Imperial Chemical Industries Limited

Sydney P Andrew

Ralph J Doy

Antony P Limbach

James R Jennings

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

High surface area, e.g. precipitated, ammonia catalyst precursors are promoted with an alkali metal salt of a transition metal acid, e.g. potassium ferrate, ferrite, permanganate, ruthenate, chromate, or ferrocyanide. The use of such promoters in place of potassium carbonate enables the catalyst to be activated at lower temperatures thus reducing the risk of sintering of the active metal.

Catalysts for ammonia synthesis

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.

Steam reforming hydrocarbons

A method and apparatus to control the level of the air-to-fuel weight ratio in an internal combustion engine includes taking from the engine a sample stream of exhaust gas which is small enough not to effect significantly the composition of the engine inlet mixture and then equilibrating the sample stream gas by reacting together the therein contained oxygen and any unburnt combustibles to produce an equilibrated gas. An untreated sample of equilibrated gas and a sample treated by addition of combustible are then provided and the untreated sample and treated sample are passed separately in time through a reaction zone maintained in conditions effective to cause mutual reactions of the added combustible and oxygen. The reaction zone contains a resistance wire acting as a catalyst wherein the reaction takes place in the immediate vicinity of a temperature sensor. The temperatures attained respectively by the untreated sample and the treated sample are then measured electrically in the reaction zone and the electrical signals are stored and compared so as to obtain a difference signal upon comparison. The difference signal is then fed to a servo mechanism actuating a gasoline feed valve in the inlet of the engine whereby the air-to-fuel weight ratio is controlled.

Method and apparatus to control the level of the air-to-fuel weight

A fluid injection lozenge comprises two tubes supporting a perforate member forming a cage enclosing the space between the tubes. Each tube has a series of perforations along its length so that a fluid can be injected, through the tube, into the enclosed space. The lozenges are of use in catalytic converters of either the axial or radial flow design. In the case of a radial flow converter, a plurality of tubes are provided, preferably connected in pairs by the perforate members, to form a squirrel cage structure, disposed in the catalyst bed.

Catalytic converter with fluid injector for catalyst-free enclosure of

Cross-flow cooling tower with perforate member to catch wind borne spray from the packings.

Cooling towers

In a gas analysis method and apparatus especially suitable for controlling the inlet air to fuel ratio of a lean-running internal combustion engine, combustion effluent gas is divided into a plurality of part streams, there is added to a first part stream whichever of a combustible and a combustion-supporting constituent it is deficient in, combustion is effected and the temperature difference between the streams is measured. Preferably the temperature difference is measured by reference to the magnitude of the electric current required to heat an untreated part stream to the temperature of a part stream heated by combustion due to the added constituent. Preferably the temperature sensor used acts as a catalyst for the combustion and as a heating element, so that combustion takes place only in the vicinity thereof. Gas flow through the apparatus is preferably effected by a constant vacuum engine intake.

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Hartlepool, United Kingdom

Sydney P Andrew