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.

In a process for the epoxidation of an olefin by continuously reacting the olefin with hydrogen peroxide in a methanol solvent on a fixed bed epoxidation catalyst comprising a titanium zeolite, the hydrogen peroxide is used as an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution made by an anthraquinone process, the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution is mixed with methanol to give a feed mixture and this feed mixture is filtered before being contacted with the fixed bed epoxidation catalyst.

Provided herein is a unidirectional blow down system for a high-pressure tubular reactor with a hyper that minimizes the tube wall metal temperature during a decomposition event wherein the system prevents the reactor walls from reaching a temperature capable of causing the tube metal to austenize. Also provided are methods of designing and methods of operating a unidirectional blowdown system.

The invention discloses a start-up system for starting reforming hydrogen production device, the reforming hydrogen production device and the start-up system adopt methanol-water mixture as feedstock, comprising a feed riser pipe, a flame tray, an upper cover body and an igniter. The flame tray and the upper cover body are disposed on the feed riser pipe from the bottom up; the middle part of the upper cover body is provided with an aperture in communication with the feed riser pipe, the methanol-water mixture feedstock may flow from the feed riser pipe up to the aperture and be exuded from the aperture and spread around along the upper side surface of the upper cover body until flowing into the flame tray. The present invention has high ignition success rate, large methanol-water mixture burning areas and combustion flame, and can quickly restart the reforming hydrogen production device.

A process for polymerizing ethylene in a high-pressure polymerization system having a continuously operated polymerization reactor and a reactor blow down system having an emergency valve, a reactor blow down vessel containing an aqueous medium and a reactor blow down dump vessel, wherein the process includes the steps of monitoring the polymerization system for a disturbance, opening the emergency valve when a disturbance occurs to allow the content of the polymerization system to expand into the reactor blow down vessel, contacting the content of the polymerization system in the reactor blow down vessel with the aqueous medium to obtain an aqueous polymer slurry, separating the polymer slurry and gaseous components, and transferring the polymer slurry to the reactor blow down dump vessel.

Systems and processes for rapidly depressurizing a reactor system are disclosed. The systems and processes are particularly useful in the high pressure polymerization of ethylene.

A system and method combine a first reactant with a second reactant to create a reaction product. A first pump is in fluid communication with a reaction vessel and a source of the first reactant. A second pump is in fluid communication with the reaction vessel and a source of the second reactant. A gas sparger is located in the reaction vessel, and the gas sparger is in fluid communication with a gas source for providing gas to the reaction vessel. A controller is configured to execute a program stored in the controller to: (i) receive a sensor signal based on a force exerted by the reaction vessel in a direction toward the sensor, and (ii) operate the first pump and the second pump to deliver to the reaction vessel the first reactant and the second reactant thereby causing a reaction that creates the reaction product.

Devices and methods for safely using acid/chlorite ClO.sub.2 generator chemistry for water treatment, whereby a valve prevents chemical draw unless there is both vacuum within the reaction chamber as well as suitable water volume in the flow chamber for dilution, are described. The float-dependent valve can also allow for direct venting from the reaction chamber to the flow chamber in the event of elevated pressure in the reaction chamber. This approach delivers an inherently safer ClO.sub.2 generator design for systems that utilize high strength reactor zones with ClO.sub.2 concentration above 3,000 ppm.

A system and method for devolatilizing a carbonaceous feedstock are provided. The system includes a devolatilization reactor having a unit shell, at least one tube bundle, a pump, and a control valve. The unit shell is configured to allow a heating fluid to flow within. The at least one tube bundle is configured to allow the feedstock to flow within the tube bundle and further configured to be positioned at least partially within the unit shell. The tube bundle comprises at least one tube and at least one tube bend. The at least one tube bend is disposed external to the unit shell. The pump is configured to pump the feedstock into the at least one tube bundle. The control valve is configured to control the flow rate of feedstock into the at least one tube bundle.

The invention relates to a thermal conversion vessel (200) used during amidification step of acetone cyanohydrin (ACH), in the industrial process for production of a methyl methacrylate (MMA) or methacrylic acid (MAA). The thermal conversion vessel (200) is used for converting an hydrolysis mixture of -hydroxyisobutyramide (HIBAM), -sulfatoisobutyramide (SIBAM), 2-methacrylamide (MACRYDE) and methacrylique acid (MAA), into a mixture of 2-methacrylamide (MACRYDE). It comprises: at least one compartment (C1, C2, C3, . . . Ci) comprising an inner wall (206a, 206b, 206i) separating said compartment into two communicating parts (C1a, C1b) by a passage provided between the bottom of said vessel and said inner wall, said compartment having a space above said inner wall, for separating gas phase from liquid phase during thermal conversion, said compartment being connected to an outlet valve (204a, 204b, . . . 204i).

Such vessel allows obtaining a high yield thermal conversion in very safe conditions.