Imperial Chemical Industries Limited

David G Shipley

Martin Fowles

Patrick J Denny

Warwick J Lywood

Samuel David Jackson

Frank King

An exothermic oxidation process wherein a rotating bed containing a variable oxidation state material is cycled through a succession of stages including an oxidative regeneration stage including a step wherein an oxidising fluid is passed through the bed, and a reaction stage wherein feedstock is passed through the bed, whereby said feedstock is oxidised to give products stream with the concurrent reduction of the convertible material to its lower oxidation state. The process can further include a stage wherein cooling fluid is passed through the bed.

Exothermic process

A combustion process, e.g. for a gas turbine, comprises catalytically combusting part of a fuel/air feed in a preliminary catalyst body which has through passages and supports, or is composed of, a catalyst active for the combustion of the fuel. The resultant heated gas stream is then mixed with the remainder of the feed, and that mixture is combusted, e.g. catalytically in a main catalyst body. The amount of combustion occurring in the preliminary catalyst body is sufficient that combustion of the mixture of the heated gas stream and the remainder of the feed can be sustained at the desired operating conditions. Under those desired operating conditions combustion of the feed could not be sustained in the absence of the heating given by the combustion in the preliminary catalyst body. There may be more than one preliminary catalyst body. The preliminary catalyst body or bodies may also be provided with passages wherein combustion does not take place under the desired operating conditions so that those passages act as a bypass. Preferably the combustion passages of at least the first preliminary catalyst body are of such size, that at the normal operating conditions, the flow therethrough is laminar, whereas the flow through the passages of the main catalyst body, where employed, is turbulent.

Catalytic combustion process

Low temperature desulphurization process using a bed of zinc oxide-containing absorbent in which the water content within the bed is temporarily increased, thereby increasing the sulphur absorption capacity of the absorbent.

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Stockton-on-Tees, United Kingdom

David G Shipley