After working with countless refineries, chemical and petrochemical plants and renewable energy operations, our team has extensive expertise in maximizing production from end users’ axial and radial reactors.
With nearly six decades of experience, Woven Metal Products (WMP) has evolved from a renowned metal fabrication company into a trusted solutions provider and partner. Our customers rely on us to help launch their capital projects and provide reliable support for maintenance needs.
We’ve worked with top licensors to create patented technology that can optimize functionality and address common damage issues. We also coach customers through preparation for turnarounds and outages.
I got my start in this industry working on turnarounds, and I’ve worked on hundreds of reactors. I’ve seen firsthand how every situation is unique and requires a custom approach. That’s why when WMP helps its customers troubleshoot situations like thermal expansion, hot spots or catalyst containment issues, what we recommend is custom to the unit, design and process.
We’ve designed and even patented technology alongside licensors to help maximize flow and distribution, increase catalyst utilization, ensure containment and enhance reliability.
When you work with WMP, our team helps you determine what optimization opportunities are best for your unit to debottleneck and increase throughput.
Whether you’re planning for a turnaround, revamp or providing replacement equipment for maintenance and repairs, coordinating a pre-inspection with our team makes the process smoother.
WMP can identify internals that need attention through photos, videos or an onsite inspection if needed. Providing maintenance records helps to identify trends in equipment issues, allowing us to plan for specific internal replacements or repairs.
We can manage replacement-in-kind internals or upgrades and handle your takeoffs, ensuring precise counts for hardware needs and other essential components.
When my grandfather founded WMP in 1967, he could hardly have imagined the technological advancements that now allow us to fabricate internals with such precision. The industry has come to rely on our team for feedback on the tightest achievable tolerances from a manufacturability perspective and for recommending custom tolerances tailored to each reactor.
Using our in-house software and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools, our engineering team designs process internals with incredible precision. Combined with our state-of-the-art processing equipment, we can fabricate to the tightest tolerances in the industry — all in-house and manufactured in the U.S.
Additionally, through our strong relationships with some of the top licensors in the business, we’ve developed innovative technologies that maximize production through mechanical upgrades. Here are some examples:
Axial reactors: Patented Outlet Support Grid (OSG). Each OSG is custom-made — fabrication time is as little as six weeks — and can be installed in sections through the existing manway with no welding required. The average installation time for a single reactor is typically two shifts within a 24-hour timeframe.
In terms of performance, WMP’s OSG design, developed with Topsoe, can reduce pressure by up to 75% compared to conventional systems, resulting in increased production capacity and energy savings. It is positioned lower in the base of the reactor, increasing the catalyst bed depth and boosting throughput.
Radial reactors: Patented scallop/center pipe optimization system. Developed with Axens, this technology uses CFD modeling to fine-tune the open area across the scallop and/or center pipe to meet the flows to optimize your process.
Radial reactors: Our proprietary scallop support distributor. Patented in 2020, our scallop support distributor options improve strength and reduce crushing throughout a scallop’s lifetime. Based on your mechanical needs, we insert a support distributor along the entire length of the scallop to substantially strengthen it from within.
When looking at these improvement opportunities, we consider the best scenario for prolonging reactor and catalyst life without impacting your process.
Let WMP put our experience and industry relationships to work for you to determine the best options for your reactor internals.
For more information, visit wovenmetal.com/contact.
