BASF Catalysts
Technical Bulletin
BASF Catalyst R5-12
Sock-Loading Procedure
The following guidelines are recommended for filling the reactor vessel with catalyst:
1. Before the catalyst charging begins, 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 support materials and catalyst 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 1 meter. The free-fall can be
controlled by loading through a funnel with hose attached ("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 standing on. Treading
directly on the catalyst should be avoided, to prevent attrition of the catalyst and form-
ation of fines in the 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 R5-12
Sock-Loading Procedure
Bed support and hold-down illustration
Figure 1
Inert support balls,
Norton Denstone or
equivalent (see Fig. 2)
Catalyst R5-12
Inert support balls,
Norton Denstone or
equivalent (see Fig. 3)
Chemical Intermediates - 2- BASF
BASF Catalysts
Technical Bulletin
BASF Catalyst R5-12
Sock-Loading Procedure
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