There is herein described a process and apparatus for partial oxidation of hydrocarbons. More particularly, there is described a process and an isothermal reactor apparatus for the partial oxidation of methane which comprises a heat transfer surface, a porous catalytic membrane and wherein heat is dissipated and/or removed through the heat transfer surface.

In the operation of an oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) process, it is desirable to remove oxygen in the product stream for a number of reasons, including to reduce oxidation of the product. This may be achieved by having several pre-reactors upstream of the main reactor having a catalyst system containing labile oxygen. The feed passes through one or more reactors saturated with labile oxygen. When the labile oxygen is consumed through a valve system, the pre-reactor accepts product from the main reactor and complexes reactive oxygen in the product stream until the catalyst system is saturated with labile oxygen. Then the reactor becomes a pre-reactor and another pre-reactor becomes a scavenger.

In general, disclosed herein are methods for forming hydrogen by use of an ammonia decomposition catalyst system. For instance, a method can include contacting a catalyst system with an ammonia source at a temperature of about 450 C. or lower. The catalyst systems can include a support material and a trimetallic catalyst component carried on the support material and within a reactor. Disclosed catalyst systems can decompose ammonia at relatively low temperatures and can provide an efficient and cost-effective route to utilization of ammonia as a carbon-free hydrogen storage and generation material.

A horizontal radial-flow reactor comprising a horizontal reaction vessel including an annular cylindrical reaction space configured to contain a catalyst for processing a gaseous flow, the reactor comprising a plurality of gas permeable scallops which surround said reaction space and are arranged to distribute or collect said gaseous flow into or from said reaction space, wherein said gas permeable scallops are distributed circumferentially around an outer boundary of the reaction space, including a gap in the array of scallops where shrinkage of the catalyst can occur while maintaining the symmetry of the catalyst distribution and a port in communication with said gap to load or unload a catalyst into or from said reaction space.