Disclosed is a combined reformer including two or more catalyst tubes reacting at different temperatures, having different reforming reactions continuously performed as a combustion gas sequentially supplies heat to two or more catalyst tubes, and capable of easily replacing a catalyst, and a catalyst replacement method thereof.

Horizontal adiabatic reactor (1) for heterogeneous catalytic reactions, comprising an outer cylindrical shell (2), an inlet (6) for reagent gases and an outlet (7) for gaseous products, a basket (10, 13) containing a catalytic bed (5a, 5b) positioned horizontally inside said reactor, wherein said reactor is configured in such a way that the gases cross said catalytic bed in a radial or axial-radial manner, said shell (2) has a cover (4) which can be opened and which defines an opening (20), and said basket (10, 13) is extractable horizontally from said opening.

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.

An apparatus (10) and the use thereof for preheating at least one fluid are proposed. The apparatus (10) has a solid heating body (12). Channels (16) for passage of the fluid are formed in the heating body (12). The heating body (12) is heatable. The heating body (12) is designed to heat the fluid to a target temperature within a target time, wherein the target temperature is at least a temperature at which a predetermined chemical reaction of the fluid takes place with a predetermined conversion within a predetermined time. The target time is shorter than the predetermined time. The heating body (12), for preheating of the fluid, is heated to the target temperature and the fluid is passed through the channels (16) within the target time.

Described is an industrial scale chemical reactor or reactor containing a shell having an inner wall, and at least one channel inside the shell. The shell has a circular, square, or rectangular cross-sectional area. All of the internal dimensions of the channel are greater than 10 mm, and optionally less than 50 mm. The channel has a rectangular cross-sectional area, and contains a catalyst bed containing catalyst particles and/or pieces containing catalyst particles packed inside the channel. The reactor has improved shell volume utilization, catalyst loading capacities, heat exchange efficiency, process intensification, or combinations thereof, compared to currently existing reactors. Exothermic reactions, such as the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis can be performed inside the channels of the reactor. Also described are methods of making the reactor.

The inventions is directed to a new design for catalyst tubes, which makes it possible to apply the concept of regenerative reforming into steam reformers having catalyst tube inlets and outlets at opposite sides of the furnace chamber. The catalyst tube comprises an inlet for process gas to enter the catalyst tube and an outlet for process gas to exit the catalyst tube, which inlet and outlet are located at opposite ends of the catalyst tube. The catalyst tube further comprises a first annular channel comprising the catalyst, a second annular channel for process gas to flow countercurrently or co-currently to the process gas flowing through the first annular channel.

Embodiments of apparatuses and methods for controlling heat for rapid thermal processing of carbonaceous material are provided herein. The apparatus comprises a reheater for containing a fluidized bubbling bed comprising an oxygen-containing gas, inorganic heat carrier particles, and char and for burning the char into ash to form heated inorganic particles. An inorganic particle cooler is in fluid communication with the reheater to receive a first portion of the heated inorganic particles. The inorganic particle cooler is configured to receive a cooling medium for indirect heat exchange with the first portion of the heated inorganic particles to form first partially-cooled heated inorganic particles that are fluidly communicated to the reheater and combined with a second portion of the heated inorganic particles to form second partially-cooled heated inorganic particles. A reactor is in fluid communication with the reheater to receive the second partially-cooled heated inorganic particles.

The invention concerns a process and apparatus for cracking ammonia in which heated ammonia gas at super-atmospheric pressure is partially cracked catalytically in an adiabatic reaction unit to produce partially cracked ammonia gas which is heated and fed to catalyst-containing reactor tubes in a furnace to cause cracking of further ammonia and produce a cracked gas comprising hydrogen gas, nitrogen gas and residual ammonia gas. At least some, preferably all, of the duty required to heat the partially cracked ammonia gas is provided by heat exchange with the cracked gas, enabling more efficient heat integration within the process.

A system is provided for reforming a hydrocarbon feedstock. The system comprises: first prereformer units and first preheating unit arranged upstream a bayonet tube steam methane reformer. The system is arranged to provide a temperature of the heated partially-reformed process stream at the inlet of the bayonet tube steam methane reformer of at least 600? C. and a temperature of the gas at the bottom of the bayonet steam methane reformer tubes of at least 800? C. This arrangement allows higher bayonet tube inlet temperatures, with reduced risk of increased metal dusting. A process is also provided for reforming a hydrocarbon feedstock in the system of the invention.

The invention concerns a process and apparatus for cracking ammonia in which heated ammonia gas at super-atmospheric pressure is partially cracked in at least two adiabatic reactors in series with interstage heating in which the feed temperature to a first reactor is higher than the feed temperature to a further reactor to produce a partially cracked ammonia gas which is then fed to catalyst-containing reactor tubes in a furnace to produce a cracked gas comprising hydrogen gas, nitrogen gas and residual ammonia gas. The use of the adiabatic reactors enables more efficient heat integration within the process and the higher temperature in the first reactor enables the use of a nickel-based catalyst in that reactor as an alternative solution to the potential problem of the presence of oil in the ammonia.