A method of transferring a slurry is provided. The method involves transferring a slurry containing particles and a liquid using a transfer pump equipped with a ball type check valve. The transfer pump is operated under the condition satisfying the following formula: 7.810.sup.3<P5.010.sup.5. In the formula, P=W(.sub.1/(.sub.b.sub.1)).sup.0.5/(C.Math.d(d+R)R.sup.0.5). W represents the particle flow rate (kg/hr) in the slurry passing through the ball type check valve, C represents the particle concentration (kg/m3) in the slurry, d represents the maximum particle diameter (m) of the particles in the slurry, R represents the ball diameter (m) of the check valve, 1 represents the density (kg/m3) of the liquid, and pb represents the density (kg/m.sup.3) of the ball of the check valve.

A fluidizing device for treating particulate material and to a method using the fluidizing device. The fluidizing device includes an inflow base that can be moved relative to the fluidizing unit. The inflow base in an emptying position is positioned at least partly below the top edge of a material outlet by moving the inflow base relative to the fluidizing unit, so that a fluid connection is formed between the material outlet arranged in the distributor chamber and the fluidizing chamber past the inflow base in order to discharge treated material from the fluidizing unit.

The present disclosure relates to the aromatization of hydrocarbons with an aromatization catalyst, including methods of aromatization comprising the use of a continuous catalyst regeneration type reformer.

A hopper including a buffer compartment defined by side walls, a top end including an opening for receiving solid particles, and a bottom end including an opening for dispensing the solid particles from the buffer compartment. The buffer compartment includes a plurality of essentially vertically positioned cooling plate-like elements for cooling the solid particles in the buffer compartment. A system including hopper, methods of operating the hopper or system, and production of solid particles.

A plant for drying and solid state polycondensing a granular moisture-containing polymeric material includes a conduit feeding material to be treated longitudinally, a treatment zone located along the conduit, a blower of an inert gas into the conduit, and a radiating device emitting an alternating electromagnetic field in the radio-frequency band to dry and upgrade the material. The radiating device includes applicators, located at the treatment zone and external to the conduit in longitudinally offset positions, which are connected to the terminals of an electromagnetic wave generator and include pairs of opposed radiating elements that generate an alternating electromagnetic field in the conduit, with field lines at least partially parallel to the direction of feed of the material, and that define magnetic dipoles with opposite polarities along the conduit. A method of drying and solid state polycondensing a polymeric material in granular form obtained by polycondensation using the plant.

The present invention relates to a distribution system and an item of equipment for treatment of solid material that comprises same, wherein said distribution system comprises a means for transmitting movement that is configured to generate a rotating movement; a distribution element comprising a surface parallel to the feeding means on which at least one rod is arranged, perpendicularly, configured to come into contact with the solid material to be treated; a rotating means which connects the means for transmitting movement to the distribution element, configured to generate a rocking or circular movement; and a means for supporting the distribution element; wherein a first end of the distribution element comprises a means for joining to the rotating means, situated on an axis eccentric to the axis of rotation of said rotating means, and a second end, opposite to the first end, is accommodated on the supporting means.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for producing carbon nanotube aggregates to improve the contact efficiency between a source gas and catalysts, thereby enabling the efficient production of high-quality CNT aggregates. A method for producing carbon nanotube aggregates according to the disclosure is a method including a growth step of growing the carbon nanotube aggregates on substrates with catalysts on surfaces. In the growth step, a source gas supply step of forming a substrate layer by stacking the substrates at a lower portion of a growth furnace configured to perform the growth step, and supplying a source gas to the substrate layer through a plurality of gas injection ports arranged at the lower portion of the growth furnace, and an in-growth furnace stir and conveyance step of mechanically stirring and/or conveying the substrate layer are performed at least in part in an overlapping manner.

Described herein are systems and methods for delivering catalyst to a reaction vessel. The methods include the use of a positive displacement reciprocating piston system having a catalyst delivery housing that contains a piston system. The piston system includes a top section, a bottom section, and a catalyst holding space between the top and bottom section such that the piston system is movable between a first and a second position to inject catalyst from the catalyst holding space into the reaction vessel when the piston system is in the second position and fill the catalyst holding space with catalyst from a catalyst feed supply when the piston system is in the first position.

The present invention includes a method for emptying a reactor containing at least one bed of spent catalyst particles and that comprises at least one dump tube, which opens into the reactor in the bottom portion of the bed of particles or underneath the latter. The method comprises the following: a first step of causing a proportion of the catalyst bed to flow out of the reactor via said dump tube; then a second step of expelling out of the reactor the catalyst remainder, by driving towards the opening of the dump tube the catalyst particles remaining in the reactor at the end of the first step, this step being performed by means of a removable device introduced into the reactor via the dump tube,
and is characterised in that said removable device comprises an articulated arm bearing one or more protuberances spirally disposed about a rotary axis.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a device and a method for unloading particulate material from a reactor in tube of a catalytic reactor comprising an array of substantially vertically aligned reactor tubes. The device comprises an air lance (11, 111-113) for loosening the particulate material inside the reactor tube using pressurized air, an air lance unit (10) for feeding the air lance in and out of the reactor tube, and a flexible guide tube (12, 121-123) on one end connectable to the air lance unit and on the other end connectable to a cleaned reactor tube (7, 71-73) for guiding the air lance from the reactor tube to the cleaned reactor tube for storing a part of the air lance that has not been fed into the reactor tube within the first cleaned reactor tube.