Fouling tolerant fixed bed reactor with multi-tier bypass device

摘要

The invention is directed to a multi-tier bypass apparatus for extending the operating life of fixed bed reactors. The multi-tier bypass may be disposed within a fixed catalyst bed to allow any fluid feedstock to bypass successive layers of the fixed catalyst bed as they foul. The invention also relates to an improved fixed bed reactor comprising the inventive multi-tier bypass and a method for extending the operating life of a fixed bed reactor.