A system of reforming reactors comprises a plurality of reactors coupled by flow lines, a feed header coupled to the plurality of reactors by a plurality of feed lines, an effluent header coupled to the plurality of reactors by a plurality of effluent lines, and a plurality of valves disposed in the flow lines, the feed lines, and the effluent lines. Each reactor comprises a reforming catalyst, and the plurality of valves is configured to dynamically connect the plurality of reactors to create a first serial flow path and reconnect the plurality of reactors to create a second serial flow path through the plurality of reactors. A first reactor of the plurality of reactors is adjacent to a second reactor of the plurality of reactors in the first serial flow path, and the first reactor is not adjacent to the second reactor in the second serial flow path.

Disclosed is an apparatus and method of preparing synthetic fuel using natural gas extracted from a stranded gas field on land or at sea as a raw material through a compact GTL process or a GTL-FPSO process. A parallel-type gas purification unit for controlling a molar ratio of synthetic gas and a concentration of carbon dioxide in the synthetic gas, in which a CO.sub.2 separation device and a bypass unit are disposed in parallel, is provided and, thus, the gas purification unit may prepare the synthetic gas by a steam carbon dioxide reforming (SCR) reaction using natural gas having different CO.sub.2 contents of various stranded gas fields and then supply the synthetic gas having an optimum composition suitable for a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.

The present invention relates to a process for producing butadiene from ethanol, in two reaction steps, comprising a step a) of converting ethanol into acetaldehyde and a step b) of conversion into butadiene, said step b) simultaneously implementing a reaction step and a regeneration step in (n+n/2) fixed-bed reactors, n being equal to 2 or a multiple thereof, comprising a catalyst, said regeneration step comprising four successive regeneration phases, said step b) also implementing a regeneration loop for the inert gas and at least one regeneration loop for the gas streams comprising oxygen.

Provided is a process capable of converting the cokes on spent catalysts in a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process into synthesis gas. The produced synthesis gas contains high concentrations of CO and H.sub.2 and may be utilized in many downstream applications such as syngas fermentation for alcohol production, hydrogen production and synthesis of chemical intermediates. A reducer/regenerator reactor for a fluid catalytic process comprising a chemical looping system to produce synthesis gas is also described.

A process by which the raw material, a gas comprising mainly hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, is introduced into a first reactor together with a catalyst, in which one or more reactions take place that produce methanol or dimethyl ether or both, which are then introduced into a second reactor adding oxygen and a catalyst and producing formaldehyde and a minority of dimethyl ether, and where there may be an excess of water, such water being extracted from the process and the remaining products being introduced into the third reactor with, optionally, an additive, and such raw material is exposed to catalysts and under an atmosphere at medium temperature and pressure, in order to produce three or four groups of chemical reactions that, after extracting most of the water that is generated as a residue during the process, produces as a result a liquid multifunctional product that can be used as a solvent, a foaming agent or an oxygenated fuel; said product, normally a fluid, comprises polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers with molecular formula CH3O(CH2O)nCH3 wherein n has a value between 1 and 7.

Systems and methods useful in determining the superficial gas velocity in fluidized bed reactors may utilize a pressure drop across a portion of the system but not associated with a flowmeter. For example, method may comprise: obtaining a pressure for each of two different locations within a fluidized bed reactor system that comprises a reactor capable of containing a fluidized bed and a cycle gas loop, wherein one or both of the two different locations is not at a flowmeter; calculating a pressure drop based on the two pressures; calculating a first superficial gas velocity (SGV.sub.alt) for the fluidized bed based on the pressure drop; and operating the fluidized bed reactor system based at least in part on the SGV.sub.alt.

The present invention provides an improved process for removing heat from an exothermic reaction. In particular, the present invention provides a process wherein heat can be removed from multiple reaction trains using a common coolant system.

An on-board Flex-Fuel H.sub.2 reforming apparatus provides devices and the methods of operating these devices to produce H.sub.2 and CO from hydrocarbons and bio-fuels. One or more parallel autothermal reformers are used to convert the fuels into H.sub.2 over the Pt group metal catalysts without external heat and power. The produced reformate is then cooled and the dry gas is compressed and stored in vessels at a pressure between 1 to 100 atmospheres. For this system, the pressure of the storage vessels and the flow control curves are used directly to control the amount of the reformers' reformate output.

To improve thermal efficiency of a mobile vehicle or a distributed power generator, portion of the reformate from the storage vessels is used to mix with the primary fuels and air as part of a lean burn fuel mixture for the engine/gas turbine. Also, this on-board Flex-Fuel H.sub.2 reforming apparatus can provide H.sub.2 to regenerate the NO.sub.x and diesel particulate traps for diesel engines, and/or it can provide H.sub.2 for a mobile or a portable fuel cell power generator.

A system for reducing dioxygen (O.sub.2) present in vapors from oil storage tanks. The system may include an inlet that receives vapors from the tanks; a heating device coupled with the inlet that heats vapors to a first temperature to form heated vapor; and a vessel coupled receiving heated vapor and containing at least one catalyst to reduce dioxygen from the heated vapor. The catalyst may include palladium, and the vessel may include zinc oxide to remove sulfur from the heated vapor. A compressor may be used to compress the vapors. A controller may be provided to monitor O.sub.2 concentration in heated vapor, and the controller directs flow of heated vapor to a gas pipeline if the O.sub.2 concentration is below a predetermined level; or if the O.sub.2 concentration is unacceptably high, the controller directs flow of vapor to be re-circulated within the system to further reduce O.sub.2 concentration therein.

The invention relates to a catalyst system for producing maleic anhydride by means of the catalytic oxidation of n-butane, comprising at least one reactor tube, which has two catalyst layers consisting of different catalyst particles, characterized in that the geometric surface area per catalyst particle is greater in the catalyst layer that is first in the gas flow direction than in the second catalyst layer. The invention further relates to a process for producing maleic anhydride by means of the catalytic oxidation of n-butane, wherein a mixture of oxygen and n-butane is fed through the catalyst system according to the invention and the at least one reactor tube is at elevated temperature.