The present relates to a chemical reactor comprising a catalyst bed enclosed in a reactor vessel and at least one cooling tube placed in the reactor vessel and passing through the catalyst bed, characterized in that the cooling tubes are disposed within the reactor so as to generate thermal gradients of at least 20? C./cm thereby generating hot spots throughout the reactor upon carrying out a reaction. The invention further relates to a methanation process.

An apparatus for hydrogen production from a hydrocarbon feed, the apparatus including at least one steam reformer provided with an electrically heated steam reformer furnace having a plurality of catalytic tubes, where one or more heat generating electrical devices are arranged around a heating area of each of said catalytic tubes.

A shift conversion catalyst layer is divided into at least two front and back stages. A first catalyst and a second catalyst are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side, respectively. The first catalyst has a property that a carbon monoxide conversion rate decreases with an increase in carbon dioxide concentration in a supplied reaction gas at a constant carbon monoxide concentration in the supplied reaction gas and a constant reaction temperature. The first catalyst is combined with the second catalyst such that the degree of decrease in carbon monoxide conversion rate with respect to an increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the supplied reaction gas in the second catalyst is lower than that in the first catalyst. Whereby, the conversion rate of a carbon monoxide concentration of a carbon monoxide shift conversion apparatus can be improved without increasing the used amount of a shift conversion catalyst.

A process for preparing magnetic activated carbons including the steps of a) treating an aqueous solution having a biomass hydrothermally at autogenic pressure at a temperature 180 and 250 C., under acidic conditions in the presence of iron ions, to obtain a precursor product, b) activating the precursor product obtained in step a) by mixing an activating agent at elevated temperatures between 550 and 850 C., for a period up to 9h. The disclosure also relates to magnetic activated carbon prepared according to the process and use of the carbon for separation and storage of gases and purification of liquids. A method for separation of particles from a liquid and/or a gas, and method for regenerating magnetic activated carbon by heating using an oscillating electromagnetic field are also disclosed.

There is proposed a method for pre-reforming a hydrocarbonaceous feed stream into a pre-reforming product containing carbon oxides, hydrogen and hydrocarbons, in which the adiabatically operated pre-reforming reactor comprises at least two reaction zones designed as fixed beds in a common reactor vessel, which are in fluid connection with each other and are filled with beds of granular, nickel-containing catalyst active for pre-reforming, wherein the first reaction zone in flow direction is filled with a catalyst active for high-temperature pre-reforming and the last reaction zone in flow direction is filled with a catalyst active for low-temperature pre-reforming.

A furnace for steam reforming a feed stream containing hydrocarbon, preferably methane, having: a combustion chamber, a plurality of reactor tubes arranged in the combustion chamber for accommodating a catalyst and for passing the feed stream through the reactor tubes, and at least one burner which is configured to burn a combustion fuel in the combustion chamber to heat the reactor tubes. In addition at least one voltage source is provided which is connected to the plurality of reactor tubes in such a manner that in each case an electric current which heats the reactor tubes to heat the feedstock is generable in the reactor tubes.

Disclosed herein are systems and processes involving the catalyzed cleavage reaction of dimethyl sulfide to methyl mercaptan. The catalyzed cleavage reaction can be a standalone system or process, or can be integrated with a methyl mercaptan production plant.

An on-line gas chromatography system for a fixed-bed continuous flow reactor and a method for on-line gas analysis of a catalytic reaction using the gas chromatography system. A reactor flow loop, a gas chromatogram, and a hydrostatic regulator are present in the gas chromatography system, wherein the reactor flow loop contains a fixed-bed reactor, a purge gas source, a feed gas source, and a by-pass line for reaction calibration.

A method is useful for maintaining a uniformly fluidized bed in a fluidized bed apparatus. The method includes the steps of charging a mixture of particles including copper silicide particles and fluidization additive particles into the fluidized bed apparatus, and uniformly fluidizing the particles at a temperature of at least 400 C. in the fluidized bed apparatus.

The invention relates to a catalyst for the thermal decomposition of ammonia. The catalyst comprises at least 25% by weight of nickel oxide and is present in powder form and/or comprises from 30% to 42% by weight of nickel oxide. Also disclosed is a process for the thermal decomposition of ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen, which process comprises contacting ammonia with the catalyst of the invention.