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.

Disclosed herein is a method of regenerating a sorbent of gas in a capture process of said gas, wherein the capture process comprises recirculating the sorbent between a gas capturing system and regenerating reactor system, the method comprising the regenerating reactor system performing the steps of: receiving a solid sorbent to be regenerated, wherein the sorbent is a sorbent of carbon dioxide gas; generating heat by combusting a fuel with an oxidising agent in the presence of a catalyst; regenerating the sorbent by using the generated heat to indirectly heat the sorbent so that the sorbent releases carbon dioxide gas; outputting the regenerated sorbent; and outputting the released carbon dioxide gas. Advantages of the gas capture system include a higher efficiency than known techniques.

A multi-stage product gas generation system converts a carbonaceous material, such as municipal solid waste, into a product gas which may subsequently be converted into a liquid fuel or other material. One or more reactors containing bed material may be used to conduct reactions to effect the conversions. Unreacted inert feedstock contaminants present in the carbonaceous material may be separated from bed material using a portion of the product gas. A heat transfer medium collecting heat from a reaction in one stage may be applied as a reactant input in another, earlier stage.

A hybrid vertical plug flow reactor is comprised of a bottom inlet and a top outlet having vertical tubular member disposed there between, wherein the bottom inlet has separate gas reactant inlet and separate liquid reactant inlet whereby the gas reactant is mixed with the liquid reactant and the outlet has an extraction port, the extraction port extending sufficiently to withdraw the liquid product from the reactor and maintain a gaseous head space within the tubular member of the reactor. The hybrid vertical bubble plug flow reactor is useful to react a gas reactant and liquid reactant that are reacted at a molar ratio of gas reactant/liquid reactant that is in excess of a stoichiometric requirement of gas reactant so that the gas reactant forms bubbles and the reactants react in the presence of a catalyst to form a reaction product.

Disclosed herein is a method of regenerating a sorbent of gas in a capture process of said gas, wherein the capture process comprises recirculating the sorbent between a gas capturing system and regenerating reactor system, the method comprising the regenerating reactor system performing the steps of: receiving a solid sorbent to be regenerated, wherein the sorbent is a sorbent of carbon dioxide gas; generating heat by combusting a fuel with an oxidising agent in the presence of a catalyst; regenerating the sorbent by using the generated heat to indirectly heat the sorbent so that the sorbent releases carbon dioxide gas; outputting the regenerated sorbent; and outputting the released carbon dioxide gas. Advantages of the gas capture system include a higher efficiency than known techniques.

A heat exchanger having a housing, which defines a first volume (V1), and having at least one conduit, which defines a second volume (V2), wherein the housing has an inlet and an outlet and at least one first opening and at least one second opening located opposite the first opening relative to the housing, wherein the at least one conduit extends through the first volume (V1) and connects the at least one first opening of the housing and the at least one second opening of the housing, and is connected at the two ends of the conduit to the housing in a fluid-tight manner. In order to provide a heat exchanger which has an improved possibility for compensating for the differential thermal expansion of the housing and the conduits, the at least one conduit does not extend in a linear manner inside the first volume (V1), and the at least one conduit is monolithically connected in the region of the first opening of the conduit and/or the second opening of the conduit to the housing.

Plants for regenerating foundry sand are provided having a combustion chamber, which has at least one inlet for introducing sand to be regenerated into the combustion chamber, nozzles for feeding combustible gas into the combustion chamber, nozzles for injecting air so as to maintain a heated fluidized bed of sand in the combustion chamber, a cooling chamber for cooling sand coming from the combustion chamber, the cooling chamber having nozzles for blowing air in order to maintain a fluidized bed of sand in the cooling chamber, refrigerating pipes arranged above the air nozzles, a communicating duct which connects the combustion chamber with the cooling chamber, the communicating duct including a vertical or inclined lower end portion which is at least partially surrounded by or adjacent to a plurality of the refrigerating pipes in the cooling chamber, and wherein the lower end portion has a bottom outlet arranged at a lower level with respect to at least one of the refrigerating pipes.

Vertical reactor (1) for chemical reactions, comprising a tube heat exchanger (6) immersed in a catalytic bed (5), wherein said tube exchanger (6) comprises a plurality of straight tube bundles (6.1, 6.2) with respective tube plates for feeding (9.1, 9.2) and collecting (10.1, 10.2) the heat exchange fluid, and wherein the tube bundles and the respective tube plates are vertically staggered so as to allow access to the shell side.

A reformer tube for producing synthesis gas by steam reforming of hydrocarbon-containing input gases is proposed where an outer shell tube is divided by means of a separating tray into a reaction chamber and an exit chamber, a dumped bed of a steam-reforming-active solid catalyst is arranged in the reaction chamber, at least one heat exchanger tube is arranged inside the reaction chamber and inside the dumped catalyst bed, whose entry end is in fluid connection with the dumped catalyst bed and whose exit end is in fluid connection with the exit chamber, the exit end of the heat exchanger tube is fed through the separating tray and opens out into a corrosion-protected inner tube which is disposed in the interior of the shell tube and is in fluid connection with a collection conduit for the synthesis gas product, and a gas-permeable thermal insulation layer is arranged between the inner wall of the shell tube and the outer wall of the inner tube.

Moulded insulation bodies, processes for the production thereof and use thereof consisting essentially of ceramic material comprising SiO.sub.2 fibers and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 fibers which has been produced using Al.sub.2O.sub.3 sol as a binder and kilned at a temperature of above 800 C. for insulation of the ends of cracking tubes of a tubular reactor for performing a steam reforming process for generating synthesis gas which project out of the reactor heating space.