A multi-stage dehydrogenation process including contacting, in a first stage, a feed stream comprising a hydrocarbon and steam with a dehydrogenation catalyst under dehydrogenation conditions to yield a first stage effluent, heating the first stage effluent, and contacting, in a second stage, the heated first stage effluent with a dehydrogenation catalyst under dehydrogenation conditions to yield a second stage effluent comprising a dehydrogenation product, wherein the first stage includes a first reactor and a second reactor arranged in parallel, and wherein the second stage includes a third reactor connected in series with the first reactor and the second reactor. A multi-stage dehydrogenation system for carrying out dehydrogenation is also provided.

A process for producing nitric acid comprising: catalytic oxidation of ammonia in the presence of oxygen to form a nitrous gas containing NO, O2, N2O and water vapor; a catalytic abatement of N2O which is performed over a first catalyst; a catalytic conversion of NO into NO2 which is performed over a second catalyst; the so obtained nitrous gas is then subject to absorption in water to produce nitric acid.

Systems and methods are provided for using oxycombustion to provide heat within a reverse flow reactor environment. The oxygen for the oxycombustion can be provided by oxygen stored in an oxygen storage component in the reactor. By using an oxygen storage component to provide the oxygen for combustion during the regeneration step, heat can be added to a reverse flow reactor while reducing or minimizing addition of diluents and while avoiding the need for an air separation unit. As a result, a regeneration flue gas can be formed that is substantially composed of CO.sub.2 and/or H.sub.2O without requiring the additional cost of creating a substantially pure oxygen-containing gas flow.

A multi-stage process for transforming a high sulfur ISO 8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil involving a core desulfurizing process that produces a Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil that can be used as a feedstock for subsequent refinery process such as anode grade coking, needle coking and fluid catalytic cracking. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil exhibits multiple properties desirable as a feedstock for those processes including a sulfur level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05 mass % to 1.0 mass. A process plant for conducting the process is also disclosed.

A process for reducing the environmental contaminants in a ISO 8217: 2017 Table 2 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil and resulting product, the process involving: mixing a Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil with a Activating Gas to give a feedstock mixture; contacting the feedstock mixture with one or more catalysts to form a Process Mixture; separating the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil from the Process Mixture and, discharging the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil complies with ISO 8217:2017 Table 2 for residual marine fuel and the Environmental Contaminants, which are selected from the group consisting of: a sulfur; vanadium, nickel, iron, aluminum and silicon and combinations thereof, are less than 0.5 wt. %. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil can be used as blending stock for an ISO 8217:2017 Table 2 compliant, IMO 2020 compliant, low sulfur heavy marine fuel composition.

A fuel cell system and method, the system including a hotbox, a fuel cell stack disposed in the hotbox, an anode tail gas oxidizer (ATO) disposed in the hotbox, and a fuel exhaust processor fluidly connected to the hotbox. The fuel exhaust processor includes a first hydrogen pump configured to extract hydrogen from the anode exhaust received from the fuel cell stack and to output the hydrogen to a first hydrogen stream provided to the fuel cell stack, a second hydrogen pump configured to extract hydrogen from anode exhaust output from the first hydrogen pump and to output the hydrogen to the first hydrogen stream, and a third hydrogen pump configured to extract hydrogen from anode exhaust output from the second hydrogen pump and to output the hydrogen to a second hydrogen stream provided to the ATO.

A multi-bed catalytic converter comprising: a plurality of catalytic beds which are traversed in series by a process gas, sequentially from a first catalytic bed to a last catalytic bed of said plurality, and at least one inter-bed heat exchanger (7) positioned between a first catalytic bed and a second catalytic bed of said plurality, wherein at least the last catalytic bed of said plurality is adiabatic and is made of fine catalyst with a particle size not greater than 2 mm.

Systems for the catalytic activation and/or dehydrogenation of a paraffin feed stream that is enriched in C5 alkanes to produce olefins that are then hydrated in the presence of water to produce C5 alcohols. Optionally, paraffin isomers are separated and the n-paraffins isomerized prior to catalytic activation and/or dehydrogenation.

Systems for the catalytic activation and/or dehydrogenation of a paraffin feed stream that is enriched in C5 alkanes to produce olefins that are then hydrated in the presence of water to produce C5 alcohols. Optionally, paraffin isomers are separated and the n-paraffins isomerized prior to catalytic activation and/or dehydrogenation.

The invention is directed to a system for energy storage comprising a chemical combustion reactor comprising a reactor segment that comprises at least two porous active fixed beds that are separated by an inactive insulating layer which are at least partially surrounded by an insulating mantle. The active beds comprise a metal and/or oxide thereof.