The disclosure describes refinery processes and process units for suppressing the precipitation and deposition of heavy polynuclear aromatic (HPNA) compounds in a process unit of a refinery, by combining the effluent from a hydrocracking unit with an aromatic solvent stream. Certain costly HPNA treatment processes can be eliminated, downtime can be reduced, and overall distillate yield can be increased by suppressing HPNA precipitation. The aromatic bottoms—which are suitable solvents for this purpose—of an aromatic recovery complex can be used in certain embodiments to dissolve HPNAs and suppress HPNA precipitation.

An apparatus for enhancing a yield and a transfer rate of a packed bed includes a packed bed, a vessel having a reaction chamber, a support frame and acoustic attenuator for holding the packed bed in the reaction chamber, at least one acoustic transducer adapted to transmit acoustic energy into the packed bed and an acoustic generator. The acoustic generator has impedance matching functionality.

Disclosed apparatuses, systems, and materials relate to the disassociation of feedstock species (such as those in gaseous form) into constituent components, and may include an energy generator configured to provide a microwave energy. A first chamber defines a first volume and is configured to guide the microwave energy along the first chamber as a sinusoidal wave having an energy maxima at a point along the first chamber. A second chamber contains a plasma plume and is positioned substantially proximal to the first chamber, and is configured to enable propagation of the microwave energy through the first chamber and the second chamber such that the microwave energy demonstrates, at a radial center of the second chamber, a coaxial energy maxima configured to ignite the plasma plume contained in the second chamber. Carbon-containing materials may be formed by controlling flow parameters of the feedstock species into the first or second chamber.

A reaction chamber for a chemical reactor comprises a casing (100) of the reaction chamber, a floor (200) of the reaction chamber having an opening (300) located in the floor, an agitator shaft (400) located in the chamber and having at least one agitator element (500), connected thereto, wherein the agitator shaft (400), seen in the longitudinal direction, has a beginning (600) and an end (700). In the opening (300) of the floor (200) a removable sleeve (800) is provided, which projects out of the reaction chamber. The sleeve (800) is arranged in alignment with the axis of rotation of the agitator shaft (400). The internal diameter of the sleeve (800) is greater than the diameter of the agitator shaft (400) and the agitator shaft (400), at the beginning (600) thereof and/or at the end (700) thereof, is adapted to absorb reversibly a torque provided by means of a further shaft and/or to transmit a torque to a further shaft. Using such a reaction chamber, it is possible to build up modular chemical reactors having decreased backmixing.

A stripper for stripping a urea/carbamate mixture. The stripper comprises a shell and a plurality of tubes disposed within the shell. A shell-side space is provided between the tubes and the shell. A first heating fluid inlet, a second heating fluid inlet, and a heating fluid outlet are in fluid connection with the shell-side space. The second heating fluid inlet is disposed between the first heating fluid inlet and the heating fluid outlet. Related uses, systems, and methods are provided as well.

A shell-and-tube equipment has a cylindrical geometry and is arranged along a vertical axis. The shell-and-tube equipment comprises an upper chamber and a lower chamber connected to a common tube bundle on opposite sides. The upper chamber is provided with at least an inlet nozzle for inletting a first fluid. The tube bundle is surrounded by a shell provided with nozzles for inletting and outletting a second fluid which exchanges heat with the first fluid through the tube bundle. The upper chamber encloses at least a distribution device configured for uniformly delivering the first fluid towards the tube bundle. The distribution device comprises an annular channel which is arranged around the vertical axis and is in fluid communication with the inlet nozzle. The distribution device comprises a plurality of channel modules of circular trapezoid shape, tightly joined together at their respective vertical edges for forming the annular channel.

A nitration reactor (10) incorporating sections of downward flow for use in preparing nitrated organic compounds. It comprises a first vertically-oriented reactor section (12), a second vertically-oriented reactor section (14), a connecting section (16) between the two reactor sections, one or more inlets (20, 22) for introducing nitration reactants into the reactor, an outlet (24) for the removal of nitration reaction products, a vertically-downward flowpath (26) for the nitration reactants in one of the reactor sections or the connecting section, and operating conditions that produce a flow regime in the vertically-downward flowpath that is a dispersed flow regime or a bubbly flow regime. The invention overcomes the limitations of prior art nitration reactors of the type in which fluids flow largely in a vertically upward direction, with respect to hydrostatic demands and plant layout considerations.

Provided is an apparatus for producing a positive electrode active material precursor. The apparatus includes: a reactor into which a reaction solution is introduced; a stirrer being inserted into the reactor and stirring the reaction solution; and a filter type baffle being inserted into the reactor and including a filter.

In a general aspect, a system can include a reactor for combusting fuel and producing high-temperature, high-pressure liquid as a byproduct, and at least one vessel defining a cavity to be partially filled with water, with an air pocket within the cavity above the water. The system can further include respective valves to control admission of liquid from the reactor into the air pocket when the air pocket has a pressure lower than an operating pressure of the reactor, and to control emission of the water from the at least one vessel through of the vessel after the water in the at least one vessel has been pressurized by the liquid from the reactor. The system can also include a hydroelectric drive system for receiving water emitted from the cavity, and for converting energy in the received water into electrical energy.

Fuel mixed in water is combusted in a reactor having an internal operating pressure and temperature greater than 3200 psi and greater than 374° C., where the combustion of the fuel is exothermic. Air and fuel are pressurized for introduction into the reactor to a pressure greater than the internal operating pressure using energy generated from the combustion of the fuel, and the pressurized air and the pressurized fuel are injected into the reactor. Pressurized water from the reactor is injected into a drive water column that is partially filled with water to increase a pressure of the drive water column, and water at a temperature less than 100° C. is injected into the reactor to replace water from the reactor that is injected into the drive water column. Pressurized water from the drive water column is used to drive a hydroelectric drive system to produce electrical power.