According to one or more embodiments disclosed herein, a reactant gas may be converted by a method comprising introducing the reactant gas to a fluidized bed reactor. The main reactor vessel of the fluidized bed reactor may be tapered such that the upstream portion of the main reactor vessel comprises a lesser cross-sectional area than the downstream portion of the main reactor vessel.

A method for fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) of petroleum oil feedstock includes reacting the petroleum oil feedstock with a catalyst mixture in a reaction zone of an FCC unit to obtain a product stream including desulfurized hydrocarbon product, unreacted petroleum oil feedstock, and spent catalyst. During the reacting a process control system develops a process model based on data collected during the reacting, the process model characterizing a relationship among the feed rate of the base cracking catalyst, the feed rate of the FCC additive, the operating conditions, the composition of the product stream, and emissions from the reaction; and one or more of (i) a target feed rate of the base cracking catalyst, (ii) a target feed rate of the FCC additive, and (iii) one or more target operating conditions of the reaction in the reaction zone to reduce the emissions from the FCC unit and to increase a yield of the desulfurized hydrocarbon product in the product stream are determined.

A method of treating a powder material includes classifying a powder material within a vessel by using a fluidized bed of the powder material to separate smaller particles of the powder material from larger particles of the powder material, and degassing the separated smaller particles and the larger particles within the vessel by heating and fluidizing the larger particles and the separated smaller particles.

Systems for separating a contaminant trapping additive from a cracking catalyst may include a contaminant removal vessel having one or more fluid connections for receiving contaminated cracking catalyst, contaminated contaminant trapping additive, fresh contaminant trapping additive, and a fluidizing gas. In the contaminant removal vessel, the spent catalyst may be contacted with contaminant trapping additive, which may have an average particle size and/or density greater than the cracking catalyst. A separator may be provided for separating an overhead stream from the contaminant removal vessel into a first stream comprising cracking catalyst and lifting gas and a second stream comprising contaminant trapping additive. A recycle line may be used for transferring contaminant trapping additive recovered in the second separator to the contaminant removal vessel, allowing contaminant trapping additive to accumulate in the contaminant removal vessel. A bottoms product line may provide for recovering contaminant trapping additive from the contaminant removal vessel.

In an apparatus for fluid catalytic cracking a riser having a top and a bottom for fluidizing and cracking a hydrocarbon feed stream by contact with catalyst exits an outlet at the top of the riser. A downer in communication with the outlet of the riser receives cracked hydrocarbon product and catalyst. A swirl duct in communication with the downer has a discharge opening below the outlet for discharging said cracked hydrocarbon product and catalyst. A stream of hydrocarbon feed and a catalyst is passed upwardly in a riser. A stream of gaseous hydrocarbon products and catalyst is directedly downwardly and then the stream of gaseous hydrocarbon products and catalyst are directed to flow in an angular direction to separate gaseous hydrocarbon products from the catalyst.

An apparatus and method for the dry separation of bulk particulate material, especially coarse particles, is provided. The apparatus comprises a chamber, a screen adjacent the chamber and a fluidising device fluidly connected to the chamber. The screen has a screen surface, a plurality of apertures and an opening larger in size than the aperture. A mixture of the coarse particles and a fine particulate medium is fed into the chamber. The fluidising device directs a fluidising fluid to fluidise a fine particulate medium and create a fluidised bed directed towards the screen. The fine particulate medium and the coarse particles pass from the chamber through the openings. The fine particulate medium passes back through the apertures to the chamber. Relatively high density coarse particles also pass back through the openings to the chamber. Relatively low density coarse particles are retained on the screen surface. Vibrations may also be used.

The present invention relates to an improved process for producing iron oxide red pigments by the Penniman process using nitrate (also referred to as nitrate process or direct red process) and apparatuses for carrying out the process.

The present invention presents a system for and method of processing a particulate material, for example carbonaceous materials, food products or minerals, to produce a processed material having more desirable properties. The method comprises the steps of: introducing the particulate material into a chamber; providing a flow of fluid into said chamber for entraining the particulate material via inlets at a lower end of the chamber; and providing an exhaust of fluid out of the chamber via an outlet at an upper end of the chamber. The chamber comprises a processing zone having a substantially circular transverse cross-section, the fluid flow being introduced into the processing zone at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to a tangent of the substantially circular transverse cross-section of the processing zone to establish a fluid flow following a substantially helical path in the processing chamber. Said processing zone is provided in a central region of said chamber. Individual particulate material during processing in the processing zone is entrained by the fluid flow exceeding the terminal velocity of the particulate material, exits the processing zone in a radially outward direction, circulates to a base of the chamber and then returns to the processing zone in a repeated cycle. Individual particulate material can increase in mass or aggregate to form a mass of particulate material with larger mass during processing until its terminal velocity exceeds the fluid flow and thereby exits the processing zone by descending through an opening at the base of the chamber under gravity. A toroidal bed reactor is also provided.

According to one or more embodiments disclosed herein, a reactant gas may be converted by a method comprising introducing the reactant gas to a fluidized bed reactor. The main reactor vessel of the fluidized bed reactor may be tapered such that the upstream portion of the main reactor vessel comprises a lesser cross-sectional area than the downstream portion of the main reactor vessel.

A modified bed particles, related methods and applications in processes involving microwave-assisted catalytic reactions. The bed particles modified to be used as a microwave receptor that is capable to simultaneously sustain heat generation mechanisms under microwave irradiations and physically act as catalyst support. The bed particle comprises a dielectric coating deposited on an external surface of a core, the bed particle being sized for use in a fixed bed reactor or a fluidized bed reactor. The bed particles may further comprise a catalytically active material supported on a surface of the dielectric coating. Irradiating the gas-solid reactor with microwaves enables heating the dielectric coating of the solid bed particles, the dielectric coating locally transferring thermal energy to the surrounding gaseous reactants which are thereby selectively converted into the primary products.