Processes and equipment are sought to quench the hot vaporous reactor effluent while recovering catalyst from the effluent.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A process and apparatus are disclosed for cooling and removing catalyst from a hot vaporous reactor effluent stream. Hot vaporous reactor effluent stream comprising hydrocarbon reactor products, water and fines catalyst, and a first quench liquid stream are fed to a first quench chamber. The hot vaporous reactor effluent stream is directly contacted with the first quench liquid stream to cool the hot reactor effluent stream and wash catalyst therefrom transferring it into the first quench liquid stream. The first quench liquid stream and the vaporous reactor effluent stream are passed together through a bed while disengaging catalyst from the vaporous reactor effluent stream and transferring catalyst into the first quench liquid stream.

Additional details and embodiments of the disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description.

