The present disclosure relates to a reactor and a method of operation for an exothermal process being catalyzed by a catalytically active material receiving a reactant gas and providing a product gas, in which said exothermal process has a heat development having a potential for thermally degrading said catalytically active material, and which exothermal process operates at a temperature at which the reactants and at least 80% or all of the products are present as gases, said method comprising the steps of a) directing the reactant gas to a first zone of a material catalytically active in the exothermal process producing an first product gas, and b) directing the first product gas to a second zone of a material catalytically active in the exothermal process producing a product gas, with the option of fully or partially by-passing either said first zone or said second zone, while directing a non-condensing gas stream having a temperature at least 50° C. lower than the product gas to said by-passed zone, wherein the choice of by-passing said zone is made based on the time of operation or a process parameter reflecting the catalytic activity of the zone of catalytically active material which is not by-passed with the associated benefit of reducing the extent of thermal deactivation of the catalytically active material, and thus increasing the overall lifetime of the catalytically active material.

The present invention provides a method for producing α-hydroxyisobutyric acid amide by hydration of acetone cyanohydrin under the presence of a catalyst composed mainly of manganese oxide using a reactor in which at least two reaction regions are connected in series, the method being characterized by comprising: a step (B) of cyclically supplying at least a portion of a reaction liquid withdrawn from at least one reaction region to a first reaction region (I) in the reactor; and a step (b1) of further cyclically supplying at least a portion of the reaction liquid withdrawn from at least one reaction region to at least one reaction region other than the first reaction region. The method is also characterized in that an oxidizing agent is supplied to at least one reaction region in the reactor.

A method and a device system for producing dimethyl oxalate through high-pressure carbonylation of industrial synthesis gases and producing ethylene glycol through dimethyl oxalate hydrogenation. The method comprises the following steps: adopting industrial NO, O.sub.2 and methanol as raw materials to perform an esterification reaction to produce methyl nitrite, then adopting industrial CO and methyl nitrite to perform a carbonylation reaction in a plate reactor to produce carbonylation products which mainly include dimethyl oxalate and dimethyl carbonate, separating the carbonylation products to obtain dimethyl carbonate products, and subsequently performing hydrogenation to dimethyl oxalate in the plate reactor to produce ethylene glycol products; and performing coupling recovery treatment to waste acid in the esterification reaction and purge gas in the carbonylation reaction for recycling. The system comprises an esterification reaction system, a carbonylation reaction system, a purge gases and waste acid coupling recovery system and a hydrogenation reaction system.

A process for producing 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene comprises the steps: i) in a first adiabatic reactor comprising a fixed bed composed of an inlet and an outlet, bringing 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene into contact with hydrofluoric acid in the gas phase in the presence of a catalyst to produce a stream A comprising 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene, HF and unreacted 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene; and ii) in a second adiabatic reactor comprising a fixed bed composed of an inlet and an outlet, bringing hydrofluoric acid into contact in the gas phase, optionally in the presence of a catalyst, with at least one chlorinated compound to produce a stream B comprising 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene. The stream A obtained in step i) feeds said second reactor. The inlet temperature of the fixed bed of one of said first or second reactors is between 300° C. and 400° C. The longitudinal temperature difference between the inlet and the outlet of the fixed bed in question is less than 20° C.

A reactor design and configuration and a process for the catalytic dehydration of ethanol to ethylene where the reactor train is comprised of a multi-stage single reactor vessel or multiple reactor vessels wherein each stage and/or vessel has different length, internal diameter, and volume than the other stages and/or vessels and in addition the stages and/or reactor vessels are connected in series arrangement, preferably used with an improved means of introducing the ethanol feedstock and a heat carrying inert gas to the improved reactor train. The inert gas is heated in a separate furnace from the ethanol feed and then injected into the ethanol feed to supply the heat of reaction.

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.

Device for the mixing and distribution of fluids for a catalytic reactor with a downward flow, said device comprising at least one collection zone (A), at least one mixing zone (B) comprising at least one enclosure (15) for the mixing of the fluids, at least one distribution zone (C), characterized in that said mixing zone (B) is situated at the same level as the distribution zone (C) and also comprises at least one enclosure (16) for the exchange of the fluids, connected to, and communicating with, said mixing enclosure (15), said exchange enclosure (16) comprising at least one lateral passage section (17a, 17b) suitable for the passage of the fluids from said exchange enclosure (16) to said distribution zone (C).

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.

A mixing device mounted between two catalyst beds in a multi-bed catalytic reactor with a cylindrical shape. The mixing device has a circular outer rim which corresponds to the inner wall of the reactor, and includes a collecting section for collecting fluid from an up-stream catalytic bed, a mixing section for mixing the collected fluid, and a discharging section for discharging the mixed fluid to a down-stream catalytic bed. The collecting section, the mixing section and the discharging section are disposed outside the center of the circular cross-section of the reactor.

The present invention relates to an intensification of the synthetic process for the preparation of dialkyl ether from alcohol by using a conical fixed bed reactor integrated with distillation coupled conical polishing reactor.