A method for facilitating the distribution of the flow of one or more streams within a bed vessel is provided. Disposed within the bed vessel are internal materials and structures including multiple operating zones. One type of operating zone can be a processing zone composed of one or more beds of solid processing material. Another type of operating zone can be a treating zone. Treating zones can facilitate the distribution of the one or more streams fed to processing zones. The distribution can facilitate contact between the feed streams and the processing materials contained in the processing zones.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of producing tungsten hexafluoride by reacting tungsten with a fluorine-containing gas at a temperature of 800 C. or higher. The method according to the present invention is advantageous in that the amount of production of the tungsten hexafluoride per unit capacity of the reaction vessel is increased as compared to conventional techniques of producing tungsten hexafluoride from a fluorine-containing gas and metal tungsten while controlling the reaction temperature to 400 C. or lower. It is preferable that the reaction vessel is equipped with a coolant jacket for maintaining an inner wall temperature of the reaction vessel at 400 C. or lower.

A system and a method for dehydrogenating isobutane to isobutylene are disclosed. The system comprises a fixed bed dehydrogenation reactor. The fixed reactor bed in the fixed bed dehydrogenation reactor includes a catalyst layer, a first material adapted to improve the flow distribution in the fixed reactor bed, a second material adapted to improve the thermal distribution in the fixed reactor bed, and a third material adapted to improve both the flow distribution and the thermal distribution in the fixed reactor bed. The first material covers a top, a bottom, and at least a portion of a side surface of the catalyst layer of the fixed reactor bed. The second material and the third material both are evenly distributed in the catalyst layer.

In a method of hydroprocessing, hydrogen gas for the hydroprocessing reaction is combined with a liquid feed composition comprising a feedstock to be treated and a diluent to form a feed stream, at least a portion of the hydrogen gas being dissolved in the liquid feed composition of the feed stream, with non-dissolved hydrogen gas being present in the feed stream in an amount of from 1 to 70 SCF/bbl of the liquid feed composition. The feed stream is contacted with a hydroprocessing catalyst, within a reactor while maintaining a liquid mass flux within the reactor of at least 5000 lb/hr.Math.ft.sup.2 to form a hydroprocessed product.

A method for removing contaminants from a process stream that includes the use of reticulated material to filter the process stream. The reticulated material also facilitate process stream flow distribution in process units. The reticulated material can be packed with a void space between a substantial number of the reticulated material that can be varied to enhance filtration and flow distribution. The method of filtering also provides a method of removing contaminants leaving process equipment. The methods can be used on a variety of process streams and process equipment. The reticulated material can include ceramics, metallic materials, and chemical vapor deposition elements. The reticulated material can be of various shapes and sizes, and can also be catalytically active.

A reactor for conducting exothermic equilibrium reactions, especially for the performance of methanol synthesis by heterogeneously catalysed conversion of synthesis gas, is proposed, which enables readjustment and hence optimization of the reaction conditions along the longitudinal coordinate of the reactor. For this purpose, in accordance with the invention, the reactor is divided into a multitude of series-connected reaction cells, each of which comprises a preheating zone, a cooled reaction zone, one or more cooling zones and a deposition zone for condensable reaction products. In this way, the reaction conditions are adjustable to the respective, local composition of the reaction mixture and variable over the reactor length.

A method for preparing methyl methacrylate from methacrolein and methanol. The method comprises contacting in a tubular reactor having at least four zones a mixture comprising methacrolein, methanol, oxygen and a base with a catalyst bed of heterogeneous catalyst comprising a support and a noble metal, wherein reaction zones comprising catalyst beds alternate with mixing zones not comprising catalyst beds.

Processes for the production of olefins are disclosed, which may include: contacting a hydrocarbon mixture comprising linear butenes with an isomerization catalyst to form an isomerization product comprising 2-butenes and 1-butenes; contacting the isomerization product with a first metathesis catalyst to form a first metathesis product comprising 2-pentene and propylene, as well as any unreacted C.sub.4 olefins, and byproducts ethylene and 3-hexene; and fractionating the first metathesis product to form a C3-fraction and a C5 fraction comprising 2-pentene. The 2-pentene may then be advantageously used to produce high purity 1-butene, 3-hexene, 1-hexene, propylene, or other desired products.

The invention is directed to a system for energy storage including a heat transfer fluid (HTF) tank containing a HTF such as water; a chemical combustion reactor that is at least partially filled with a metal and/or an oxide thereof, and that includes a gas inlet and a gas outlet; wherein the chemical combustion reactor is at least partially submerged in the HTF within the HTF tank.

Incorporating into a fixed bed reactor for an exothermal reaction having a catalyst supported on a support having a thermal conductivity typically less than 30 W/mk within the reaction temperature control limits heat dissipative particles having a thermal conductivity of at least 50 W/mk less than 30 W/mk within the reaction temperature control limits helps control the temperature of the reactor bed.