Exxon Research and Engineering Company

Costas A Coulaloglou

Jeffrey H Siegell

Frank Hershkowitz

Harry William Deckman

Russell J Koveal

Robert P Reynolds

Leonard Schoenman

Constantine P Gonatas

Jack I Ito

John W Fulton

A novel injector/reactor apparatus and an efficient process for the partial oxidation of light hydrocarbon gases, such as methane, to convert such gases to useful synthesis gas for subsequent hydrocarbon synthesis. Sources of a light hydrocarbon gas, such as methane, and oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas are preheated and pressurized and injected through an injector means at high velocity into admixture with each other in the desired proportions, preferably at comparable momentums, at a plurality of mixing nozzles which are open to the reaction zone of a reactor and are spaced over the face of the injector, to form a reactant gas premix having a pressure drop equal to at least 1% of the lowest upstream pressure of either of said gas streams. The gas premix is ejected in a time period which preferably is less than 9 milliseconds, at a velocity between about 25 to 1000 feet/second, into a reaction zone comprising a partial oxidation zone, so that the gas mixture reacts therein. The partially-oxidized effluent is then passed into a steam reforming catalyst zone to reduce the amounts of CO.sub.2, H.sub.2 O and heat produced by the partial oxidation reaction to form the useful syngas, which is cooled, recovered and/or further processed.

Multi-injector autothermal reforming process and apparatus for producing

In a magnetically stabilized fluidized bed in which the bed particles continuously move transverse to the flow of the fluidizing fluid, the bed particles have increased fluidity when the bed is operated at or substantially near the locus of transition between the bubbling and stabilized regimes of said bed. More specifically, the particulate bed comprising a transverse flow magnetically stabilized fluidized bed process has greater fluidity when the bed is operated such that the ratio of the difference between the transition velocity and the operating velocity to the difference between the transition velocity and the normal minimum fluidization velocity ranges between -0.1 and +0.5. The increased fluidity facilitates the movement of solids within a vessel as well as the transfer of solids to other vessels. Stabilization of the bed, which prevents and substantially eliminates fluid bypassing and solids backmixing, may be effected externally by an applied magnetic field or internally by permanently magnetized magnetic particles within the bed. The present invention has application to a wide variety of processes (particularly separation and filtration-processes) wherein small size fluidizable, absorbent particles can be used without encountering the high pressure drops normally associated with non-stabilized beds.

Fluidity of a continuous transverse flow magnetically stabilized

The present invention relates to a process for continuous countercurrent contacting with magnetically stabilized fluidized beds. More particularly, the invention relates to the operation of a magnetically stabilized bed with continuous solid addition and removal. The bed particles which include a magnetizable component are stabilized against gas by-passing and solids back-mixing (except possibly for the flow or movement of the solids near entrance or exit ports or near fluid injection zones) during countercurrent contacting by the use of an applied magnetic field. The process of the invention is particularly suited for carrying out separation processes. The use of the applied magnetic field in such processes enables one to use small size fluidizable, adsorbent particles without encountering high pressure drops. The small adsorbent particles having a magnetic component give faster transfer of the sorbed species from the contacting fluid than with larger adsorbent particles which allows for a closer approach to equilibrium.

Continuous countercurrent fluid-solids contacting process stabilized by

A process for the stabilization of a fluidized bed against bubble formation which process comprises a vessel, a plurality of permanently magnetized particles dispersed throughout the bed, and means for fluidizing said particles. The particles are designated as permanently magnetized by virtue of their possessing a coercivity of at least 50 oersteds. The permanently magnetized particles exert magnetic attractive forces upon one another, thereby imparting stability to the fluidized bed. In these beds, fluid throughput rates which are up to 10 or more times the flow rate of said fluid at incipient fluidization of the unmagnetized particles can be achieved with little or no bubbling and at bed pressure drops equal to bed weight.

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Morristown, NJ, United States of America

Costas A Coulaloglou