Catalyst Transfer Pipe Plug Detection

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods are disclosed for detecting catalyst transfer pipe plugging in a chemical plant or petrochemical plant or refinery. The catalyst transfer pipe may extend from a reactor to a catalyst collector and enable the flow of catalyst from the reactor to the catalyst collector. Specifically, one or more sensors affixed to a catalyst transfer pipe may collect sensor data for analysis. Based on one or more detected changes in the sensor data outside a range, a data collection platform may send one or more alerts and/or send one or more signals to a control platform to adjust a flow rate, a pressure differential, or perform another action to clear a developing catalyst buildup and thereby attempt to avoid a catalyst transfer pipe from becoming plugged.

1 . A system for detecting catalyst-transfer-pipe plugging, the system comprising:
 a reactor configured for a dehydrogenation process, wherein the reactor is configured for use with a solid catalyst;   a catalyst collector comprising a valve, the catalyst collector configured to collect the solid catalyst;   a catalyst transfer pipe extending from the reactor to the catalyst collector, the catalyst transfer pipe configured to enable flow of the solid catalyst from the reactor to the catalyst collector;   one or more sensors affixed to an outside of the catalyst transfer pipe; and   a computing device comprising:
 one or more processors; and 
 non-transitory computer-readable memory storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computing device to:
 receive sensor data collected by the one or more sensors affixed to the catalyst transfer pipe; 
 analyze the sensor data to determine a flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe; and 
 based on analyzing the sensor data to determine the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe, transmit a command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe by adjusting the valve of the catalyst collector. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to:
 based on the sensor data, compute a first time period of first sensor information corresponding to the catalyst transfer pipe; and   determine whether the first time period differs from a second time period of second sensor information corresponding to a different catalyst transfer pipe extending from the reactor to the catalyst collector,   wherein transmitting the command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe is based on the first time period differing from the second time period by more than a first threshold.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to:
 compute a first peak-to-valley amplitude of the first sensor information corresponding to the catalyst transfer pipe; and   determine whether the first peak-to-valley amplitude differs from a second peak-to-valley amplitude of third sensor information corresponding to the catalyst transfer pipe, the third sensor information received from a same sensor as the first sensor information,   wherein transmitting the command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe is based on the second peak-to-valley amplitude differing from the first peak-to-valley amplitude by more than a second threshold.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to:
 transmit the command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe based on the second peak-to-valley amplitude differing from the first peak-to-valley amplitude by more than the second threshold for more than a threshold number of cycles.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to:
 transmit the command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe based on the first time period differing from the second time period by more than the first threshold for more than a threshold number of cycles.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to:
 compute a first peak-to-valley amplitude of first sensor information corresponding to the catalyst transfer pipe; and   determine whether the first peak-to-valley amplitude differs from a second peak-to-valley amplitude of second sensor information corresponding to the catalyst transfer pipe, the second sensor information received from a same sensor as the first sensor information,   wherein transmitting the command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe is based on the second peak-to-valley amplitude differing from the first peak-to-valley amplitude by more than a threshold.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to:
 increase a pressure differential across the catalyst transfer pipe, the pressure differential determined based on a first pressure at an inlet of the catalyst transfer pipe and a second pressure at an outlet of the catalyst transfer pipe.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to:
 generate, for display, a representation of the catalyst transfer pipe; and   in response to determining that the catalyst transfer pipe is experiencing plugging, update the representation of the catalyst transfer pipe to visually show that the catalyst transfer pipe is experiencing plugging.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least one of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, or a flow sensor. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to:
 based on the analyzed sensor data, trigger an alarm to indicate that the catalyst transfer pipe is plugging.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to:
 based on analyzing the sensor data, determine that the catalyst transfer pipe is plugging; and   send, to a remote device, an alert indicating that the catalyst transfer pipe is plugging.   
     
     
         12 . Non-transitory computer-readable media storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:
 receive sensor data collected by one or more sensors affixed to a catalyst transfer pipe that extends from a reactor to a catalyst collector, the catalyst transfer pipe configured to enable flow of solid catalyst from the reactor to the catalyst collector;   analyze the sensor data to determine a flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe; and   based on analyzing the sensor data to determine the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe, transmit a command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe by adjusting a valve of the catalyst collector.   
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 12 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the system to:
 based on the sensor data, compute a first time period of first sensor information corresponding to the catalyst transfer pipe; and   determine whether the first time period differs from a second time period of second sensor information corresponding to a different catalyst transfer pipe extending from the reactor to the catalyst collector,   wherein transmitting the command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe is based on the first time period differing from the second time period by more than a first threshold.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to:
 compute a first peak-to-valley amplitude of the first sensor information corresponding to the catalyst transfer pipe; and   determine whether the first peak-to-valley amplitude differs from a second peak-to-valley amplitude of third sensor information corresponding to the catalyst transfer pipe, the third sensor information received from a same sensor as the first sensor information,   wherein transmitting the command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe is based on the second peak-to-valley amplitude differing from the first peak-to-valley amplitude by more than a second threshold for more than a threshold number of cycles.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to:
 transmit the command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe based on the first time period differing from the second time period by more than the first threshold for more than a threshold number of cycles.   
     
     
         16 . A method comprising:
 receiving, by a computing device, sensor data collected by one or more sensors affixed to a catalyst transfer pipe that extends from a reactor to a catalyst collector, the catalyst transfer pipe configured to enable flow of solid catalyst from the reactor to the catalyst collector;   analyzing, by the computing device, the sensor data to determine a flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe; and   based on analyzing the sensor data to determine the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe, transmitting, by the computing device, a command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe by adjusting a valve of the catalyst collector.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , comprising:
 based on the sensor data, computing a first time period of first sensor information corresponding to the catalyst transfer pipe; and   determining whether the first time period differs from a second time period of second sensor information corresponding to a different catalyst transfer pipe extending from the reactor to the catalyst collector,   wherein transmitting the command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe is based on the first time period differing from the second time period by more than a first threshold.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , comprising:
 computing a first peak-to-valley amplitude of the first sensor information corresponding to the catalyst transfer pipe; and   determining whether the first peak-to-valley amplitude differs from a second peak-to-valley amplitude of third sensor information corresponding to the catalyst transfer pipe, the third sensor information received from a same sensor as the first sensor information,   wherein transmitting the command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe is based on the second peak-to-valley amplitude differing from the first peak-to-valley amplitude by more than a second threshold for more than a threshold number of cycles.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , comprising:
 transmitting the command to adjust the flow rate through the catalyst transfer pipe based on the first time period differing from the second time period by more than the first threshold for more than a threshold number of cycles.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , comprising:
 based on analyzing the sensor data, determining that the catalyst transfer pipe is plugging; and   sending, to a remote device, an alert indicating that the catalyst transfer pipe is plugging.