Sasol Technology Proprietary Limited

Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.

Roy W Silverman

James Harding Beech, Jr

Nicolas P Coute

Michael Peter Nicoletti

Jeffrey Scott Smith

James H Beech

Herman Gerhardus Nel

Umesh K Jayaswal

Charles O Bolthrunis

Domenic C Ferrari

David H Jones

Andr&eacute; Peter Steynberg

The invention concerns methods and systems for minimizing back-mixing of feedstock flow in converting oxygenates to olefins. In one embodiment, back-mixing is reduced by providing a reactor that includes baffles to reduce the hydraulic diameter of at least a portion of the reactor. Some or all of the baffles can also serve as cooling tubes for reducing temperature gradients in the reactor, and thereby maximize light olefin production.

Oxygenate-to-olefin conversions in a baffled reactor

A process for producing liquid and gaseous products from gaseous reactants. The process includes a) feeding a synthesis gas stream of mainly carbon monoxide and hydrogen, as gaseous reactants, into a slurry bed of solid Fischer-Tropsch catalyst particles suspended in a suspension liquid, with the slurry bed being provided in a reaction zone, b) allowing the gaseous reactants to react, by means of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, as they pass upwardly through the slurry bed; c) withdrawing liquid phase from the slurry bed, to maintain the slurry bed at a desired level; d) allowing gaseous products and unreacted gaseous reactants to disengage from the slurry bed and to pass upwardly as a gas phase into a freeboard zone of a head space above the reaction zone; e) subjecting the gas phase to distillation; f) returning separated catalyst particles and liquid phase from the distillation zone and g) withdrawing treated gas phase from the head space.

Process for producing liquid and, optionally, gaseous products from gaseous reactants

A process for producing liquid and/or gaseous products from gaseous reactants includes feeding them, at a low level, into a slurry bed of particles suspended in a liquid, to react as they rise therethrough to form the products, with the reactants and any gaseous product assisting in maintaining the suspension. The liquid product forms, together with the suspension liquid, the liquid phase of the bed. Any gaseous product and unreacted reactants rise from the bed into a head space. Slurry passes downwardly in the bed through downcomers located respectively in first and second downcomer regions of the bed, thereby redistributing solid particles within the bed. The second downcomer region is spaced vertically with respect to the first downcomer region. Any gaseous product and unreacted reactants are withdrawn from the head space and liquid phase is withdrawn from the bed.

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Winchester, MA, United States of America

Roy W Silverman