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Robert C Mulvaney, Iii

Steven P Lankton

John Anthony Petri

Hemant W Dandekar

Kevin J Brandner

Jacques J L Romatier

Paul Anderson

Steven T Arakawa

Stephen A McColl

Anil Rajaram Oroskar

Terry L Marker

Joseph Edward Zimmermann

Franz-Marcus Nowak

An arrangement for a fluid distributor-contactor-type reactor uses perforated plates to circulate two reactants in alternate channels defined by spaces between parallel stacked plates to perform controlled distribution and mixing simultaneously with optional indirect heat transfer. One reactant enters one set of channels that serve as reaction channels. A set of second channels interleaved with the reaction channels serve as distribution channels that also provide a heat exchange function. Finely dispersed openings in the perforated plates distribute the reactant at low concentration from the distribution channels into the reaction channels. Dispersal of the reactant through the perforations will enhance the turbulence that is primarily introduced by the corrugated plates to insure good mixing of the reactants in the reaction channels. The pattern and size of the holes on the perforated plates may be varied as desired to disperse a carefully controlled amount of fluid across the plates over a large surface area. By maintaining a low addition rate of injected fluid reactant over the contact area, the concentration of the added reactant in the reaction channels may be kept as low as desired. The plates are preferably corrugated to introduce increased turbulence for promoting better distribution and dispersion of the fluids as one fluid is injected across the perforations. The corrugation angles can also be varied to suit the fluid flow properties of the fluid reactant and in particular varied over the height of the contacting zone to vary fluid residence time over different parts of the plates.

Controlled reactant injection with permeable plates

A process and apparatus for indirectly exchanging heat with narrow channel in a heat exchange type reaction zone uses manifold space to interconnect the common ends of channels and to provide controlled distribution of additional reactants. The invention simplifies the operation and construction of the heat exchanging type reaction zone by directly communicating reaction channels and/or heating channels with a manifold located at the end of the channels. The manifold can provides the extra function of mixing additional reactants. The invention promotes simplified intermediate injection of reactants over tube and shell heat transfer arrangements that have been used for similar purposes. Improved process control has particular benefits for exothermic reactions. The narrow channels are preferably defined by corrugated plates. The reaction channels will contain a catalyst for the promotion of the primary reaction.

Process and apparatus for interbed injection in plate reactor arrangement

An apparatus for contacting reactants with a particulate catalyst while indirectly contacting the reactants with a heat exchange medium amid simultaneous exchange of catalyst particles by an operation that sequentially restricts reactant flow while moving catalyst through reaction stacks in which the reactant flow has been restricted. The apparatus permits a change out of catalyst in a channel type reactor arrangement that would normally restrict catalyst flow during operation. Moving catalyst through a heat exchange type reactor having reactant and heat exchange channels permits control of catalyst activity as well as temperatures.

Apparatus for controlling reaction temperatures

A process and apparatus for indirectly heating an endothermic reaction by combustion of reactants or products from the endothermic reaction using a plate heat exchange arrangement in a highly efficient manner. This invention is particularly suited for processes such as the production of styrene or synthesis gas. When producing synthesis gas, oxidizing reactants in a secondary reforming step generates heat for a primary reforming step and the process improves selectivity and yield with a highly efficient heat exchange step that uses narrow channel for indirect heat exchange. The narrow channels are preferably defined by corrugated plates. The primary reaction channels will contain a catalyst for the promotion of the primary reaction such as steam reforming or ethylbenzene dehydrogenation. The secondary heating step may be performed outside of the heat exchange channels with hot effluent gases passing through the heat exchange channels to provide heat to the primary reaction step or the secondary reaction channels may contain combustion promoting catalyst to generate the heat in-situ.

Process and apparatus using plate arrangement for combustive reactant heating

A process and apparatus produces reaction products by indirectly preheating and heating reactants by indirect heat exchange. The use of the preheating step simplifies the reaction zone design by eliminating the need for external exchangers and is particularly suited for an arrangement of plates that defines narrow channels for indirect heat exchange. The narrow channels are preferably defined by corrugated plates. The primary reaction channels will contain a catalyst for the promotion of the desired reaction product from the principal reactants. The heating fluid passes through adjacent heating channels defined by shared partition plates to provide indirect heating. At least a portion of the heating channels exchange heat with a non-catalytic portion of the reaction channels to preheat the reactants ahead of a catalytic section of the reaction channels. Catalytic combustion within the heating channels may provide in-situ heat input for the heating medium. Suitable catalysts for the heating channels may comprise oxidation promoting catalysts.

Process and apparatus using plate arrangement for reactant heating and

A channel reactor arrangement and a process uses a heat exchange fluid with a high thermal density to indirectly heat or cool the reactants by indirect heat exchange. The system brings the efficiency of plate reactor arrangements to the effectiveness of high heat capacity heat exchange fluids such as molten salts and liquid metals. The channel reactor arrangement maintains a limited temperature gradient through the channels at all points to improve process selectivity. This type of arrangement is of a particular advantage where the reaction zone uses a heterogeneous catalyst system within a heat exchanging reaction section. The plate and channel heat transfer arrangement is particularly beneficial because of its high surface area provided per unit volume of channels. The high surface area of plates is particularly beneficial for heat transfer fluids having a high thermal density since the mass flow of the fluid, for lower thermal density fluids, will often end up being the limiting heat input variable where the approach temperature between the heat exchange channels and reaction channels is limited. Highly exothermic processes such as oxidation reactions or endothermic processes such as dehydrogenation achieve the most benefit from this invention.

