A process for large scale and energy efficient production of oxygenates from sugar is disclosed in which a sugar feedstock is introduced into a thermolytic fragmentation reactor including a fluidized stream of heat carrying particles. The heat carrying particles may be separated from the fluidized stream prior to cooling the fragmentation product and may be directed to a reheater to reheat the particles and recirculate the heated particles to the fragmentation reactor.

A multi-tubular chemical reactor includes an igniter for the initiation of gas phase exothermic reaction within the gas phase reaction zones of the tubular reactor units.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for producing olefins via an oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) process. The systems and methods may comprise the use of a staged process comprising at least one non-adiabatic section that is in thermal communication with a heat transfer medium and at least one substantially adiabatic section. The systems and methods may also comprise the use of a diluent stream which may improve methane conversion in an OCM reactor and an ethylene/ethane ratio in a post-bed cracking unit. The methods and systems may further comprise injecting oxygen (O.sub.2) and a paraffin into a gas stream containing a radical transfer agent to provide a reaction mixture. The reaction mixture may be held in a vessel for a time period greater than an auto-ignition delay time (AIDT), such that the reaction mixture may ignite to liberate heat and convert to a product mixture comprising olefins.

A process for forming and for catalytically converting an ignitable gas mixture is proposed, in which at least a first gas or gas mixture comprising oxygen and a second gas or gas mixture comprising one or more oxidizable compounds are mixed to give the ignitable gas mixture, where the ignitable gas mixture is supplied to a reaction zone (12) of a reactor (1). The first gas or gas mixture and the second gas or gas mixture are fed into a mixing chamber (11) having a boundary wall (13) provided with a number of passages (131), where the first gas or gas mixture is fed into the mixing chamber (11) through the passages (131) in the boundary wall (13) and where the second gas or gas mixture is fed into the mixing chamber (11) by means of one or more feed conduits (14) which have feed orifices (141) and extend into the mixing chamber (11). The present invention likewise provides a corresponding reactor (1).

A method for starting a slurry bubble column reactor that includes a reactor vessel holding a settled or slumped bed of particles and a liquid phase from which the particles have settled includes introducing a flow of a re-suspension liquid into the settled or slumped bed to loosen the settled or slumped bed. The introduction of the re-suspension liquid takes place before the introduction of any gas into the settled or slumped bed, or together with feeding of gas into the settled or slumped bed, provided that, if gas is fed together with the re-suspension liquid into the settled or slumped bed before the settled or slumped bed has been loosened, the gas has a superficial gas velocity in the reactor below 10 cm/s. Once the settled or slumped bed has been loosened by at least the re-suspension liquid, gas is passed at a superficial gas velocity above 10 cm/s through the liquid phase.

A method for upgrading a petroleum feedstock using a supercritical water petroleum upgrading system includes introducing the petroleum feedstock, water and an auxiliary feedstock. The method includes operating the system to combine the petroleum feedstock and the water to form a mixed petroleum feedstock and introducing separately and simultaneously into a lower portion of an upflowing supercritical water reactor. The auxiliary feedstock is introduced such that a portion of a fluid contained within the upflowing reactor located proximate to the bottom does not lack fluid momentum. An embodiment of the method includes operating the supercritical water petroleum upgrading system such that the upflowing reactor product fluid is introduced into an upper portion of a downflowing supercritical water reactor. The supercritical water petroleum upgrading system includes the upflowing supercritical water reactor and optionally a downflowing supercritical water reactor.

A fluidized bed reactor for producing para-xylene and co-producing light olefins from benzene and methanol and/or dimethyl ether, including a first distributor and a second distributor. The first distributor is located at the bottom of the fluidized bed, and the second distributor is located at the downstream of the first distributor along a gas flow direction. Also, a method for producing para-xylene and co-producing light olefins, including the following steps: a material stream A enters a reaction zone of the fluidized bed reactor from the first gas distributor; a material stream B enters the reaction zone of the fluidized bed reactor from the second gas distributor; a reactant contacts a catalyst in the reaction zone to generate a gas phase stream comprising para-xylene and light olefins.

The disclosure is directed to the use of an upflow reactor for producing a dihydroxy compound, to a method for producing a dihydroxy compound, and to a method for manufacturing polycarbonate. The upflow reactor for producing a dihydroxy compound of the disclosure comprises: a vessel; a catalyst bed disposed in said vessel; a distributor in fluid communication with an inlet through which reactants are introduced to said distributor, said distributor being disposed at a lower end of said vessel and comprising distributor perforation(s) disposed in said distributor, at least part of which distributor perforations are in a direction facing away from said catalyst bed; and a collector through which said product dihydroxy compound is removed, said collector being disposed at an upper end of said vessel.

The present invention relates to a hydrocracking reactor system and a process utilizing the same for upgrading heavy hydrocarbonaceous material to value-added products. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention includes dispersing a liquid feedstock pre-mixed with a catalyst from top of a reactor vessel to obtain dispersed droplets having a predetermined droplet size less than 500 m, introducing a gaseous feed comprising primarily of hydrogen from bottom of the reactor vessel to form a continuous gaseous phase throughout a cross-section of the reactor vessel, and allowing the dispersed droplets to contact the continuous gaseous phase throughout the cross-section of the reactor vessel to form reaction effluent comprising one or more lighter product hydrocarbons. The method may further include removing at least a top portion and at least a bottom portion of the reaction effluent from the reactor vessel.

In one aspect, a hydroformylation reaction process comprises contacting an olefin, hydrogen, and CO in the presence of a homogeneous catalyst in a cylindrical reactor to provide a reaction fluid, wherein the reactor has a fixed height, and wherein a total mixing energy of at least 0.5 kW/m3 is delivered to the fluid in the reactor; removing a portion of the reaction fluid from the reactor; and returning at least a portion of the removed reaction fluid to the reactor, wherein the returning reaction fluid is introduced in at least two return locations positioned at a height that is less than 80% of the fixed height, wherein the at least two return locations are positioned above a location in the reactor where hydrogen and carbon monoxide are introduced to the reactor, and wherein at least 15% of the mixing energy is provided by the returning reaction fluid.