A reactor design and configuration and a process for the catalytic dehydration of ethanol to ethylene where the reactor train is comprised of a multi-stage single reactor vessel or multiple reactor vessels wherein each stage and/or vessel has different length, internal diameter, and volume than the other stages and/or vessels and in addition the stages and/or reactor vessels are connected in series arrangement, preferably used with an improved means of introducing the ethanol feedstock and a heat carrying inert gas to the improved reactor train. The inert gas is heated in a separate furnace from the ethanol feed and then injected into the ethanol feed to supply the heat of reaction.

Processes for the production of olefins are disclosed, which may include: contacting a hydrocarbon mixture comprising linear butenes with an isomerization catalyst to form an isomerization product comprising 2-butenes and 1-butenes; contacting the isomerization product with a first metathesis catalyst to form a first metathesis product comprising 2-pentene and propylene, as well as any unreacted C.sub.4 olefins, and byproducts ethylene and 3-hexene; and fractionating the first metathesis product to form a C3− fraction and a C5 fraction comprising 2-pentene. The 2-pentene may then be advantageously used to produce high purity 1-butene, 3-hexene, 1-hexene, propylene, or other desired products.

Processes for the production of olefins are disclosed, which may include: contacting a hydrocarbon mixture comprising linear butenes with an isomerization catalyst to form an isomerization product comprising 2-butenes and 1-butenes; contacting the isomerization product with a first metathesis catalyst to form a first metathesis product comprising 2-pentene and propylene, as well as any unreacted C.sub.4 olefins, and byproducts ethylene and 3-hexene; and fractionating the first metathesis product to form a C3− fraction and a C5 fraction comprising 2-pentene. The 2-pentene may then be advantageously used to produce high purity 1-butene, 3-hexene, 1-hexene, propylene, or other desired products.

Proposed is a process for producing methanol from synthesis gas by means of multi-stage, for example 2-stage, heterogeneously catalyzed methanol synthesis, wherein the methanol product formed in every synthesis stage is removed by condensation and the remaining residual gas is applied to the downstream synthesis stage or after removal of a purge stream recycled to the first synthesis stage as a recycle stream. According to the invention a substream is removed from the synthesis gas fresh gas and introduced into the second methanol synthesis reactor as a bypass stream.

An apparatus is described, as including a reaction region for contacting a reactant gas with a reactive solid under conditions effective to form an intermediate product, and an opening for allowing an unreacted portion of the gaseous reagent and the intermediate product to exit the reaction region. The apparatus can be beneficially employed to form a final product as a reaction product of the intermediate product and the reactant gas. The reaction of the reactant gas and reactive solid can be conducted in a first reaction zone, with the reaction of the reactant gas and intermediate product conducted in a second reaction zone. In a specific implementation, the reaction of the reactant gas and intermediate product is reversible, and the reactant gas and intermediate product are flowed to the second reaction zone at a controlled rate or in a controlled manner, to suppress back reaction forming the reactive solid.

Disclosed herein is a system for recovering flash gas from an oil storage tank. In one example of the invention, the system may include a flexible storage tank that receives the flash gas and temporarily stores the flash gas; a compressor having an input receiving the flash gas from the flexible storage tank, the compressor compressing the flash gas to form compressed gas; and an oxygen reduction subsystem receiving the compressed gas, the oxygen reduction subsystem reducing an amount of oxygen from the compressed gas. In this manner, the resulting compressed oxygen-reduced gas that has been recovered can be injected into a sales gas line for use, under certain conditions.

Device for the mixing and distribution of fluids for a catalytic reactor with a downward flow, said device comprising at least one collection zone (A), at least one mixing zone (B) comprising at least one enclosure (15) for the mixing of the fluids, at least one distribution zone (C), characterized in that said mixing zone (B) is situated at the same level as the distribution zone (C) and also comprises at least one enclosure (16) for the exchange of the fluids, connected to, and communicating with, said mixing enclosure (15), said exchange enclosure (16) comprising at least one lateral passage section (17a, 17b) suitable for the passage of the fluids from said exchange enclosure (16) to said distribution zone (C).

A method for facilitating the distribution of the flow of one or more streams within a bed vessel is provided. Disposed within the bed vessel are internal materials and structures including multiple operating zones. One type of operating zone can be a processing zone composed of one or more beds of solid processing material. Another type of operating zone can be a treating zone. Treating zones can facilitate the distribution of the one or more streams fed to processing zones. The distribution can facilitate contact between the feed streams and the processing materials contained in the processing zones.

A method for facilitating the distribution of the flow of one or more streams within a bed vessel is provided. Disposed within the bed vessel are internal materials and structures including multiple operating zones. One type of operating zone can be a processing zone composed of one or more beds of solid processing material. Another type of operating zone can be a treating zone. Treating zones can facilitate the distribution of the one or more streams fed to processing zones. The distribution can facilitate contact between the feed streams and the processing materials contained in the processing zones.

Described is a process for producing 1-(4-isobutylphenyl)ethanol by reacting 1-(4-isobutyl-phenyl)ethanone with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst composition comprising cop-per and one or more metals other than copper, and a use of a respective composition and/or of a pre-composition, the pre-composition comprising a mixture of oxides of copper and oxides of one or more metals other than copper, in a catalytic hydrogenation process for producing 1-(4-isobutylphenyl)ethanol from 1-(4-isobutylphenyl)ethanone.