BASF Catalysts

Technical Bulletin
BASF Catalyst R 3-12
Loading Guidelines

The following steps are recommended for filling the treater:

1. Before catalyst is charged, the vessel should be cleaned, leak-tested and inspected.
The inside walls and internals must be clean. The condition of the vessel should be
noted with respect to corrosion and wall thickness.

2. A suitable bed support must be installed before catalyst loading begins. See page 2 for
a typical bed support design.

3. Before charging catalyst to the vessel, it is recommended to mark the inside wall of the
vessel, e.g. with chalk or soap, at the targeted heights for the layers of support material
and catalyst respectively. This will facilitate the leveling of the bed, and help ensure
that the correct quantities of each material have been loaded.

4. The catalyst can be charged directly from drums or bags, or from a loading hopper.
The catalyst must not be allowed to free-fall more than 3 feet. The free-fall can be
controlled by loading through a funnel with attached hose ("sock-loading" technique).

5. If personnel must be inside the vessel during the filling operation or after catalyst has
been loaded, planks should be placed on top of the catalyst for the workers to stand
on. Treading directly on the catalyst should be avoided, as this would cause attrition of
the catalyst, forming fines in the catalyst bed.

6. Once all catalyst has been loaded into the vessel, the bed must be leveled carefully.

7. Finally, the hold-down layer of inert balls (see page 3) must be put in and leveled.

Important Note! Personal protective gear including gloves,

safety glasses and dust mask must be worn by all personnel
involved in the catalyst loading operation.

Chemical Intermediates -1- BASF

 BASF Catalysts
Technical Bulletin
BASF Catalyst R 3-12
Loading Guidelines

Bed support and hold-down illustration

Figure 1

Inert support balls,

Norton Denstone or
equivalent (see Fig. 2)

Catalyst R 3-12

Inert support balls,

Norton Denstone or
equivalent (see Fig. 3)

Chemical Intermediates -2- BASF

 BASF Catalysts
Technical Bulletin
BASF Catalyst R 3-12
Loading Guidelines

Bed support and hold-down illustration (continued)

Figure 2. Bed hold-down detail

150 mm of 25mm balls

TOP OF CATALYST
floating screen (optional)

Figure 3. Bed support detail

floating screen (optional)

CATALYST

75 mm of 6mm balls

75 mm of 12mm balls

Bottom head filled with

25mm balls, up to 50-75 mm
above the tangent line

Johnson Vee-wire screen with solid top plate

and 0.5mm slot opening, sized to provide at
least the same open area as the exit nozzle.

Chemical Intermediates -3- BASF