Imperial Chemical Industries Limited

Ralph J Doy

Sydney P Andrew

Charles Brian Blake

Brian Schofield

Rowland J Brierley

Stephen John Adams

Antony P Limbach

Ann San Liow

Neil David Shilling

James Malcolm Forsyth

Christopher Cowell

Jane Andrea Roberts

David L Cresswell

Eric W Sims

Raymond Davies

Peter J Whyman

Brian Dobson

Manfred O Engel

Stuart G Trotter

A catalytic process and apparatus therefor for the manufacture of hydrogen cyanide. In the process an oxygen rich oxidant stream and at least one oxidant-free feed steam containing methane and ammonia are separately preheated and rapidly mixed to form a detonable mixed stream at a temperature which is at least 50&deg; C. below the autoignition temperature of the mixed stream. The mixed stream is then conveyed to a catalyst capable of catalysing the formation of hydrogen cyanide at such a velocity that detonation is avoided. The process is more energy efficient and gives rise to an effluent stream containing more hydrogen than the conventional Andrussow process.

Hydrogen cyanide process and apparatus therefor

A catalytic process and apparatus therefor for the manufacture of hydrogen cyanide. In the process an oxygen rich oxidant stream and at least one oxidant-free feed stream containing methane and ammonia are separately preheated and rapidly mixed to form a detonable mixed stream at a temperature which is at least 50&deg; C. below the autoignition temperature of the mixed stream. The mixed stream is then conveyed to a catalyst capable of catalyzing the formation of hydrogen cyanide at such a velocity that detonation is avoided. The process is more energy efficient and gives rise to an effluent stream containing more hydrogen than the conventional Andrussow process.

Water present in a hot gaseous product stream from a reactor system A.B (FIG. 1) containing hydrogen fluoride is separated from the stream in order to eliminate a potentially corrosive combination of water and HF. The water is removed by contacting the gaseous product stream with liquid HF in a distillation column so as to obtain a bottoms product containing liquid HF and water and a top product containing dry HF and the product to be recovered. The invention encompasses the separation process, a vessel for carrying out the process (FIGS. 2 to 4), a control system for the liquid HF supply to the distillation column (FIGS. 5 and 6) and a recovery system for recovering HF employed during operation of the reactor system in different regimes employing HF as a fluorination agent, as a diluent during catalyst regeneration and/or catalyst prefluorination (FIG. 7).

Water separation process

A process wherein a liquid influent stream containing such an amount of a reactant that decomposition thereof to a desired concentration evolves, at the prevailing pressure and temperature, at least 0.5 volumes of gas per volume of the influent stream, is continuously passed through a volume of a particulate catalyst that is sufficient to decompose said reactant to said desired concentration and the evolved gas rises to the surface of said liquid and disengages therefrom into a gas space above said liquid, thereby providing an effluent stream having said desired concentration of said reactant. In order that back mixing of the effluent stream with said influent stream is avoided, the catalyst is disposed in a plurality of serially connected reaction volumes, each of which has a liquid surface from which evolved gas can disengage into the gas space, and the extent of reaction in each of said reaction volumes is limited by providing that the depth of catalyst in each reaction volume is such that the rate at which gas disengages from the liquid surface of each reaction volume is less than 0.05 m.sup.3.s.sup.-1 per m.sup.2 of the liquid surface of that reaction volume.

Liquid phase reaction process

Water present in a hot gaseous product stream from a reactor system A,B (FIG. 1 ) containing hydrogen fluoride is separated from the stream in order to eliminate a potentially corrosive combination of water and HF. The water is removed by contacting the gaseous product stream with liquid HF in a distillation column so as to obtain a bottoms product containing liquid HF and water and a top product containing dry HF and the product to be recovered. The invention encompasses the separation process, a vessel for carrying out the process (FIGS. 2 to 4), a control system for the liquid HF supply to the distillation column (FIGS. 5 and 6) and a recovery system for recovering HF employed during operation of the reactor system in different regimes employing HF as a fluorination agent, as a diluent during catalyst regeneration and/or catalyst prefluorination (FIG. 7 ).

An inductively heatable reactor for effecting fluid phase chemical processes. The reactor comprises an inductively heatable, fluid permeable reactor element having at least one solid block in which is provided a plurality of fluid conveying ducts which extend through the reactor element in a substantially parallel arrangement from one end face thereof to the other.

Reactors for effecting chemical processes

In an exothermic reaction the reactants are passed through a fixed catalyst bed through which heat exchange tubes pass, reactants are flowed transversely to the tubes, heated by a first group of tubes and cooled by a second group of tubes, heat exchange fluid being passed from the first group of tubes to the second. This reduces the need to preheat incoming reactants.

Chemical reactor and process

An apparatus for conducting an endothermic catalytic reaction wherein closed ended, i.e., double pass, externally heated reformer tubes are employed. The inner return tube are insulated so that there is only a small temperature drop between the reacted gas leaving the catalyst zone and entering the return tubes and the gas leaving the return tubes. The outer, closed end, tubes preferably have fins to increase the surface area, and are surrounded by sheaths through which a heating medium passes. The heating medium is preferably hot gas obtained by subjecting the primary reformed gas to secondary reforming.

Apparatus for steam reforming hydrocarbons

A process for producing a product gas stream containing hydrogen and carbon oxides by incomplete catalytic reaction of a hydrocarbon feedstock with steam and/or carbon dioxide. The process involves passing a reactants stream containing the feedstock and steam and/or carbon dioxide over a catalyst disposed in an elongated, externally heated, zone and withdrawing the product gas stream through a tube within that zone and countercurrently to the flow of the reactants stream over the catalyst. Heat exchange between the product gas stream and the reactants stream across the wall of the tube is limited so that the temperature of the product gas stream leaving the tube is less than that of the stream leaving the elongated zone by at most 100.degree. C. Apparatus for carrying out the process is also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Saltburn-by-the-Sea, United Kingdom

Ralph J Doy