A reactor tank is provided having an enzyme inlet, a heating jacket positioned around the exterior center of the tank, a gas outlet for communicating with a vacuum apparatus to create a vacuum within the reactor tank and for communicating with a condensing unit, a first gas inlet for receiving gas from a feed tank and a first liquid outlet for recirculating the liquid from the first liquid outlet back to the feed tank. The reactor tank further includes a sparged unit and a screen positioned within the tank between the sparged unit and the first liquid outlet, where the sparged unit is connected to the first gas inlet for receiving gas from the feed tank. The reactor tank is utilized in a reactor system further including a condensing unit, vacuum pump or venturi valve, a first feed tank connected to the first gas inlet, a coalescer having at least one circulation pipe and a first circulation pump connected to the first liquid outlet for circulating a portion of the liquid dispelled from the liquid outlet to the coalescer, which after being filtered through coalescer is recirculated through circulation pipe back to the first feed tank.

Systems and methods are provided for improving the operation of groups of reverse flow reactors by operating reactors in a regeneration portion of the reaction cycle to have improved flue gas management. The flue gas from reactor(s) at a later portion of the regeneration step can be selectively used for recycle back to the reactors as a diluent/heat transport fluid. The flue gas from a reactor earlier in a regeneration step can be preferentially used as the gas vented from the system to maintain the desired volume of gas within the system. This results in preferential use of higher temperature flue gas for recycle and lower temperature flue gas for venting from the system. This improved use of flue gas within a reaction system including reverse flow reactors can allow for improved reaction performance while reducing or minimizing heat losses during the regeneration portion of the reaction cycle.

A reactor for gas-liquid mass transfer between a gas and a liquid or slurry includes a tank for receiving the liquid or slurry having a wall; a drive shaft; an upward pumping impeller; and an aerating apparatus disposed above the upward pumping impeller and extending between the drive shaft and the wall of the tank at a first distance (d1) from the drive shaft and at a second distance (d2) from the wall of the tank, the aerating apparatus encircling the drive shaft at least partially. The aerating apparatus has an outward inclined or curved inner surface for directing at least a part of the flow over the inner surface.

An air-stirred tank reactor (ASTR) and methods of use thereof are described herein. The ASTR is equipped with an impeller or set of impellers that mechanically mixes a liquid culture, as well as sparges gas into the liquid medium. The impeller can further have lighting sources that can illuminate the liquid culture. Unlike conventional bioreactors, the ASTR provides superior liquid mixing, efficient gas mass transfer, and a low-shear culture environment through appropriate impeller rotational speed and sparging rate.

The present invention relates to a distributor and a down flow catalytic reactor comprising same, and according to one aspect of the present invention, provides a distributor comprising: an inside downcomer which has a first flow space; an outside downcomer which is disposed so as to surround at least some area of the inside downcomer, and has a second flow space partitioned from the first flow space of the inside downcomer; and a cap which has a plurality of slots and is mounted on the inside or the outside downcomer so as to enable a fluid that has passed through the slots to flow to at least one flow space among the first flow space and the second flow space.

Provided is a fluidized bed reactor (1) that makes it possible to stably measure a temperature distribution in the fluidized bed reactor (1) while no damage is caused to a temperature measuring section. Provided is a fluidized bed reactor (1) configured to generate trichlorosilane by reacting metallurgical grade silicon powder and hydrogen chloride gas, the fluidized bed reactor (1) including: a reaction vessel (10); and a plurality of temperature measuring sections (50), provided on an outer surface of the reaction vessel (10), each for measuring a temperature inside the reaction vessel (10).

A hydrogenation method for increasing the yield of cyclohexane-1,4-dicarboxylic acid diisooctyl ester is provided. The hydrogenation method uses a hydrogenating reaction tank, which is equipped with a hollow-shaft gas-introducing mixer having air-extracting, air-exhausting and mixing functions, to allow hydrogen gas to be uniformly dispersed in a reaction solution. A ruthenium-on-alumina (Ru/Al.sub.2O.sub.3) hydrogenation catalyst can be used for carrying out a hydrogenation reaction under gentle conditions. Therefore, the hydrogenation catalyst can be used in a reduced amount, the risk of side reaction(s) can be reduced, and the yield of cyclohexane-1,4-dicarboxylic acid diisooctyl ester can reach at least 99% with a cis isomer proportion of at least 85.0%. The hydrogenation method shows extremely high economic benefit.

It has been discovered that the efficiency of asphalt blow stills (reactor columns) can be improved by filling the blow still with various types of packing material, such as metal or glass spheres (or other rigid materials). The packing material acts to reduce air bubble size and improve the dispersion of the air bubbles throughout the asphalt. This increases the total surface area per unit volume of the air bubbles and promotes a faster processing time. The packing material also increases the contact time between the air bubbles and the asphalt which further results in improved efficiency and reduced blow times. This is beneficial because faster processing times can be achieved resulting in more efficient use of equipment, higher levels of productivity, lower energy requirements, cost savings, reduced blow loss, and reduced thermal history to which the asphalt is exposed.

A system and method of continuous production of methanol is disclosed utilizing enriched syngas and a homogenous liquid catalyst comprising an organo-nickel compound, an ether solvent, and an organic methoxide salt. The syngas is directed into a reaction chamber in such a way as to maximize the gas-liquid interface (e.g., an eductor nozzle or bubble column) while two condensers receive tail gas and reactant fluid from the reaction chamber, the latter after undergoing flash separation. Liquid catalyst is recovered and recycled back into the system via the second condenser.

A system and method of continuous production of methanol is disclosed utilizing enriched syngas and a homogenous liquid catalyst comprising an organo-nickel compound, an ether solvent, and an organic methoxide salt. The syngas is directed into a reaction chamber in such a way as to maximize the gas-liquid interface (e.g., an eductor nozzle or bubble column) while two condensers receive tail gas and reactant fluid from the reaction chamber, the latter after undergoing flash separation. Liquid catalyst is recovered and recycled back into the system via the second condenser.