The present invention is directed to a combination reactor system for exothermic reactions comprising a trickle-bed reactor and a shell-and-tube reactor. This combination allows the system to efficiently remove heat while also providing the ability to control both the temperature and/or reaction progression. The trickle-bed reactor removes heat efficiently from the system by utilizing latent heat and does not require the use of a cooling or heating medium. The shell-and-tube reactor is used to further progress the reaction and provides a heat exchanger in order to introduce fluid at the desired temperature in the shell-and-tube reactor. Also, additional reactant or reactants and/or other fluids may be introduced to the shell-and-tube section of the reactor under controlled temperature conditions.

The invention relates to distributing reactants more evenly across the interior space of a reactor vessel utilizing a distributor at the inlet end that initially directs the flow of reactants through a series of circumferential nozzles. The nozzles are physical spaced such that the first nozzle provides the reactants into the vessel to spread radially and broadly outwardly into the vessel and each successive circumferential nozzle to deliver reactants in a less broadly distribution or dispersion where the interior space is filled with reactants without broadly diverse velocities that may create hot spots within the catalyst bed.

Disclosed herein are methods of producing a gas at a controlled rate, the methods comprising directing air through a layered bed to produce a gas. The layered bed comprises alternating layers of a layer of dry particles comprising a precursor and a layer of dry particles comprising a proton-generating species. The gas is produced at a rate that is controlled by controlling the presence or absence of air flowing though the layered bed, the amount of time the air flows through the layered bed, the total number of layers in the layered bed, the average thickness of each of the layers of dry particles comprising the precursor in the layered bed, the average thickness of each of the layers of dry particles comprising the proton-generating species in the layered bed, the temperature the method is performed at, or a combination thereof.

The present invention relates to a catalytic system comprising at least two catalytic zones of which at least one zone exclusively contains one or more noble metals selected from the group consisting of Rhodium, Ruthenium, Iridium, Palladium and Platinum and at least another zone contains Nickel, said catalytic system characterized in that at least one zone exclusively containing noble metals selected from the group consisting of Rhodium, Ruthenium, Iridium, Palladium and Platinum is always distinct but in contact with at least one zone containing Nickel. One or more metals selected from the group consisting of Rhodium, Ruthenium, Iridium, Palladium and Platinum are possibly added to the catalytic zone or zones comprising Nickel.

Disclosed herein are methods of producing a gas at a controlled rate, the methods comprising directing air through a layered bed to produce a gas. The layered bed comprises alternating layers of a layer of dry particles comprising a precursor and a layer of dry particles comprising a proton-generating species. The gas is produced at a rate that is controlled by controlling the presence or absence of air flowing though the layered bed, the amount of time the air flows through the layered bed, the total number of layers in the layered bed, the average thickness of each of the layers of dry particles comprising the precursor in the layered bed, the average thickness of each of the layers of dry particles comprising the proton-generating species in the layered bed, the temperature the method is performed at, or a combination thereof.