A bi-modal radial flow reactor comprising a cylindrical outer housing surrounding at least five cylindrical, concentric zones, including at least three annulus vapor zones and at least two catalyst zones. The at least two catalyst zones comprise an outer catalyst zone and an inner catalyst zone. The at least three annulus vapor zones comprise an outer annulus vapor zone, a middle annulus vapor zone, and a central annulus vapor zone, wherein the central annulus vapor zone extends along a centerline of the bi-modal radial flow reactor. The outer catalyst zone is intercalated with the outer annulus vapor zone and the middle annulus vapor zone, and the inner catalyst zone is intercalated with the middle annulus vapor zone and the central annulus vapor zone. A removable head cover can be fixably coupled to a top of the cylindrical outer housing to seal a top of the bi-modal radial flow reactor.

A multi-stage process for transforming a high sulfur ISO 8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil involving a core desulfurizing process that produces a Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil that can be used as a feedstock for subsequent refinery process such as anode grade coking, needle coking and fluid catalytic cracking. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil exhibits multiple properties desirable as a feedstock for those processes including a sulfur level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05 mass % to 1.0 mass. A process plant for conducting the process is also disclosed.

A process for reducing the environmental contaminants in a ISO 8217: 2017 Table 2 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil and resulting product, the process involving: mixing a Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil with a Activating Gas to give a feedstock mixture; contacting the feedstock mixture with one or more catalysts to form a Process Mixture; separating the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil from the Process Mixture and, discharging the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil complies with ISO 8217:2017 Table 2 for residual marine fuel and the Environmental Contaminants, which are selected from the group consisting of: a sulfur; vanadium, nickel, iron, aluminum and silicon and combinations thereof, are less than 0.5 wt. %. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil can be used as blending stock for an ISO 8217:2017 Table 2 compliant, IMO 2020 compliant, low sulfur heavy marine fuel composition.

A combined reforming apparatus is provided. The combined reforming apparatus includes a body, a plurality of first catalyst tubes disposed inside the body and reacting at a first temperature to reform hydrocarbons (C.sub.xH.sub.y) having two or more carbon atoms into methane (CH.sub.4), a plurality of second catalyst tubes disposed inside the body, connected to the plurality of first catalyst tubes, and reacting at a second temperature higher than the first temperature to reform methane (CH.sub.4) into synthesis gas containing hydrogen (H.sub.2) and carbon monoxide (CO), a combustion unit configured to supply heat to the plurality of first catalyst tubes and the plurality of second catalyst tubes, and a first distributor configured to connect the plurality of first catalyst tubes to each of the second catalyst tubes to distribute steam and gas discharged from the plurality of first catalyst tubes to the plurality of second catalyst tubes.

A combined reforming apparatus is provided. The combined reforming apparatus includes a body, a first catalyst tube disposed inside the body and reacting at a first temperature to reform hydrocarbons (CA) having two or more carbon atoms into methane (CH.sub.4), a second catalyst tube disposed inside the body, connected to the first catalyst tube, and reacting at a second temperature higher than the first temperature to reform methane (CH.sub.4) into synthesis gas comprising hydrogen (H.sub.2) and carbon monoxide (CO), a combustion unit configured to supply heat to the first and second catalyst tubes, a gas supply pipe configured to supply hydrocarbon gas to the first catalyst tube, a first steam supply pipe configured to supply steam to the first catalyst tube, and a second steam supply pipe configured to supply steam to the second catalyst tube.

A multi-bed catalytic converter comprising: a plurality of catalytic beds which are traversed in series by a process gas, sequentially from a first catalytic bed to a last catalytic bed of said plurality, and at least one inter-bed heat exchanger (7) positioned between a first catalytic bed and a second catalytic bed of said plurality, wherein at least the last catalytic bed of said plurality is adiabatic and is made of fine catalyst with a particle size not greater than 2 mm.

A catalytic bed for a chemical reactor, said catalytic bed having an annular-cylindrical geometry and comprising at least one collector made with a gas-permeable cylindrical wall, containing at least a first catalyst and a second catalyst, wherein the second catalyst has a finer particle size than the first catalyst, and wherein the first catalyst forms a layer of catalyst adjacent to and in contact with said collector.

The present invention relates to a plant and a process for producing propylene at least one oxygenate, comprising a reactor for converting the reactant mixture into a product mixture which comprises propylene and also aliphatic and aromatic C.sub.5+ hydrocarbons, at least one distillation column for removing a C.sub.5+ stream, the C.sub.5+ stream comprising at least 90 wt % of the aliphatic and aromatic C.sub.5+ hydrocarbons of the product mixture, an extractive distillation column for separating the C.sub.5+ stream into an aromatics stream and an aliphatics stream, the aliphatics stream comprising at least 90 wt % of the aliphatics of the C.sub.5+ stream, and the aromatics stream comprising at least 90 wt % of the aromatics of the C.sub.5+ stream, and an aliphatics recycle line for at least partial recycling of the aliphatics stream to the reactor. According to the invention, an aromatics recycle line is provided which returns the aromatics stream at least partially as extractant into the extractive distillation column.

A method of carrying out the dehydrogenation of lower alkanes in a fixed-bed reactor containing a catalyst bed, the catalyst bed comprising (i) catalyst particles supporting a catalyst effective to promote said dehydrogenation and (ii) engineered inert diluent particles, where the method comprises passing the lower alkane in gaseous form through the catalyst bed, wherein the engineered inert diluent particles have a cross-sectional shape having two opposing convex edges joined by and intersecting two opposing concave edges, and a plurality of holes between said edges penetrating through the particle.

Steam-hydrocarbon reforming reactor with a reformer tube containing ceramic-supported catalyst pellets and metal foam particles. The ceramic-supported catalyst pellets have a porous support comprising one or more of alumina, calcium aluminate, and magnesium aluminate. The metal foam particles comprise Fe and/or Ni. The ceramic-supported catalyst pellets and metal foam particles may be layered or interspersed.