An apparatus for steam reforming of hydrocarbons is described including a steam reformer containing a plurality of externally-heated vertical tubes each tube having an inlet for a feed gas mixture including hydrocarbon and steam, and an outlet for a reformed gas mixture, wherein the tubes contain a particulate steam reforming catalyst adjacent the outlet and a structured steam reforming catalyst adjacent the inlet. A process for steam reforming of hydrocarbons using the apparatus is also described.

The invention relates to a packing assembly for a material exchange column, comprising at least one structured packing plate and a container in which the at least one structured packing plate is arranged. The at least one structured packing plate has packing packets. Each packing packet has interconnected packing sheets. The packing sheets are corrugated and have corrugation peaks and corrugation valleys. Adjacent packing sheets contact each other at the corrugation peaks. Additional corrugated packing sheets are added between the packing packets such that the at least one packing plate is pretensioned against the container in a radial direction thereof. Both the corrugated packing sheets of the packing packets as well as the additional corrugated packing sheet added between the packing packets are arranged solely on a common preferred plane or parallel thereto.

An apparatus for mass transfer between a liquid and a gas inside a rotor having a packing. The liquid is introduced at a center of the rotor and driven outward through the packing by centrifugal force generated by rotation of the rotor, and the gas surrounding the rotor is forced inward through the rotor by a pressure of the gas, counter to the liquid flow in the rotor. The packing inside the rotor is divided into individual packing segments that together form a circular disk. Each circular ring segment is formed by at least one structured packing comprised of a plurality of superimposed woven, knitted, mesh or lattice structured surfaces composed of metal, in particular sheet-metal strips, or plastic or glass fibers, to which the axis of rotation of the rotor runs perpendicular.

The invention relates to a column having: a shell, which is extended along a longitudinal axis and encloses an interior of the column, at least one mass transfer tray, which is extended along a column cross section, extending transversely to the longitudinal axis, of the column, and at least one liquid distributor, which is designed to feed the at least one mass transfer tray with a liquid phase. In accordance with the invention, the mass transfer tray has a plurality of runoff elements extending parallel to and at a distance from one another, more particularly in the form of angular profiles, which are each extended along the column cross section, where the runoff elements each have first and second runoff surfaces extended along the column cross section, and where the two runoff surfaces converge along the longitudinal axis in the direction of the liquid distributor and meet, and in so doing form an edge extended along the column cross section, and where the liquid distributor is designed to apply the liquid phase to the edges of the runoff elements, so that the liquid phase applied to the respective runoff element flows off from the respective runoff element via the runoff surfaces at both sides of the respective edge.

The present invention relates to a packing element for a structured packing including at least two adjacent corrugated sheets, wherein each of the corrugated sheets has a plurality of alternately oriented peaks and troughs, wherein adjacent corrugated sheets are oriented such that the corrugations of the adjacent corrugated sheets intersect in crisscross fashion with the corrugations of the corrugated sheets extending obliquely relative to the vertical direction, wherein each corrugated sheet contacts each of the adjacent corrugated sheets at points of intersection between the corrugations of the corrugated sheet and those of the adjacent corrugated sheets, wherein all corrugated sheets are tied together by means of at least one rod, wherein the at least one rod penetrates the corrugated sheets perpendicularly to the longitudinal section of the corrugated sheets, wherein on the at least one rod before the first corrugated sheet of the packing element and/or after the last corrugated sheet of the packing element at least one mounting clip is provided for fixing the corrugated sheets on the rod, wherein the mounting clip has a central part forming a coupling portion for coupling the mounting clip to the rod and two opposing lateral parts forming a clamping portion for a clamping engagement with the corrugated sheet, wherein the lateral parts are connected with the central part and angled with respect to the central part.

A device for the intimate mixing of solid particles and a gaseous medium within a gas-solid fluidized bed, comprising a plurality corrugated and/or ribbed planar stanchions arranged in alternating intersecting planes that provide a plurality of open spaces between or adjacent the alternating intersecting planar stanchions. The element has a three-dimensional lattice configuration and the corrugated and/or ribbed planar stanchions are formed from metal having peaks and valleys or ribs, such that the peaks and valleys or ribs are angled at less than 90 degrees from the fall-line of the planar stanchion when assembled into the element. The angled peaks and valleys or ribs form channels that enhance lateral movement of catalyst particles into the spaces between the stanchions to provide improved vapor/solids mixing and contact.

A corrugated structured packing sheet has surface texturing that may be in the form of a grid of indented and raised structures. Each indented structure is separated from some or all of adjacent ones of the indented structures by the raised structures. The raised structures form rows of peaks and interconnecting saddles. Microchannels extend along adjacent ones of the indented structures and the interconnecting saddles and intersect the corrugation valleys at an angle in the range of 20 to 75 degrees. The surface texturing may be or include wavy parallel grooves in an upper edge region adjacent the upper edge and a lower edge region adjacent the lower edge and may be or include parallel groove segments in the bulk region that are oriented obliquely to upper and lower edges of the structured packing sheet.

A cross-corrugated structured packing element is provided for use in mass transfer or heat exchange columns. The packing element has a plurality of packing layers positioned in an upright, parallel relationship to each other and including corrugations formed of alternating peaks and valleys and corrugation sidewalls extending between the peaks and valleys. The packing element also includes a plurality of apertures each presenting an open area. The apertures are distributed such that the corrugation sidewalls have a greater density of open areas than any density of the open areas that may be present in the peaks and valleys. Some of the apertures may be present in the peaks and the valleys to facilitate liquid distribution. The apertures may also be placed in rows or other patterns that are aligned in a direction along a longitudinal length of the corrugations. Regions with a larger apex radius may be formed in the peaks, such as by depressing spaced-apart segments of the peaks to form spacers in the undepressed portions of the peaks. Some of the apertures may be positioned in the transitions from the depressed portions of the peaks to the unmodified apex sections.

A vessel provides for removing hydrocarbons from a catalyst. In an FCC unit, the vessel includes first and second sections. The first section includes at least one grid having a plurality of intersecting members and openings therebetween. The second section includes structured packing such as a plurality of ribbons. Grids are supported by pipes that are supported by the second section.

A tower packing element (100), a tower packing (300), a packing tower, and a mixer comprising the tower packing element (100) are provided. The tower packing element (100) are manufactured by a deformed plate and comprises a plurality of strip assemblies (10) arranged along a longitudinal direction of the tower packing element (100) and a connecting plate portion (20) connected between adjacent strip assemblies (10). Each of the strip assemblies (10) defines a central passage (30) therein, and the central passage (30) is extended in a lateral direction of the tower packing element (100). The connecting plate portion (20) is extended along the lateral direction of the tower packing element (100). The adjacent strip assemblies (10) and the connecting plate portion (20) connected therebetween define a side passage (40) parallel to the central passage (30).