The invention provides an improved system for separation technology intended to reduce unwanted catalyst/thermal reactions by minimizing contact of the hydrocarbons and the catalyst within the reactor.

A method for loading pellets into receptacles having an open top end and a bottom end uses a pressurized fluid injected through injector tubing to form virtual blankets at a plurality of elevations inside the receptacle to reduce the acceleration of the falling pellets in order to provide gentle loading of the pellets.

A plug suitable to be inserted into a refill-opening on a tube, whereby the plug is at least partially made of a refractory material, preferably of firebrick.

Systems and methods for detecting and controlling bed height in fluidized bed reactors are disclosed. The systems and methods employ a plurality of radiation sources and a detector array located along the outer surface of a fluidized bed reactor.

A liquid-phase reactor has an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder disposed along an axial direction of the reactor. The outer cylinder has a top head, a straight cylinder section and a bottom head. An annular space is formed between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder. A top end of the inner cylinder is open and is in communication with the annular space. The inner cylinder has an upper cylinder and a lower cylinder sequentially from top to bottom. The upper cylinder is positioned in the straight cylinder section, with its cross-sectional area being gradually reduced from top to bottom. The lower cylinder is positioned in the bottom head, with its cross-sectional area being gradually increased from top to bottom. An inorganic membrane tube extending along the axial direction of the reactor is provided in the lower cylinder so that a shell-and-tube structure is formed.

The invention relates to a process and to a unit for chemical looping oxidation-reduction combustion of a hydrocarbon feed, wherein heat exchanges are controlled through a level variation of a dense fluidized bed of active mass particles in an external heat exchanger (E1, E2), positioned on a transport line carrying particles circulating between a reduction zone (210) and an oxidation zone (200) for the particles in the chemical loop. The bed level variation is allowed through controlled application of a pressure drop on a fluidization gas outlet in the heat exchanger, said pressure drop being compensated by the level variation of an active mass particle bed in a reservoir zone provided on the particle circuit in the chemical loop.

The systems and method of the invention involve hydrochlorination by providing feed streams with suitable reaction conditions through reactant stream conditioning systems and components. The conditioning systems facilitate vaporization of silicon tetrachloride in gaseous hydrogen to produce a reactant stream comprising hydrogen that is saturated with silicon tetrachloride. Saturation can be effected without the use of superheated steam or hot oil by utilizing saturated steam that is less than about 15 bar. The saturated reactant stream can be further heated to reaction conditions that effect conversion to trichlorosilane.

A float valve for a chemical reactor has a central pipe which glides around a liquid transfer pipe when a liquid level rises and falls, thereby opening for fluid transfer through liquid transfer apertures in the transfer pipe when the liquid level is rising and shutting off for fluid transfer when the float lowers and seals against a sealing ring placed on the transfer pipe below the liquid transfer apertures.

A method for loading pellets into receptacles uses a pressurized fluid to form virtual blankets at a plurality of elevations inside the receptacle to reduce the acceleration of the falling pellets in order to provide gentle loading of the pellets.

A monitoring system for monitoring a process includes a housing with a viewing panel. The viewing panel includes a view port. An emitter generates light and illuminates an observation zone of the process. A detector is disposed within the housing and is configured to detect light entering the housing through the view port and create a plurality of images of the process in the observation zone. A thermal regulation system is configured to generate heat in the vicinity of the viewing panel of the housing so as to increase the temperature of at least the view port above ambient temperature.