A two-step thermochemical reactor and method are disclosed. The reactor includes a housing and a reactor cavity formed within, and surrounded by, thermal insulation within the housing. The reactor cavity includes at least one unit cell, each cell having an electric heat source and a reactive material. The reactor also includes a feedstock inlet and a product outlet in fluid communication with the reactor cavity. The reactor also includes a reducing configuration, with the inlet being closed and the electric heat source of each unit cell being driven to thermally reduce the reactive material at a first temperature, releasing oxygen into the cavity. The reactor also has a splitting configuration where the reactive material is at a second temperature that is lower than the first, the feedstock inlet open and introducing feedstock gas into the cavity to reoxidize the reactive material and split into a product gas.

A gas separation process in which the thermal storage of the heat in the gas is desired as well as the gas separation. This invention outlines a novel process and system whereby the thermal storage efficiency can be vastly increased by matching the gas sorption fronts and the thermal fronts to cause thermal front sharpening. The gas separation process and system include an adsorption vessel having an adsorbent in an amount of 10-40% and a thermal storage component in an amount of 50-90% by volume.

A box style steam methane reformer (15) has plural sections (37), with each section having walls (27-29-31, 33) forming an interior cavity (35) and open ends (43) that communicate with the interior cavity. Each section has a feedstock supply pipe (71) and a fuel supply pipe (63) located along the top wall, as well as a syngas collection pipe (79) and a flue gas collection duct (75) located outside of the bottom wall. The pipes and ducts have ends that are aligned with each other to allow the sections to be assembled together. Burners (67) are in the interior cavity and are connected to the fuel supply pipe. Reactor tubes (59) extend through the interior cavity. Refractory members (81) are located in the interior cavity and across a slot. The spacing between the refractory members varies to control the flow of flue gas.

A heat shield bladder includes first and second sheets of insulating material that form a bladder between the first and second sheets. At least one reflective foil is disposed within the bladder and a plurality of spacers are disposed within the bladder and positioned to space the at least one reflective foil from the first and second sheets of insulating material. Multiple reflective foils may be disposed within the bladder with spacers between each reflective foil. The heat shield bladder may be rolled into a tube shaped and used inside a pipe or formed into panels that may be used to line a vessel.

A sulfuric acid generating system can include: a primary burn chamber; an exhaust pipe extending from the burn chamber at a first end to an opposite second end; a secondary burn chamber located between the first end and second end; and a primary venturi pump having a gas inlet coupled to an outlet at the second end of the exhaust pipe and having an aqueous media inlet and having a fluid outlet. A method of producing sulfurous acid can include: providing sulfur to the primary burn chamber; burning a first portion of the sulfur in the primary burn chamber to form a first portion of sulfur dioxide; burning a second portion of the sulfur in the secondary burn chamber to form a second portion of sulfur dioxide; and mixing the first portion and second portion of sulfur dioxide with an aqueous composition so as to produce aqueous sulfurous acid.

A heat shield bladder includes first and second sheets of insulating material that form a bladder between the first and second sheets. At least one reflective foil is disposed within the bladder and a plurality of spacers are disposed within the bladder and positioned to space the at least one reflective foil from the first and second sheets of insulating material. Multiple reflective foils may be disposed within the bladder with spacers between each reflective foil. The heat shield bladder may be rolled into a tube shaped and used inside a pipe or formed into panels that may be used to line a vessel.

The invention relates to a process for producing superabsorbents, comprising the preparation of partly neutralized acrylic acid by the steps (i) preparing an over-neutralized acrylic acid having a degree of neutralization of at least 100.1 mol-% by mixing of an acrylic acid 1 and a base and (ii) preparing a neutralized acrylic acid having a degree of neutralization from 50 to 85 mol-% by mixing of the over-neutralized acrylic acid and an acrylic acid 2, wherein the content of dimeric acrylic acid in the acrylic acid 2 is lower than the content of dimeric acrylic acid in the acrylic acid 1.

This disclosure relates to systems and processes for cooling polymer product mixtures manufactured at high pressure. The processes of the invention involve cooling and then subsequently reducing the pressure of the product mixture from the reactor. In the systems of the invention, a product cooler is located downstream of the high pressure reactor and upstream of a high pressure let down valve.

A sulfuric acid generating system can include: a primary burn chamber; an exhaust pipe extending from the burn chamber at a first end to an opposite second end; a secondary burn chamber located between the first end and second end; and a primary venturi pump having a gas inlet coupled to an outlet at the second end of the exhaust pipe and having an aqueous media inlet and having a fluid outlet. A method of producing sulfurous acid can include: providing sulfur to the primary burn chamber; burning a first portion of the sulfur in the primary burn chamber to form a first portion of sulfur dioxide; burning a second portion of the sulfur in the secondary burn chamber to form a second portion of sulfur dioxide; and mixing the first portion and second portion of sulfur dioxide with an aqueous composition so as to produce aqueous sulfurous acid.

The invention provides apparatus and method of pyrolysing feedstock to produce char. A feedstock advancing mechanism in a lower portion of a substantially sealed reaction chamber advances the feedstock laterally along the lower portion as it pyrolyses in its progression from the proximal end to the distal end. Char is discharged from the distal end of the reaction chamber. A control system controls at least the flow rate of oxygen containing gas entering the chamber via the inlet port in response to the temperature measurements in the reaction chamber so that the temperature measurements are appropriate for the production of char from the feedstock and so that a zone of volatile gas combustion is established in the headspace, involving essentially complete consumption of all incoming free oxygen in the headspace without contacting the feedstock.