Process using plate exchanger with high thermal density heat transfer

An arrangement for a fluid distributor-contactor type reactor uses perforated plates to circulate two reactants in alternate channels defined by spaces between parallel stacked plates to perform controlled distribution and mixing simultaneously with optional indirect heat transfer. One reactant enters one set of channels that serve as reaction channels. A set of second channels interleaved with the reaction channels serve as distribution channels that also provide a heat exchange function. Finely dispersed openings in the perforated plates distribute the reactant at low concentration from the distribution channels into the reaction channels. Dispersal of the reactant through the perforations will enhance the turbulence that is primarily introduced by the corrugated plates to insure good mixing of the reactants in the reaction channels. The pattern and size of the holes on the perforated plates may be varied as desired to disperse a carefully controlled amount of fluid across the plates over a large surface area. By maintaining a low addition rate of injected fluid reactant over the contact area, the concentration of the added reactant in the reaction channels may be kept as low as desired. The plates are preferably corrugated to introduce increased turbulence for promoting better distribution and dispersion of the fluids as one fluid is injected across the perforations. The corrugation angles can also be varied to suit the fluid flow properties of the fluid reactant and in particular varied over the height of the contacting zone to vary fluid residence time over different parts of the plates.

A channel reactor arrangement and a process that uses a high heat capacity heat exchange liquid to indirectly heat or cool by indirect heat exchange. The channel reactor arrangement maintains a pressure gradient through the channels and a pressure differential between the reaction channels and the heat exchange channels at all points to preserve the integrity of the plates defining the channels and to prevent any leakage of high heat capacity liquids into the reaction channels. The system brings the efficiency of plate reactor arrangements to the effectiveness of high heat capacity heat exchange fluids such as molten salts and liquid metals. The process overcomes the problem of low heat exchange pressure drop in combination with high reactant pressure drop by creating a negative pressure differential from reactant channels to the heat exchange channels. Proper control of the pressure drop maintains a positive pressure differential at all locations between the reactant channels and heat exchange channels to prevent any backflow of the heat exchange fluid into the reactant channels while maintaining the overall pressure differential between the channels within suitable limits for plate reactor arrangements. Highly exothermic processes such as oxidation reactions or endothermic processes such as dehydrogenation achieve the most benefit from this invention.

Arrangement and process for indirect heat exchange with high heat

A method for purifying liquid metal heat exchange fluids uses a contacting drum in combination with purifiers to control metal hydride precipitation in a process with high hydrogen permeation. The contacting drum receives a slip stream of a circulating liquid metal stream and removes hydrogen from dissolved hydride by providing a high interfacial surface area and sufficient temperature for hydride decomposition under vacuum conditions. The liquid metal with a reduced hydride level may be returned to the circulating heat exchange stream or undergo further purification by hydride precipitation and filtration in a cold trap. The drum may be integrated with the cold traps to decompose re-dissolved hydride from a regenerant stream that dissolves precipitated hydride from the cold traps.

Hydride removal method for liquid metal heat exchange fluid in high

A method for removing oxides from a liquid metal heat exchange fluid following the initial startup of the heat exchange system fixes oxygen by locating an oxygen scavenging material in a drain tank. During initial fabrication and periods of maintenance metal surfaces of the conduits, heat exchange elements and other equipment become coated with an oxide layer. This invention eliminates the need for the sacrificial traps in the circulating system that are used to remove this initial oxide loading by placing an oxygen scavenging material in the drain tank. The drain tank is ordinarily provided to retain the inventory of liquid metal when it is not circulating in the heat exchange volume. A simple drain down of the liquid metal inventory can thereby remove from the liquid metal inventory essentially all of the oxide impurities that usually accompany an initial startup of such a system. As a result traps or other elements that were needed for this initial clean-up are unnecessary in the main circulation volume of the liquid metal.

Method and apparatus for initial purification of liquid metal heat

A process for contacting reactants with a particulate catalyst while indirectly contacting the reactants with a heat exchange medium amid simultaneous exchange of catalyst particles by an operation that sequentially restricts reactant flow while moving catalyst through reaction stacks in which the reactant flow has been restricted. The process permits a change out of catalyst in a channel type reactor arrangement that would normally restrict catalyst flow during operation. Moving catalyst through a heat exchange type reactor having reactant and heat exchange channels permits control of catalyst activity as well as temperatures.

Process for controlling reaction temperatures

A process is provided for the production of light olefins from an oxygenate feedstream. The oxygenate feedstream in the presence of a diluent is passed to a reaction zone containing a SAPO catalyst selective for the conversion of at least a portion of the feedstock into light olefins producing a reactor effluent comprising water, methane, and light olefins. The water is removed and the remaining reactor effluent is separated into a light fraction comprising methane and a light olefin stream. At least a portion of the light fraction is returned to be admixed with the feedstream as the diluent. This operation solves the problem of reducing water in the reaction zone which was found to adversely affect the activity of the catalyst.

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Arlington Heights, IL, United States of America

Robert C Mulvaney, Iii