Small solid particles may be changed or loaded into a vertical vessel to form within the vessel single or multiple beds of such particles. For example, solid adsorbents or packing may be charged to a column or solid catalysts may be changed to a reactor.
Formerly, such solid materials have been charged to a particular vessel by such methods as loading buckets, pouring, or the "sock" method. By this "sock" method, a hopper containing the solid particles is connected to the vessel to be charged by an attached hose, which hose extends down into the reactor near its bottom or to the surface of the solid particles being introduced into the vessel. The solid particles are released from the bottom of the hose by slowly elevating the hose. The bed of solid particles that is formed in the vessel develops a cone at its upper surface. As the solid particles are loaded into the vessel, the bed of solid particles is more or less uniformly distributed over the cross-sectional area of the vessel by raking. By this method of loading solid particles, such as catalyst particles, voids will inherently form in the bed as it is produced in the vessel. Such voids result in non-uniform bed densities. The cone can be avoided by having a man slowly guide the bottom of the hose or "sock" and uniformly fill the reactor; however, non-uniform densities still occur.
Subsequently, small solid particles have been charged to various vessels by means of a catalyst or particle loading device or apparatus, such as the apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,854,637. For such an apparatus to provide a more uniform bed of solid particles, the distributing plate or baffle at the bottom of the apparatus must remain horizontal. If it does not, non-uniformity of the particle bed will develop.
It has now been found that the apparatus for loading solid particles into a vertical vessel, whatever the apparatus may be, will be maintained in such a position that its distributing plate or baffle will remain in a horizontal position, if the apparatus that is described hereinafter is employed.