The invention relates to a reactor for carrying out heterogeneously catalyzed gas-phase reactions, having an internal element (11, 35) or a plurality of internal elements (11, 35) which are arranged in succession in the flow direction of the gas mixture of the heterogeneously catalyzed gas-phase reaction through the reactor (10), where the internal elements extend over the entire reactor cross section, wherein the one or more internal elements (11, 35) is/are at least partly made of a fiber composite ceramic material.

A device for mixing fluids for a downflow catalytic reactor (1), having at least one substantially horizontal collector (5) provided with a substantially vertical collection conduit (7) receiving fluids collected by said collector (5); an injector (8) injecting a quench fluid opening into said collection conduit (7); a mixing chamber (9) located downstream of the collector (5) in the direction of movement of the fluids, having an inlet end connected directly to the collection conduit (7) and an outlet end (10) evacuating the fluids; and a pre-distribution plate (11) having a plurality of perforations and at least one riser (13), being located downstream of said mixing chamber (9) in the direction of movement of the fluids; the section of the mixing chamber (9) is a parallelogram and has at least one deflector (15) over at least one of the four internal walls of the mixing chamber (9) with a parallelogram section.

The present disclosure relates to chemical synthesis. The teachings thereof may be embodied in methods for chemical synthesis and/or reactors for synthesis. The teaching may increase the conversion of equilibrium-limited reactions in a single pass through a synthesis reactor. For example, a method may include: introducing a synthesis reactant into a reaction chamber with a prevailing pressure p1; forming a synthesis product; discharging the product and any unreacted reactant; separating the product from the unreacted reactant; and introducing the unreacted reactant into a second reaction chamber with a prevailing pressure p2 lower than the pressure p1.

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.

The present invention relates to multi-bed catalytic reactor with a cylindrical shape comprising a mixing device mounted between two catalyst beds in the reactor, said mixing device has a circular outer rim which corresponds to the inner wall of the reactor, the mixing device comprises; collecting means disposed in a collecting section for collecting fluid from an upstream catalytic bed, mixing means disposed in a mixing section for mixing the collected fluid comprising guide vanes and guide ramps, and discharging means disposed in a discharging section for discharging the mixed fluid to a down-stream catalytic bed; wherein the collecting section, the mixing section and the discharging section are disposed outside the center of the circular cross-section of the reactor, as well as associated methods for mixing and the use of such a mixing device in catalytic reactors.

In a novel process for methanol production from low quality synthesis gas, in which relatively smaller adiabatic reactors can be operated more efficiently, some of the inherent disadvantages of adiabatic reactors for methanol production are avoided. This is done by controlling the outlet temperature in the pre-converter by rapid adjustment of the recycle gas, i.e. by manipulating the gas hourly space velocity in the pre-converter.

A reactor (1) for thermochemical reactions is provided comprising a reactor shell (13) having an inlet (2) and an outlet (3). Solid catalyst (16) is provided in reaction zones (4a, 4b, 4c) in which at least a portion of reactants entering the reactor (1) undergo a thermochemical reaction. A heat exchange medium is provided in heat exchange zones such that heat is exchanged between the reaction zones (4a, 4b, 4c) and the heat exchange medium. One or more hollow inserts (11) at least partially extend through the reaction zones (4a, 4b, 4c). The hollow inserts (11) are configured to form a flow path to either: divert a portion of the reactants from the reactor inlet (2) or from one reaction zone to a different reaction zone; or divert a portion of the heat exchange medium from one heat exchange zone to a different heat exchange zone.

A method and assembly for utilizing open-cell cellular solid material in a component separation unit to separate one or more process streams into component process streams having desired compositions. A method and assembly for using said open-cell cellular solid material to separate process streams into desired component process streams in a component separation unit, wherein the open-cell cellular solid material can include oxides, carbides, nitrides, borides, ceramics, metals, polymers, and chemical vapor deposition materials.

Producing C5 olefins from steam cracker C5 feeds may include reacting a mixed hydrocarbon stream comprising cyclopentadiene, C5 olefins, and C6+ hydrocarbons in a dimerization reactor where cyclopentadiene is dimerized to dicyclopentadiene. The dimerization reactor effluent may be separated into a fraction comprising the C6+ hydrocarbons and dicyclopentadiene and a second fraction comprising C5 olefins and C5 dienes. The second fraction, a saturated hydrocarbon diluent stream, and hydrogen may be fed to a catalytic distillation reactor system for concurrently separating linear C5 olefins from saturated hydrocarbon diluent, cyclic C5 olefins, and C5 dienes contained in the second fraction and selectively hydrogenating C5 dienes. An overhead distillate including the linear C5 olefins and a bottoms product including cyclic C5 olefins are recovered from the catalytic distillation reactor system. Other aspects of the C5 olefin systems and processes, including catalyst configurations and control schemes, are also described.

Described herein are improved chemical reactors for carrying out partial oxidation reactions. The chemical reactor permits the use of levels of oxygen above the lower explosion limit (LEL) typically used in partial oxidation reactions, which increases both volumetric reactivity and conversion per pass, resulting in reduced separation and reactant recycle costs. Also described are methods of using the reactors.