Systems and processes for dehydrogenating one or more alkanes using electrically heated dehydrogenation reactors. The source of electric energy or power can be a power grid, solar panel, windmill, hydropower, nuclear power, fuel cell, gas turbines, steam turbines, portable generator or the like. The systems and processes provided herein result in a simpler dehydrogenation process which is particularly beneficial at a small scale and at remote locations, including the well site.

Methods of heating a reactor system by providing electrical energy are described. A reactor system comprising at least one reactor tube having a catalyst disposed therein and comprises at least one electrically conductive surface is heated by providing electrical energy to the at least one electrically conductive surface on the reactor tube and adjusting a current level of the electrical energy provided to the at least one electrically conductive surface to control the temperature of the reactor tube and the catalyst disposed therein. The reactor tube may be electrically isolated from other electrically conductive components of the reactor system.

A reactor system and a process for carrying out the methanol cracking reaction of a feedstock comprising methanol to hydrogen are provided, where the heat for the endothermic methanol cracking reaction is provided by resistance heating.

A method is provided for rapidly switching a metal-catalysed steam methane reforming reaction of a feed gas from a first steady-state reaction condition (A) to a second steady-state reaction condition (B) or vice-versa. After applying a given voltage and/or feed gas flow, the system can work towards a thermal equilibration to reach steady state without any additional operator input.

A system and method for producing hydrogen from hydrocarbon and steam, including a membrane reformer with multiple membrane reactors each having a tubular membrane. The bore of the tubular membrane is the permeate side for the hydrogen. The region external to the tubular membrane is the retentate side for carbon dioxide. A sweep gas flows through the bore to displace hydrogen in a direction countercurrent to flow of hydrocarbon and steam in the region external to the tubular membrane. The method includes discharging hydrogen as permeate with the sweep gas from the bore, and discharging carbon dioxide in the region external to the tubular membrane as retentate from the membrane reactor.

Fuel tank inerting systems are described. The systems include a fuel tank having an inerting system flow path connected to the fuel tank. A catalytic reactor is arranged along the inerting system flow path configured to receive a reactant mixture of first reactant and a second reactant to generate inert gas. A condenser heat exchanger is arranged between the catalytic reactor and the fuel tank to cool an output from the catalytic reactor. A first ejector is configured to receive the first reactant and the second reactant and output the reactant mixture through an outlet. A second ejector is configured to receive an inert gas and the second reactant to output a mixture of the second reactant and the inert gas.

Methods of heating a reactor system by providing electrical energy are described. A reactor system comprising at least one reactor tube having a catalyst disposed therein and comprises at least one electrically conductive surface is heated by providing electrical energy to the at least one electrically conductive surface on the reactor tube and adjusting a current level of the electrical energy provided to the at least one electrically conductive surface to control the temperature of the reactor tube and the catalyst disposed therein. The reactor tube may be electrically isolated from other electrically conductive components of the reactor system.

Aldehyde generation includes providing a first input stream, a second input, and an alkene substrate to a reactor system. The first input stream includes a catalyst, a ligand, and an organic solvent. The second input stream includes a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen gas (H.sub.2). The alkene substrate is in either gaseous form or liquid form, the liquid form of the alkene substrate being provided with the first input stream, the gaseous form of the alkene substrate being provided with the second input stream. The reactor system includes a first reactor and a second reactor, where the second reactor is gas permeable and positioned within the first reactor.

Systems and processes for dehydrogenating one or more alkanes using electrically heated dehydrogenation reactors. The source of electric energy or power can be a power grid, solar panel, windmill, hydropower, nuclear power, fuel cell, gas turbines, steam turbines, portable generator or the like. The systems and processes provided herein result in a simpler dehydrogenation process which is particularly beneficial at a small scale and at remote locations, including the well site.

A method of growing carbon nanotubes includes following steps. A reactor is constructed, wherein the reactor includes a reactor chamber and a rotating mechanism inside the reactor chamber. A carbon nanotube catalyst composite layer is applied, the carbon nanotube catalyst composite layer is configured to be rotated by the rotating mechanism in the reactor chamber, and the carbon nanotube catalyst composite layer includes a carbon nanotube layer and a number of catalyst particles dispersed in the carbon nanotube layer. The carbon nanotube catalyst composited layer is positioned inside the reactor chamber. A mixture of carbon source gas and carrier gas is introduced into the reactor chamber. The carbon nanotube catalyst composite layer is rotated. The carbon nanotube catalyst composite layer is heated to grow carbon nanotubes.