A reactor system for thermally treating a hydrocarbon-containing stream, that includes a pressure containment vessel comprising an interior chamber and a heat transfer medium that converts electrical current to heat and is positioned within the interior chamber of the pressure containment vessel, wherein the heat transfer medium comprises a first end face, a second end face, and channels extending between the first end face and the second end face. A process for thermally treating a hydrocarbon-containing stream includes introducing the hydrocarbon-containing stream into the reactor system, pressurizing the pressure containment vessel and the heat transfer medium without heating the pressure containment vessel or the heat transfer medium, supplying electrical current to the heat transfer medium, converting the electrical current to heat, heating the hydrocarbon-containing stream, and converting the hydrocarbon-containing stream to an effluent stream.

A reactor system for thermally treating a hydrocarbon-containing stream, that includes a pressure containment vessel comprising an interior chamber defined by a first end, a second end, and at least one side wall extending from the first end to the second end; and a ceramic heat transfer medium that converts electrical current to heat and is positioned within the interior chamber of the pressure containment vessel, wherein the heat transfer medium comprises an electrical resistor, an electrical lead line configured to provide electrical current to the heat transfer medium, a first end face, a second end face, and channels extending between the first end face and the second end face.

A reactor system for thermally treating a hydrocarbon-containing stream includes a pressure containment vessel having an interior chamber defined by a first end, a second end, and at least one sidewall extending from the first end to the second end. A heat transfer medium converts electrical current to heat is positioned within the interior chamber of the pressure containment vessel, and the heat transfer medium has a first end face, a second end face, and channels extending between the first end face and the second end face. A heat sink reservoir includes molten salt, and at least one of a heater or heat exchanger is fluidly coupled to the heat transfer medium and thermally coupled to the heat sink reservoir.

Embodiments include a system that may include a reactor including a reaction zone and a gas release zone separated by a selectively permeable membrane, wherein the selectively permeable membrane permits hydrogen to pass through the membrane and substantially blocks a substrate and its dehydrogenative coupling product from passing through the membrane. Embodiments further include a method of producing a dehydrogenative coupling product, wherein the method may include exposing a substrate to a catalyst in a reaction zone of a reactor; coupling the substrate to form the dehydrogenative coupling product and hydrogen; and separating the hydrogen from the dehydrogenative coupling product using a selectively permeable membrane and passing the hydrogen to a gas release zone of the reactor.

A hydrogen plant for producing hydrogen, including: a reforming reactor system including a first catalyst bed including an electrically conductive material and a catalytically active material, a heat insulation layer between the first catalyst bed and the pressure shell, and at least two conductors electrically connected to the electrically conductive material and to an electrical power supply placed outside the pressure shell, wherein the electrical power supply is dimensioned to heat at least part of the first catalyst bed to a temperature of at least 500° C. by passing an electrical current through the electrically conductive material, where the pressure shell has a design pressure of between 5 and 200 bar; a water gas shift unit downstream the reforming reactor system; and a gas separation unit downstream the water gas shift unit. A process for producing hydrogen from a feed gas including hydrocarbons.

A reformer for steam reforming a hydrocarbon-containing mixture, including a combustion chamber, a burner arranged within the combustion chamber, a first reactor tube which is arranged at least in sections within the combustion chamber, a catalyst arranged inside the first reactor tube, and an electrically heatable heating element is arranged inside the first reactor tube.

Aspects of the present invention provide a modular reactor device having an outer housing, and a plurality of components contained within the outer housing, the components including: a reaction chamber; a fluid pathway connected to the reaction chamber; and a valve arranged to control flow of fluid within the device, wherein the outer housing has a plurality of connection ports providing connections from the exterior of the device to the interior, the connection ports including: a fluid input and a fluid output; an electrical input; and a pneumatic input; wherein either the electrical input or the pneumatic input is connected to the valve to provide for control of the valve, and either the fluid input or the fluid output is connected to the reaction chamber or the fluid pathway. Other aspects provide a base station for receiving and controlling a modular reactor device and methods for manufacturing the modular reactor device and for performing reactions using a modular reactor device.

An apparatus for carrying out a chemical reaction in a process fluid includes a reactor comprising one or more reaction tubes which have a number of electrically heatable tube segments which are connected to one another by an electrically conductive star bridge, and at least one power source configured to provide a multiphase alternating current with N phases to N phase lines at a predetermined voltage. N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. For each of the at least one power source, a number of power connections is provided, each of which is connected to at least one of the tube segments and to one of the phase lines of the power source. In the at least one power source, a star point is formed at which the phase lines of the power source are connected, wherein the star point is not connected to a ground connection.

A reactor system for carrying out steam reforming of a feed gas comprising hydrocarbons, including: a structured catalyst arranged for catalyzing steam reforming of a feed gas including hydrocarbons, the structured catalyst including a macroscopic structure of electrically conductive material, the macroscopic structure supporting a ceramic coating, wherein the ceramic coating supports a catalytically active material; a pressure shell housing the structured catalyst; heat insulation layer between the structured catalyst and the pressure shell; at least two conductors electrically connected to the macroscopic structure and to an electrical power supply placed outside the pressure shell, wherein the electrical power supply is dimensioned to heat at least part of the structured catalyst to a temperature of at least 500° C. by passing an electrical current through the macroscopic structure. Also, a process for steam reforming of a feed gas comprising hydrocarbons.

A device (110) for heating a fluid is proposed. The device comprises at least one electrically conductive pipeline (112) and/or at least one electrically conductive pipeline segment (114) for receiving the fluid, and at least one DC current and/or DC voltage source (126), wherein respectively one DC current or DC voltage source (126) is assigned to each pipeline (112) and/or each pipeline segment (114), said DC current and/or DC voltage source being connected to the respective pipeline (112) and/or the respective pipeline segment (114), wherein the respective DC current and/or DC voltage source (126) is embodied to produce an electric current in the respective pipeline (112) and/or in the respective pipeline segment (114), said electric current warming up the respective pipeline (112) and/or the respective pipeline segment (114) by Joule heating, which arises when the electric current passes through conductive pipe material, for the purposes of heating the fluid.