Patent ID: 7931739

Claim:
A process for removing agglomerated solids from a solids-containing stream, said process comprising: (a) passing said solids-containing stream from a first vessel to an agglomerate removal device via a first conduit, wherein said solids-containing stream comprises a plurality of solid particles and a plurality of solid agglomerates, wherein each of said agglomerates is formed from two or more solid particles that have fused together; (b) trapping at least a portion of said agglomerates in said agglomerate removal device to thereby provide a plurality of trapped agglomerates and an agglomerate-depleted stream; (c) passing at least a portion of said agglomerate-depleted stream to a second vessel via a second conduit; and (d) removing at least a portion of said trapped agglomerates from said agglomerate removal device, wherein said removing of step (d) is accomplished without physically decoupling said first conduit from said first vessel, wherein said removing of step (d) is accomplished without physically decoupling said first conduit from said agglomerate removal device, wherein said removing of step (d) is accomplished without physically decoupling said second conduit from said agglomerate removal device, and wherein said removing of step (d) is accomplished without physically decoupling said second conduit from said second vessel.