A burner combustion chamber (3), a burner (7) for performing a burner combustion in the burner combustion chamber (3) a reformer catalyst (4) to which burner combustion gas is fed, and a heat exchange part (13a) for heating the air fed to the burner (7) are provided. A switching device (16, 17) able to switch an air flow route for introducing the outside air to the burner (7) between a high temperature air flow route (13) for introducing the outside air flowing within the heat exchange part (13a) and heated at the heat exchange part(13a) to the burner (7) and a low temperature air flow route (14) for feeding the outside air, which does not flow within the heat exchange part (13a) and thereby is lower in temperature than the outside air heated at the heat exchange part (13a), to the burner (7) is provided.

A fluidized catalytic reactor connected to a start-up heater is provided. The start-up heater provides sufficient heat to a catalyst containing stream to gradually increase the feed temperature. This allows for a critical volumetric flow rate to be achieved so that catalyst can be recovered from product instead of being entrained in product.

Oxidized disulfide oil (ODSO) compounds or ODSO compounds and disulfide oil (DSO) compounds are reacted with a hydrogen addition feed in a hydroprocessing complex. The hydrogen addition process can include naphtha hydrotreatment, middle distillate hydrotreatment, vacuum gas oil hydrocracking, and vacuum gas oil hydrotreatment. The ODSO or ODSO and DSO components are converted to hydrogen sulfide, water and alkanes.

In a method for cooling of process gas between catalytic layers or beds in a sulfuric acid plant, in which sulfuric acid is produced from feed gases containing sulfurous components like SO.sub.2, H.sub.2S, CS.sub.2 and COS or liquid feeds like molten sulfur or spent sulfuric acid, one or more boilers, especially water tube boilers, are used instead of conventional steam superheaters to cool the process gas between the catalytic beds in the SO.sub.2 converter of the plant. Thereby a less complicated and more cost efficient heat exchanger layout is obtained.

Methods of reducing heat exchanger fouling rate or of producing polyolefins may include providing a first gas stream comprising a gas and entrained fine polyolefin particles to a gas outlet line; removing a portion of the entrained fine polyolefin particles from the gas outlet line to form a bypass stream; and providing the bypass stream to a bypass line comprising a bypass line inlet and a bypass line outlet. The bypass line inlet and outlet are located upstream and downstream of a first heat exchanger. The methods may further include providing at least a portion of the first gas stream to the first heat exchanger; and combining the bypass stream and a second gas stream at the bypass line outlet to form a combined gas stream comprising one or more olefins or paraffins. A temperature of the combined gas stream is below the dew point of the combined gas stream.

A steam methane reformer (SMR) system includes an outer tube, wherein a first end of the outer tube is closed; an inner tube disposed in the outer tube, wherein a first end of the inner tube is open. A flow channel is defined within the inner tube and an annular space is defined between the outer tube and the inner tube, the flow channel being in fluid communication with the annular space. The SMR system includes a catalytic foam disposed in the annular space between the outer tube and the inner tube, the catalytic foam comprising a catalyst.

Proposed is a process for producing methanol from synthesis gas by means of multi-stage, for example two-stage, heterogeneously catalyzed methanol synthesis, wherein the methanol product formed in every synthesis stage is separated by condensation and the remaining residual gas is supplied to the downstream synthesis stage or after separation of a purge stream recycled to the first synthesis stage as a recycle stream. According to the invention after each synthesis stage the residual gas streams have separated from them a respective purge stream, from which, using one or more hydrogen recovery apparatuses, hydrogen is separated and recycled to the first synthesis stage. The ratio of the individual purge streams and their total molar flow may optionally be varied to allow better control of the reaction in the individual synthesis stages and to allow reaction to the advancing deactivation of the catalysts present therein.

A multi-stage dehydrogenation process including contacting, in a first stage, a feed stream comprising a hydrocarbon and steam with a dehydrogenation catalyst under dehydrogenation conditions to yield a first stage effluent, heating the first stage effluent, and contacting, in a second stage, the heated first stage effluent with a dehydrogenation catalyst under dehydrogenation conditions to yield a second stage effluent comprising a dehydrogenation product, wherein the first stage includes a first reactor and a second reactor arranged in parallel, and wherein the second stage includes a third reactor connected in series with the first reactor and the second reactor. A multi-stage dehydrogenation system for carrying out dehydrogenation is also provided.

A reactor includes a reactor vessel and one or more reaction tubes A number of tube sections of the one or more reaction tubes in each case run between a first region and a second region in the reactor vessel. For the electrical heating of the tube sections, the tube sections in the first region can be electrically connected to (a) current connection(s) of a current source. In the first region, current feed arrangements are provided; in each case one or in each case one group of the tube sections are electrically connected, and each comprise (a) contact passage(s) that in each case adjoin(s) at least one of the tube sections in the first region. A wall of the contact passages in each case is connected to a current feed element that has a rod-shaped section that runs at a wall passage through a wall of the reactor vessel.

Various embodiments include a reactor for carrying out a chemical equilibrium reaction between two gaseous starting materials and a gaseous product comprising: a pressure vessel including a reaction space with an inlet for the two starting materials and a first outlet for the gaseous product; a catalytic material arranged in the reaction space; a condensation area in the reaction space for the gaseous product; and a cooling duct structure cooling the condensation area. The cooling duct structure and the housing of the pressure vessel are constructed in a single piece. The reaction space includes a reaction duct running in a convoluted or helical manner between partitions within the pressure vessel. A cross section of the reaction duct extends between opposite face sides of the pressure vessel.