A reactor tube for a tubular reactor and a retaining device associated with the reactor tube; the reactor tube comprising an elongate tube defining a bore for receiving in use a catalyst and having an outlet at one end of the bore for discharging the catalyst out of the bore; the retaining device being configured to be rotatable between a first position and a second position; wherein in the first position the retaining device at least partially obstructs the outlet for retaining the catalyst within the bore; and in the second position the outlet is unobstructed sufficiently for permitting discharge of the catalyst out of the outlet.

The object of the present invention relates to a rotating drum for infeeding material by gravity to its interior, which can be used both inside a vessel that could be subjected to pressure or not, such as for example for the treatment of solid waste with water vapour, and externally for all types of equipment that require infeeding material to a rotating drum for the transportation and tumbling thereof, wherein due to the special configuration thereof it does not require an independent device for infeeding material to the rotating drum.

The reaction rate of hydrocarbon pyrolysis can be increased to produce solid carbon and hydrogen by the use of molten materials which have catalytic functionality to increase the rate of reaction and physical properties that facilitate the formation and contamination-free separation of the solid carbon. Processes, materials, reactor configurations, and conditions are disclosed whereby methane and other hydrocarbons can be decomposed at high reaction rates into hydrogen gas and carbon products without any carbon oxides in a single reaction step. The process also makes use of specific properties of selected materials with unique solubilities and/or wettability of products into (and/or by) the molten phase to facilitate generation of purified products and increased conversion in more general reactions.

A process for maintaining an optimum polymerization process in a continuous loop polymerization reactor by driving a catalyst feed range set-point around a bad catalyst set-point range using a bad catalyst feed rate program to vary the catalyst feed rate for differing periods of time between previously determined good catalyst feed rates.

A method of installing a temperature measuring device inside a reactor tube while filling the tube with catalyst is provided. The method includes inserting a positioning system, including a single inflatable bladder connected at a central location to a centering ring, into a reactor tube, the reactor tube comprising a distal end and a proximal end. Then inserting the centering ring around the temperature measurement device. Then locating the positioning system at a first predetermined distance from the distal end, and inflating the single inflatable bladder, thereby centering the centering ring and the temperature measurement device within the SMR tube. Then introducing catalyst into the SMR tube, thereby enclosing the temperature measurement device in catalyst.

A device for centering a temperature measurement device inside a reactor tube that will be filled with catalyst, including multiple inflatable bladders mechanically and fluidically attached to a centering ring.

A method of installing a temperature measuring device inside a reactor tube while filling the tube with catalyst is provided. The method includes inserting a positioning system, including multiple inflatable bladders connected at a central location to a centering ring, into reactor tube, the reactor tube comprising a distal end and a proximal end. Then inserting a temperature measurement device into the centering ring. Locating the positioning system at a first predetermined distance from the distal end. Then inflating the multiple inflatable bladders, thereby centering the centering ring and the temperature measurement device within the SMR tube, and introducing catalyst into the SMR tube, thereby enclosing the temperature measurement device in catalyst.

A device for rapidly preparing β-Si3N4 by gas-solid reaction and a method thereof, and relates to the technical field of recycling and reuse of waste fine silicon powder. The bottom of a stock bin communicates with a first opening and closing passage, a first connection passage, and the top of a first transitional bin; the bottom of the first transitional bin communicates with the first opening and closing passage, a second connection passage, and the top of a reaction bin; the bottom of the reaction bin communicates with a second opening and closing passage, the first connection passage, and the top of a second transitional bin; the bottom of the second transitional bin communicates with the top of a conveying passage through the first opening and closing passage; a material outlet of the conveying bin communicates with the collection bin.

A meter for controlling the flow of feedstock from an in-feed hopper to a distillation unit, including a cylindrical roller having a first end, a second end, and an outer diameter, the roller defining a recess that extends helically substantially from the first end to the second end, a sleeve circumscribing a portion of the outer diameter of the cylindrical roller, the sleeve having an open first side that allows the passage of feedstock into the recess of the roller, and an open second side that allows the passage of feedstock out of the recess of the roller as the roller rotates relative to the sleeve, and a housing fixedly attached to the sleeve and capable of attachment to the in-feed hopper and the distillation unit such that feedstock must pass through the housing to get from the in-feed hopper to the distillation unit.

A method of producing a composite product is provided. The method includes providing a fluidized bed of carbon-based particles in a fluidized bed reactor, providing a catalyst or catalyst precursor in the fluidized bed reactor, providing a carbon source in the fluidized bed reactor for growing carbon nanotubes, growing carbon nanotubes in a carbon nanotube growth zone of the fluidized bed reactor, and collecting a composite product comprising carbon-based particles and carbon nanotubes.